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B-17 Flying Fortress

For more than 3 grueling year’s courageous air crews of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress attacked strategic targets. The B-17 was one of the most popular bombers with the American public. The reason was the sheer beauty of Boeing’s Flying Fortress. It was still seen as an elegant aircraft even with the chin turrets and guns.

A lot of the success of the B-17 had to do with its 4 turbo super-charged engines. If the Flying Fortress did not have them it would have meant it would have had to fly at lower altitudes. There it would have been more be more vulnerable to enemy fighter and anti-aircraft attacks.

The very distinguished service of the U.S. 8th Air Force equipped mainly with the Boeing B-17. The 8th Air Force performed precision bombing far and wide over Germany from 1942 to 1945. Whittling away at the Luftwaffe, the B-17 saw some of the biggest and bloodiest air battles of World War II.

The Boeing B-17 developed for the United States Army Air Corps was a 4 engine bomber. Boeing competing against Martin and Douglas in the 1930s for a contract to build 200 bombers, their entry more than outperformed both the competitors. At first Boeing lost the contract because the prototype crashed. But the brass was so impressed with the design that the U.S. Army Air Corps ordered 13 of the B-17s. So successful the B-17 Flying Fortress went on to be the first mass-produced large aircraft in full-scale production.

The United States Army Air Forces employed the B-17 primarily in daylight precision strategic bombing campaign against the German Industrial and military targets. The 8th Army Air Corps based in England and the 15th Air Force was based in Italy served to complement the RAF Bomber command’s nighttime operation called “Operation Pointblank”. This was one of the first big steps in securing air superiority over the battlefields of Western Europe.

The B-17 served some in the War in the Pacific in raids against the Japanese airfields and shipping.

Many great stories exist today about the extensive battle damage the strategic weapon took and was still able to make it back home. These stories took on great mythic proportions and many photos were taken and circulated raising its iconic status. Out of the 1.5 million tons of bombs dropped on Germany 640,000 were from the B-17.

A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress model will enhance any collection with its sheer beauty. We have provided some of the top selections for you pleasure.