Big Week or Operation Argument was a sequence of raids by the United States Army Air Forces and RAF Bomber Command from 20 to 25 February 1944, as part of the European strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber used by the United States Army Air Forces and other Allied air forces during World War II. Flight crews wore electrically heated thermal F-1 or F-2 “Blue. Gift of Peggy Wallace, 2010. Air Force Lt. Army during World War II. It has the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built, at 230 ft (70 m). The cost. In all 18,482 Liberators were built during World War II making it the most produced American aircraft. Until mid-1943, the USAAF’s small heavy bomber force in the Mediterranean primarily attacked enemy ports, airfields, and ships to help defeat enemy ground forces in North Africa and prepare for the invasion of Sicily. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. Rows of B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers are under production at a Boeing plant in Seattle, Washington. The 97th Bomb Group flew the Eighth Air Force's first heavy bomber mission from the UK when they bombed a marshalling yard at Rouen on 17 August 1942. Today, the B-17 remains a symbol of strength and resilience. Approximately 130,000 US Navy, US Marine, US Army AF/AC Airmen were killed/wounded during WW2. D. Boeing B-17F-5-BO Flying Fortress named All American (SN 41-24406 – scrapped in Foggia, Italy in 1945) 97th Bomb Group, 414th Squadron. RB-17B s/n 38-584 in Air Force. New York, NY: Mallard. Brown's B-17 began its ten-minute bomb run at 8,320 m (27,300 ft) with an outside air temperature of −60 °C (−76 °F). On November 12, 2022, two World War II–era aircraft, a B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra, collided mid-air and crashed during the Wings Over Dallas airshow at Dallas Executive Airport in Dallas, Texas, United States. Today’s item is the story of a B-17 bomber named “All American” that made it back to base despite having suffered heavy damage. Opens in a new window or tab. An example is the B-2 Spirit that is many times more expensive to manufacture and support than conventional bomber aircraft. This list of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress operators is a list of users who flew and operated the Boeing B-17. The All American. It originated with a USAAF specification for a heavy bomber to replace the B-17. B-17F Flying Fortress and Crew, 8th Air Force. S. 41 Albemarle. Though used at some point in all theatres of World. B-17G 42-37781 “Silver Bullet” was lost after bombs away when bombs from a higher flying group (379BG) hit this aircraft, knocking tail completely off in front of stabilizer. One B-17 Flying Fortress would have cost the US $ 238,329 in 1945. Wallis and Jack L. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft. A Damaged B-17. One. S. . I took the opportunity to fly around in a beautiful B-17 Flying Fortress! The "Nine 0 Nine" These bombers are incredibly large, incredibly loud, and incredib. Handley Page Halifax Mk III. (National Archives) Of the 24 American bombers lost that day over Regensburg, more than a third bore the 100th’s Square D on their tails. . The rugged B-17 heavy bomber was developed as a strategic bomber in the 1930s. From 1936 to 1945, there were 12,731 B-17 bombers built and it would cost about $3. On 22 February 1944, the USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft Mi Amigo, from the 364th Bomber Squadron, based at Chelveston, Northamptonshire, was returning from a bombing. Mi Amigo: the deadly WW2 bomber crash in Sheffield play park that killed 10 airmen. History: Life for the B-24 heavy bomber began in 1939, when the U. 1, 1943, Lt. The bomber developed trouble just before reaching the target area. A fast and high-flying bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater of Operations and dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during World War II. North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers from the 340th Bombardment Group United States Army Air. Object Number - UPL 18738 -. On 8 August 1934, the United States Army Air Corps. B-17 Flying Fortress: World War II Bombers in Action is a combat flight simulation video game developed by Vektor Grafix and published by MicroProse for the PC MS-DOS in 1992 and for the Amiga and Atari ST in 1993. S. ) This B-17 took a direct flak hit in the waist over Debrecen, Hungary which killed three crewmen and wounded two others. In a B-17, nine to ten crew members were able to sit and the aircraft could take 2 to 5 tons of bombs with it. 9. Home;. All armament, armor, and bombing equipment were stripped. Europe’s last surviving and working B-17, Sally B, has been given permission to fly again after the Second World War American aircraft was grounded in May 2023. US Air Force The Lancer is a long-range, multi-role heavy bomber and has been in service since 1985, although its. Army Air Force during World War II. J. North American B-25 Mitchell This page was last edited on 20 February 2018, at 17:57 (UTC). operations in all theatres of the war. Twelfth Air Force B-17 All-American was rammed by a German fighter while bombing enemy supply lines in North Africa. History of B-17 42-37936 / The All American Girl aka Berlin Boys aka Hang the Expense III aka Our Mark. Source: Wayne Cocroft. A standard B-17 crew would have 10 total members with each wearing gear that enabled them to survive inside the unpressurized cabin. ”. Douglas A20 Havoc. Nicknames: All American; Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress; Production block number: B-17F-5-BO; Manufacturer: Boeing; Share this. German records show that 38 were lost and 20 were damaged. S. S. Tail attacks also exposed the fighter pilot to additional fire due to the reduced closure speed. m. Check out this animation to learn more about the B-17. The 8th Air Force was activated in February 1942 as a heavy bomber force based in England. They were eventually transferred to Horam, also in Suffolk. On March 12, 1943, the nine-man crew of a B-17F Flying Fortress perished after one of the plane’s engines caught fire and exploded mid-air during a flight from Smoky Hill Air Field in Salina, Kansas, to Morrison Field in West Palm Beach, Florida. The second Schweinfurt raid, also called Black Thursday, was a World War II air battle that took place on 14 October 1943, over Nazi Germany between forces of the United States 8th Air Force and German Luftwaffe fighter arm (Jagdwaffe). Gifford Emery and Edward Curtis Wells' Boeing Model 299, flown by test pilot Les Tower. 5 tons. Three K. Conceived by then - Lieutenant General “Hap” Arnold (Commanding General of. Keystone B-6 heavy bomber: 1931 retired: 44: Martin B-10 & related heavy bomber: 1932 retired 1949: 342: Martin NBS-1 night bomber: 1920 retired 1929: 130: Martin T3M torpedo bomber: 1926 retired 1932: 124: Martin T4M torpedo bomber: 1927 retired 1938: 155: Northrop A-17 attack bomber: 1935 retired 1944: 411: Northrop BT dive bomber: 1935. The Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress was a modification for operational testing purposes of the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber aircraft, converted to act as a heavily armed gunship to support other bombers during World War II. The Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber’s first flight was on 28th July 1935. For Military decor, Aviation gift (5) $ 110. . Following the conclusion of the 25th mission the aircraft was flown back to the United States on June 8th 1943, using a composite crew of members who had. Memphis Belle Crew. B-17C, 40-2072, "Miss E. During the five grim years of World War 2, all of the countries involved created an effective propaganda system that portrayed enemy soldiers as monsters who. Midland Counties Publications. V-G. Sacramento, CA USA - October 05 2018: The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress at. : 129 9 September: A bombing raid on Tel Aviv caused 137 deaths. Avro Lancaster Mk I. The Flying Fortress was used extensively during World War II in the Pacific, European and combined theaters. Get ready for. The National WWII Museum, Gift of Peggy Wallace, 2010. On top of this, the B-29 has a much longer wingspan, by almost 50%! Boeing also designed the B-29 to have a much larger bomb bay. For additional details and photos, see the following sources: Contributor: C. . PLEASE NOTE: Playing of Intellvision games requires a Number Keypad on your keyboard. The first P-40 fighters and B-17 bombers came in 1941. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps . At the height of activity in 1944 about half a million American servicemen were serving in Britain, their job was to man and maintain the large fleets of aircraft needed to attack German cities and weaken Germany's ability to fight. The "F" was the first B-17 variant to be produced by all of the "B. Stigler amazingly chose to spare his enemy, resulting in a friendship that transcended. The rugged B-17 heavy bomber was developed as a strategic bomber in the 1930s. The B-24s in Africa performed well as they went against German and Italian. The B-17 Bomber crews fired their rear guns at the fighters. The B-1 was first envisioned in the 1960s as a platform that. As part of the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program, it is to be a long-range, stealth intercontinental strategic bomber for the USAF, able to deliver conventional and. Head On. Two captured Boeing B-17Es fly past Mount Fuji, led by a B-17D. One Flew Over a Messerschmidt Nest. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). 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. In terms of climbing, it can reach an altitude of 20,000 feet in 37 minutes. The American B-17 bomber was damaged and defenseless, and the Bf 109 of German ace, Franz Stigler, was primed for an easy kill. U. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was a large American aircraft, and arguably one of the most successful or dangerous bombers. 1, 1943, Lt. The bomber's flight is said to have yielded. The B-17G - WWII Heavy Bomber kit comes with the following features. We have collected some incredible images of damaged B-17 Flying Fortresses that made it home. Military aircraft - Bombers, Jet Engines, Stealth: Bombers evolved in parallel with fighters, changing to high-strength metal construction in the late 1920s and to monoplane design, which brought higher speeds, in the early 1930s. The Bombing of Germany examines the defining moments of the offensive that led the U. Of the 12,731 B-17s built, about 4,735 were lost during the war. December 20, 1943 A few days before Christmas and snowlakes spattered the windshield of “Ye Olde Pub”. S. . By mid-October the American heavy bomber force in Palestine consisted of 53 B-24s and only 10 B-17s. Presented is a clip of German Luftwaffe combat footage taken while attacking American B-17 Bombers. U. . A lot of these aircraft flew out of bases in England,. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is one of America’s most prolific heavy bombers of WWII and the backbone of allied strategic bombing missions before the introduction of B-17 and B-29 WW2 bombers. The B-17 was among the first mass-produced four-engined heavy bombers. North American B-25 Mitchell. Emily Charles (EC): "The aircraft behind me is arguably the most famous American bomber of all time, the B-17 Flying Fortress. Six crew and 34 GIs killed. Passed for publication 21 Aug 1943. 0; additional terms may. Consolidated B-24J Liberator. Banks; Donald W. The prototype first flew on December 29, 1939. Air Force Lt. [2]The Swoose is a B-17D-BO Flying Fortress, USAAF Ser. wartime aircraft, the Liberator’s origin dated back to the mid-1930s and experiments with such “big bombers” as the Boeing XB-15 and Douglas XB-19. Although few B-17s were in service on Dec. The initial Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress production batch comprised thirty-nine B-17Bs, with modified nose, larger rudder and internal improvements. Pilot Kendrick Robertson ‘Sonny’ Bragg, Jr. M. uk) #11: Missions would often last for 8-10 hours. It has been nicknamed the "Bone" (from "B-One"). With 46th Troop Carrier Squadron, 317th Troop Carrier Group, crashed Bakers Creek, Queensland, Australia, this date while ferrying troops to New Guinea. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). On paper, the B-24 seems to be the winner, with a higher speed, larger bomb load, and longer range. Take a bucket-list ride in a fully restored WWII heavy bomber Flying Fortress. OPTIONAL: Maximum internal bombload of 7,983 kg (17,600 lb). Martin Company. by Robert C. across a moral divide. The B-17 Flying Fortress was flown extensively by men from the U. Copy. B-17F Flying Fortress and Crew, 8th Air Force. As recently as 1940, airpower in the Philippines had amounted to a handful of obsolete B-10 and B-18 bombers and open-cockpit P-26 “Peashooter” pursuit airplanes. In addition to the B-17 itself, the game features six fighter aircraft: the American P-38, P-47, and P-51, as well as the German Me-109, Me-262, and F-190. Warner. The plane crashed in a wooded area five miles northwest of Sheridan (Grant County). Interesting to see the detail of engine start, taxi, take off, cruise and landing all from cockpit. Why was the B-17 called the “Flying Fortress”? The name was coined when the plane, with its heavy firepower and multiple machine gun emplacements, made its public debut in July 1935. Aluminum Overcast, B-17G-105-VE, s/n 44-85740, civil registration N5017N, as of November 2022, is one of only nine presently airworthy Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 48 complete surviving airframes in existence. The fighters look quite good, and the. Over North Africa, a Bf 109 collided with a B-17F named All American. Fun Fact: This concept was.