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Air Power |
History: The B-17, arguably World War II's most famous heavy bomber, first flew on July 28, 1935, before a crowd of reporters eager to see Boeing's new bomber take wing. It was dubbed the "Flying Fortress" by the members of the press in attendance because of its (at least for the time) heavy defensive armament. The prototype crashed in October, but because of its impressive speed and handling the US Army Air Corps (USAAC) decided to continue testing anyway. They ordered 13 YB-17s for further evaluation, a decision that would prove momentous in years to come.
The YB-17 had five machine guns, room for 4,800 pounds of bombs and a crew of nine. It had electrically retractable landing gear. After testing the YB-17, an improved prototype, the Y1B-17, was built with Wright Cyclone radial engines. Twelve were delivered to the USAAC's 2nd Bombardment Group for trials. One of these was soon equipped with new Moss/General Electric turbochargers that became standard on all future Flying Fortresses. The first production order was for 39 B-17Bs with turbo-charged engines, and as soon as these were under production another order for the B-17C was placed, with seven machine guns instead of the original five.
The RAF received their first B-17Cs in 1941, and were soon conducting daylight raids over Germany. The defensive armament soon proved inadequate, and the B-17's altitude was little defense against the German fighters. Orders for the B-17D were soon placed with self-sealing fuel tanks and more armor because of lessons learned in bombing missions over Europe. The B-17E and B-17F soon followed with larger tail. The B-17F was the first to serve with the USAAF 8th Air Force. After suffering staggering losses in late 1943, analysis proved head-on attacks by enemy fighters were a distinct problem. The final major version, the B-17G, added a chin turret with dual machineguns. This gave the B-17 a defensive armament of 13 guns.
After the war, several dozen B-17s lived on as fire-bombers and aerial surveyors until the last one was retired in the 1970s. Today, a few B-17s have been restored to their wartime splendor. Ten are currently flying in the United States, one in the UK and another one in France. [History by David MacGillivray]
Specifications:
Primary Function: Heavy bomber
Contractor: Boeing
Crew: 10 (Pilot, Co-Pilot, Engineer, Bombardier, Radioman, 5 Gunners)
Powerplant: Four 1,200 h.p. Wright R-1820-97 radial turbocharged piston engines
Dimensions:
Length: 74 feet, 4 inches (22.66 m)
Wingspan: 103 feet, 10 inches (31.65 m)
Height: 19 feet, 1 inch (5.82 m)
Maximum Takeoff weight: 54,000 lb (gross)
Performance :
Speed: 300 mph (483 km/h)
Cruising Speed: 182 mph
Ceiling: 35,000 ft
Range: 3,750 miles
Armaments: Thirteen .50 caliber machine guns, Up to 17,600 lb.(short range) bombload
All photos Copyright of there respective websites
My father-in-law was a gunner in the 8th and flew all his missions and came home. We have his ?squadron's? photo with everyone and the planes on my son's bedroom wall. He never would talk about it much other than to say he lost a lot of friends.
