"B-17" redirects here. For other uses, see B17 (disambiguation).
| Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress |
|
|
|
Boeing B-17E |
| Role |
Heavy bomber
Strategic bomber |
| National origin |
United States |
| Manufacturer |
Boeing |
| First flight |
28 July 1935[1] |
| Introduction |
April 1938 |
| Retired |
1968 (Brazilian Air Force) |
| Primary users |
United States Army Air Forces
(USAAC before June 1941)
Royal Air Force |
| Produced |
1936–1945 |
| Number built |
12,731[2] |
| Unit cost |
US$238,329[3] |
| Variants |
XB-38 Flying Fortress
YB-40 Flying Fortress
C-108 Flying Fortress |
| Developed into |
Boeing 307 |
The
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 bombers, the Boeing
entry outperformed both competitors and more than met the Air Corps'
expectations. Although Boeing lost the contract because the prototype
crashed, the Air Corps was so impressed with Boeing's design that they
ordered 13 more B-17s for further evaluation. From its introduction in
1938, the B-17 Flying Fortress evolved through numerous design advances.
The B-17 was primarily employed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial and military targets. The United States Eighth Air Force, based at many airfields in southern England, and the Fifteenth Air Force, based in Italy, complemented the RAF Bomber Command's nighttime area bombing in the Combined Bomber Offensive to help secure air superiority over the cities, factories and battlefields of Western Europe in preparation for the invasion of France in 1944.
[4] The B-17 also participated to a lesser extent in the War in the Pacific, early in World War II, where it conducted raids against Japanese shipping and airfields.
From its pre-war inception, the USAAC (later USAAF) touted the
aircraft as a strategic weapon; it was a potent, high-flying, long-range
bomber that was able to defend itself, and to return home despite
extensive battle damage. It quickly took on mythic proportions,
[5][N 1][8] and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status.
[9] With a service ceiling
greater than any of its Allied contemporaries, the B-17 established
itself as an effective weapons system, dropping more bombs than any
other U.S. aircraft in World War II. Of the
1.5 million metric tons of bombs dropped on Germany and its occupied territories by U.S. aircraft, 640,000 tons were dropped from B-17s.
[10]
As of September 2011, 13 aircraft remain airworthy, with dozens more in storage or on static display.
Contents
- 1 Development
- 1.1 Origins
- 1.2 Initial orders
- 2 Design and variants
- 3 Operational history
- 3.1 The RAF
- 3.2 Initial USAAF operations over Europe
- 3.3 Combined offensive
- 3.4 Pacific Theater
- 3.5 Bomber defense
- 3.6 The Luftwaffe
- 3.7 Luftwaffe captured B-17s
- 3.8 Soviet B-17s
- 3.9 Japanese captured B-17s
- 3.10 Postwar history
- 3.10.1 U.S. Air Force
- 3.10.2 U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard
- 3.11 Special operations
- 4 Operators
- 5 Survivors
- 6 Fortresses as a symbol
- 7 Notable B-17s
- 8 Noted B-17 pilots and crew members
- 8.1 Medal of Honor awards
- 8.2 Other military achievements or events
- 8.3 B-17 in the Movies
- 8.4 Civilian achievements or events
- 9 Specifications (B-17G)
- 10 See also
- 11 References
- 11.1 Notes
- 11.2 Citations
- 11.3 Bibliography
- 12 Further reading
- 13 External links
Development
Origins
Nose turret with gun fitted to the prototype
On 8 August 1934, the
U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC) tendered a proposal for a multi-engined bomber to replace the
Martin B-10. The Air Corps was looking for a bomber capable of reinforcing the air forces in Hawaii, Panama, and Alaska.
[11]
Requirements were that it would carry a "useful bombload" at an
altitude of 10,000 feet (3 km) for 10 hours with a top speed of at least
200 miles per hour (320 km/h).
[12]
They also desired, but did not require, a range of 2,000 miles
(3,200 km) and a speed of 250 miles per hour (400 km/h). The competition
for the Air Corps contract would be decided by a "fly-off" between
Boeing's design, the
Douglas DB-1, and the
Martin Model 146 at
Wright Field in
Dayton,
Ohio.
The prototype B-17, designated Model 299, was designed by a team of engineers led by E. Gifford Emery and
Edward Curtis Wells, and was built at Boeing's own expense.
[13] It combined features of the experimental
Boeing XB-15 bomber with the
Boeing 247 transport aircraft.
[12]
The B-17's armament consisted of up to 4,800 pounds (2,200 kg) of bombs
on two racks in the bomb bay behind the cockpit, and initially
possessed five 0.30 inches (7.62 mm)
machine guns. It was powered by four
Pratt & Whitney R-1690 "Hornet" radial engines each producing 750 horsepower (600 kW) at 7,000 feet (2,100 m).
[14]
The first flight of the Model 299 was on
28 July 1935 with Boeing chief test-pilot Leslie Tower at the controls.
[1][15] Richard Williams, a reporter for the
Seattle Times, coined the name "Flying Fortress" when the Model 299 was rolled out bristling with multiple machine gun installations.
[16]
The most unique gun emplacement was the nose installation (see note for
description and drawing), which allowed the single machine gun to be
fired toward almost any frontal angle that an approaching enemy fighter
would take to attack the B-17.
[17]
Boeing was quick to see the value of the name and had it trademarked
for use. Boeing also claimed in some of the early press releases that
Model 299 was the first combat aircraft that could continue its mission
if one of its four engines, for whatever reason, failed.
[18] On
20 August 1935, the prototype flew from
Seattle
to Wright Field in nine hours and three minutes at an average cruising
speed of 252 miles per hour (406 km/h), much faster than the
competition.
[19]
At the fly-off, the four-engine Boeing's performance was superior to those of the twin-engine DB-1 and Model 146. Then-
Major General Frank Maxwell Andrews of the
GHQ Air Force
believed that the long-range capabilities of four-engine large aircraft
were more effective than shorter-ranged, twin-engined aircraft, and
that the B-17 was better suited to their doctrine.
[20]
His opinions were shared by the Air Corps procurement officers, and
even before the competition had finished they suggested buying 65 B-17s.
[21][22]
Development continued on the Boeing Model 299, and on
30 October 1935, Army Air Corps test-pilot Major
Ployer Peter Hill
and Boeing employee Les Tower took the Model 299 on a second evaluation
flight. Inadvertently, the crew forgot to disengage the "
gust locks,"
a system of devices that held the bomber's movable control surfaces in
place while the aircraft was parked on the ground. After take-off, the
aircraft entered a steep climb, stalled, nosed over, and crashed,
killing Hill and Tower (other observers survived with injuries).
[23][24][N 2]
The crashed Model 299 could not finish the evaluation, and while the
Air Corps was still enthusiastic about the aircraft's potential, Army
officials were daunted by the much greater expense per aircraft
[25]
(Douglas quoted a unit price of $58,200 based on a production order of
220 aircraft, compared with a price of $99,620 from Boeing
[26]), and as the competition could not be completed Boeing was legally disqualified from the consideration for the contract.
[22] Army Chief of Staff
Malin Craig cancelled the order for 65 YB-17s, and ordered 133 of the twin-engine
Douglas B-18 Bolo instead.
[21][22]
The loss was not total... but Boeing's hopes for a substantial bomber contract were dashed.
Initial orders
Regardless, the USAAC had been impressed by the prototype's performance, and on
17 January 1936, through a legal loophole,
[28] the Air Corps ordered 13 YB-17s (designated Y1B-17 after November 1936 to denote its special F-1 funding) for service testing.
[22] The YB-17 incorporated a number of significant changes from the Model 299, including more powerful
Wright R-1820-39
Cyclone engines replacing the original Pratt & Whitneys. Although
the prototype was company-owned and never received a military serial
(the B-17 designation itself did not appear officially until January
1936, nearly three months after the prototype crashed),
[29] the term "XB-17" was retroactively applied to the airframe and has entered the lexicon to describe the first Flying Fortress.
Between 1 March and 4 August 1937, 12 of the 13 Y1B-17s were delivered to the 2nd Bombardment Group at
Langley Field in Virginia for operational development and flight tests.
[30] One suggestion adopted was the use of a
pre-flight checklist to avoid accidents such as that which befell the Model 299.
[28][31][N 3] In one of their first missions, three B-17s, directed by lead navigator
Lieutenant Curtis LeMay, were sent by General Andrews to
"intercept" and photograph the Italian ocean liner Rex 610 miles (980 km) off the Atlantic coast.
[33] The mission was successful and widely publicized.
[34][35] The 13th Y1B-17 was delivered to the Material Division at Wright Field, Ohio, to be used for flight testing.
[36]
B-17Bs at
March Field, California, prior to attack on
Pearl Harbor, with nose glazing of the style retained through the B-17E model.
A 14th Y1B-17 (
37-369), originally constructed for ground
testing of the airframe's strength, was upgraded and fitted with
exhaust-driven turbochargers. Scheduled to fly in 1937, it encountered
problems with the turbochargers, and its first flight was delayed until
29 April 1938.
[37] The aircraft was delivered to the Army on
31 January 1939.
[38]
Once service testing was complete, the Y1B-17s and Y1B-17A were
redesignated B-17 and B-17A respectively to signify the change to
operational status.
[39]
Opposition to the Air Corps' ambitions for the acquisition of more
B-17s faded, and in late 1937, 10 more aircraft designated B-17B were
ordered to equip two bombardment groups, one on each U.S. coast.
[40] Improved with larger flaps, rudder and
Plexiglas
nose, the B-17Bs were delivered in five small batches between July 1939
and March 1940. In July 1940, a significant order for 512 B-17s was
issued;
[41] however, prior to the
attack on Pearl Harbor, fewer than 200 B-17s were in service with the Army.
[28]
A total of 155 B-17s of all variants were delivered between
11 January 1937 and
30 November
1941, but production quickly accelerated with the B-17 eventually
setting the record for achieving the highest production rate for large
aircraft.
[42][N 4] The aircraft went on to serve in every
World War II combat zone, and by the time production ended in May 1945, 12,731 aircraft had been built by Boeing,
Douglas, and
Vega (a subsidiary of
Lockheed).
[43]
Though the crash of the prototype 299 in 1935 had
almost wiped out Boeing, now it was seen as a boon. Instead of building
models based on experimental engineering, Boeing had been hard at work
developing their bomber and now had versions ready for production far
better than would have been possible otherwise. One of the most
significant weapons of World War II would be ready, but only by a hair.
Design and variants
Production numbers
| Variant |
Produced |
First flight |
| Model 299 |
1 |
28 July 1935[1] |
| YB-17 |
13 |
2 December 1936[44] |
| YB-17A |
1 |
29 April 1938.[37] |
| B-17B |
39 |
27 June 1939[45] |
| B-17C |
38 |
21 July 1940[46] |
| B-17D |
42 |
3 February 1941[47] |
| B-17E |
512 |
5 September 1941[48] |
| B-17F (total) |
3,405 |
30 May 1942[49][50] |
| B-17F-BO |
2,300 |
[49] |
| B-17F-DL |
605 |
[49] |
| B-17F-VE |
500 |
[49] |
| B-17G (total) |
8,680 |
|
| B-17G-BO |
4,035 |
|
| B-17G-DL |
2,395 |
|
| B-17G-VE |
2,250 |
|
| Grand total |
12,731 |
|
The aircraft went through several alterations in each of its design
stages and variants. Of the 13 YB-17s ordered for service testing, 12
were used by the 2nd Bomb Group of Langley Field, Virginia, to develop
heavy bombing techniques, and the 13th was used for flight testing at
the Material Division at Wright Field, Ohio.
[36]
Experiments on this aircraft led to the use of a turbo-supercharger
which would become standard on the B-17 line. A 14th aircraft, the
YB-17A, originally destined for ground testing only and upgraded with
the turbocharger,
[51] was re-designated B-17A after testing had finished.
[38][39]
Waist position gun blister of Model 299, not adopted for production
As the production line developed, Boeing engineers continued to
improve upon the basic design. To enhance performance at slower speeds,
the B-17B was altered to include larger
rudder and
flaps.
[45]
The B-17C changed from three bulged, oval shaped machine gun blisters
to two flush, oval-shaped machine gun window openings and a single
"bathtub" machine gun housing on the lower fuselage,
[46] that resembled the similarly-configured and located ventral defensive emplacement on the German
Heinkel He 111P-series medium bomber. Models
A through
D of the B-17 were designed defensively, while the large-tailed B-17E was the first model primarily focused on offensive warfare.
[51]
The B-17E was an extensive revision of the Model 299 design: The
fuselage was extended by 10 ft (3.0 m); a much larger rear fuselage,
vertical tail fin, rudder, and horizontal stabilizer were added to the
design; a gunner's position was added in the new tail; the nose
(especially the bombardier's well-framed nose glazing) remained
relatively the same as the earlier -B through -D versions had, but with
the addition of a
Sperry electrically-powered manned dorsal
gun turret just behind the cockpit, and the similarly-powered (also built by Sperry) manned ventral
ball turret
just aft of the bomb bay - replacing a relatively hard-to-use remotely
operated ventral turret on the earliest examples of the -E variant, that
had also been used on the earlier marks of the North American B-25
Mitchell - resulted in a 20% increase in aircraft weight.
[51] The B-17's
turbocharged Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9
engines were upgraded to increasingly more powerful versions of the
same powerplants multiple times throughout its production, and
similarly, the number of machine gun emplacement locations were
increased to enhance their aircraft's combat effectiveness.
[52]
The B-17F variants were the primary versions flying for the Eighth
Air Force to face the Nazis in 1943, and had standardized the manned
Sperry ball turret for ventral defense, along with an enlarged, nearly
frameless Plexiglas bombardier's nose enclosure for much improved
forward vision.
A B-17F of the 99th Bomb Group, with the nearly frameless clear-view bombardier's nose.
Two experimental versions of the B-17 were flown under different designations, the
XB-38 Flying Fortress and the
YB-40 Flying Fortress. The XB-38 was an engine testbed for
Allison V-1710
liquid-cooled engines, should the Wright engines normally used on the
B-17 become unavailable. The only prototype XB-38 to fly crashed on its
ninth flight and the type was abandoned, the V-1710 being kept for
fighters.
[53][54]
The YB-40 was a heavily armed modification of the standard B-17 used before the
P-51 Mustang,
an effective long-range fighter, became available to act as escort.
Additional armament included an additional dorsal turret in the radio
room, a remotely-operated and fired Bendix-built "chin turret" and twin
.50 in (13 mm) guns in each of the waist positions. The ammunition load
was over 11,000 rounds, making the YB-40 well over 10,000 lb (4,500 kg)
heavier than a fully loaded B-17F. The YB-40s with their numerous heavy
modifications had trouble keeping up with the lighter bombers once they
had dropped their bombs, and so the project was abandoned and finally
phased out in July 1943,
[55][56][57]
but not before the final production blocks of the B-17F adopted the
YB-40's remotely operated and fired Bendix "chin turret" for a
much-improved forward defensive weapons installation.
By the time the definitive B-17G appeared, the number of guns had
been increased from seven to 13, the designs of the gun stations were
finalized, and other adjustments were completed. The B-17G was the final
version of the Flying Fortress, incorporating all changes made to its
predecessor, the B-17F,
[51]
adopting the remotely-operated "chin turret" for forward defense from
the YB-40 "gunship" version, and in total 8,680 were built,
[58] the last one (by Lockheed) on
28 July 1945.
[59] Many B-17Gs were converted for other missions such as cargo hauling, engine testing and
reconnaissance.
[60]
Initially designated SB-17G, a number of B-17Gs were also converted for
search-and-rescue duties, later to be redesignated B-17H.
[61]
SB-17G-95DL
44-83722
assigned to the 2nd ERS as a Search and Rescue aircraft
Late in World War II, at least 25 B-17s were fitted with radio
controls and television cameras, loaded with 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) of
high-explosives and dubbed BQ-7 "Aphrodite missiles" for
Operation Aphrodite.
The operation, which involved remotely flying Aphrodite drones onto
their targets by accompanying CQ-17 "mothership" control aircraft, was
approved on
26 June 1944, and assigned the
388th Bombardment Group stationed at
RAF Fersfield, a satellite of
RAF Knettishall.
[62]
The first four drones were sent to
Mimoyecques, the
Siracourt V-1 bunker,
Watten and
Wizernes on 4 August, causing little damage. The project came to a sudden end with the unexplained mid-air explosion over the
Blyth estuary of a
B-24, part of the
United States Navy's contribution as "Project Anvil", en route for
Heligoland piloted by Lieutenant
Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., future U.S. president
John F. Kennedy's
elder brother. Blast damage was caused over a radius of 5 miles
(8.0 km). British authorities were anxious that no similar accidents
should again occur, and the Aphrodite project was scrapped in early
1945.
[62]
Operational history
The B-17 began operations in
World War II
with the RAF in 1941 (but was not successful), and in the Southwest
Pacific with the U.S. Army. The 19th Bombardment Group had deployed to
Clark Field in the Philippines a few weeks before the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor as the first of a planned heavy bomber buildup in the
Pacific. Half of the group's B-17s were wiped out on 8 December 1941
when they were caught on the ground during refueling and rearming for a
planned attack on Japanese airfields on Formosa. The small force of
B-17s operated against the Japanese invasion force until they were
withdrawn to Darwin, in Australia's Northern Territory. In early 1942,
the 7th Bombardment Group began arriving in Java with a mixed force of
B-17s and LB-30/B-24s.
[63]
After the defeat in Java, the 19th withdrew to Australia where it
continued in combat until it was sent back home by Gen. George C. Kenney
when he arrived in Australia in mid-1942.
[64] In July 1942, the first USAAF B-17s were sent to England to join
Eighth Air Force.
Later that year two groups moved to Algeria to join Twelfth Air Force
for operations in North Africa. The B-17s were primarily involved in the
daylight precision
strategic bombing
campaign against German targets ranging from U-boat pens, docks,
warehouses and airfields to industrial targets such as aircraft
factories.
[65] In
the campaign against German aircraft forces
in preparation for the invasion of France, B-17 and B-24 raids were
directed against German aircraft production while their presence drew
the
Luftwaffe fighters into battle with Allied fighters.
[4]
Early models proved to be unsuitable for combat use over Europe and
it was the B-17E that was first successfully used by the USAAF. The
defense expected from bombers operating in close formation alone did not
prove effective and the bombers needed fighter escorts to operate
successfully.
During World War II, the B-17 equipped 32 overseas combat groups,
inventory peaking in August 1944 at 4,574 USAAF aircraft worldwide.
[66] B-17s dropped 640,036
short tons
(580,631 metric tons) of bombs on European targets (compared to 452,508
short tons (410,508 metric tons) dropped by the Liberator and 463,544
short tons (420,520 metric tons) dropped by all other U.S. aircraft).
[clarification needed] The British heavy bombers, the
Avro Lancaster and
Handley Page Halifax, dropped 608,612 long tons (681,645 short tons) and 224,207 long tons (251,112 short tons)
[67] respectively.
The RAF
The
Royal Air Force
entered World War II with no heavy bomber of its own in service; the
biggest available were long-range medium bombers such as the
Vickers Wellington which could carry up to 4,500 pounds (2,000 kg) of bombs.
[68] While the
Short Stirling and
Handley Page Halifax
would become its primary bombers by 1941, in early 1940 the RAF entered
into an agreement with the U.S. Army Air Corps to be provided with 20
B-17Cs, which were
given the service name Fortress I. Their first operation, against
Wilhelmshaven on
8 July 1941 was unsuccessful;
[69][70] on
24 July, the target was
Brest, France, but again the bombers missed completely.
By September, after the RAF had lost eight B-17Cs in combat or to
accidents and many instances of aborts due to mechanical problems,
Bomber Command
abandoned daylight bombing raids because of the Fortress I's poor
performance. The experience showed both the RAF and USAAF that the B-17C
was not ready for combat, and that improved defenses, larger bomb loads
and more accurate bombing methods were required. However the USAAF
continued using the B-17 as a "day" bomber, despite misgivings by the
RAF that attempted daylight bombing would be ineffective.
[71]
As usage by Bomber Command had been curtailed, the RAF transferred its remaining Fortress I aircraft to
Coastal Command for use as a long-range maritime patrol aircraft instead.
[72] These were later augmented in August 1942 by 19 Fortress Mk II (B-17F) and 45 Fortress Mk IIA (B-17E). A Fortress from
No. 206 Squadron RAF sank
U-627 on
27 October 1942, the first of 11 U-boat kills credited to RAF Fortress bombers during the war.
[73]
The RAF's
No. 223 Squadron, as part of
100 Group,
operated a number of Fortresses equipped with an electronic warfare
system known as "Airborne Cigar" (ABC). This was operated by
German–speaking radio operators who would identify and jam German ground
controllers' broadcasts to their
nightfighters. They could also pose as ground controllers themselves with the intention of steering nightfighters away from the
bomber streams.
[74]
Women pilots leaving their B-17, "Pistol Packin' Mama", at Lockbourne AAF, Ohio, during
WASP training to ferry B-17 aircraft. Left to right are Frances Green, Marget Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborn.
Initial USAAF operations over Europe
The Air Corps (renamed
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on 20 June 1941), using the B-17 and other bombers, bombed from high altitudes using the then-secret
Norden bombsight, known as the "Blue Ox",
[75][76] which was an optical electro-mechanical gyro-stabilized
analog computer.
[77]
The device was able to determine, from variables input by the
bombardier, the point at which the aircraft's bombs should be released
to hit the target. The bombardier essentially took over flight control
of the aircraft during the bomb run, maintaining a level altitude during
the final moments before release.
[78]
The USAAF began building up its air forces in Europe using B-17Es soon after entering the war. The first
Eighth Air Force units arrived in
High Wycombe, England, on
12 May 1942, to form the 97th Bomb Group.
[79] On
17 August 1942, 12 B-17Es of the 97th, with the lead aircraft piloted by Major
Paul Tibbets and carrying
Brigadier General Ira Eaker as an observer, were escorted by four squadrons of RAF
Spitfires (and a further five squadrons to cover the withdrawal) on the first USAAF heavy bomber raid over Europe, against railroad
marshalling yards at
Rouen-Sotteville in France, while a further six aircraft flew a diversionary raid along the French coast.
[80][81]
The operation was a success, with only minor damage to two aircraft and
half the bombs landing in the target area. The raid helped assuage
British doubts about the capabilities of American heavy bombers in
operations over Europe.
[82]
As the raids of the American bombing campaign grew in numbers and
frequency, German interception efforts arose to respond to the bombers
(such as during the attempted bombing of Kiel on 13 June 1943
[83]) to the level where unescorted bombing missions became discouraged.
[84]
Combined offensive
Boeing B-17F
radar bombing through clouds:
Bremen, Germany, on
13 November 1943.
The two different strategies of the American and British bomber commands were organized at the
Casablanca Conference in January 1943. The resulting "
Combined Bomber Offensive" would weaken the
Wehrmacht, destroy German morale and establish air superiority through
Operation Pointblank's destruction of German fighter strength in preparation of a ground offensive.
[4] The USAAF bombers would attack by day, with British operations – chiefly against industrial cities – by night.
Operation Pointblank opened with attacks on targets in Western Europe. General
Ira C. Eaker
and the Eighth Air Force placed highest priority on attacks on the
German aircraft industry, especially fighter assembly plants, engine
factories and ball-bearing manufacturers.
[4] Attacks began in April 1943 on heavily fortified key industrial plants in
Bremen and
Recklinghausen.
[85]
B-17F formation over
Schweinfurt, Germany,
17 August 1943
Since the airfield bombings were not appreciably reducing German
fighter strength, additional B-17 groups were formed, and Eaker ordered
major missions deeper into Germany against important industrial targets.
The 8th Air Force then targeted the ball-bearing factories in
Schweinfurt, hoping to cripple the war effort there. The
first raid on
17 August 1943 did not result in critical damage to the factories, with the 230 attacking B-17s being intercepted by an estimated 300
Luftwaffe fighters. The Germans shot down 36 aircraft with the loss of 200 men, and coupled with a raid earlier in the day against
Regensburg, a total of 60 B-17s were lost that day.
[86]
A second attempt on Schweinfurt on 14 October 1943 would later come to be known as "
Black Thursday".
[87]
While the attack was successful at disrupting the entire works,
severely curtailing work there for the remainder of the war, it was at
an extreme cost.
[88]
Of the 291 attacking Fortresses, 60 were shot down over Germany, five
crashed on approach to Britain, and 12 more were scrapped due to
damage – a total loss of 77 B-17s.
[89]
A total of 122 bombers were damaged and needed repairs before their
next flight. Out of 2,900 men in the crews, about 650 men did not
return, although some survived as
prisoners of war. Only 33 bombers landed without damage. These losses were a result of concentrated attacks by over 300 German fighters.
[90]
B-17G of the 384th Bomb Group on the bomb run
Such high losses of air crews could not be sustained, and the USAAF,
recognizing the vulnerability of heavy bombers to interceptors when
operating alone, suspended daylight bomber raids deep into Germany until
the development of an escort fighter that could protect the bombers all
the way from the United Kingdom to Germany and back. At the same time,
the German night fighting ability noticeably improved to counter the
nighttime strikes, challenging the conventional faith in the cover of
darkness.
[91] The
Eighth Air Force alone lost 176 bombers in October 1943,
[92] and was to suffer similar casualties on
11 January 1944 on missions to
Oschersleben,
Halberstadt and
Brunswick.
Lieutenant General James Doolittle,
commander of the Eighth, had ordered the second Schweinfurt mission to
be cancelled as the weather deteriorated, but the lead units had already
entered hostile air space and continued with the mission. Most of the
escorts turned back or missed the rendezvous, and as a result 60 B-17s
were destroyed.
[93][94] A third raid on Schweinfurt on
24 February 1944 highlighted what came to be known as "
Big Week",
[95] during which the bombing missions were directed against German aircraft production.
[91] German fighters would have to respond, and the
North American P-51 Mustang and
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters (equipped with improved
drop tanks to extend their range) accompanying the American heavies all the way to and from the targets would engage them.
[96] The escort fighters reduced the loss rate to below seven percent, with only 247 B-17s lost in 3,500
sorties while taking part in the Big Week raids.
[97]
By September 1944, 27 of the 40 bomb groups of the Eighth Air Force and six of the 21 groups of the
Fifteenth Air Force used B-17s. Losses to
flak continued to take a high toll of heavy bombers through 1944, but by
27 April
1945 (two days after the last heavy bombing mission in Europe), the
rate of aircraft loss was so low that replacement aircraft were no
longer arriving and the number of bombers per bomb group was reduced.
The Combined Bomber Offensive was effectively complete.
[98]
Pacific Theater
B-17C AAF S/N
40-2074 at
Hickam Field. An onboard fire burnt the aircraft in two shortly after landing on
7 December 1941. One crewman was killed by Zero attack.
[99]
On 7 December 1941, a group of 12 B-17s of the 38th (four B-17C) and
88th (eight B-17E) Reconnaissance Squadrons, en route to reinforce the
Philippines, were flown into Pearl Harbor from
Hamilton Field,
California, arriving during the
attack on Pearl Harbor. Leonard "Smitty" Smith Humiston, co-pilot on
First Lieutenant Robert H. Richards' B-17C, AAF S/N
40-2049,
reported that he thought the U.S. Navy was giving the flight a 21-gun
salute to celebrate the arrival of the bombers, after which he realized
that Pearl Harbor was under attack. The Fortress came under fire from
Japanese fighter aircraft, though the crew was unharmed with the
exception of one member who suffered an abrasion on his hand. Enemy
activity forced an abort from
Hickam Field to
Bellows Field, where the aircraft overran the runway and into a ditch where it was then strafed. Although initially deemed repairable,
40-2049 (11th BG / 38th RS) received more than 200 bullet holes and never flew again. Ten of the 12 Fortresses survived the attack.
[100]
B-17E BO AAF S/N
41-9211
Typhoon McGoon II of the 11th BG / 98th BS, taken in January 1943
in New Caledonia. The antennas mounted upon the nose were used for
radar tracking surface vessels.
By 1941, the
Far East Air Force (FEAF) based at
Clark Field in the Philippines had 35 B-17s, with the War Department eventually planning to raise that to 165.
[101] When the FEAF received word of the attack on Pearl Harbor,
General Lewis H. Brereton
sent his bombers and fighters on various patrol missions to prevent
them from being caught on the ground. Brereton planned B-17 raids on
Japanese air fields in
Formosa, in accordance with
Rainbow 5 war plan directives, but this was overruled by General
Douglas MacArthur.
[102] A series of
disputed discussions and decisions,
followed by several confusing and false reports of air attacks, delayed
the authorization of the sortie. By the time the B-17s and escorting
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters were about to get airborne, they were destroyed by Japanese bombers of the
11th Air Fleet. The FEAF lost half its aircraft during the first strike,
[103] and was all but destroyed over the next few days.
Another early World War II Pacific engagement on
10 December 1941 involved
Colin Kelly who reportedly crashed his B-17 into the
Japanese battleship Haruna, which was later acknowledged as a near bomb miss on the
heavy cruiser Ashigara. Nonetheless, this deed made him a celebrated
war hero. Kelly's B-17C AAF S/N
40-2045
(19th BG / 30th BS) crashed about 6 mi (10 km) from Clark Field after
he held the burning Fortress steady long enough for the surviving crew
to bail out. Kelly was posthumously awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross.
[104] Noted Japanese ace
Saburo Sakai is credited with this kill, and in the process, gained respect for the ability of the Fortress to absorb punishment.
[105]
B-17s were used in early battles of the Pacific with little success, notably the
Battle of Coral Sea[106] and
Battle of Midway.
[107] While there, the
Fifth Air Force
B-17s were tasked with disrupting the Japanese sea lanes. Air Corps
doctrine dictated bombing runs from high altitude, but it was soon
discovered that only one percent of their bombs hit targets. However,
B-17s were operating at heights too great for most
A6M Zero fighters to reach, and the B-17's heavy gun armament was easily more than a match for lightly protected Japanese aircraft.
On 2 March 1943, six B-17s of the 64th Squadron attacked a major
Japanese troop convoy from 10,000 ft (3 km) during the early stages of
the
Battle of the Bismarck Sea, off
New Guinea, using
skip bombing to sink three merchant ships including the
Kyokusei Maru. A B-17 was shot down by a
New Britain-based
A6M Zero,
whose pilot then machine-gunned some of the B-17 crew members as they
descended in parachutes and attacked others in the water after they
landed.
[108]
Later, 13 B-17s bombed the convoy from medium altitude, causing the
ships to disperse and prolonging the journey. The convoy was
subsequently all but destroyed by a combination of low level strafing
runs by
Royal Australian Air Force Beaufighters, and skip bombing by USAAF
North American B-25 Mitchells at 100 ft (30 m), while B-17s claimed five hits from higher altitudes.
[109]
A peak of 168 B-17 bombers were in the Pacific theater in September
1942, with all groups converting to other types by mid-1943. In
mid-1942, Gen. Arnold decided that the B-17 was inadequate for the kind
of operations required in the Pacific and made plans to replace all of
the B-17s in the theater with B-24s as soon as they became available.
Although the conversion was not complete until mid-1943, B-17 combat
operations in the Pacific theater came to an end after a little over a
year.
[110]
Surviving aircraft were reassigned to the 54th Troop Carrier Wing's
special airdrop section, and were used to drop supplies to ground forces
operating in close contact with the enemy. Special airdrop B-17s
supported Australian commandos operating near the Japanese stronghold at
Rabaul, which had been the primary B-17 target in 1942 and early 1943.
[111]
Bomber defense
Part of a USAAF stream of over 1,000 B-17s
Before the advent of long-range
fighter escorts, B-17s had only their
.50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns
to rely on for defense during the bombing runs over Europe. As the war
intensified, Boeing used feedback from aircrews to improve each new
variant with increased armament and armor.
[112]
The number of defensive guns increased from four 0.50 in (12.7 mm)
machine guns and one 0.30 in (7.62 mm) nose machine gun in the B-17C, to
thirteen 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the B-17G. But because the
bombers could not
maneuver
when attacked by fighters, and during their final bomb run they needed
to be flown straight and level, individual aircraft struggled to fend
off a direct attack.
German training model on how to attack a
fliegendes Stachelschwein
A 1943 survey by the Air Corps found that over half the bombers shot
down by the Germans had left the protection of the main formation.
[113] To address this problem, the United States developed the bomb-group formation, which evolved into the staggered
combat box
formation where all the B-17s could safely cover any others in their
formation with their machine guns, making a formation of the bombers a
dangerous target to engage by enemy fighters.
[114] Luftwaffe fighter pilots likened attacking a B-17 combat box formation to encountering a
fliegendes Stachelschwein,
"flying porcupine". However, the use of this rigid formation meant that
individual aircraft could not engage in evasive maneuvers: they had to
fly constantly in a straight line, which made them vulnerable to the
German
flak.
Moreover, German fighter aircraft later used the tactic of high-speed
strafing passes rather than engaging with individual aircraft to inflict
damage with minimum risk.
As a result, the B-17s' loss rate was up to 25% on some early missions (60 of 291 B-17s were lost in combat on the second
Raid on Schweinfurt[115]), and it was not until the advent of long-range fighter escorts (particularly the
North American P-51 Mustang) resulting in the degradation of the
Luftwaffe as an effective interceptor force between February and June 1944, that the B-17 became strategically potent.
The B-17 was noted for its ability to absorb battle damage, still
reach its target and bring its crew home safely. Wally Hoffman, a B-17
pilot with the Eighth Air Force during World War II, said, "The plane
can be cut and slashed almost to pieces by enemy fire and bring its crew
home."
[116] Martin Caidin reported one instance in which a B-17 suffered a mid-air collision with a
Focke-Wulf Fw 190,
losing an engine and suffering serious damage to both the starboard
horizontal stabilizer and the vertical stabilizer, and being knocked out
of formation by the impact. The B-17 was reported as shot down by
observers, but it survived and brought its crew home without injury.
[117] Its toughness was compensation for its shorter range and lighter bomb load compared to the B-24 and British
Avro Lancaster heavy bombers.
[clarification needed]
Stories abound of B-17s returning to base with tails having been
destroyed, with only a single engine functioning or even with large
portions of wings having been damaged by
flak.
[118] This durability, together with the large operational numbers in the
Eighth Air Force and the fame achieved by the
Memphis Belle,
made the B-17 a key bomber aircraft of the war. Other factors such as
combat effectiveness and political issues also contributed to the B-17's
success.
[119]
The B-17 design went through eight major changes over the course of
its production, culminating in the B-17G, differing from its immediate
predecessor by the addition of a bombardier-operated, remotely
controlled chin
turret with two .50 in (12.7 mm) caliber
M2 Browning machine guns
under the nose, also fitted to the final production "blocks" of the
B-17F and first tried in May 1943 as part of the increased armament
system of the YB-40. This eliminated the B-17's main defensive weakness
in head-on attacks.
The Luftwaffe
The severely damaged B-17, "All-American" continues to fly after an attacking
Bf 109 fighter collided with the aircraft. The B-17 flew home and landed in this condition without major injuries to any of the crew members.
After examining wrecked B-17s and B-24s, Luftwaffe officers discovered that on average it took around 20 hits with
20 mm shells fired from the rear to bring them down.
[89]
Pilots of average ability hit the bombers with only about two percent
of the rounds they fired, so to obtain 20 hits, the average pilot had to
fire one thousand 20 mm (0.79 in) rounds at a bomber.
[89] Early versions of the
Fw 190, one of the best German interceptor fighters, were equipped with two 20 mm (0.79 in)
MG FF cannons, which carried only 500 rounds, and later with the better
Mauser MG 151/20
cannons, which had a longer effective range than the MG FF weapon.
Later versions carried four or even six MG151/20 cannon and twin 13 mm
machine guns. The German fighters found that when attacking from the
front, where fewer defensive guns were pointed (and where the pilot was
exposed and not protected by armor as he was from the rear), it took
only four or five hits to bring a bomber down.
[89]
To address the Fw 190's shortcomings, the number of cannons fitted was
doubled to four with a corresponding increase in the amount of
ammunition carried, creating the
the Sturmbock bomber destroyer version, which replaced the now-doomed twin-engined
Zerstörer heavy fighters which could not survive interception by P-51 Mustangs flying well ahead of the combat boxes in an
air supremacy role to clear any Luftwaffe defensive fighters from the skies. By 1944, a further upgrade to
Rheinmetall-
Borsig's 30 mm (1.2 in)
MK 108 cannons mounted either in the wing, or in underwing, conformal mount gun pods, was made for the
Sturmbock Focke-Wulfs as either the
/R2 or /R8 field modification kits, which could bring a bomber down in just a few hits.
[89]
B-17G-15-BO "Wee Willie", 322d BS, 91st BG, after direct flak hit on her 128th mission.
[120]
The adoption of the
Werfer-Granate 21
(Wfr. Gr. 21) rocket mortar by the Luftwaffe in mid-August 1943
promised the introduction of a major "stand-off" style of offensive
weapon – one strut-mounted tubular launcher was fixed under each wing
panel on the Luftwaffe's single-engined fighters, and two under each
wing panel of a few twin-engined
Bf 110 daylight
Zerstörer aircraft.
[89] However, due to the slow 715 mph velocity and characteristic
ballistic drop
of the fired rocket (despite the usual mounting of the launcher at
about 15° upward orientation), and the small number of fighters fitted
with the weapons, the Wfr. Gr. 21 never had a major effect on the combat
box formations of Fortresses.
[89] Also, the attempts of the Luftwaffe to fit heavy-calibre
Bordkanone-series 37, 50 and even 75 mm (2.95 in) cannon as anti-bomber weapons on twin-engined aircraft such as the special
Ju 88P fighters, as well as one model of the
Me 410 Hornisse, did not have much effect on the American strategic bomber offensive. The
Me 262, however, had moderate success against the B-17 late in the war. With its usual nose-mounted armament of four
MK 108 cannons, and with some examples later equipped with the
R4M rocket,
launched from underwing racks, it could fire from outside the range of
the bombers' .50 in (12.7 mm) defensive guns and bring an aircraft down
with one hit.
[121]
Captured B-17F-27-BO in
Luftwaffe colors, the USAAF-named "Wulf Hound",
41-24585, of the 360th BS/303rd BG, missing in action
16 October 1942. Operated by
Kampfgeschwader 200.
Luftwaffe captured B-17s
During World War II, after crash-landing or being forced down,
approximately 40 B-17s were captured and refurbished, with about a dozen
put back into the air. Given German
Balkenkreuz national markings on their wings and fuselage sides, and
Hakenkreuz
tail fin-flashes, the captured B-17s were used to determine the B-17's
vulnerabilities and to train German interceptor pilots in attack
tactics.
[122] Others, with the cover designations Dornier Do 200 and Do 288, were used as long-range transports by the
Kampfgeschwader 200
special duties unit, carrying out agent drops and supplying secret
airstrips in the Middle East and North Africa. They were chosen
specifically for these missions as being more suitable for this role
than other available German aircraft; they never attempted to deceive
the Allies and always wore full
Luftwaffe markings.
[123][124] One B-17 of KG200, bearing the
Luftwaffe's KG 200
Geschwaderkennung (combat wing code) markings
A3+FB, was interned by Spain when it landed at
Valencia airfield,
27 June 1944, remaining there for the rest of the war.
[79] Some B-17s kept their Allied markings and were used by the
Luftwaffe
in attempts to infiltrate B-17 bombing formations and report on their
positions and altitudes. The practice was initially successful, but Army
Air Forces combat aircrews quickly developed and established standard
procedures to first warn off, and then fire upon any "stranger" trying
to join a group's formation.
[79][verification needed]
Soviet B-17s
The U. S. did not offer B-17s to the Soviet Union as part of its war
materiel assistance program, but at least 73 aircraft were acquired by
the
Soviet Air Force. These were aircraft that landed with mechanical trouble during the
shuttle bombing raids over Germany or had been damaged by a
Luftwaffe raid in
Poltava.
The Soviets restored 23 to flying condition and concentrated them in
the 890th bomber regiment of the 45th bomber division, but they never
saw combat. In 1946 the regiment was assigned to the
Kazan factory to aid in the Soviet effort to reproduce the copying of the more advanced
Boeing B-29 as the
Tupolev Tu-4.
[125]
Japanese captured B-17s
This Philippines-captured USAAF Boeing B-17D, in Japanese
Hinomaru markings, was flown to Japan for thorough technical evaluation .
Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress 41-2471, formerly of 7th Bomb Group, was
also captured by the Japanese and used for developing fighter
counter-tactics and training pilots in their use.
Three damaged B-17s, one "D" model and two "E" models, were rebuilt
to flying status by the Japanese using parts stripped from captured B-17
wrecks in both the Philippines and the Netherlands East Indies. The
three bombers were flown to Japan where they underwent extensive
technical evaluation and were used to develop air combat counter-tactics
against the B-17. No traces of the three Flying Fortresses were found
in Japan by
Allied occupation forces following the war.
[126]
Postwar history
U.S. Air Force
Rear interior of late production B-17G, with staggered waist gun positions
Following the end of World War II, the B-17 was quickly phased out of
use as a bomber and the Army Air Forces retired most of its fleet.
Flight crews ferried the bombers back across the Atlantic to the United
States where the majority were sold for scrap and melted down, although
significant numbers remained in use in second-line roles such as VIP
transports, air-sea rescue and photo-reconnaissance.
[127][128] Strategic Air Command (SAC), established in 1946, used reconnaissance B-17s (at first called F-9 [
F for
Fotorecon], later RB-17) until 1949.
[129][130] With the disestablishment of the U.S. Army Air Forces and the establishment of an independent
U.S. Air Force in 1947, most extant B-17s were transferred to USAF.
The USAF
Air Rescue Service of the
Military Air Transport Service (MATS) operated B-17s as so-called
"Dumbo" air-sea rescue aircraft. Work on using B-17s to carry
airborne lifeboats
had begun in 1943, but they entered service in the European theater
only in February 1945, also being used to provide search and rescue
support for
B-29
raids against Japan. About 130 B-17s were converted to the air-sea
rescue role, at first designated B-17H and later SB-17G. Some SB-17s had
their defensive guns removed, while others retained their guns to allow
use close to combat areas. The SB-17 served through the
Korean War, remaining in service with USAF until the mid-1950s.
[61][131][132]
- See also: 3205th Drone Group
In 1946, surplus B-17s were chosen as
drone aircraft for atmospheric sampling during the
Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests, being able to fly close to or even through the
mushroom clouds
without endangering a crew. This led to more widespread conversion of
B-17s as drones and drone control aircraft, both for further use in
atomic testing and as targets for testing
surface-to-air and
air-to-air missiles.
[133] One hundred and seven B-17s were converted to drones.
[134] The last operational mission flown by a USAF Fortress was conducted on
6 August 1959, when DB-17P, AF Ser. No.
44-83684 directed a QB-17G, AF Ser. No.
44-83717, out of
Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, as a target for an
AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile fired from an
McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. A retirement ceremony was held several days later at Holloman AFB, after which
44-83684 was retired to the
Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC) at
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
[citation needed] Perhaps the most famous B-17, the
Memphis Belle, is currently being fastidiously restored to its World War II wartime appearance by the
National Museum of the United States Air Force at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
[135]
U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard
Under project
Cadillac II, an AN/APS-20 radar was fitted onto the B-17G, making the PB-1W the first
AWACS.
The U.S. Coast Guard PB-1G carried a droppable lifeboat.
During the last year of World War II and shortly thereafter, the
United States Navy
acquired 48 ex-USAAF B-17s for patrol and air-sea rescue work. The
first two ex-USAAF B-17s, a B-17F (later modified to B-17G standard) and
a B-17G were obtained by the Navy for various development programs.
[129]
At first, these aircraft operated under their original USAAF
designations but on 31 July 1945, they were assigned the naval aircraft
designation PB-1, a designation which had originally been used in 1925
for the
Boeing Model 50 experimental flying boat.
[136]
Thirty-two B-17Gs
[137] were used by the Navy under the designation PB-1W, the suffix -W airborne early warning. A large radome for an
S-band AN/APS-20
search radar was fitted underneath the fuselage and additional internal
fuel tanks were added for longer range, with the provision for
additional underwing fuel tanks. Originally, the B-17 was also chosen
because of its heavy defensive armament, but this was later deleted.
These aircraft were painted dark blue, a standard Navy paint scheme
which had been adopted in late 1944.
[129][136] The PB-1W eventually evolved into an early warning aircraft by virtue of its APS-20 search radar.
[137] PB-1Ws continued in USN service until 1955, gradually being phased out in favor of the Lockheed WV-2 (known in the USAF as the
EC-121, a designation adopted by USN in 1962), a military version of the
Lockheed 1049 Constellation commercial airliner.
In July 1945, 16 B-17s were transferred to the Coast Guard via the
Navy; these aircraft were initially assigned U.S. Navy Bureau Numbers
(BuNo), but were delivered to the Coast Guard designated as PB-1Gs
beginning in July 1946.
[129][132] Coast Guard PB-1Gs were stationed at a number of bases in the U.S. and Newfoundland, with five at
Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, two at
CGAS San Francisco, two at
NAS Argentia, Newfoundland, one at
CGAS Kodiak, Alaska, and one in Washington state.
[132]
They were used primarily for air-sea rescue, but were also used for
iceberg patrol duties and for photo mapping. Air-sea rescue PB-1Gs
usually carried a droppable lifeboat underneath the fuselage and the
chin turret was often replaced by a radome.
[132][138] The Coast Guard PB-1Gs served throughout the 1950s, the last example not being withdrawn from service until 14 October 1959.
[129][138]
Special operations
A number of B-17s were used by the CIA front companies Civil Air
Transport, Air America and Intermountain Aviation for special missions.
These included B-17G
44-85531, registered as N809Z. These
aircraft were primarily used for agent drop missions over the People's
Republic of China, flying from Taiwan, with Taiwanese crews. In all,
four B-17s were shot down in these operations.
[139]
In 1957 the surviving B-17s had been stripped of all weapons and
painted black. In mid-September, one of these Taiwan-based B-17s was
flown to
Clark Air Base
in the Philippines, assigned for covert missions into Tibet. Two
missions into Tibet are known to have been flown by B-17G (44-85531).
[citation needed]
On 28 May 1962, N809Z, piloted by Connie Seigrist and Douglas Price,
flew Maj. James Smith, USAF and Lt. Leonard A. LeSchack, USNR to the
abandoned Soviet arctic ice station NP 8, as
Operation Coldfeet.
After parachuting from the B-17, Smith and LeSchack searched the
station for several days. On 1 June, Seigrist and Price returned and
picked up Smith and LeSchack using a
Fulton Skyhook system installed on the B-17.
[140] In 1965, N809Z was used to perform a Skyhook pick up in the James Bond movie
Thunderball. This aircraft, now restored to its original B-17G configuration, is now on display in the
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in
McMinnville, Oregon.
Operators
Military operators of the B-17
Civil operators of the B-17
The B-17 was a versatile aircraft, serving in dozens of USAAF units
in theaters of combat throughout World War II, and in non-bomber roles
for the RAF. Its main use was in
Europe, where its shorter range and smaller bombload relative to other aircraft available did not hamper it as much as in the
Pacific Theater. Peak USAAF inventory (in August 1944) was 4,574 worldwide.
[66]
Survivors
Fortresses as a symbol
The B-17's capacity to repel enemy attacks and still inflict heavy
damage to German military capability and production centers is
imaginatively rendered in this caricature.
B-17G
43-38172 of the 8th AF 398th BG 601st BS which was damaged on a bombing mission over
Cologne, Germany, on
15 October 1944; the bombardier was killed.
[141]
The B-17 Flying Fortress has become, for many reasons, an icon of
American power and a symbol of its Air Force. During the 1930s, the
USAAC, as articulated by then-Major General
Frank Maxwell Andrews and the
Air Corps Tactical School, touted the bomber as a strategic weapon.
[142][N 5] General
Henry H. Arnold,
Chief of the Air Corps, recommended the development of bigger aircraft
with better performance and the Tactical School agreed completely.
[143][N 6]
When the Model 299 was rolled out on
28 July 1935, bristling with multiple
machine gun installations, Richard Williams, a reporter for the
Seattle Times coined the name "Flying Fortress" with his comment "Why, it's a flying fortress!".
[144] Boeing was quick to see the value of the name and had it trademarked for use. In 1943,
Consolidated Aircraft
commissioned a poll to see "to what degree the public is familiar with
the names of the Liberator and the Flying Fortress." Of 2,500 men in
cities where Consolidated adverts had been run in newspapers, 73% had
heard of the B-24, while 90% knew of the B-17.
[9]
After the initial B-17s were delivered to the Air Corps 2nd
Bombardment Group, they were used on promotional flights emphasizing its
great range and navigational precision. In January 1938, group
commander
Colonel Robert Olds
flew a YB-17 from the east to west coast, setting a transcontinental
record of 13 hours 27 minutes. He also broke the west-to-east coast
record on the return trip, averaging 245 mph (394 km/h) in 11 hours 1
minute.
[145] Six bombers of the 2nd Bombardment group took off from
Langley Field on
15 February 1938 as part of a goodwill flight to
Buenos Aires, Argentina. Covering 12,000 miles (19,000 km) they returned on
27 February, with seven aircraft setting off on a flight to
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, three days later.
[146]
In a well-publicized mission on 12 May of the same year, three B-17s
"intercepted" and took photographs of the Italian ocean liner
SS Rex 610 miles (980 km) off the Atlantic coast.
[147][N 7]
Pilots who flew both preferred the B-17 over the B-24 for its greater
stability and ease in formation flying. Its electrical systems were
less vulnerable to damage than the B-24's hydraulics, and the B-17 flew
better than the B-24 when missing an engine.
[148] During the war, the largest offensive bombing force, the
Eighth Air Force, had an open preference for the B-17.
Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle
wrote about his preference for equipping the Eighth with B-17s, citing
the logistical advantage in keeping fielded forces down to a minimum
number of aircraft types with their unique servicing and spares. For
this reason, he wanted B-17 bombers and P-51 fighters for the Eighth.
His views were supported by Eighth Air Force statisticians, whose
studies showed that Fortresses had utility and survivability much
greater than that of the B-24.
[9] Making it back to base on multiple occasions despite extensive battle damage, its durability took on mythical proportions;
[5][8] stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage were widely circulated during the war.
[9] Despite an inferior performance and bombload compared to the more numerous B-24,
[149] a survey of Eighth Air Force crews showed a much higher rate of satisfaction in the B-17.
[150]
Hollywood featured the B-17 in its period films, such as director
Howard Hawks'
Air Force starring
John Garfield and
Twelve O'Clock High starring
Gregory Peck.
[151] Both films were made with the full cooperation of the
United States Army Air Forces and made use of actual aircraft and (for
Twelve O'Clock High) actual combat footage. In 1964, the latter film was made into a
television show of the same name and ran for three years on
ABC TV. Footage from
Twelve O' Clock High was also used, along with three restored B-17s, in the 1962 film
The War Lover. The B-17 also appeared in the 1938 movie
Test Pilot with
Clark Gable and
Spencer Tracy, with Clark Gable in
Command Decision in 1948, in
Tora! Tora! Tora! in 1970, and in
Memphis Belle with
Matthew Modine,
Eric Stoltz,
Billy Zane, and
Harry Connick, Jr. in 1990. The most famous B-17, the
Memphis Belle, toured the U. S. with its crew to reinforce national morale (and to sell
war bonds), and starred in a USAAF documentary,
Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress.
[152]
The B-17 has also been featured in artistic works expressing the
physical and psychological stress of the combat conditions and the high
casualty rates that crews suffered.
[153][154] Works such as
The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by
Randall Jarrell and
Heavy Metal (film)'s section "B-17" depict the nature of these missions. The
Ball turret itself has inspired works like
Steven Spielberg's
The Mission. Artists who served on the bomber units also created paintings and drawings depicting the combat conditions in World War II.
[155][156]
Notable B-17s
- All American - B-17F tail# 124406[157] survived being almost cut in half
over Tunisia, but made it back to base in Algeria - there are false
stories about that claim it made it back to Britain. It flew again, but
was later scrapped.[158][159]
- Aluminum Overcast – flying example.
- Chief Seattle – sponsored by the city of Seattle, it disappeared (MIA) on 14 Aug 1942[160] flying a recon mission for the 19th BG, 435th BS [161] and the crew declared dead on 7 Dec 1945.
- Hell's Kitchen - B-17F 41-24392 one of only three early B-17F's in 414th BS to complete more than 100 combat missions.[162]
- I'll Be Around - B-17G in the 390th Bomb Group Museum at the Pima Air and Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB near Tucson, AZ.
- Liberty Belle
– former engine testbed restored as flying example, destroyed in a
forced landing on 13 June 2011, outside of Chicago, Illinois; no
fatalities.
- Mary Ann - a B-17D that was part of a unarmed flight which left San Francisco on December 6, 1941 in route to Hickam Field in Hawaii, arriving during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The plane and its crew were immediately forced into action on Wake Island and in the Philippines during the outbreak of World War II. It became famous when its exploits were featured in Air Force (film), one of the first of the patriotic war films released in 1943. The Mary Ann was lost in the Pacific when it returned to combat duty after the release of the film.[163]
- Memphis Belle – one of the first B-17s to complete a tour of duty of 25 missions in the 8th Air Force, now being restored for display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
- Miss Every Morning Fix'n
- B 17C. Previously named 'Pamela'. Stationed in Mackay, Queensland,
Australia during World War II. On 14 June 1943, crashed shortly after
takeoff from Mackay whilst ferrying U.S. forces personnel back to Port
Moresby. A total of 40 of the 41 persons on board were killed. It
remains the worst air disaster in Australian history. The sole survivor
Foye Roberts married an Australian and returned to the States. He passed
away in Wichita Falls on 4 February 2004.
- Murder Inc. – A B-17 bombardier wearing the name of the B-17 "Murder Inc." on his jacket was used for propaganda in German newspapers.[164]
- My Gal Sal
- Nine-O-Nine – flying example, Collings Foundation of Stow, Massachusetts.
The 909 arriving at Marana Regional Airport. April 23, 2010
- Old 666 - the B-17 flown by the highest decorated crew in the Pacific Theater
- Piccadilly Lilly II - 200th from last B-17G to be built, used in the movie Twelve O'Clock High. As of 2011, being restored to Flight status, at the Planes of Fame museum.
- (The) Pink Lady
- Sally B – The last flying example in Europe.
- Sentimental Journey – flying example, Commemorative Air Force.
- Shoo Shoo Baby
- Sir Baboon McGoon (B-17) featured in June 1944 issue of Popular Science magazine and 1945 issue of Flying magazine. Articles talk about mobile recovery crews following Oct 1943 belly landing at Tannington,
England. Article omitted return to service in Feb 1944 and 7 additional
missions. Final crew called it "a real crate" and successfully ditched
into North Sea on 29 Mar 1944, a few months before the first article
appeared in print.
- Swamp Ghost
B-17E Serial Number 41-2446, rare surviving "E" model recovered from
Papua New Guinea swamp, now at Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor.
- The Swoose
- A B-17D, the oldest surviving Flying Fortress, built in 1940,
collection of the Smithsonian's Air & Space Museum, being restored
for display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio, simultaneously with "Memphis Belle". Flown by Frank Kurtz father of the actress Swoosie Kurtz.
- Texas Raiders – flying example, Commemorative Air Force.
- Thunderbird
- Yankee Lady – flying example, Yankee Air Force.
- Ye Olde Pub – the B-17 that Franz Stigler did not shoot down, as memorialized in the painting "A Higher Call" by John D. Shaw.[165]
- 5 Grand
- 5,000th B-17 made, emblazoned with Boeing employee signatures, served
with the 333rd Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group in Europe. Damaged and
repaired after gear-up landing, transferred to 388th Bomb Group.
Returned from duty following V-E Day,
flown for war bonds tour, then stored at Kingman, Arizona. Following
unsuccessful bid for museum preservation, the aircraft was scrapped.[166]
- The So What? I and II - flown by "3 engine Zip" (I shot down over Germany and II decommissioned)
Noted B-17 pilots and crew members
Medal of Honor awards
Many B-17 crew members received military honors and 17 received the
Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded by the United States:
[167]
Other military achievements or events
- Allison C. Brooks
(1917–2006): Was awarded numerous military decorations, and was
ultimately promoted to the rank of major general and served in active
duty until 1971.
- 1st Lt. Emil "Mickey" Cohen
(1924–2008): Nicknamed "The Kid". Flew with the 447th Bombardment
Group, 709th squadron, out of Rattlesden, England. Piloted the Barbara
Jane and two missions on The Blue Hen Chick. Was the youngest B-17 pilot
in the 8th Air Force and may have been the youngest bomber pilot in the
U.S. Army Air Forces.
- 1st Lt. Eugene Emond
(1921–1998): Lead pilot for Man O War II Horsepower Limited. Received
the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters,
American Theater Ribbon and Victory Ribbon. Was part of D-Day and
witnessed one of the first German jets when a Me 262A-1a flew through
his formation over Germany. One of the youngest bomber pilots in the
U.S. Army Air Forces.
- Immanuel J. Klette
(1918–1988): Second-generation German-American whose 91 combat missions
were the most flown by any Eighth Air Force pilot in World War II.[184]
- Colin Kelly (1915–1941): Pilot of the first U.S. B-17 lost in action.[185]
- Col Frank Kurtz
(1911–1996): The USAAF's most decorated pilot of World War II.
Commander of the 463rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 15th Air Force, Celone
Field, Foggia, Italy. Clark Field Philippines attack survivor. Olympic bronze medalist in diving (1932), 1944–1945. Father of actress Swoosie Kurtz, herself named for the still-surviving B-17D mentioned above.
- Gen. Curtis LeMay (1906–1990): Became head of the Strategic Air Command and of the USAF.
- Lt. Col. Nancy Love (1914–1976) and Betty (Huyler) Gillies (1908–1998): The first women to be certified to fly the B-17, in 1943.[186]
- Col. Robert K. Morgan (1918–2004): Pilot of Memphis Belle.
- Lt. Col. Robert Rosenthal (1917–2007): Commanded the only surviving B-17, "Rosie's Riveters", of a US 8th Air Force raid by the 100th Bomb Group on Münster
on 10 October 1943. Earned sixteen medals for gallantry (including one
each from Britain and France), and led the raid on Berlin on 3 February
1945, that is likely to have ended the life of Roland Freisler, the Third Reich's infamous "hanging judge".
- 1st Lt Bruce Sundlun (1920–2011): Pilot of Damn Yankee of the 384th Bomb Group was shot down over Belgium on 1 December 1943 and evaded capture until reaching Switzerland 5 May 1944.[187]
- Brig Gen Paul Tibbets
(1915–2007): Flew with the 97th Bombardment Group (Heavy) with both the
8th Air Force in England and the 12th Air Force in North Africa. Later
pilot of the B-29 Enola Gay, dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
B-17 in the Movies
Some notable movies that featured the Flying Fortress include but are not limited to: "Flying Fortress" (1942), "
Air Force" (1943), "Combat America" (1943), "
Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress" (1944), "
Twelve O'Clock High" (1949), "
The War Lover" (1962), "
The Thousand Plane Raid" (1969), "
Tora! Tora! Tora!" (1970), "
Memphis Belle (film)" (1990) and "
Fortress (2012 film)" (2012).
Civilian achievements or events
- Martin Caidin (1927–1997): Author of Cyborg, the story that formed the basis of The Six Million Dollar Man wrote the saga of the last transatlantic formation flight of B-17s ever made, Everything But the Flak.
- Clark Gable (1901–1960): Academy Award-winning film actor, five missions as waist gunner with several groups from May to September 1943, including the B-17 Eight Ball of the 359th Bomb Squadron (351st Bomb Group).
- Irv Homer (1922–2009). Philadelphia Radio host served as 15th Air Force B-17 co-pilot during WW2.
- Tom Landry
(1924–2000): American football player and coach, flew 30 missions over
Europe in 1944–45 as a B-17 pilot with the 493rd Bomb Group, surviving a
crash landing in Belgium. (His older brother Robert died in a B-17
crash)[188]
Clark Gable with 8th AF B-17F with pre-Cheyenne tail position, in Britain, 1943
- Norman Lear:
Radio operator, with the 463rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 15th Air
Force, Celone Field, Foggia, Italy; television producer of American
sitcoms Sanford and Son, Maude and All in the Family, among others.
- Gene Roddenberry (1921–1991): Creator of Star Trek; flew B-17s for the 394th Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group (H), in the Pacific theater.[189]
- Robert Rosenthal (1917–2007): Assistant to the U.S. prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, where he interrogated Hermann Göring, pilot with the 100th Bomb Group.
- Brigadier General Robert Lee Scott, Jr. (1908–2006): Best known for his autobiography God is My Co-Pilot, about his exploits in World War II with the Flying Tigers and the United States Army Air Forces in China and Burma.
- James Stewart
(1908–1997): Academy Award-winning film actor, instructed in B-17s
before flying 20 combat missions in B-24s with the 8th Air Force,
England; retired from Air Force Reserve as a Brigadier General.[190]
- Bert Stiles (1920–1944): 91st Bomb Group co-pilot from March to October 1944, short-story author, killed in action flying a P-51 on a second tour.
- Bruce Sundlun (1920–2011): 384th Bomb Group Pilot of B-17F Damn Yankee avoided capture after being shot down over Jabbeke, Belgium, 1 December 1943 to become a lawyer, businessman and Governor of Rhode Island 1991–95.
- Smokey Yunick (1923–2001): Award-winning motorsports car designer and premier NASCAR
crew chief flew 50 missions as a B-17 pilot with the 97th Bombardment
Group (Heavy) of the 15th Air Force, out of Amendola Airfield, Foggia,
Italy.[191]
Specifications (B-17G)
Data from The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft
[37]
General characteristics
- Crew: 10: Pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier/nose gunner,top turret gunner, radio operator, waist gunners (2), ball turret gunner, tail gunner[192]
- Length: 74 ft 4 in (22.66 m)
- Wingspan: 103 ft 9 in (31.62 m)
- Height: 19 ft 1 in (5.82 m)
- Wing area: 1,420 sq ft (131.92 m2)
- Airfoil: NACA 0018 / NACA 0010
- Aspect ratio: 7.57
- Empty weight: 36,135 lb (16,391 kg)
- Loaded weight: 54,000 lb (24,500 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 65,500 lb (29,700 kg)
- Powerplant: 4 × Wright R-1820-97 "Cyclone" turbosupercharged radial engines, 1,200 hp (895 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 287 mph (249 kn, 462 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 182 mph (158 kn, 293 km/h)
- Range: 2,000 mi (1,738 nmi, 3,219 km) with 2,700 kg (6,000 lb) bombload
- Service ceiling: 35,600 ft (10,850 m)
- Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s)
- Wing loading: 38.0 lb/sq ft (185.7 kg/m2)
- Power/mass: 0.089 hp/lb (150 W/kg)
Armament
- Guns: 13 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in 8 turrets in dorsal, ventral, nose and tail, 2 in waist positions, 2 in "cheek" positions, and 1 in the post-dorsal position
- Bombs:
- Short range missions (<400 mi): 8,000 lb (3,600 kg)
- Long range missions (≈800 mi): 4,500 lb (2,000 kg)
- Overload: 17,600 lb (7,800 kg)
