Trailer at the site.
Posted on 05/19/2019 1:32:38 PM PDT by Rummyfan
The B-17 “Flying Fortress” is one of the most iconic aircraft of World War II. Built by Boeing, the four-engine bomber was the United States’ primary weapon of destruction in the air campaign to annihilate cities and bring Nazi Germany to its knees. Its combat performance was decidedly uneven, yet no one questions its primacy in the war.
The B-17E, the first mass-produced model, carried nine machine guns and a 4,000-pound bomb load. Its distinctive and enormous tail improved control and stability during high-altitude bombing. Crews loved its smoothness—“It flew like an overgrown Piper Cub,” said one pilot—and its ability to absorb enemy fire and keep flying.
“Without the B-17 we may have lost the war,” said General Carl Spaatz, commander of U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe.
Despite hundreds of hours of newsreel footage and its appearance in innumerable documentaries and big budget Hollywood films, however, no one has ever managed to capture what it was like to actually fly a mission in a B-17—dropping bombs on German cities while being attacked by Luftwaffe fighters and anti-aircraft fire.
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
Trailer at the site.
P4L
The Movie,
“Memphis Belle”
Seemed a Good Depiction.
I’m sure it was a B-17.
Yes it was.
That was my thought too.
That one works, thanks .. it might get me into a theatre for the first time in a looooooooong time !
In his book, Adolph Galland said the nickname “flying fortress” was a very strong psychological impression. He said the Germans tried very hard to get the phrase “flying coffins” into usage. It didn’t work.
ping
That nickname was already taken by the B-24.
12 o CLOCK HIGH Really does a good job of covering considerations given into the tactics and the logistics used on bombing runs
bump
Hahaha...I was in a antique store today, and there was a large assembled model of a B-29 hanging from the overhead with the moniker “Humpin’ Honey” with a Betty Grable posed woman on it!
I have heard that near the end of the war in the Pacific, guys were painting darn near anything they wanted on their planes because people were past giving a crap...don’t know if that is true or not.
Ping
90% of what the USPS delivers is trash.
I stopped collecting my mail over 10 years ago.
I’m not required by any law to accept any mail from anyone.
Therefore, I don’t.
You want to get my attention?
Send it “Certified or registered” signature required.
I’m not signing for sh*t.
Try again.
Somebody was flying either a B-24 or a B-25 over my house last week. I could hear radial engines and saw twin vertical stabilizers when I went out to look. Didn’t see the number of engines though.
About 8 years ago, the B-17 used in the “Memphis Belle” movie flew directly over my house at low altitude.
Coolest thing ever.
Heh, I am going to guess your post was to shelterguy on the thread about the USPS going broke...
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