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The B-17 Flying Fortress was the first mass-produced, four-engine heavy bomber. It is still one of the most recognised aeroplanes ever built. It was most widely used for daylight strategic bombings of German industrial targets during World War II as part of the United States Eighth Air Force.
DevelopmentThe prototype B-17 first flew on 1935 July 28 as the Boeing Model 299. During a demonstration later that year at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, Model 299 competed with the Douglas DB-1 and Martin Model 146. While the Boeing design was obviously superior, Army officials were daunted by the much greater expense per aircraft. It did not help that the Model 299 had crashed (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b2-13a.htm) during the demonstration, despite the fact that this crash was due to pilot error. In 1936, only 13 B-17s were ordered, next to 99 B-18s (successor of the DB-1). The first B-17 went into service in 1938. By 1941 December 7, few B-17s were in use by the Army. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, production was quickly accelerated. The aircraft served in every World War II combat zone. Production ended in May 1945 after 12,726 aircraft had been built.  Operational historyContrary to the common misperception that the aircraft was named the "Flying Fortress" because of the number of heavy machine guns it carried, it received that sobriquet from newspaper reporters in the 1930s based on its original mission as a coastal patrol bomber, a 'flying fortress' that would guard the nation's offshore limits beyond the range of the heavy guns sited at major harbours. Among the combat aircrews that flew bombers in World War II, noted aviation writer Martin Caidin reported that the B-17 was referred to as the "Queen of the Bombers." The B-17 was noted for its ability to take battle damage, still reach its target and bring its crew home. It reportedly was much easier to fly than its contemporaries, and its toughness more than compensated for its shorter range and lighter bomb load when compared to the Consolidated B-24 Liberator or the British Avro Lancaster heavy bombers. The design went through eight major changes over the course of its production, culminating in what some consider the definitive type, the B-17G, differing from its immediate predecessor by the addition of a chin turret with two 0.50-calibre (12.7 mm) machine guns under the nose. This eliminated the aeroplane's main defensive weakness. Variants/Design stages
The B-17 went through several iterations in each of its design stages and variants. Of the thirteen YB-17s ordered for service testing, only one was actually used. Experiments on this plane led to the use of a turbo-supercharger, which would become standard on the B-17 line. When this aircraft was finished with testing, it was redesignated the B-17A, and was the first plane to enter service under the B-17 designation. As the production line developed, Boeing engineers continued to improve upon it. To improve performance, the original design was altered to include larger flaps, a larger rudder, and a new nose. The engines were upgraded to more powerful versions several times. Similarly, the gun stations were altered on numerous occasions to enhance their effectiveness. By the time the B-17G appeared, the number of guns had been increased from seven to thirteen, the designs of the gun stations were finalised, and other adjustments were complete. In this, it incorporated all changes made in its predecessor, the B-17F (which was the first mass-produced version of the B-17). The B-17G is generally considered the defining version of the B-17. Some 8680 were built, and many were converted for other missions, such as cargo-carrying, engine testing, and reconnaissance. Missing image B-17dorsalview.jpg Top view of a B-17F in flight Two versions of the B-17 were flown under different designations. These were the XB-38 and the YB-40. The former was an engine test bed for Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled engines, to test the engine should the Wright engines normally used on the B-17 become unavailable. The YB-40 was a modification of the standard B-17 used before the P-51 Mustang became available. Since no fighters had the range to escort the B-17, a heavily armed modification was used instead. Unfortunately, the well-loaded modifications had trouble keeping the pace with empty bombers, and the project was abandoned with the arrival of the Mustang. Late in WWII, at least 25 B-17s were fitted with radio controls, loaded with 12,000 lb (5443 kg) of high explosives, dubbed 'BQ-7 Aphrodite missiles,' and used against U-boat pens and bomb-resistant fortifications. Because few (if any) BQ-7s hit their target, the Aphrodite project was scrapped in early 1945. (×24) Units Using the B-17
The B-17 was an ubiquitous aircraft, and it served in dozens of units in theatres of combat throughout World War II. Its main use was in Europe, where its shorter range and smaller bombload did not hamper it as much as in the Pacific Theatre Specifications (B-17G)General Characteristics
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Related ContentRelated development: Boeing XB-15 Comparable aircraft: B-24 Liberator - Avro Lancaster - Handley-Page Halifax Designation sequence: XB-14 - XB-15 - XB-16 - B-17 - B-18 - XB-19 - Y1B-20 Related lists: List of military aircraft of the United States - List of bomber aircraft See also: XB-38 Flying Fortress - YB-40 Flying Fortress
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