Aviation Classics - Issue 8

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The B-17G had a Bendixnose turret that counteredhead on attacks.Thiswas something earliermodels were vulnerabletoo,as they had nosuch defence.

6 Rolling Thunder

8 Shaping the bombers

10 The Boeing XB-15

12 In the beginning

16 The early years

20 The Boeing B-17 ‘Fortress’in RAF service – Part one

26 The B-17E –A Flying Fortress at last

32 The B-17F – A matter of defence

Contents42 Thorpe Abbotts –

Memorial to the many

46 The thoroughbred emerges –The B-17G

52 Inside the B-17

64 Maintaining analuminium mountain

69 Little Friends

74 The longest mission


Boeing B-17 5

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Editor: Tim [email protected]

Publisher: Dan SavageContributors: Luigino Caliaro,Martyn Chorlton,

François Prins,Clive Rowley, Frank B.Mormillo, Bruce Hales-Dutton,Constance Redgrave, JulianHumphries, Keith Draycott,Dave Roberts, David Oliver.

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Editorial address: Aviation ClassicsMortons Media Group LtdPO Box 99HorncastleLincs LN9 6JR

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© 2011 Mortons Media Group Ltd.All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in anyform or by any means, electronic or mechanical, includingphotocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval systemwithout prior permission in writing from the publisher.ISBN No 978-1-906167-38-7

80 Felix Fortresses

84 100 Air Refuelling Wing

90 The Boeing B-17 ‘Fortress’in RAF service – Part two

94 KG200

98 Sally B – The flying memorial

102 Tough!

105 Project Aphrodite

109 PB-1s –The Navy and Coast Guard

113 Oddball B-17s

118 Israeli B-17s

120 Postwar workhorses

126 Survivors

Welcome to my first issue ofAviation Classics as editor.Firstly, I would like to recordmy thanks to Jarrod Cotterfor his work in creating and

editing this superbmagazine, he is a remarkableman and a great aviation historian. He is alsoa good friend. Jarrod has moved on to takeover the reins at Aeroplane and everyone onAviation Classics wishes him the very best ofluck with his new endeavour. Cheers, buddy.

For my first topic, the story of the B-17Flying Fortress is revealed here in detail. It isan amazing tale of genius, tragedy,determination and courage. The story provesthat this is no longer merely an aeroplane, ithas transcended to become an icon. DuringWorld War Two in the occupied countries ofEurope, the massed formations of B-17spassing overhead on their way to striketargets became a symbol that they were notalone, that one day the oppression they weresuffering would end.

To the crews of those bombers, the B-17was the aircraft that would get them homewhen all seemed lost, its ability to absorbdamage became legendary. Wally Hoffman,an 8th Air Force B-17 pilot is recorded assaying, “The plane can be cut and slashedalmost to pieces by enemy fire and bring itscrew home.” To many, the cartoon on thispage, created by Lt. Col. C. Ross Greeningwhile a prisoner-of-war in Stalag Luft I atBarth in Germany between 1944 and 1945,captures the essence of the Flying Fortress;heavily armed with defensive weapons, builtto absorb enemy fire, and able to deliver itsdeadly load with impunity.

The truth behind the cartoon is recordedon these pages. It took a great deal ofoperational experience and many lives toestablish the B-17’s wartime reputation. Atone time, the aircraft and the daylightbombing policy it was designed to implementwere both considered doomed to failure.Why the B-17 and the policy did not fail is

largely due to the inventiveness anddetermination of the people who designed,built, planned for and operated this aircraft. Itis to those people that this issue isrespectfully dedicated.

The flying characteristics are anotherfactor that endeared it to the crews, flying formany hours in close formation would havebeen incredibly fatiguing in a less well-mannered machine. The best quote I haveheard on the subject was from ColonelRobert K Morgan, the pilot of the ‘MemphisBelle’ who simply said, “She was aStradivarius of an airplane...” I can do naughtbut agree.

In putting together this issue, I have triedto follow Jarrod’s excellent lead of mixinghistory with incident, the well known withthe unusual. I hope that you will feel that Ihave succeeded in this, and that there are afew surprises held in these pages even if youknow the aircraft well. I certainly learned agreat deal that is new to me, and thank all thehistorians and contributors for their sterlingefforts. To sum up this aircraft, and thisissue, I will leave the last word to GeneralCarl Spaatz, theCommander of theUS Strategic AirForces in Europein 1944:

“Without theB-17, we mighthave lost the war.”


Rolling Thunder

Col.C. Ross Greening’s excellent imageof a B-17.This work is part of acollection of artwork that waspublished after the war in his booktitled “Not As Briefed.”US Air Force

That’ll be me,then.While running the RAFand other websites for 12 years, the optionto fly regularly was a delight of the job.

Tim CallawayEditor

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The B-17 Flying Fortress is possibly the best-known American bomber of World War II.However, heavy losses in 1943, when a total of120 aircraft were shot down, lead to theconclusion that previous B-17 versions carriedinsufficient defensive armament.

As a consequence, the front lower nose of theB-17Gwas fittedwith a turret carrying two12.7mmmachine guns, which provided an effectivedefense against the feared frontal attacks ofenemy fighters. In addition, extra gun positionswere added to the fuselage sides enabling thecrew to defend themselves from all directionsand leading to the nickname ‘Flying Fortress’.

Although mainly used over Europe and the NearEast, the B-17 was also operational in the Pacifictheatre and was used to fly sea patrols andreconnaissance sorties as well as bombingmissions. A total of 12,731 ‘Flying Fortresses’were built of which 8,680 were the B-17G

version. The last B-17G ‘Little Miss Mischief’ wasdelivered on 23rd March 1944 and served until4thApril 1945with the91stBombGroup, stationedin Bassingbourn. It flew 75 operational missions.

Model-details:• New moulding• Detailed surface structure with engravedpanel lines• Detailed cockpit and interior• Rotating chin and ball turrets• Complete bomb bay with bomb racks• Authentic radial engines with exhaustgas rings• Detailed undercarriage• Decals for 2 USAF versions: ‘Little MissMischief’ and ‘Nine-O-Nine’

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1:72 B-17G “Flying Fortress” 04283

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04283 1:72 B-17G Flying Fortress

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Model Illustration

During World War One Germany

used Zeppelin airships and

later Gotha aircraft to drop

bombs on targets in Britain.

These attacks included the

serious bombing of coastal towns and London

itself. War had been brought to civilians who

were far removed from the battlefields. It was

the Gotha raids on London that spurred the

government of the day to improve aerial

defences of the capital and to retaliate in some

manner. Work was quickly completed on

suitable long-range bombers but before the

newly-formed Royal Air Force could take the

war to the heart of Germany the Armistice

was signed and peace returned.

In the years of peace during the 1920s

there was no urgent requirement for new

long-range bombers, but light bombers were

introduced to quell any skirmishes that arose

in the British Empire, these were mainly in

the Middle East and on the Indian frontier.

Only when peace appeared to be threatened

in Europe by Germany did Britain take heed

and rush to have new aircraft – fighters and

bombers – of a modern type designed and

built. What was sanctioned for the RAF were

light and medium bombers nothing that

could be classed as a heavy strategic bomber

was considered even though designers

provided plans for such types.

Across the Atlantic the United States had

been left on its own to pursue its own agenda in

aircraft design. Even though theWright

brothers gave the world powered flight in 1903

the US had not capitalised on the invention and

had to make do with French and British aircraft

duringWorldWar One. After the war they

developed their own types but concentrated on


Shaping the

bombersBritain and the United States had different approaches to the sameproblem, which resulted in very different aircraft. Francois Prins explains…

Boeing B-17G 42-97976 ‘A Bit O’ Lace’from the 709 Bomber Squadron of the447th Bomber Group USAAF Eight AirForce in Britain.via Francois Prins

The Handley Page 0/400 bomber wasintroduced into service in April 1917and continued in RAF use until 1920. Itreplaced the Handley Page 0/100 asthe standard heavy bomber inRFC/RAF use during World War One.via Francois Prins

civil transports and neglected their armed

forces. Bomber aircraft were simply not

considered important despite the urging of

some senior officers, the most vociferous being

General WilliamMitchell who was eventually

court-martialled for his outspokenness.

After the Armistice, Germany had been

banned from developing anything but light

sporting and small commercial aircraft.

However, they were looking to establish an

armed air force and German designers were

at work outside Germany producing potential

war machines. By the end of the 1920s the

Allies had lost interest in Germany and chose

to ignore or were largely unaware of what

was going on in that country.

Consequently, when the new Chancellor,

Adolf Hitler, took office he immediately

began to build up the armed forces as he had

promised. All three services were the subject

of improvement with the Luftwaffe gaining

new aircraft. It was a time of rapid expansion

with fighters and medium bombers being

given priority. Hitler did not require a long-

range strategic bomber at the time, there

were plans for heavy bombers but that was

for the future. For the present it made sense

to concentrate on aircraft that could reach

most of Europe with a reasonable bomb load.

England was never in Hitler’s scheme of

things in the 1930s and North America was

well out of range of any Luftwaffe’s aircraft.

Spurred on by the events in Europe

Britain began to re-arm and indeed started to

do so before Germany got fully into its stride

of building up an arms base. Work was

already in hand by Handley Page, Vickers

and Armstrong Whitworth who all produced

medium or heavy bombers by the middle to

late1930s. Fairey designed and fielded the

Battle light bomber which was a capable

aircraft but woefully underpowered, as was

discovered when it went into combat. Waiting

to emerge in the really heavy bomber stakes

was the Short Stirling, the RAF’s first four-

engined heavy bomber, which would go into

service before the Handley Page Halifax and

Avro Lancaster but would suffer due to its

limited operational service ceiling.

The United States realised that their air

force was outdated and their fighters, or

‘pursuit ships’ owed more to aircraft from

World War One than anything in Europe. It

was not the aircraft designers and

manufacturers who were at fault but those in

command who were behind the times. Not

helping was the severe depression of the

1930s, purse strings were pulled tight and

existing aircraft designs had to suffice in the

US Army Air Corps (USAAC). With a new

president in the White House and a plan for

investment in the country, matters took a

turn for the better.

To get the country moving again

American industry had to be encouraged and

modern equipment for the armed forces

became a priority. By 1934, it was quite

obvious that the Martin B-10 twin-engined

bomber was quite outmoded and in desperate

need of replacement. An open competition to

US aircraft manufacturers was announced for

a multi-engined replacement to the Martin B-

10. Proposals were submitted and in May

1934, Boeing and Martin were chosen to

build what were to be the first four-engined

bombers to be ordered by the USAAC.

In the event the Boeing XB-15 was shown

to be the superior proposal and the Martin

was cancelled. However, the XB-15 was

massive and took time to come to fruition. In

the meantime, Boeing fielded their Model

299 which was also entered for the bomber

competition and made rapid progress in

construction. It first flew on 28 July 1935, two

years before the XB-15. The aircraft was

heavily armed and intended to defend the

fortress US against any enemy invasion.

The idea was that the aircraft would attack

the enemy fleet long before it could get within

striking distance of the US mainland. Given

the job description and the fact that it carried

so many guns it was not long before the name

‘Flying Fortress’ was coined by the press of

the day and adopted as the official name for

the Boeing B-17. However, Congress did not

want to spend any money on buying the

aircraft and only a handful were ordered at

first; then Hitler invaded Poland and the USA

realised that war could be a reality. Re-

armament went into top gear with the B-17

being ordered in larger quantities.

Britain had gone to war and initially

attacked German targets by day but the losses

incurred were unacceptable. RAF Bomber

Command switched to night operations which

saw a drop in the number of aircraft lost on

missions. This decision was to shape both the

future of the aircraft and the service. Early in

the war, Britain carried out some 15 months of

negotiations with the USA for the B-17. Finally

in 1941 20 B-17Ds – known as the Fortress I in

the RAF – were ferried across to be modified

for Bomber Command. They were issued to

No 90 Squadron at West Raynham in May

1941 and commenced operations on 8 July,

when three Fortresses bombed

Wilhelmshaven from high altitude. Further

missions followed against various targets in

Germany and the occupied countries, all were

flown in daylight and were not that successful.

Bomber Command withdrew the surviving

Fortress Is from Europe and deployed four to

the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the first of the B-17s

belonging to the US Army Air Force

(USAAF) arrived in Britain on 1 July 1942.

The Americans had their own ideas on how

to mount raids against the enemy and

refused to take on board the experience from

Bomber Command of nearly three years of

operations. It was agreed that the USAAF

Eighth Air Force and the RAF would wage a

Boeing B-17 9

Studio picture of a bomb aimer witha Norden bomb sight as fitted to theB-17 and other USAAF bombers.Thishighly accurate instrument may havepartly shaped US daylight bombingdoctrine.via Francois Prins

The city of Brunswick photographedduring the raid by RAF BomberCommand on 15 October 1944.....via Francois Prins

....compared to this image of aB-17 over its daylight target.viaFrancois Prins

German Gotha III airborne,together with Gotha IV aircraft these aircraft carried outbombing raids on London in 1917.These raids eventually led to the question of homedefence and the integration of the two air services as the RAF in 1918.via Francois Prins

day and night offensive against German

targets; the US by day and the British by

night. On 17 August the USAAF carried out

its first raid when 18 B-17Es attacked railway

yards and coastal targets in France. Most of

1942 was spent in training and other raids

into German-held territory but it was not

until January 1943 that American bombers

flew against targets in Germany itself.

At first the USAAF operated their bomber

streams in loose Vee formations at varying

heights, but this proved to be vulnerable to

enemy fighter attacks as not all the guns of

the bombers could be brought to bear for fear

of hitting other aircraft in the formation. The

formations were tightened and this improved

firepower but made it difficult for the aircraft

to manoeuvre quickly to avoid enemy

fighters. Aircraft formations continued to be

changed and improved to enable all guns a

clear field of fire. Losses were still high

despite the changes to tactics and it was not

until the long-range P-47 and P-51 escort

fighters came into service towards the end of

1943 that matters improved dramatically.

There is little doubt that the bombing of

enemy targets by the RAF and the USAAF had

a deciding effect on the outcome of the war.

While it was not strategic bombing as we

know it now, the continuous attacks did have a

devastating effect on the enemy. For example,

by the last year of the war Germany had little

or no fuel for vehicles and aircraft and raw

materials in general were in short supply.

The lessons learned from the Allied

bombing campaign in Europe, and to an

extent in the Far East would shape the

postwar role of the bomber that has

continued to evolve right up to the present

day. ■ Words: Francois Prins

The Avro Manchester, forerunner of theLancaster,was one of three heavybomber projects for the wartime RAF, theothers being the Short Stirling and theHandley Page Halifax.via Francois Prins

Engineering work began on the

Boeing 294 or XBLR-1

(experimental bomber, long

range) in 1934, and the type was

soon redesignated XB-15.

Developed contemporaneously with the B-17,

it closely resembled that aircraft’s early

prototypes, but on a much larger scale.

However, it did not make its first flight until

15th October 1937, and, although capable of

the 5000 mile (8047km) range requested,

proved to lack the speed by then necessary

for the survival of a bomber. The four 1000hp

(753kW) liquid-cooled engines for which it

was designed were not yet available, and it

received 850hp (640kW) Pratt and Whitney

Twin Wasp radials instead, leaving it

chronically underpowered. The very efficient

149 foot (45.4152 metre) deep wing, however,

enabled the aircraft to set, among others, a

load-to-height record of 31,205lb (68650kg) to

8200 feet (2500 metres) on 30th July, 1939.

The XB-15, the largest aeroplane yet built

in the USA, incorporated many innovations;

the engines were accessible in flight via

tunnels in the wing, and amenities included a

galley, bunks and a toilet for the crew on the

very long operational flights envisaged. It

also introduced an autopilot, a twin-

mainwheel undercarriage, de-icers and

auxiliary power generators independent of

the engines. The type represented a quantum

leap in crew comfort.

Maximum bomb load was 12,000lb

(5400kg), but at extreme range this was

reduced to 2000lb (900kg), which was no

better than the B-17, the smallest four-

engined bomber built at the time of its

introduction. A crew of 10 was carried,

working in shifts, and the aircraft was armed

with three .30in (7.62mm) and three .50in

(12.7mm) machine guns, installed in three

transparent blisters and three turrets. With

its 33-hour duration the XB-15 proved useful

in the anti-submarine reconnaissance role,

but remained a one-off. Its overwhelming

disadvantage, especially with the advent of

radar, was its low top speed of 200mph

(322kph), with a cruise speed of just 145mph

(394kph) with bombs aboard, which made it

easy prey for modern fighters. The service

ceiling of 18,900 feet (5760 metres), far

exceeded by the B-17, was also disappointing.

The XB-15 served with the 2nd

Bombardment Group at Langley Field,

Virginia, from where it flew an earthquake

medical relief mission to Chile in February

1939, for which its crew received the MacKay

Trophy. Based in the Panama Canal Zone in

May, 1940, it carried out a survey of the

Galapagos Islands. The navigator for this

flight was Captain Curtis Le May. As the

unarmed XC-105 with a large cargo door in

the rear fuselage and still based in Panama,

the machine spent the Second World War

flying cargo around the Caribbean. In honour

of its lifting capability, it wore nose art

depicting an elephant carrying a load, both in

its original natural metal finish and in

camouflage. After a useful life of eight years

during which it carried 5200 passengers and

vast amounts of cargo and mail, as well as

performing maritime patrol missions, the XC-

105 was scrapped in 1945.


The Boeing XB-15In 1933, in response to an approach by the Boeing company, the United States Army Air Corps(USAAC) issued a specification for a long-range bomber able to “reinforce Hawaii, Panama andAlaska without the use of intermediate servicing facilities”. The intention was carry a 2000lb (900kg) bomb load at 200mph (322kph) with a range of 5000 miles (8047km).

Experimentation on the grand scale

The Boeing XB-15 in flight.US Air Force photo

The Boeing XB-15 in flight with a BoeingYP-29.US Air Force

Corporal Junior gives scale to the BoeingXB-15.The photo was taken duringmanoeuvres at Providence,R.I.From thecollection of Master Sgt.Laird N.Rosborough,who servedas radio operatoron the XB-15 in 1943,via US Air Force.

XB-15 GUN POSITIONS

The .30 and .50 cal machine

gun positions were all manually

operated,mounted in blisters and

turrets that allowed movement in

traverse and azimuth.

Boeing XB-15 front turret .30-cal.machine gun installation.US Air Force

Boeing XB-15 top turret .50-cal.machine gun installation.US Air Force

Boeing XB-15 right rear .30-cal.machine gun installation.US Air Force

Photograph of the crew of the Boeing XB-15 taken at Albrook Field, Panama in 1943.The massive bomber was used by the Army Air Corps for a number of humanitarianmissions in Latin America in the late 1930s and early 1940s. From the collection ofMaster Sgt. Laird N.Rosborough,via US Air Force

The Boeing XB-15 at an air show.The crowd are using the massive wingspan toshelter from the sun.US Air Force

however, an unqualified success; its excellent

wing was used, with slight modification, on

the highly successful and luxurious Boeing

314 Clipper commercial flying boats, which

had 1600hp (1194kW) Pratt & Whitney Twin

Cyclone engines, providing enough thrust to

fulfil its potential.

A rival aircraft to the same 1933

specification, the Martin XB-16, was

cancelled before a prototype could be

completed. ■ Words: Dave Roberts

Though its initial conception had been a

blind alley and the first B-17s were ordered

before it even flew, the XB-15 provided

valuable data for the refinement of its smaller

sister and the development of the ultimate

long-range bomber of World War Two, the B-

29. In 1938 Boeing proposed an updated

version of the B-15, the Y1B-20 with more

powerful engines. An order for two aircraft

was placed in that year, but cancelled shortly

afterwards. One derivative of the XB-15 was,

The single XB-15 experimental heavy bomber built by Boeing company. First flew on 15October 1937 and at the time was the largest aircraft to fly.Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm

Modern aircraft specifications

issued by governments as

official requirements are

amazing documents.

Definitive and precise, the

exact need for the new aircraft is described in

painstaking detail, including the kind of

equipment it is to be able to carry to fulfil the

mission needs.

They run to many thousands of pages and

form an encyclopaedic reference for any

manufacturer interested in bidding for the

contract. Consequently, looking back at the

early official requirements issued to industry,

they can appear delightfully vague, and at

times downright hopeful in both their intent

and language that the resulting aircraft will

be able to fulfil a variety of alluded to, but

strictly unspecified, tasks.

So it was with the official design

competition, announced in Circular 35-26

released on 8 August 1934, to provide a new

multi-engined bomber for the US Army Air

Corps (USAAC). Although the official release

was in August, details of intent had been

released to industry in May. Written at

Wright Field, which at the time was the

centre of USAAC research, development and

flight testing, the specifications were simple

by modern comparison. In this case, the

simplicity was misleading.

What the USAAC was trying to do was to

look beyond the capabilities of current

engineering and technology in industry,

and foresee the kind of aircraft they would

need in the future to fulfil all the roles they

could envisage. These new specifications

were intended as spurs to galvanise the

manufacturers. This bold and farsighted

approach had already resulted in ‘Project A’,

the aircraft described on the previous pages,

the XB-15, which Boeing were already in the

process of designing. The XB-15 was

intended as a technology demonstrator

rather than the next USAAC bomber, but it

was to have an effect on the new bomber in

subtle ways, as its production taught Boeing

engineers many lessons in modern aircraft

design and construction.

The USAAC’s standard bomber at the

time was the Martin B-10, which, when it was

designed, was an innovative aircraft in its

own right. However, events, technology and

performance soon overtook the twin-engined

B-10, and it was considered vital that the

aircraft be replaced. The new bomber had to

be able to carry a 2000lb (907kg) bomb load

for at least a range of 1020 miles (1642km),

and if possible, for 2200 miles (3540km). It

was to have a maximum speed of at least

200mph (322kmh) or again, if possible, at

250mph (402kmh) and cruise at between 170

to 220mph. (273 to 353kmh.) Lastly, it was to

have a service ceiling of between 20 to 25,000

feet (6100 to 7625 metres) and an endurance

of between six and 10 hours. The prototypes

were to be flown to Wright Field for

evaluation in August 1935, leaving just a year

for the project.


The Model 299,Y1B-17 and Y1B-17AThe early genesis of the B-17 was a complex tale of engineering development and innovation thatwas occasionally marked with both serendipity and tragedy. The aircraft that began life as theelegant Boeing Model 299 had a long way to go to become the tough and effective B-17G.

In thebeginning...

The Model 299 at Wright Field.Notethe three rear gun blisters and the

twin oleo undercarrige,both featuresthat did not last long.US Air Force

THE MODEL 299The prototypes were to be funded by the

competing companies; no government

funding would be available until the contract

was won. Since the contract called for 220

aircraft, it was seen as a risk worth taking by

Martin, Douglas and Boeing. Both Douglas

and Martin produced twin-engined designs;

at the time that’s what multi-engined was

considered to mean.

Boeing however, decided from the outset

on a four engined machine, and on 18 June

1934 began work on an aircraft called the

Model 299. This layout was chosen because

Boeing realised the twin-engined bomber

design had got about all the performance it

was going to get out of the powerplants of the

day. In order to win the competition, they

would have to show an unquestionable

increase in performance over their rivals,

which required the novel approach of a mid-

sized aircraft with four engines.

This desire to win was prompted by a

simple fact. Design and production of the

Model 299 prototype, in the year allowed, was

going to take all the company’s resources, in

terms of both manpower and capital. This

was indeed a risk; failure could mean the loss

of the company.

Once Circular 35-26 made the competition

official, construction of the first Model 299

began on 26 September 1934. On the strength

of the very encouraging wind tunnel and other

test data coming out of the work that had been

going on since May, the Boeing board voted

the project $275,000 on 26 September 1934. An

additional $150,000 would be required before

the project was complete, meaning the

company was gambling its entire future on

this one machine.

A team of 73 engineers was employed on

the project, and they had a great deal of

company experience to draw on. The general

construction techniques of twin engined

Model 247 airliner, a great success in 1932,

was combined with the military requirements

of the XB-15s design and its circular cross-

section fuselage. The Model 299 was about

halfway between the two designs in terms of

size, with a wingspan of 103ft 9in (31.6m).

The prototype Model 299 was assembled at

Boeing Field, Seattle, and was rolled out on

17 July 1935. It was fitted with four 750hp

Pratt and Whitney R-1690 Hornet nine

cylinder radial engines and was capable of

lifting a 4800lb (2177kg) bomb load.

On 28 July, Leslie R Tower, Boeing’s test

pilot, made the uneventful first flight, which

was followed by a number of company trials.

On 20 August 1935, Les Tower flew the 299 to

Wright Field, covering the 2100 miles

(3380km) at an average speed of 233mph

(375kmh). The rollout, the appearance and

the performance of the 299 were exploited by

Boeing for maximum publicity; it is fair to say

that the aircraft inspired a remarkable

reaction in the press, so the 299 arrived at the

competitive trials with a very positive image.

One of the elements that caused such a

reaction in the press was the emotive name,

Boeing B-17 13

An interior and exterior view of the nose compartment on the Model 299.Note the separate bombardier’s window and the smallturret mounted .30 cal machine gun.The nose glazing did not rotate on the Model 299,but was to on the later Y1B-17.US Air Force

Flying Fortress. The five .30 cal machine gun

positions that protected the bomber gave an

impression of invulnerability. Its bomb load,

twice the specification from the outset, gave

an impression of great striking power.

There are several theories about how the

name came about. Many attribute it to a

Seattle Times journalist, Richard Williams,

who coined the term on attending the rollout.

Others say that in the political climate of the

day, an isolationist ‘Fortress America’ belief

was prevalent; the country would protect itself

but never become embroiled in foreign wars

again. Discussions among USAAC senior

officers and Boeing officials resulted in the

name from an extension of this ideology.

Whatever the truth, the name was a

powerful symbol of the new technological

might of the nation, and the press, and as a

result the public, responded accordingly. It

seemed that Boeing’s gamble had paid off,

and in more ways than one. ➤

An interior and exterior view of one of the waist gun blisters.Although innovative,the blisters proved too restrictive to rapid gun movement and were deleted fromlater models of the B-17.US Air Force

The Model 299 at Wright Field.The inset for the bombardiers window did give thenose a singular look.US Air Force

TRAGEDY STRIKESThis euphoria surrounding the Model 299

was to be short lived. On the morning of 30

October 1935, Major Ployer Peter Hill was

preparing for an evaluation flight along with

Boeing test pilot Leslie Tower and two

observer crew members. The Model 299 was

fitted with a novel feature. Because the

control surfaces were so large, there was

worry that strong winds might damage the

surfaces if they were left unlocked while the

aircraft was parked on the ground. To

prevent this, cockpit controlled locking levers

were fitted in the prototype that applied

surface locks to the rudder and elevators.

Whether the locks were left fully on, or not

properly and fully disengaged is unclear, but it

is known that on take-off the Model 299

climbed steeply, stalled and crashed not far

fromWright Field. The two observers escaped

from the rear access door, and rescuers were

able to reach the pilots before the fire that had

started burned the wreckage out. Major Hill

and Leslie Tower both died of their injuries in

hospital later that day. This was tragedy

enough, but for Boeing, it spelt disaster.

The final stage of the competitive testing

had not begun at the time of the crash. This

was where aircrew drawn from USAAC units

were to fly the new bombers and give their

opinions as to their operational suitability

from the user’s point of view. The crash meant

that the Model 299 was unable to complete

this phase and was disqualified. The USAAC

ordered the Douglas B-18 Bolo into

production as a result of the competition. This

had to be one of the strangest looking aircraft

ever built, based on the DC-2 airliner with

extensive and ungainly glazing decorating a

slab sided fuselage. However, 350 were built

and served reliably in a number of roles. A B-

18 became the first US aircraft to sink a

U-boat, the U-645 on 22 August 1942.

Boeing were in serious trouble financially

as a result of the crash. The depressed

economy meant there was little prospect of

getting an order of similar value anytime

soon and the fact they had emptied the

company’s coffers into this project now

seemed to be about to break them.

However, the Model 299 had excited

more than just the press and the public,

the USAAC had been very impressed

with the test results they had been able to

gather. On 30 October 1935, the actual day

of crash, Brigadier General Augustine

Charles Robins, chief of Air Materiel

Command, appealed to the War Department

that the aircraft should be bought under

Section K of the National Defence Act.

Unbeknown to him, General Frank M

Andrews, the commander of the General

Headquarters Air Force, had already sent the

War Department a cable to the same effect.

Consequently, on 17 January 1936, they

ordered 13 Model 299s as service test

aircraft, along with a static test example for

structural trials. The project, and the

company, had a stay of execution.

INTO PRODUCTIONThe prototype Model 299, often erroneously

referred to as the XB-17, had displayed a

number of design difficulties, so Boeing took

the opportunity to rectify these in the

production of the service test examples,

initially designated YB-17 but shortly

thereafter changed to Y1B-17.

The first change was the engines. Four of

the new Pratt and Whitney R-1820-39 Cyclone

radial engine were fitted, increasing the power

available to 930 hp per engine. The crew was

increased from eight to nine, and the main

undercarriage was changed from a dual oleo leg

to a single oleo leg configuration. This would

simplify tyre changes in the field enormously.

The flaps became fabric instead of metal

covered, and changes to the fuel, oxygen and

de-icing system improved their performance.

One last oddity on the Y1B-17 was the nose

gun mount. As is clearly seen in the close up

photograph, the small blister turret enabled

the .30 cal machine gun mounted there to be

traversed and elevated through a reasonable

arc. In order for this gun to protect against an

attack from any direction forward of the

aircraft, the entire glazed nose rotated,

allowing the gunner to position the turret

aligned with the axis of the attack! Needless to

say, this was a complex way of manoeuvring a

single gun position, and was little used as the

main cupola used to jam frequently.

The first Y1B-17 flew on 2 December

1936, and between then and 5 August 1937,

12 Y1B-17s were delivered to 2nd

Bombardment Group at Langley Field.

The final aircraft was delivered to the

Materiel Division at Wright Field, Ohio for

extensive flight testing. As the only four

engined bomber unit in the USAAC, 2nd BG

immediately set about showing just what its

new aircraft could do. A formation flight to

South America secured the unit the MacKay

Trophy in 1938 and many other distance and

speed records were set. On 12 May 1938,

three aircraft from the 49th Bomb Squadron,

part of the 2nd BG, displayed how accurately

they could navigate to a moving target by

finding and photographing the Italian luxury

liner SS Rex while she was still some 800

miles out of New York.


Boeing Y1B-17 in flight.US Air Force

The cockpit of the Model 299.Compare this to the cockpit views of later B-17s inthe Inside the B-17 article and you will see the basic layout of the controls andinstruments did not change that much. Boeing engineers made an excellent jobof the cockpit layout.US Air Force

The flight was commanded by Lieutenant

Colonel Robert Olds, and the navigator was

one First Lieutenant Curtis LeMay. LeMay

became one of the champions of air power

throughout his career, orchestrating the

strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific

theatre and the Berlin Airlift among his many

claims to fame, before becoming the second

commander of Strategic Air Command.

CONTROVERSY RAGESThis high profile activity and its attendant

publicity was a double edged sword. Several

foreign Governments and the US Navy reacted

strongly to this show of force by the USAAC.

Complaints from the nations owning the ships

thus intercepted reached the State

Department, who requested the practice cease.

The US Navy went several steps further.

Firstly, it banned any further long range

maritime sorties, then petitioned Congress to

reduce the future purchase of aircraft of this

type, as the money could be better spent on the

Navy, who of course were the true defenders of

America’s shores. Although this inter-service

rivalry may sound odd to those unused to it, it

has always been a factor of service life, and in

fact continues to this very day.

As if the interference from other national

bodies were not enough, senior staff within

the USAAC were also uncertain about the

new aircraft. An incident during the third

flight of the first Y1B-17 was being used to

support the argument that the new aircraft

were too complex for pilots to safely operate.

Flight testing of the Y1B-17 showed that

both the engines and brakes on the aircraft

were prone to overheat. The third test flight

was cut short because two engines overheated

badly, but on landing, the aircraft nosed over

as it touched down. It turned out that the

undercarriage had been retracted while the

brakes had been overheated, consequently the

airflow had not had time to cool them. The

brakes therefore seized on, so when the

aircraft touched down, over on its nose it went.

Since the pilot was a very senior USAAC

test pilot, this was seen in some circles to

suggest that the new aircraft would be far too

much for the average squadron pilot to handle.

Another argument was one of cost. For the B-

18, Douglas had quoted a unit price of $58,200

based on them winning a full production order

of 220 aircraft. Boeing, however, quoted a price

of $99,620 per aircraft under the same

conditions. It became obvious that twice the

number of the Douglas aircraft could be

acquired, despite the fact the B-18 was almost

obsolete as it left the production lines.

Controversy over the future of the B-17

program raged around it, but the 2nd BG

serenely flew 9293 hours without a single major

incident, confounding the B-17s ‘too complex’

critics. Their long range and record breaking

flights were widely reported and made the unit

and its aircraft America’s darling, feted and

celebrated wherever they went. The press of

the day gave the impression of a far larger and

more powerful force, rather than a single unit,

which was to have an effect on the other forces

gathering around the world that were to

change the B-17 story forever. This change was

to result in 12,731 B-17s rolling off the

production lines in the following seven years.■

Words: Tim Callaway

Boeing B-17 15

THEY1B-17A

The 14th and last Y1B-17 was

originally intended as a static test

airframe,until another Y1B-17 flew into

severe icing conditions near a

thunderstorm.On 6 July 1937,

Lieutenant William Bentley was in

command of the ninth Y1B-17 built

and flying on autopilot when the

aircraft suddenly began a series of

violent and unusual manoeuvres.

It was later established that

airframe icing had caused the

autopilot to put the aircraft into a spin,

from which Lt Bentley recovered and

landed safely.The aircraft was fully test

instrumented, so the forces upon it

were recorded.During the

manoeuvres it hit +3.67G,or two thirds

of the type’s stress limit.The upper

inter-spar web had failed as a result of

the stress, but otherwise the aircraft

was undamaged.

Since the Y1B-17 could now be

said to be thoroughly static load

tested, the last Y1B-17 became a

testbed for turbo superchargers in

various configurations,mounted

both above and below the wing.

The above the wing version caused

airflow problems, so the final

position was under the engine

nacelle.The turbo-superchargers on

the Y1B-17A as it was now known,

were to improve the performance so

much it set load/altitude and

load/speed records, so they were

to be fitted on all future B-17s.The

service ceiling went up from 31,000ft

(9455m) to 38,000ft (11,590m)

and the maximum speed was

raised from 239mph (385kmh) to

271mph (436kmh).

The Model 299 on fire after its crash at Wright Field on 30 October 1935.The twocrewmen escaped from the rear door and rescuers were able to retrieve the pilotsfrom the cockpit. Sadly they later died in hospital.US Air Force

Boeing Y1B-17 BB52 of the 2nd Bomb Group, Langley Field,Va.US Air Force

BoeingY1B-17A (S/N 37-269).Note the changes to the engine nacelles from theprevious photograph caused by the addition of the turbosuperchargers.US Air Force

T he controversy over the

acquisition of the B-17, as

described in the previous article,

meant that the USAAC’s plans to

buy more aircraft had to be kept

small in scale. The service testing so ably

carried out by 2nd BG and its Y1B-17s

enabled a number of changes to be requested

from Boeing in the light of the Group’s

experience with the aircraft. Boeing also had

their own ideas to improve the aircraft and its

ease of production. The success of the Y1B-

17A with its General Electric

turbosuperchargers meant that all future B-

17s were to be fitted with this device, allied to

the Wright R-1820 Cyclone engine. As a

result of all these factors, the first fully

operational aircraft, designated B-17B, was

also the first to look largely like the B-17 we

know today.

The first order for the B-17B, in

November 1937, was for only 10 aircraft. This

was increased to 39 when the USAAC

exercised the option to buy 29 more in

February 1938. The first flight of the new

type did not occur until 27 June 1939

however, because of technical problems with

the turbosuperchargers. Problems with these

units were to dog the early B-17s, they were

not very reliable until the B-17E was

introduced, and even then required careful

handling. Mishandling these could easily

result in a blown engine or burned out

turbosupercharger, neither a healthy

prospect on the long-range missions the

aircraft was designed for. The B-17B was

fitted with Wright R-1820-51 versions of the

Cyclone, that produced 1,200 hp for take-off

and 1,000 hp in the cruise

The changes to the airframe were

marked, not only in the appearance of the

bomber. The early greenhouse nose and

separate bombardier’s window were gone,

instead the single rounded nose with the

bombardier’s flat panel incorporated in it

gave the B-17B the look we know today. A

single swivel mount was built into upper left

of the nose glazing, to fit a hand operated .30

cal machine gun for forward protection. The

side windows were also re-positioned and this

new nose was to remain a feature of the B-17

through to the E model. The

turbosuperchargers were adopted from the

Y1B-17A, modified by moving the induction

intakes for the supercharger to the leading

edge, and the exhaust for the intercooler to

the upper surface of the wing. The engine

cowlings were also redesigned to improve

engine cooling and the exhausts were re-

routed to the outside of the engine mounts

on both wings. The brakes, pneumatic on

the earlier aircraft, were changed for a

simpler hydraulic system. The flying controls

were also modified. The flaps were enlarged,

and became metal skinned, improving the

low speed handling of the aircraft, always a

superb feature of the B-17. The ailerons

were decreased in surface area, which had

little impact on the handling. One major

feature in the control redesign was an

attempt to improve the lateral control of the

aircraft by redesigning the rudder to a less

tapered design, broadening the chord at the

top and greatly increasing the surface area.

Lastly, an observation blister was added

above the rear cockpit, inflatable de-icer

boots were fitted to the wing leading edges

outboard of the engines and the loop antenna

for radio direction finding was moved to

under the nose.

The early yearsFollowing on from the Y1B-17 and Y1B-17A service trial aircraft, Boeing began to develop thebomber in the light of feedback from the Army Air Corps and other sources. The aim was toproduce a more robust and combat worthy aircraft as the war clouds began to gather over Europe.The next three versions of the B-17 were to be incremental advances in this regard, but they werethe first of the type to be tested in actual combat.

A factory fresh Boeing B-17B.The nose shape is now familiar and houses the secretNorden bombsight,as the B-17Bs were the first to carry the device.U.S.Air Force

A B-17C in flight in the new olive drab upper and grey lower paint schemeadopted by the USAAC from March 1941.U.S.Air Force

The B-17B to D models

Although the first flight was delayed, such

were the improvements in Boeing’s ability to

produce the aircraft that the last B-17B was

delivered on 30 March 1940, earlier than

contracted. None of the 39 B-17Bs built were

to see combat, but the aircraft saw useful

service as a service trainer, transport and test

aircraft, the last not being retired until 1946.

Already foreign governments were

expressing interest in the B-17, and the

French and British purchasing commissions

visited Boeing in 1940 with a view to acquiring

the type. The combat experience already

gained in fighting the Germans lead to a

number of questions being raised about the B-

17s ability to protect itself, and its combat

worthiness in general. The USAAC also took

note of their concerns, which Boeing

answered in the changes made to the B-17C.

To make the aircraft more battle-

hardened, armour plate was fitted at many of

the crew positions and for the flight critical

systems. This increased the gross weight of

the airframe from 37,997 lbs in the B-17B to

47,242 lbs (17,235 to 21,429 kg). To cope with

the increase, the more powerful R-1820-65

version of the Cyclone was fitted, delivering

1,000 hp all the way up to 25,000 ft. These

new engines also increased the maximum

speed at that altitude to 323 mph (520 kmh)

and increased the loaded range to 2,400 miles

(3,862 km).

The defensive concerns were addressed

by increasing the number of swivel mounts

for .30 cal guns in the nose to five, one on

either side of the top of the bombardier’s

window, one on the bottom left of it, and two

in the small side windows, one on either side.

The rear fuselage gun blister mountings

were all removed. The side blisters were

replaced with flat oval windows which could

be opened in flight to give the gunner a much

more flexible range of elevation and rotation.

A blast deflector was fitted just ahead of the

window to lessen the effects of the slipstream

on the gunners. The lower blister was

replaced with a rounded rectangular ‘bathtub’

position, with a hatch that opened to the rear

of the housing. Again, this was fitted with a

blast deflector that extended ahead of the

hatchway when it was opened. Lastly, the

radio compartment upper glazing could be

slid open and was fitted with a mounting for a

further upward and rearward firing machine

gun. All of these rear gun positions were to

mount the larger and heavier .50 cal machine

gun instead of the earlier .30 cal.

The first B-17C flew on 21 July 1940, and

38 were built for the USAAC, the last one

being delivered on 29 November. Of these, 20

B-17Cs were transferred to the Royal Air

Force, who called the aircraft the Fortress I.

Their entry into combat on 8 July 1941 was

rushed, and many considered even this

improved Fortress unsuitable for combat in

Europe. Their experiences are dealt with in

detail in the next article. The remaining 18 in

USAAC service were later upgraded to the

standard of the next model of the production

lines, the B-17D.

In keeping with the small orders received

thus far in the B-17’s story, only 42 B-17Ds

were built. Externally, they differed little

from the B-17C, but there were sufficient

changes to warrant a new designation. Self-

sealing fuel tanks and yet more armour plate

were added to improve the combat

survivability of the type further still, and all

the rear fuselage gun positions were

modified to take twin .50 cal gun mounts. The

electrical system was upgraded from 12 to 24

volts and a low pressure oxygen system was

fitted for the crew, who were now increased

to 10 men. The bomb racks and release gear

were redesigned to allow for different salvoes

of bombs to be released on a timer and the

earlier external bomb racks and their

attendant equipment were completely

removed. The only obvious external change

was the addition of cowl flaps that could be

opened and closed to increase or decrease

the airflow over the engine to keep them

operating at optimum temperature through

the flight envelope.

The first B-17D flew on 3 February 1941

and deliveries were to continue until 29 April.

The US was increasingly aware that they

could not stay out of the growing war for long,

so from March 1941, the familiar all natural

metal finish on the bombers was replaced by

an all-over olive drab upper and grey lower

paint scheme. The Japanese were seen as an

increasing threat, so the 19 Bomb Group with

its 21 B-17Cs and Ds was ordered to Hickam

Field on Hawaii. The 14th Bomb Squadron of

this group moved on to Clark Field on Luzon

and Del Monte Field on Mindanao in the

Philippines on 5 September 1941.➤

Boeing B-17 17

Boeing B-17Bs at Marshall Field,Califiornia in May 1940.Note thesecond aircraft has been fitted with thewaist windows from the B-17C.U.S.Air Force

A Boeing B-17B at Esler Field, Louisiana,on June 11, 1941.These aircraft wereassigned to Ladd Field,Alaska andgiven the high visibility red paintedareas to ensure they were easilyspotted against the snow in the eventof a forced landing.U.S.Air Force

A Boeing B-17D at Pearl Harbor on 7 December, 1941.Note the un-camouflagedB-17C and the smoke from the burning ships in the background.U.S.Air Force

A B-17D with engines running showingthe cowl flaps in the open position, takenon 3 February 1941.U.S.Air Force

Early B-17D at Wright Field.The “D”model was the last B-17 to have a small‘shark-fin’ tail and underside ‘bathtub’gun position.The cowl flaps are alsoclearly visible.U.S.Air Force

A further 26 B-17Ds followed from

California during October, so most of the

heavy bomber force of the USAAF was in the

Pacific before the attack on Pearl Harbour.

(USAAF is not a spelling mistake, the USAAC

no longer existed.) On 20 June 1941 the Corps

had been renamed the US Army Air Force

(USAAF) in recognition of the all-important

role air power was now playing in the global

conflict. That role was about to become a very

bloody one for the crews of the B-17s.

On the morning of 7 December 1941, 12 B-

17s were on their way to Hickam Field from

California carrying spare parts, support

equipment and the additional fuel required for

the trip. They were unarmed as a result, the

additional weight of guns and ammunition

would have put them overweight for the flight.

The newly sited radar posts on Hawaii were

expecting four B-17Cs of the 38th

Reconnaissance Squadron and eight B-17Es of

the 88th, so when they saw a cluster of

incoming dots on their screen, no one thought

to give the alarm. The Japanese attack on the

harbour and US military installations of Hawaii

achieved complete surprise, and into the

middle of this mayhem the B-17s unknowingly

flew. All of the B-17s were damaged in air-to-air

fighting, but none were actually shot down.

Further damage was caused by forced

landings on beaches, golf courses and the

heavily bombed airfields of Oahu Island. Of

the 402 US aircraft based on Hawaii, 188 were

destroyed and 159 were damaged. Hardly an

auspicious start, but worse was to come.

In the aftermath of Pearl Harbour, orders

went out to move all of the B-17s in the

Philippines to Del Monte Field on Mindanao,

where it was thought they would be out of

range of any Japanese attack. When the

Japanese struck at Clark Field on 8

December, they found two squadrons of the

bombers were still there. Of the 33 B-17Cs

and Ds in the Philippines, 18 were destroyed

on that first raid, only one of the aircraft at

Clark Field survived. On 10 December 1941,

three of the surviving B-17s became the first

US aircraft to take offensive action in the

Second World War, when they attacked

Japanese shipping from their base in the

Philippines. Some B-17s were ordered to

Australia as the Japanese advanced, some

went to Java, where they again took up the

offensive in a wide variety of missions not

envisaged by Boeing. It was to no avail, and

they were evacuated to Australia on 1 March

1942. The crews took every piece of

equipment from Java they could carry, as

well as anything up to 31 evacuee passengers

per aircraft. By 18 March 1942, the total

number of B-17s in the Pacific theatre was 26,

all in Australia, and all in need of repair of

one form or another.

The lessons of this brutal blooding were

clearly learned, and the next model of the B-

17 would not only address these

shortcomings, but at last become truly

worthy of the aircraft’s popular name. ■

Words: Tim Callaway

A burned U.S.Army Air Force Boeing B-17C Flying Fortress (s/n 40-2074) restsnear Hangar 5,Hickam Field,Oahu,Hawaii, on 7 December 1941. It wasflown to Hickam by Captain Raymond T.Swenson from California and arrivedduring the attack.On its finalapproach, the aircraft’s magnesiumflare box was hit by Japanese strafingand ignited.The burning planeseparated upon landing.The crewsurvived the crash,but a flight surgeonwas killed by strafing as he ran from theburning wreck.

The new style rear gun positions were a feature of the B-17D,which remained a very streamlined and elegant aircraft.U.S.Air Force

The first Boeing B-17B in service with the USAAC, fitted withthe R1820-50 version of the Cyclone, the only B-17B to be soequipped.U.S.Air Force

The B-17C showing the modified waist windows and ‘bathtub’lower gun position.U.S.Air Force

The cockpit of the B-17B makes aninteresting comparison with that of theModel 299, the additional instrumentsand controls for the turbosuperchargerson the central pedestal and right handside of the cockpit make for a far morecluttered look.U.S.Air Force


The NEW 44mm C8 Pilot Mk II AutomaticIncorporating a soft iron, anti-magnetic, inner casing

£305

www.christopherward.co.uk0844 875 1515

The Boeing B-17Best known as a heavy bomber with the USAAF, the B-17 Flying Fortresswas rejected as a bomber by the RAF but found an invaluable niche withCoastal Command as a maritime reconnaissance aircraft and U-boat hunter.

‘Fortress’ in RAF ServicePart One

Prior to achieving great success

and fame with the United States

Army Eighth Air Force later in

World War Two, the B-17 had an

inauspicious baptism of fire with

the Royal Air Force.

At the start of World War Two the only

four-engine heavy bomber in service with the

RAF was the Short Stirling. In the early stages

of the war, therefore, it was the RAF’s twin-

engine medium bombers, the most advanced

of which was the Vickers Wellington with a

bomb load of up to 4500lb, which carried the

fight to the enemy. By 1941, Handley Page

Halifax heavy bombers were being added to

the strength of Bomber Command but, in dire

need of more aircraft, the RAF entered into an

agreement with the USAAF for the provision

of 20 B-17Cs. These aircraft were delivered in

the spring and early summer of 1941, and

were designated “Fortress I” in RAF service.

Forty RAF air crew were trained at McChord

Field, near Tacoma, Washington, from

January to April 1941, and the B-17s were

then delivered to No 90 Squadron, at

Polebrook in Northamptonshire.➤

The first batch of 20 Boeing FortressIs (B-17Cs) ordered for the RAFpictured at McChord Field,Washington, in February 1941.At first,‘AM’ serials were applied in error butlater changed to ‘AN’.Aircraft thatcan be identified are: AN518 whichjoined 90 Squadron at WestRaynham,Norfolk, as ‘B-Bertie’ on 9August 1941 and later joined the 220Squadron Detachment in the MiddleEast as ‘MB-B’, then on to India inJuly 1942 where it handed back tothe US Army Force on 1 December1942.AN522 joined 90 Squadron as‘J-Johnnie’ on 4 June 1941 andbroke up in mid-air over Catterick 18days later.AN527 and AN530 joined90 Squadron and later transferred to220 Squadron in Coastal Commandbeing struck off charge in 1943.AN529 became ‘C-Charlie’with 90Squadron on 11 May 1941 andforce-landed behind enemy lines inLibya, on 8 November 1941.


Boeing Fortress I,AM528 which later was changed to AN528 when delivered to90 Squadron to become ‘B-Baker’ at West Raynham in Norfolk on 4 June 1941.AN528’s time with the squadron was short-lived as she caught fire running upher engines at Polebrook,Northants, on 3 July 1941 and was burnt out.

A 90 Squadron crew,detached to take part inthe RAF campaign in theMiddle East in late 1941after the Fortress I wasconsidered a failure inthe European theatre.

Aircrew of 90 Squadron board their BoeingFortress I at Polebrook,Northamptonshire, fora raid on the German battleship Gneisenau,docked at Brest, France,on 24 July 1941.

A Boeing Fortress I of 90 Squadron returning to Polebrook,Northamptonshire,afterattacking the German battleship Gneisenau docked at Brest,France,on 24 July 1941.

As the aircraft arrived, the war, particularly

the bomber war, was not going well for the UK

at that point, and every aircraft was needed.

The B-17C was really a service trial aircraft,

insufficiently armed with defensive weapons

and with a number of shortcomings in the

design that were not to be corrected until later

versions of the aircraft began rolling off the

production lines. The USAAF officers who had

assisted in training the RAF crews had pointed

out the deficiencies, such as the lack of a tail

turret and reliable oxygen equipment, both

vital if the B-17C was to be operated against an

organised fighter defence and at high altitude.

They also considered that the 20 B-17Cs would

serve well as trainers to familiarise RAF crews

with high-altitude formation operational flying,

an art in itself. Using such an unfinished aircraft

operationally could only really have one ending.

Despite the advice and expectations of

USAAF personnel, Bomber Command began

using the B-17Cs operationally. The first

combat mission by the RAF Fortresses, a

high altitude daylight raid on the German

naval base at Wilhelmshaven, was carried out

on 8 July 1941 It was not deemed a

success. On 24 July, the Fortresses bombed

Brest but they missed the target completely.

Further missions saw the aircraft operated in

daylight, often flying without fighter escort at

high altitude, around 30,000ft, as an

optimistic tactic against engagement by

enemy fighters. In fact, German fighters

intercepted the Fortresses even at 32,000ft,

proving that the B-17 could not fly high

enough to avoid fighter engagements.

Success for the RAF Fortresses was

very limited, many sorties had to be

aborted and equipment (especially the

guns) often froze at the high altitudes. By

12 September 1941 the Squadron had

carried out 22 raids, involving 39 Fortress

sorties. Of these, 18 had been aborted, two

had bombed secondary targets and only 19

had bombed their primary targets. Only two

1100lb bombs were recorded as hitting their

target. In all, in only two months of

operations, the RAF had lost eight of the

20 B-17s in combats or to accidents. ➤

THE RAF’S B-17S● Fortress I – 20 of the 38 B-17Cs built

for the US Army Air Corps were

released for service with the RAF.

These aircraft were given the Boeing

Model number 299U and give the

RAF name of Fortress I.The serial

numbers AN518 to AN537 were

applied,but a mistake in the paint

shop saw them arrive with the serial

numbers correct, but the letters AM

instead.This was soon corrected in

the UK.● Fortress II – Under the Lend-Lease

agreement,19 Boeing built B-17Fs

were transferred to the RAF where

they were known as Fortress IIs.These

aircraft were given the serial

numbers FA695 to FA713.● Fortress IIA – The 45 B-17Es

transferred to the RAF were known as

Fortress IIAs because the deal to

supply the later model B-17F as the

Fortress II had already been struck

by the time this arrangement was

made.They were given the serial

numbers FK184 to FK213, FG449 to

FG460 and FG462 to FG464.● Fortress III – 30 Boeing-built and 55

LockheedVega-built B-17Gs were

transferred to the RAF and given the

British name Fortress III.The Boeing-

built aircraft were given the serial

numbers HB761 to HB790, the Vega-

built aircraft were a little more

complicated,having no less than

eight serial batches.These were;

HB791 to HB793,HB795 and HB796,

HB799 to HB803,HB805 on its own,

then HB815 to HB829,KH998 and

KH999,KJ100 to KJ127 and lastly

KL830 to KL837.

A Boeing Fortress I of 90 Squadrontaking off frrom Polebrook,Northamptonshire, to attack theGerman battleship Gneisenau dockedat Brest, France,on 24 July 1941.Three ofthe squadron’s Fortresses accompaniedthe attacking force,bombing the vesselfrom 30,000ft in an effort to draw enemyfighters from other bombers.

Crew members of 90 Squadron Fortress Is based at Polebrook,Northamptonshire,gather by the nose of one of their aircraft ahead of a raid against the Germanbattleship,Gneisenau, harboured at Brest, France,on 24 July 1941.

“SUCCESS FORTHE RAF FORTRESSESWASVERY LIMITED,MANY SORTIES HADTO BE

ABORTED AND EQUIPMENT (ESPECIALLYTHEGUNS) OFTEN FROZE ATTHE HIGH ALTITUDES.”


Boeing Fortress II, FA702 P, operated by 206Squadron and flown by F/Lt Kenneth B Bass duringMay 1943.Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm

Publicity shot taken in May 1943 purporting to show the captain of a BoeingFortress IIA of Coastal Command holding a final conference with his crew beforetaking off.The photograph was taken at Lajes,Azores, in front of Fortress II, FL462/W,of 220 Squadron.The ‘crew’was, in fact, an ad hoc group of individuals drawn from206 Squadron,and the ‘captain’ (third from right wearing the SD cap) was FlyingOfficer LW Taylor RAAF,an Air Ministry public relations officer.

Line-up of Allied aircraft at Dorval airfield,Montreal,Canada, in August 1942.The nearest two aircraft are an Avro Lancaster(R5727) of RAF Bomber Command and a Boeing Fortress IIA, FK209 (American serial 41-9203 still on the tail).The Lancasterhad been flown from the UK to Canada to become the pattern aircraft for a new production line for the type being opened inCanada. It is interesting to compare the two aircraft and how national philosophies produced such different designs.

A 220 Squadron Boeing Fortress IIAseen ‘bombing up’with depth chargesat Benbecula,Outer Hebrides, before apatrol in May 1943.

Boeing Fortress IIA, FK186/S, of 220Squadron based at Benbecula in theOuter Hebrides, flying over the NorthAtlantic ocean during May 1943.

Boeing B-17 25

The RAF decided that the B-17 was too

vulnerable defensively, ineffective offensively

and that it was technically immature. The

aircraft was, therefore, deemed unfit for

bombing operations in the European theatre

and was withdrawn from the front line. The

Americans pointed out that the RAF was

using the aircraft above its designed

operating height and overloaded, thereby

reducing its performance. They also pointed

out that the RAF was using the Fortress in

very small formations, sacrificing the

perceived benefits of mutual defence. For the

RAF, though, these experiences with the B-17

in 1941 confirmed its belief that no daylight

bomber could operate safely against the

German air defences. On 28 September, four

of the 90 Squadron aircraft and crews were

detached to the Middle East, where it was

hoped the type would fare better against the

less well prepared defenses. In this theatre,

the Fortress I was used more often as a night

bomber than during the day.

The RAF then transferred the remaining

Fortress I aircraft to Coastal Command for

use as long-range maritime patrol aircraft.

These were later augmented by 19 Fortress

Mk IIs and 45 Fortress Mk IIAs (equivalent to

the B-17F and B-17E respectively). In

December 1941, 220 Squadron took over the

Fortress Is of 90 Squadron for two months,

before receiving the Fortress II, which it used

for anti-submarine patrols over the Atlantic.

With RAF Coastal Command the B-17

found an invaluable niche as a maritime

reconnaissance aircraft. For a brief but

critical period, from late 1942 to mid 1943, the

small number of RAF Fortresses played a

major role in combating the U-boat menace,

flying from bases in the UK and the Azores.

The maritime role expanded and

developed, and as we shall see in part two, the

Fortress was to return to Bomber Command

operations in a very different role. ■ Words:Clive Rowley Pictures: Editor’s Collection

A Boeing Fortress IIA of220 Squadron pictured

at Benbecula,OuterHebrides, in May 1943.

Portuguese ox-carts pass a Boeing Fortress IIA undergoingengine tests at Lajes in the Azores in December 1943.

Boeing Fortress I,AN532/WP-J,on the ground at Shallufah, Egypt in late 1941.Following the type’s unsuccessful operational service in Europe with 90Squadron, four aircraft were detached to the Middle East in November 1941 fornight bombing attacks on Benghazi and enemy shipping in the Mediterraneanwith crews from 90 and 220 Squadrons.On 1 December 1941, the detachmentwas renamed 220 Squadron Detachment and transferred to Coastal Command.

A Boeing Fortress IIA taking off from Lajes airfield in the Azoresin December 1943.


The B-17EIt was the features introducedwith the B-17E, particularly theadditional armament and theelimination of the blind spot inthe tail, which set Boeing’siconic bomber on course tobecome one of the key weaponsin the Allied armoury.A Flying Fortress at last

Boeing B-17E in flight wearing theearly national markings.US Air Force

Boeing B-17E “Chief Seattle fromthe Pacific Northwest” (S/N 41-2656) in flight.US Air Force

T he B-17E was more than just astep up the alphabet for Boeing’sfour-engined high-altitudebomber.Although quicklyreplaced on the production line

by the –F, the –E rescued the B-17 fromobsolescence and obscurity. Without thisredesign the bomber would not have beenable to spearhead the US Army Air Force’sonslaught on occupied Europe.

Yet the B-17E itself played a relativelyminor role in the bombing campaign andrepresented just four per cent of total B-17production compared with 26 per cent for the–F and 68 per cent for the –G.

The key to the redesign, which lengthenedthe aircraft’s fuselage and introduced theenlarged vertical tail, was the increaseddefensive armament which enabled theaircraft to justify the name of Flying Fortress.

A NEW B-17By the fall of France in the summer of 1940 theBoeing B-17 was already five years old and wasin danger of being left behind by a latergeneration of aircraft from Britain andGermany. It was soon clear that the earlier B-17s models which went into service with theRAF were not fully combat-worthy. Fortunatelyfor the B-17, Boeing was already planning anew version to eliminate those drawbacks,particularly the lack of rearward defensivearmament and directional instability at altitude.

In early August 1940 the companysubmitted a bid to the US War Departmentfor 500 examples of an improved variant. Theinitial response was not encouraging. Boeingwas told that the price was too high but aftersome haggling a contract was agreed for 277

aircraft with a subsequent order for a further235. The new aircraft was known to thecompany as the Model 299O. The Armydesignated it B-17E.

It brought many significant changes to thebasic airframe which although not consideredan improvement aesthetically were to turn arelative failure into a remarkable success.While the structural details and generallayout were similar to those of earlier B-17sthe entire fuselage behind the radio room wasre-designed and extended by nearly 6ft (1.8m)to accommodate a new tail compartmenthousing a pair of .5in (12.7mm) machine gunswith ammunition boxes and the gunner. This‘big ass’ modification eliminated a notableblind spot which had rapidly been exploitedby opposing fighters.

Defensive fire power was furtherimproved with power operated turrets eachmounting a pair of .5in guns. A Bendixelectrically-operated turret was installedimmediately aft of the flight deck and, up tothe 112th production aircraft, there was aremotely controlled belly turret just behind

Boeing B-17 27

Boeing B-17E (S/N 41-2539) in flight, showing the new tail and ball turrets.US Air Force

Boeing B-17Es clearly showing the new top turret(S/N 41-2557 and 41-9182) in formation.US Air Force

the radio room, the Sperry computing sightbeing mounted just behind the flight deck.From the 113th machine onwards the turretwas replaced by a manned Sperry ball turret.

Except in the nose, where alternativesocket mountings were provided for a .3in(7.7mm) rifle calibre gun, the new variant had.5in (12.7mm) guns throughout. Provisionwas made for a hand-operated ‘point five’firing rearwards and upwards from an ‘O’-type mounting at the rear of the radiocompartment. There were further hand-operated weapons firing from rectangularapertures with removable windows in thefuselage waist. These installations replacedthe blisters which distinguished earlier B-17variants. The net result was a truly formidablearray of defensive power.

To handle the increased weight thehorizontal stabiliser was enlarged from 33ft9in (10.29m) to 43ft (13.11m), while thedorsal fin and rudder were completely newand resulted in a huge new fin whose leadingedge swept down the fuselage almost as faras the radio room hatch. ➤

The standard crew complement wasincreased from nine to 10 and all-upweight had grown by 30 per cent above theoriginal Model 299. Like the B-17D the newvariant was powered by four Wright CycloneR-1820-65 radial engines each developing1000hp (750kW).

The enormous build-up of the US armedforces, plus Britain’s need for militarysupplies, were creating a huge demand forraw materials and Boeing had to present theWar Department with an ultimatum: withoutpriority in the supply of aluminium theproject would suffer delay. As it happened,difficulties with materials and labour delayedproduction by 150 days. The original contracthad specified that the first B-17E wouldappear on 30 April 1941 but the first aircraftdid not actually roll off the assembly line until27 September, just three weeks after thevariant’s maiden flight on the 5th. Boeing wasable to catch up so that when the last aircraftcame off the production line deliveries were49 days ahead of schedule.

A total of 512 B-17Es was built by Boeing intwo batches (military serial numbers 41-2393to 41-2669 and 41-9011 to 41-9245,manufacturer’s serials 2240 to 2480 and 2493 to2717) between 5 September 1941 and 28 May1942. The basic B-17E airframe cost between$190,147 and $195,577 according to the batch.The final cost, fully equipped and with engines,

ranged from $298,065 and $302,772.Plans were made for the mass production

of B-17s at other plants and a manufacturingpool comprising Boeing, Vega and Douglaswas established. Although no B-17Es wereproduced under this arrangement, several –Efuselage jigs were supplied to the partnersfor the production of jigs from which manythousands of B-17Fs and –Gs weresubsequently built.

OPERATINGTHE B-17ELike other variants the B-17E was well-likedby its pilots who appreciated its predictablehandling and docility, particularly at lowspeeds. Landing speed at normal landingweight was just 73mph (117kph). Landingwith two engines out could be accomplishedwithout great drama.

At normal operating speeds the aircraftwas light on its controls and was easy to fly information, easier than its contemporary theConsolidated B-24 Liberator. In otherrespects, notably its ability to absorb battledamage and ease of maintenance, the B-17Ewas rated highly.

Like most combat aircraft of its generationthe B-17E was no luxury liner and the crewswho operated it worked in fairly spartanconditions. Entry was via one of three doors,the nose hatch on the lower left-hand side,the main door just forward of the tail-plane on

the right-hand side and the tail gunner’sescape hatch under the right-hand elevator.

In the Hollywood movies the crew use thenose hatch, swinging themselves up to enterthe aircraft feet first. But in reality most crewmembers, weighed down with 40lb (88kg) offleece and leather flying clothing preferred touse the main door.

Inside, the Flying Fortress was bothcramped and draughty. Perhaps the warmestpart – and certainly the one with the bestview – was the nose. This compartmentaccommodated the bombardier in a high-backed armoured seat (replaced by a simpleswivelling chair in the –F) and the navigatorwhose station was at the left rear of thecompartment. Above and behind was theflight deck with the two pilots seated side-by-side with dual controls. A crawl-way linkedthe flight deck with the nose compartment.

Immediately behind the two pilots was thetop turret, usually operated by the flightengineer, who sat on a small seat like that ona bicycle. The turret could be rotated through360 degrees and could be used to supplementforward-firing defensive armament.

Behind a small ‘V’-shaped door gaveaccess to the bomb bay, which could betraversed by a narrow catwalk with rope grabhandles. A small conventionally-shaped doorled aft to the radio room, the only section ofthe aircraft where a six-footer could standupright. Behind was the large skylight hatchwith its hand-operated machine gun.

A further door led to the tail section and theball turret mounted on its gimbals. Operatingthe turret and its twin ‘point fives’ was a job fora small man and one able to contort himselfinto what was almost a foetal position.

The armoured hinged plate that formedthe seat back served as the gunner’semergency exit. On the ground it was just15in above the Tarmac and was only insidethe aircraft when the guns were pointingvertically downwards.

Beyond the ball turret a further narrowcatwalk led down the centre of the fuselage tothe waist gun windows on either side.Sometimes after a particularly spiriteddefence of the aircraft the two gunners wouldreturn to their base with the floor piled highwith spent cartridge cases. The gunnerssuffered from the cold during high altitudeoperations in winter when a fierce draught


Boeing B-17E at WrightField,Ohio.US Air Force

Boeing B-17E (S/N 41-9061) in flight,with gun windows closed.US Air Force

blew through the open windows. Points wereprovided for electrically-heated flying suitswhich were considered a necessity.

From the waist the fuselage taperedsharply towards the tail and it was necessaryto crawl over the tail wheel well to reach thetail gunner’s position. This was a tiny Plexiglascompartment in which the gunner operatedthe twin tail guns from another bicycle seatprovided with padded knee supports.

This was another draughty compartment,confinement to which during a long missionwas a test of stamina and endurance. Crewsjoked that after 25 missions a tail gunnercould become so shrunken by the continualcold that he could enter his crampedcompartment with ease.

INTO SERVICEAlthough the first deliveries to units in thefield did not start until early in 1942 a fewearly production machines had reachedsome bomber squadrons of the US ArmyAir Force – it had changed its name fromthe US Army Air Corps on 20 June – just intime for the Japanese attack on PearlHarbour on 7 December. In fact, a group of12 B-17s of the 38th (four B-17Cs) and 88th(eight B-17Es) Reconnaissance Squadronsarrived over the Hawaiian Islands while theattack was in progress.

The aircraft had been on their way toreinforce the defensive arrangements of GenDouglas McArthur in the Philippines whichthe US had expected to bear the brunt of theinitial Japanese attacks. As it happened theseaircraft unwittingly contributed to the surpriseachieved by the attacking Japanese becausethey were at first assumed to be the bombersexpected from Hamilton Field, California. Tomake matters worse the bombers were notcarrying ammunition for their defensivemachine guns and as a result were unable todefend themselves against Japanese aircraft,both dive bombers and fighters, whichattacked them. Most were damaged as theyattempted to land at Hickham Field, Oahu.

The bulk of B-17Es went to PacificTheatre units to supplement the B-17Cs and -Ds which had survived the Japanese attacks.

Five bombardment groups in the Pacifictheatre were to operate the variant whichwere thrown into the battle in an attempt tohalt the Japanese advance. The 19th BG andthe newly-arrived 7th BG flew missions fromJava and then Australia against the Japaneseinvasion fleets heading for the Dutch EastIndies and New Guinea.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor the 5th BGflew patrols around the islands until Novemberwhen it was transferred to Espirito Santu in theSolomon Islands. There its crews flewmissions against enemy shipping and othertargets in the northern part of the archipelago.In June detachments of B-17Es from the 5thBG joined others from the 11th BG onMidwayIsland when it was facing invasion by theJapanese. On the 4th, the B-17s flew 62 sortiesagainst Japanese warships during the criticalbattle and although their crews claimednumerous hits no bomb actually came closerto its target than 50yd (45m).➤

Boeing B-17 29

B-17ETO XB-38

Although the Boeing-Douglas-Vegamanufacturing pool built no B-17Es, thenew partners in B-17 production broughtwith them a number of proposals forimproving the basic design.Mostinvolved modifications to the basicarmament but the most radical tobecome tangible was that fromVega.

The ninth production B-17E (41-2401) was allocated to the companyto study as part of the preparations fortooling up for production.However,Vega proposed replacing thebomber’s Wright Cyclone radialengines with a quartet of Allison V-1710-89 liquid-cooled inline engines.

The project was designatedV-134-1by Vega and XB-38 by the Army. Itdiffered from standard B-17Es primarilyin featuring the smoothly-cowledV12engines and their chin radiators.Othermodifications to the wing includedLockheed-designed auxiliary fuel tanksof 1080 US gal (4088 litres) capacity.Thepropeller blades were 7in (18cm)longer than those of the standard B-17E.

Only one of the three XB-38s orderedby the Army ever flew. It was destroyedafter only 12 flight hours following an in-flight fire on 16 June 1943. It crashednear Tipton,California but not before ithad demonstrated slightly greater speed(327mph,523kph) than the B-17E – albeitat a much lower ceiling – butconsiderably greater range.As it was notclear that the XB-38 would offerworthwhile performance gains andwould risk diversion of the Allison enginesrequired by Curtiss P-40 and Lockheed P-38 fighters, the Army cancelled theproject on 12 August 1943.

Nose detail of Boeing B-17E“Nememis of Aeroembolism”atWright Field,Ohio.US Air Force

Nose detail of Boeing B-17E “Typhoon McGoon II” (S/N 41-9211) of the 11th BombGroup, 98th Bomb Squadron, taken in January 1943 in New Caledonia.Note theantennas mounted above the nose plexiglass used for radar tracking of surfacevessels.US Air Force

Several B-17Es were captured by theJapanese. They included the 7th BG’s 41-2471which crash-landed in Java in February 1942.It was repaired and used by its new owners tohelp develop fighter tactics against USAAFheavy bombers. Its eventual fate is unknown.

Although the 7th received further B-17Es,its attacks on Japanese airfields in thePhilippines often had to be accomplished byless than 10 aircraft because of poorserviceability. The first Medal of Honor to bewon by a B-17 crew member resulted from anaction on 17 August 1942. Capt Harl Pease Jr ofthe 7th BG was flying B-17E 41-2429 on a six-aircraft mission from New Guinea to attack theJapanese stronghold of Rabaul, New Britain.

Shortly after dropping their bombs theB-17s were attacked by 20 Zeros. Most of thebombers were able to reach cloud coversafely but Pease’s aircraft lagged behind. Itwas last seen dropping its flaming bomb bayfuel tank, going down with two engines onfire. There were reports of two parachutesopening. Years later it was learned that Peaseand one of his gunners, Sgt Czehowski, hadmanaged to escape from the stricken bomberand been taken prisoner by the Japanese.Later they and other prisoners were executed.

Although the 11th BG had received someB-17Ds and -Es before the attack on PearlHarbor only 10 of its aircraft were availableon 7 December. Afterwards it flew patrolsfrom Hawaii and the following June played arole in the Battle of Midway before a spell inthe New Hebrides from where its aircraftattacked enemy installations and shipping inthe Solomons.

The 19th BG was in the Philippines at thestart of the war and continued to operate itsB-17s under difficult conditions until theislands fell to the Japanese in April 1942. Theunit later moved to Australia where itcontinued to operate until the summer. B-17ESuzy Q of the group’s 93rd BS was one of thefew to survive a tour in the Pacific, flyingmissions from the Philippines, the DutchEast Indies and Australia. Back home theaircraft was used in a war bond drive.

The 43rd and its B-17Es arrived inAustralia in March 1942 and later flew from

New Guinea and Owi Island and participatedin the Battle of the Bismark Sea in March1943. Like other B-17 units in the Pacific thegroup was later re-equipped with B-24s.

The first B-17Es to operate in North Africaformed the detachment sent from India byTenth Air Force in India and commanded byMaj Gen Lewis Brereton. Based in Egypt inJune and July 1942 when they weresupplemented by B-24s, these aircraftmounted modest but morale-boosting raidsduring the time Rommel’s forces threatenedEgypt and the Suez Canal.

TARGET GERMANYAs the first deliveries of B-17Es werereaching USAAF units in the Pacific theatrethe USAAF’s top brass were planning theaerial onslaught on Nazi-occupied Europe.This, they hoped, which would validate theirbelief in the effectiveness of high-altitudedaylight precision bombing.

In February 1942 a party of seven officersarrived in England having made a hazardousflight over the Bay of Biscay from Lisbon.They were led by Brig Gen Ira C Eaker whocarried with him a directive signed by Lt GenHenry Harley “Hap” Arnold, commander of

the Army Air Force. This document wasdated 31 January 1942, just 53 days after theJapanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Amongother things, it ordered Eaker to: “.....makethe necessary preparations to insure [sic]competent and aggressive command anddirection of our bomber units in England.”

The preparations had to be started fromscratch and the task was not eased by doubtsabout the effectiveness of the equipment. InApril a group of US officers inspected an RAFB-17E. They reported that the British had“condemned the B-17E so far as operationsover Western Europe are concerned”because of its lack of defensive fire powerand limited bomb capacity. The tail gunposition was considered “cramped” and thebelly turret “so awkward as to be useless.”

“Such criticisms were not ignored butneither were they allowed to shake the ultimateconfidence of the planners in the `planes thatwere going to have to do the job,” according tothe official history on the first year of theEighth Air Force’s bombing campaignpublished in 1944. Small wonder that when hespoke at a dinner in his honour, Eaker simplydeclared: “We won’t do much talking untilwe’ve done more fighting. We hope that whenwe leave you’ll be glad we came. Thank you.”

The first B-17 arrived at Prestwick on 1July. Five had however failed to make thelong trans-Atlantic journey. One force-landedon a Greenland icecap and its crew surviveduntil rescued by the US Navy after sawingthe damaged propeller blades from oneengine and running it to provide heat andgenerate power for the radio.

By 1 August two heavy bombardmentgroups had arrived to begin a period ofintensive training. One of them was the 97thBG which was to be the only one in theEighth Air Force to be equipped with B-17Es.The group was selected to fly the USAAF’sfirst heavy bomber mission, on 17 August. “Itwas a critical day for the Eighth BomberCommand,” the official history noted, “notbecause of the size of the effort but becauseso much was at stake. Pressure in the USA foraction in the European Theatre had beenmounting steadily.”


Three aircraft formation of Boeing B-17Es (S/N 41-2512, 41-2511 and 41-2509).US Air Force

Camoflaged Boeing B-17E on patrol of the approaches to the vital Panama Canal.US Air Force

The first B-17E took off from GraftonUnderwood at 15:26hr and headed fornorthern France where it was to strike therailway marshalling yards at Rouen-Sotteville.Yankee Doodle, leading the second flight ofsix aircraft, was captained by Maj Paul Tibbetswho was to become better known for pilotingthe B-29 that dropped the first atomic bombon Hiroshima three years later. AccompanyingTibbets was Gen Eaker himself.

According to the official history the otheraircraft on this first raid also included BabyDoll, Peggy D, Big Stuff, Butcher Shop,Berlin Sleeper, Johnny Reb and BirminghamBlitzkrieg. Together they were carrying 45600lb (272kg) bombs and nine 1100lb(498kg) bombs. Most hit the target althougha few fell short. Meanwhile, the group’sremaining six aircraft were making adiversionary sweep over the French coast.

Back at Grafton Underwood high rankingUSAAF officers waited for the aircraft toreturn. They had been joined by 30 US andBritish reporters and, according to theofficial history, they “waited about as calmlyas expectant fathers in the anteroom of amaternity ward.” But, “shortly before 1900hrwatchers on the control tower spotted acluster of specs to the west of the airdrome.Eagerly they counted – for a tense momentthere seemed to be only 11. There was a sighof relief as the 12th appeared.”

The crews reported receiving “goodprotection” from escorting Spitfires and ofsustaining slight flak damage to one B-17.

There had also been “a few exchanges of firewith enemy fighters.” The overallassessment: “mission successful.” The use ofdiversionary tactics was consideredsuccessful because the defences had beenconfused. “We just dropped our load andturned around and headed back withoutbeing bothered by a single fighter,” one B-17E crewmember reported.

RAF Bomber Command CO Air ChiefMarshall “Bomber” Harris congratulatedEaker. “Yankee Doodle certainly went to townand can stick yet another well-deserved featherin his cap,” he said. Eaker reported drily: “Weare well satisfied with the day’s work.”

Further attacks followed over the next fourdays. On the 19th they attacked the Luftwaffe’sAbbeville airfield to support the Allied raid onDieppe. The following day the target switchedto the marshalling yards at Amiens, againwithout loss to the attackers. But the going gottougher on the 21st when the Fortress crewswere briefed to attack targets in the LowCountries. The attackers were 16 minutes latein their rendezvous with their Spitfire escort.This meant that the RAF fighters had to turnback early. Then, reduced in numbers whenthree aircraft were forced to return withmechanical trouble, the formation was orderedto turn back on reaching the Dutch coast.

For the next 20 minutes the nineunescorted bombers came under Luftwaffefire. But the results of the encounter seemedto vindicate those who believed that thecombined firepower from a formation of

Fortresses could beat off attacking fighters.One bomber lagged behind and its crewreported being pounced upon by five Focke-Wulf Fw 190s. Despite severe damage thebomber was able to make it back. Its gunnersclaimed to have shot down two fighters,although the press inflated this to six.

The attacks continued and so did the goodweather. “From every mission new lessonswere learned,” the official history was able toreport. More aircraft arrived to reinforce theEighth Air Force but in November the 97thand its B-17Es were transferred to TwelfthAir Force in North Africa to supportOperation Torch, the Allied landings.

But the unit and its B-17Es had playedtheir part in enabling the USAAF to provewhat Gen Arnold called “the American idea”of high altitude daylight precision bombing.It was, Arnold wrote in 1944, “a triumphantvindication.” ■ Words: Bruce Hales-Dutton

Boeing B-17 31

Boeing B-17Es under construction.This is the first released wartime production photograph of Flying Fortress heavy bombers atone of the Boeing plants, at Seattle,Wash. Boeing exceeded its accelerated delivery schedules by 70 percent for the month ofDecember 1942.US Air Force

The Boeing XB-38 in flight.The Allisonengines gave the B-17 an incrediblygraceful look.

A s has already been discussed,

the B-17E had begun operating

with the 8th Air Force in the

UK, striking targets in Europe,

and proving that the American

concept of high altitude daylight precision

bombing was feasible, even against heavily

defended targets and strong fighter

opposition. However, the bombers had been

available only in small numbers, and

although the defensive firepower of such a

formation had proved satisfactory initially,

losses began to mount as the Luftwaffe

developed tactics to deal with the daylight

raiders. To counter this, Boeing were already

developing a new version of the bomber from

the combat reports coming back from the

Pacific and European theatres. It would be

produced in the thousands.

The B-17F, with the exception of the nose

glazing, differed little in external appearance

from the B-17E, but there were over 400 detail

differences between them. One of the least

obvious was the method of production. All the

early B-17s had been built by Boeing in

Seattle, but now Lockheed Vega in Burbank

and Douglas in Long Beach, both in

California, set up production lines to build the

B-17 under licence. The first B-17F flew at

Seattle on 30 May 1942. Of the 3405 built, 2300

were by Boeing, 500 by Lockheed Vega and

605 by Douglas. This total was a quantum leap

over the relatively small first orders for B-17s,

and shows just how fast US industry geared

up for war production after 7 December 1941.

If you consider the next and final mass

produced version of the B-17, the G, first flew

in May 1943 and was on all three production

lines by June, then the 3405 B-17Fs were all

built in a little over one year, an astounding

effort. More was to come, and the output was

to nearly treble before the war’s end.

As already mentioned, the new B-17F had

a new nose, one of moulded plexiglass with

no internal framing. Bombardiers likened the

new nose to sitting in a goldfish bowl, but the

view was extraordinary. The new nose shape

was more elongated than the B-17E, and was

fitted with a flat panel for the bomb sight in

the centre of the lower half. This flat panel

was surrounded by the only framing to

interrupt the view forward. The arrangement

of the nose guns to protect this vulnerable

position is a complex story which we will

come back to. The upper plexiglass in the

radio operator’s compartment was fitted with

a single swivel mount for a .50 cal machine


The B-17FA matter of defenceThe design changes and armament improvements to the B-17E meant it was now capable of survivingin any theatre of World War Two. However, further improvements from Boeing were in the pipelineand coupled with the growing numbers of aircraft available, improved tactics and escorts, the FlyingFortress was about to prove General Douhet’s maxim that “the bomber will always get through”.

Boeing B-17F-95-BO (S/N 42-30301) “Idiot’s Delight” (XM-J) ofthe 94th Bomb Group, 332nd Bomb Squadron, undergoingmaintenance. Note the modified nose gun mount. US Air Force

gun so the weapon could be used without

opening the panel as on previous models. All

the other gun positions, the twin guns in the

tail, the single waist guns, the Bendix upper

turret and the now standard Sperry ball

turret remained as they were in the B-17E.

The bomb load the B-17F was able to lift

was increased dramatically by the

reintroduction of the external rack mounts

and equipment that had appeared on early

aircraft. This meant racks could be fitted to

the underside of the wing between the

fuselage and the inner engines. These

increased the maximum bomb load up to

9600lb (4358kg), although this limit was

rarely if ever carried in combat. The extra

load meant that not as much fuel could be

carried. Since most of the missions the B-

17Fs were engaged in were at long range, the

usual war load was 4000lb (2816 kg). Some

early B-17Fs also had attachments and

equipment fitted to enable them to carry

glide bombs, but these were again a rarity

and were seldom used in combat.

The range of the B-17 had become a factor,

particularly in the Pacific theatre where the

Boeing B-17 33

Top view of Boeing B-17F in flight.This aircraft was identified by the photographer asB-17F-25-BO (S/N 42-24565) “Idaho Potato Peeler” or B-17F-40-BO (S/N 42-5243)“FDR’s Potato Peeler Kids”of the 303rd Bomb Group, 359th Bomb Squadron (BN-P).US Air Force

aircraft were often attacking Japanese targets

at extreme range. In Europe, in order to reach

the industries of Southern Germany, the

range would need to be increased. Boeing

added new fuel tanks to the outer wing panels

of the B-17F, called “Tokyo Tanks”. These

could carry an additional 1100 gallons (5000

litres) of fuel and increased the maximum

range of the B-17F to 4220 miles (6790km).

There were many other detail changes to

aircraft systems, such as self sealing oil tanks

were now fitted, as well as additional electrical

power outlets. Three of these outlets had

been fitted to late production B-17Es, but

were now standard, next to the waist gunners

windows and in the tail gunners position, and

enabled the gunners to plug in electrically

heated flying suits. These were vital because

the waist gunners windows were open to the

freezing airflow at high altitude, and the tail

gunner sat right in the path of the icy blast of

air that came rushing in.

The last major change to the B-17F was

the engines. These were upgraded to the

Wright R-1820-97 model of the Cyclone, again

producing 1200hp, but fitted with a short use

“War Emergency” setting that produced

1380hp. This was supposed to be for short

periods of combat only, but several reports

suggest that aircraft toward the rear of a B-

17F formation were using it a great deal of

the time just to keep up and stay in formation

in the roiled air. It is a testimony to the

strength of the Wright engines that they

could and did take such punishment and kept

running reliably.

To harness all this additional power,

new broad, or “paddle”, bladed Hamilton

Standard variable pitch propellers were

fitted, which were one inch larger in diameter

than the units they replaced. These had a

knock-on effect on the engine cowlings,

which had to be redesigned to allow for the

changed airflow the new propellers created.

The new powerplants were also needed to

cope with the increased gross weight of the

B-17F, which had now risen to 56,500lb

(25,628kg) with the addition of all these

improvements. The price had also gone up of

course, each one of the new model was to

cost an average of $357,655, a far cry from

the Model 299!➤

Bailout from a Boeing B-17F of the 483rdBomb Group, 815th Bomb Squadron,over the Weiner Neustadt,Austria railyards, at 5:10pm on 9 November 1943.The aircraft is at 22,500 feet with twoengines feathered.Two crewmen hadalready bailed out.US Air Force

Boeing B-17F of the 96th Bomb Group in heavy flak.U.S.Air Force

The new German 30mm cannon couldbe terrible in their effectiveness againstaircraft.This Boeing B-17F had its leftwing blown off by an Me-262 overCrantenburg,Germany.US Air Force

A MATTER OF DEFENCE….By August 1942, the B-17F had reached combat

units of the 8th Air Force based in England

and began to fly daylight bombing missions,

initially against targets in France and the Low

Countries. Steadily, the F began to completely

replace the E in frontline use. Formation tactics

were changed as the B-17 crews grew in

experience. Firstly, the Squadrons were

stacked up at different heights alongside each

other, with the highest aircraft toward the

sun. During September, the individual aircraft

of each squadron element were similarly

positioned by height towards the sun to make

sure each B-17 wasn’t blocking the gunners

field of fire of another. The improved formation,

called Javelin, also had the Groups of aircraft

flying at 1.5 mile (2.4 km) intervals and again,

stacked at increasing height the further back

down the formation you went. These tactics

provided the formation with the best

combination of mutual support yet individual

freedom of action for the gunners.

By November however, the Luftwaffe had

worked out the one weak point in the

formation, and the aircraft in particular. Head

on. Cannon armed Focke Wulf 109s and

Messerschmitt 109s could shoot down a B-17

with as few as six solid hits when attacking

from directly in front, according to Luftwaffe

combat reports. The high closing speed also

gave the gunners less time to fire once the

fighter broke away from his attack run.

If there were escort fighters with the

bombers, they would also have a hard time

intercepting such an attack, again because of

the high closing speed and the fact that the

Luftwaffe fighter pilots could dive rapidly

away after their attack, then reposition for

another run by climbing well ahead of the

formation’s course. None of the armour plate

added to the B-17 was fitted to protect the

nose area from a head-on attack. Since the

bombardier, navigator and both pilots were

sitting just behind that plexiglass nose, the

effect of six 20 or 30mm cannon strikes in

that area is better imagined than described.

The losses began to mount, and something

had to be done, and done fast.

There were two swivel mounts for a single

.30 cal machine gun installed on the left and

right of the upper half of the nose, but these

were not fitted to all B-17Fs and numerous

reports of cracking and other fatigue

symptoms in the nose plexiglass limited their

use and usefulness. The side windows in the

nose had swivel mounts fitted in them that

could take the heavier and far more effective

.50 cal machine guns, but these were strictly

limited in their field of fire, and anyway, could

not fire directly forward. As the losses

mounted, crews and engineers in the field

came up with their own modifications, most

of which were limited in both flexibility and

field of fire, but were far better than

nothing. Some crews fitted a single .50 cal in

a central mount jury rigged with any material

that came to hand, some went as far as a twin

gun mount, which required a great deal of

support and added difficulties regarding the

ammunition feeds and where the spent cases

would go. After all, the bombardier also had

to be able to use the Norden bombsight in

his position with accuracy, or the whole trip

would have been for naught.

Some of the modifications were truly

inventive, masterpieces of the groundcrews’

art of overcoming adversity with sheer

ingenuity. Some units began to bulge the nose

side windows, to produce “cheek” gun

positions, again, not able to fire fully forward

and limited in vertical scope too, but again, far

better than nothing. This last idea was adopted

at USAAF modification centres, larger side

windows were fitted and bulged outward with


Large formation of Boeing B-17Fs of the 92nd Bomb Group.US Air Force

Boeing B-17F cockpit.US Air Force

Belly landing of Boeing B-17F-25-BO(S/N 41-24579) “Thumper”of the 303rdBomb Group, 360th Bomb Squadron, on23 January 1943.US Air Force

The modified nose of a B-17F “The LastStraw”with additional twin gun mountto deter head-on attacks.US Air Force

a metal frame to support the gun. Usually, this

was done to the front window on one side of

the nose, and the middle window on the other,

to stagger the guns and allow the bombardier

and navigator to use them simultaneously

without falling over one another. The cheek

windows were added to the production lines

from aircraft 42-29467 onwards, and became

standard on the next model too.

Even with the cheek positions, the B-17F’s

defence against head-on attack was sadly

lacking, so the field modifications to add more

nose guns continued. Other solutions to the

problem of defending the bombers were tried,

and on 4 May 1943, the first USAAF long-

range fighter escort unit to operate with the

8th Air Force flew its first sortie. Up until then,

the Royal Air Force had provided Spitfire

Squadrons to escort the B-17s and the 8th had

its own Spitfire Group made up of pilots from

the famous Eagle Squadrons, Squadrons

manned by volunteers who came to Britain to

fight before America joined the war.

However, the Spitfire was a short range

point-defence interceptor in reality, which

limited the targets the 8th could reach. The

new fighter was the Republic P-47

Thunderbolt, and three Groups of these big

heavy fighters had been working up in

England for a few weeks. Problems with

developing reliable drop tanks to extend the

range of the aircraft and the need to train the

pilots how to operate in Europe had kept them

out of the escort business until now, but the

big fighters immediately began to make an

impact and losses fell. However, even with the

long range tanks, the P-47’s radius of action

was about 450 miles, which took them as far as

the western area of Germany. If the B-17s were

going to be able to strike deep into Germany,

another solution needed to be found.

The next defensive solution tried was to

modify a B-17 to become a fighter escort in

its own right. Called the YB-40, the aircraft

was fitted with an increased number of guns

to protect the formation with a wall of

firepower. The development and exploits of

these flying battleships are described in a

later article, but suffice to say the project was

a failure. The bombers, once they had

dropped their bombs, were much faster than

the YB-40, who could not shed themselves of

the extra ammunition and weaponry they

were equipped with. They became a liability

to the homeward bound formation and were

considered more trouble than they were

worth. However, these aircraft did have one

good effect on the B-17 story, they solved the

head-on attack problem for the aircraft.

The YB-40s were fitted with a twin .50 cal

Bendix nose turret, mounted under the nose

and operated by the bombardier, aimed

through a slaved reflector sight mounted in

the roof of the nose. There was also a fold-

down controller, which could be stowed out of

the way when the bombardier needed to use

the bombsight. This controller moved the

turret and the sight together, so the

bombardier just had to place the gunsight

pipper over the target and fire. There were

other modifications to the YB-40 that were

adopted for use on the last model of B-17, the

G, but this nose turret made it onto the F

production line, albeit near the end. The last

86 B-17Fs were fitted with the chin turret, and

at last the head-on attack problem was solved.

The problem of defending the bombers

successfully would have to wait nearly

another year to find its solution, and in the

intervening time losses of B-17s in combat

would reach almost unsupportable levels.➤

Boeing B-17 35

Boeing B-17F-25-VE (S/N 42-5838) “Mad Money II” of the384th Bomb Group.US Air Force

Boeing B-17Fs radar bombing throughclouds over Bremen,Germany, on 13November 1943.US Air Force

Boeing B-17F-85-BO (S/N 42-30043)“Ruthless”of the 384th Bomb Group,547th Bomb Squadron.US Air Force

Boeing B-17F-130-BO (S/N 42-30949) “Jumpin’ Jive.”US Air Force

OPERATIONS ANDTHEATRESThe B-17F had reached the 301st Bomb

Group of the 8th Air Force by August 1942

and had joined the B-17Es of 97th BG already

operating there on missions to targets in

France and the low countries, but in

relatively small numbers, not the self

protecting fleets envisaged by the planners.

The heavy bomber force in the UK was being

steadily built up, reaching seven groups of B-

17s, nearly all Fs, and two groups of B-24

Liberators by October. Most of these groups

were still under training, largely due to the

rushed way they were sent to Europe. The

93rd (on B-24s) and 306th BG had become

operational, with the other three groups still

in training, when the two most experienced

bomb groups in the 8th Air Force, the 97th

and the 301st, were taken away to form the

12th Air Force, along with all their

operational fighter groups, flying P-38s, P-39s

and Spitfires. The 12th Air Force was formed

to support Operation Torch, the landings in

Tunisia and French Morocco in North Africa,

then would stay in the Mediterranean theatre

for the rest of the war. Their aircraft would

eventually support the invasion of Italy and

attack targets in Eastern Europe.

This move left the 8th Air Force in a

weakened state, and from November 1942

until May 1943, just four groups of B-17s, the

91st, 303rd, 305th and 306th were to

represent the heavy bombing capability of

the USAAF in Europe. The two B-24 groups,

the 44th and 93rd, were often tasked with

detachments and other missions, meaning

that rarely there were any more than 20 of

their aircraft available for 8th Air Force

bombing operations. Even with four bomb

groups of B-17Fs with a nominal roll of 140

aircraft between them, by the time aircraft

being repaired, maintained or modified were

taken out, only about two-thirds of this

number were available for combat sorties at

any one time. Still, 101 B-17s were

despatched to bomb Romilly sur Seine in

France on 20 December 1942, a reasonable

force which prompted a strong German

reaction as a result. Six of the attacking

bombers were shot down, and yet this was a

relatively short range raid.

The Casablanca Conference, held in

January 1943, sought to bring together the

two different strategies of the American and

British bomber commands. What resulted

from the conference was known as the

“Combined Bomber Offensive”(CBO). The

major aims of the CBO were twofold; firstly

the German Army and its ability to fight

would need to be sufficiently weakened by

the denial or destruction of materials and the

ability to make weapons, at the same time,

the morale of the German people was to be

destroyed to undermine support for the

regime. Secondly, the German aircraft

industry and fighter forces were to be

destroyed to establish complete air

superiority as a prelude to an invasion. The

second aim was given a title, Operation

Pointblank. The two air forces were to

operate as before, the RAF by night, the

USAAF by day.


Boeing B-17F formation overSchweinfurt,Germany, on 17August 1943.US Air Force

An early formation of Boeing B-17F Flying Fortresses formed up in flights of three.US Air Force

B-17F “Sweet and Lovely”of the 398th Bomb Group as the crew discuss theirflight.Note the modified nose and modified nose window with cheek mounting.US Air Force

At the beginning of 1943 on 27 January,

the 8th Air Force carried out its first ever raid

on a target in Germany. All four B-17F groups

participated, aiming for the submarine yards

at Vegesack. Two incredibly plucky B-17s

carried out a diversionary raid on Emden to

draw fighters away from the main force and

to confuse the German defences as to the

true target of the raid. Unfortunately, the

target was covered by low cloud, so the main

force bombed its secondary target, the port

of Wilhelmshaven. Only one B-17 was lost on

this historic raid, but this was not to last.

On 4 February, 86 B-17s went to bomb the

railway marshalling yards at Hamm, losing five

of their number. The raid had had to be

abandoned due to heavy cloud, but still suffered

nearly 5% losses. This was the loss rate that US

planners had deemed acceptable if the daylight

bombing campaign was to continue. A number

of other raids took place with minimal losses,

then, on 17 April, the 8th Air Force turned its

attention to the Focke Wulf factory in Bremen,

one of its first raids as part of Operation

Pointblank. 115 B-17Fs left East Anglia that

morning, only 99 were to return. The fighter

opposition over the target was strong and

continuous, aside from the 16 aircraft shot

down, an additional 48 were damaged, many

badly. Other raids in this period also crossed

the 5% line, but the crews kept flying and

fighting, even though the chances of them

surviving the 25 missions required to complete

a combat tour were now statistically unlikely.

Given these losses, from 4 May 1943

escort fighters were sent along with the

bombers whenever possible and for as long

as possible. This had an immediate impact on

the loss figures, seeing them fall for several

key months. April and May saw the 8th Air

Force really get into its stride. Four more B-

17 bomb groups had become operational in

the UK, and eight more, two with B-24s, were

in training. At last, it was possible that the

massive bombing raids for which the B-17

was designed may become a reality, since the

nominal strength of the bomber force was in

the order of 300 aircraft.

The Javelin formation had been

developed further, due to problems with

the rear elements of the formation not being

able to keep up at the higher altitudes they

were flying. The new tactics called for a

tighter formation, led by the centre group,

with a group above and below it to either

side in a swept V formation. The individual

aircraft within the formation flew in vic

formation in groups of three, and each

group of three flew in echelon on the lead

trio, again above and below on either side

of them. This wing formation was compact

and allowed concentrated firepower to bear

on any attacker at the same time as

minimising the risk to the formation

from friendly fire. It was to prove

successful and relatively easy for new

crews to fly, and was to be used throughout

the rest of 1943.➤

Boeing B-17 37

Above: Smoke rises in the distance fromthe Focke-Wulf factory at Marienburg,Germany, following a hugely successfulraid by B-17 Flying Fortresses of the USAAF8th Air Force on 9 October 1943.Becauseof its distance from the UK,the factoryhad no aerial defenses and wascompletely destroyed in the raid by 96aircraft.The aircraft shown is 42-3352‘Virgin’s Delight’,a B-17F of the 94th BombGroup piloted by Lieutenant RF‘Dick’LePore.The photograph was taken byCaptain Ray D Millert, the squadron flightsurgeon.‘Virgin’s Delight’and 2ndLieutenantWalter Chyle’s crew failed toreturn on 29 November 1943 when theaircraft was ditched in the North Sea withthe loss of all the crew.Authors collection

Close-up of Boeing B-17F-25-BO“Hell’sAngels”after squadron signatures wereadded.US Air Force


MEMPHIS BELLE

One of the most famous B-17Fs was

named Memphis Belle,which became

the first 8th Air Force heavy bomber to

complete a tour of duty of 25 combat

missions,with her crew intact, during

World War Two.The Memphis Belle, a

Boeing-built B-17F-10-BO, 41-24485,was

delivered to the 324th Bomb Squadron

(Heavy), part of the 91st Bomb Group,at

Dow Field, Bangor,Maine, in September

1942.On 14 October she arrived at

Bassingbourn, England which was to be

her operating base until June 1943.

She was fitted with the enlarged nose

windows,but not the bulged cheek

mounts, and had the nose plexiglass

modified to carry two .50 cal machine

gun mounts.

The pilot was Captain Robert K.

Morgan,who chose the name in honour

of his sweetheart,Margaret Polk of

Memphis,Tennessee.The nose artwork

was an Esquire magazine George Petty

pinup from the April 1941 issue,and

interestingly,wore different coloured

bathing suits on either side of the nose,

blue on the left and red on the right.

The crew were ordered to fly the

Memphis Belle back to the United States,

and were sent on a tour of the country to

sell war bonds.After being on display in a

variety of locations for many years, and

inevitably deteriorating as a result, the

Memphis Belle was returned to the

National Museum of the United States Air

Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton,

Ohio,where she is now undergoing a

complete restoration.

Gen.Hap Arnold, commander of the USArmy Air Forces, examining the“Memphis Belle”after it returned to theUnited States.US Air Force

The crew of the “Memphis Belle”after their 25th mission: (left to right) TSgt. HaroldLoch (top turret gunner/engineer), SSgt.Cecil Scott (ball turret gunner),TSgt.Robert Hanson (radio operator),Capt. James Verinis (copilot),Capt. RobertMorgan (pilot),Capt.Vincent Evans (bombardier), SSgt. John Quinlan (tailgunner), SSgt.Casimer Nastal (waist gunner),Capt.Charles Leighton (navigator)and SSgt.Clarence Winchell (waist gunner).US Air Force

Boeing B-17F-10-BO“Memphis Belle”on tour at Patterson Field,Ohio.US Air Force

Boeing B-17F-10-BO“Memphis Belle”nose art.US Air Force

Boeing B-17F-10-BO“Memphis Belle” inflight.US Air Force

While the 8th Air Force was growing, so

was the 12th. Two more B-17F groups, the

2nd and 99th had supplemented the 97th and

301st and were attacking targets throughout

the western Mediterranean. After the

invasion of Southern Italy in September, the

groups moved to the captured cluster of

airfields in the region of Foggia, and from

there operated against targets in Germany,

Austria and Eastern Europe.

The summer of 1943 wore on for the 8th

Air Force. Longer and deeper penetration

raids into Germany, mostly aimed at the

aircraft industry or airfields, culminated in

“Blitz Week”, the last week in July. Good

weather prompted General Ira Eaker, the

commander of the 8th Air Force, to make an

all out effort, so Hamburg, Kiel,

Warnemunde, Heroya, Hanover and Kassel

were targeted, among others. Industrial

plants, chemical works and aircraft factories

were the main targets, and the crews worked

to a standstill for the whole week.

At the end of it, a combat ready force of 330

B-17s and crews had been reduced to about

200. 100 aircraft were shot down, missing or

scrapped as they were too badly damaged to

repair, but these could, and would, be replaced

quickly as the US industrial machine was now

up to full speed. What was critical was the

equivalent of 90 trained aircrews who were

dead, missing or wounded in that one week.

Around 900 trained men in one week was a

loss rate even the prodigious US training

system could not support. The 8th Air Force

had to take a rest, and did so for a fortnight.

Then it was back to operations.

On 17 August 1943, a remarkable raid

occurred, on the first anniversary of the first

raid by 8th Air Force B-17s as luck would

have it. It was a mission of two parts. Longer

ranged B-17Fs of 4th Wing with the “Tokyo

Tanks” fitted would attack the

Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg, then

instead of returning to the UK, would fly on

to land at bases in North Africa. They would

return to the UK on a following raid launched

from North Africa. This was the first of the

“Shuttle” long-range missions, which were to

take place between the UK, North Africa and

Russia as the air war over Europe continued.

The second part of the raid was by the 1st

Wing aircraft, the first raid against the ball-

bearing factories at Schweinfurt. These B-17s

would be returning directly to the UK. The

first force was made up of 147 B-17Fs, the

second of 230. It was to be one of the longest

raids yet made, and the 8th Air Force

commanders expected it to be a long and

bloody fight. The bombers were harried

almost from the point their escorts turned

back all the way to the target and out again.

In all, 60 B-17s were lost in the one raid. The

results of the bombing were good in both

cases, with severe damage done to both

targets, but the cost was close to prohibitive.

Despite these losses, the build up

continued and the B-17Fs kept flying deeper

and deeper into enemy territory. The air war

became a terrible war of attrition, with both

sides being steadily ground down by it. By

October 1943, the redoubtable B-17F was

beginning to be replaced in front line units by

a new aircraft, the last of the mass produced

B-17s, the G. Like the last 86 B-17Fs built, the

G model had the Bendix nose turret and so

would be better able to defend itself. The F’s

were slowly withdrawn, but some soldiered

on to the end of the war. Many were scrapped

as they were retired, so there are very few

original B-17Fs left in the world today. At a

critical time, the F held the line for the 8th

and 12th Air Forces. It enabled the

development of successful tactics that were

to allow the deployment of air power as a

strategic weapon. A weapon that was to reach

new heights, and depths, as the new B-17

came into service. ■ Words: Tim Callaway

Boeing B-17 39

Side view of B17-F, Knockout Dropper, 41-24605 359BS(BN-R) of 359th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Groupat Molesworth. First B-17 to complete 50 missions, on16 November 1943,and 75 missions on 27 March1945.Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm

Left: Four aircraft formation from the379th Bomb Group, 524th and 525thBomb Squadrons. B-17F-25-DL S/N 42-3113 (FR-F), B-17F S/N 42-29891 (WA-N),B-17F S/N 42-29893 (WA-O) and B-17FS/N 42-5828 (WA-0).US Air Force

B-17F “Lil Joan” surrounded by curiousonlookers after a forced landing.Authors collection

Boeing B-17F of the 95th Bomb Groupwith damage to the No. 3 engine.USAir Force

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Deep in the Norfolk countryside

is an exceptional and surprising

little gem of a museum

dedicated to the USAAF’s

famous ‘Bloody Hundredth’

Bombardment Group. It is housed in the

original control tower and it’s surrounding

buildings at what was RAF Thorpe Abbotts,

and tells the story of the daily lives, and

deaths, of the personnel of an American

bomber base during World War Two.


Thorpe AbbottsHuge numbers of US servicemen operated the B-17 from the UK during the Second World War, andmany never returned home. California born Constance Redgrave found a small piece of East Angliathat commemorates their bravery.

Memorial to the Many

AIRWAR IN EUROPE ANDTHE ‘BLOODY HUNDREDTH’With the advent of Pearl Harbor, the United

States, who up until then had remained strictly

neutral, enteredWorldWar II with a vengeance.

Many hundreds of thousands of young

Americans volunteered to fight Hitler and a

great many came to Norfolk, England. RAF

Thorpe Abbotts became home to the 100th

Bomb Group who flew B-17 Flying Fortresses,

specializing in daylight raids deep into Europe.

The aircraft became legendary because of

their amazing ability to return home even with

very serious of battle damage. The aircrews of

100th Group also became legendary, and are

considered to be one of the most famous

Heavy Bomb Groups of the SecondWorld War.

Thorpe Abbotts airfield was built in

1942 as an adjunct to RAF Horham. With

the arrival of the USAAF 8th Air Force, both

airfields were handed to the Americans and

given the designation Station 139 (TA).The

four squadrons of the 100th Bombardment

Group (Heavy), to give the unit its full official

title, arrived from Kearney Air Force Base in

Nebraska on June 1943. They were assigned

to the 13th Combat Bombardment Wing and

given the tail code of a “Square-D”.

Its operational squadrons were:

349th Bombardment Squadron (XR),

350th Bombardment Squadron (LN),

351st Bombardment Squadron (EP) and

418th Bombardment Squadron (LD) and

they flew as part of the Eighth Air Force’s

strategic bombing campaign.

From their first mission, heavy losses

earned them the nickname “The Bloody

Hundredth”. Between June and October 1943,

no combat unit sustained heavier losses then

the Group’s original flight crews. Only four of

the original 38 co-pilots completed their

combat tour of 25 missions. The 100th is still

vividly remembered because it was made up

real characters, swashbuckling cavaliers of

the skies, from their Commanding Officers

through to their ground personnel. One story

tells how they became a ‘marked outfit’ by the

Luftwaffe after a 100 BG pilot made overtures

of surrender to three Messerschmitt Bf 109s;

waited until the fighters stopped shooting at

them and then shot down all three fighters.

Apocryphal or not, the story became part of

the 100th legend because more than once

they lost a dozen or more aircraft on a single

sortie. The Bloody Hundredth flew over 300

The beautifully restored control tower atThorpe Abbotts contains restoredartifacts from the 100th Bomb Group aswell as restorations of complete rooms.Constance Redgrave

The view from the top of the control tower.The land of the airfield has been returnedto agricultural use largely,but the outlineof the runways and taxiways can still beseen in the crops.Constance Redgrave

Welcome toThorpeAbbotts! The walk between the restored buildings toward the controltower gives you an impression that this is still an active airfield.Constance Redgrave

Between 1943 and 1945, over 70

sites across East Anglia became home to

over 200,000 United States airmen and

ground crews as they launched bombing

raids into occupied Europe. This area

became known as “The Fields of Little

America” and Thorpe Abbotts was recorded

by a photography unit, who, as well as

documenting operations, preserved a very

personal story common to all the airfields

in this area.

combat missions and reported 177 aircraft as

missing in action. Many of their stories,

photographs and a complete history of this

amazing group of men can be found at

www.100thbg.com Some of their diaries are

published in full and make for incredibly

emotive reading. Background reading like

this, before a visit, makes the Thorpe Abbotts

museum really come alive.

For the first six months the 100th Bomb

Group focused their bombing raids on

airfields, industries, and naval facilities in

France and Germany. One such raid made on

Münster, ended with only one 100th BG B-17,

the Rosie’s Riveters (B-17F 42-30758)

commanded by Robert Rosenthal, returning

home to Thorpe Abbotts. The group received

its first Distinguished Unit Citations (DUC)

in August 1943 for attacking the German

aircraft factory at Regensburg and they were

part of the Allied campaign Operation

Argument against German aircraft factories

during ‘Big Week’ in February 1944. In

March 1944, aircrews attacked Berlin and

received its second DUC of the war. In June

they bombed bridges and gun positions to

support the Invasion of Normandy. In July

they bombed enemy positions at Saint-Lô,

followed by Brest in August and September.➤

WHYTHE ‘BLOODY’HUNDREDTH?

100 BG did not have the highest losses of

a US Bomb Group,but on eight missions,

their losses were simply crippling.The

nickname came from these missions, and

was carried with pride by the survivors.

August 17,1943Nine aircraft lost at Regensburg

October 8, 1943Seven aircraft lost at Bremen

October 10,194312 aircraft lost at Munster

March 6,194415 aircraft lost at Berlin

May 24,1944Nine aircraft lost at Berlin

July 29,1944Eight aircraft lost at Merseburg

September 11,194412 aircraft lost at Ruhland

December 31,194412 aircraft lost at Hamburg

The Stars and Stripes fly overThorpe Abbotts, lest we forget.Rest in peace,gentlemen.Constance Redgrave

The 100th Bomb Group headquartersshield still adorns one of the towerwalls.Constance Redgrave

In October 1944, the 100th BG attacked

enemy and ground defenses in the allied

drive on the Siegfried Line, followed by the

Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge from

December 1944 to January 1945. For its

extraordinary efforts in attacking heavily

defended German installations in Germany

and dropping supplies to the French Forces

of the Interior from June through December

1944, the 100 BG received the French Croix

de guerre with Palm. Its last combat mission

was in April 1945 and the following

December the survivors returned home to

Camp Kilmer in New Jersey. All of this and in

just two years!


100TH BOMB GROUPMEMORIAL MUSEUM

100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum,

Common Road,Dickleburgh,Norfolk

IP21 4PH England

Opening Hours:● Admission to the Museum,café

and grounds is FREE (Donations are

always much appreciated)● Allow two to three hours for your

visit. (Last admission is at 4pm).● 1 March to 31 October,weekends

and bank holidays, 10am to 5pm● Also Wednesdays from May to

September only● Closed 1 November to the end

of February.● Website: www.100bgmus.org.uk

Station and 100th BG personnel outside the Headquarters nissen hut, note theheadquarters sheild on the left of the building.US Air Force

The view from the control tower in 1944,with a mass of B-17s in the distance acrossthe airfield.US Air Force

THE CREATION OFTHE MUSEUMThorpe Abbotts was returned to the RAF in

June 1946 and after years of inactivity was

closed in 1956. Most of the runways and

hardstands were removed and the land was

returned to agricultural use. A light aircraft

runway was built on the former perimeter

track while the remainder of the buildings

was allowed to fall into ruin.

In 1977 the charming control tower was

rescued by a group of local volunteers and

became the home of the 100th Bomb Group

Memorial Museum, housing a collection of

artifacts, documents, photographs, uniforms

and service equipment, plus a recreation of the

original teleprinter room. Receiving visits from

American veterans and their relatives has also

become an important part the museum’s work.

Two nissen huts were added later as the

museum grew. The Engine Shed holds a

Second World War jeep and a recreation of a

crashed P38 Lightning, as well as a

reconstruction of a B17 Flying Fortress ball

turret. The Sad Sack Shack (named after a B-

17 that operated from the airfield) houses a

display of model airplanes from the Second

World War and an original Link flight

simulator. There’s also an atmospheric

recreation of the air base’s engineering office.

And like any good museum, this one is

supposedly haunted. Visitors have reported a

presence in the control tower of an airman

dressed in full flying gear and even the sound

of distant planes and crackling radio

communications. These sightings began after

the first Berlin raids in 1942 and he was

affectionately named Eddie by the American

personnel. However, not everyone was

comfortable having a ghost walk through the

walls where they slept and began to take their

guns to bed with them. To avoid an

unfortunate disaster, the station commander

had to eventually threaten the men with court

martial for even talking about the ghost.

Today Eddie is sometimes seen paying his

respects at the memorial to the fallen men of

the Bloody Hundredth at Holton-le-Clay and

occasionally after closing time he has been

sighted in the window of the control tower.

Considering how many airmen were lost

In the engine shed a Willys jeep can befound,along with a B-17 ball turret,showing how it worked,a huge B-17model and many other exhibits.Constance Redgrave

from this base, the idea that one chose to

hang around and keep an eye on things is

kind of nice, comforting even.

Personally the highlight for me is the

glasshouse on the roof of the control tower

where you can see what is left of the old

airstrips and the big, big skies of the peaceful

Norfolk countryside. A model of the airbase

as it was helps you to imagine what it must

have been like in the 1940s during the

bomber operations. All those aircraft, and

young kids, all those sacrifices and brave

deeds deserve to be remembered, and

Thorpe Abbotts Museum goes a long way

towards making the Second World War more

than just a page in a history book. ■ Words:Constance Redgrave, Photographs: ConstanceRedgrave and US Air Force

Boeing B-17 45

AMERICANS IN NORFOLK –A PERSONALVIEW!

As an expat American living in the UK

for many years now, I continue to find

the differences within our ‘special

relationship’ to be wonderfully

amusing.This extract below, from an

article that appeared in December

2008’s Century Bulletin is a perfect

example. It was written by ex LAC

(Leading Aircraftsman) Robbins RAF

who was stationed at Thorpe Abbots

when the Americans arrived.

The benefits of the arrival of the

Americans so far as we were

concerned were mixed:

1. Our miniature NAAFI was replaced

by the PX that offered a range of

goods that we were not accustomed

to see in wartime Britain.

2. Our cheap cigarette ration was

replaced by the American ration of

200 Camels or Lucky Strikes for 3p

for twenty – not much direct use to

a non-smoker but of considerable

value for bartering purposes and

wonderful when one went home.

3. Liberty buses to Norwich in the

evenings instead of using the bike

to go into Diss.

4. A transfer to American rations for

food – rich, exotic and often

strange to us.

5. USO concerts instead of a

complete lack of entertainment.

Against the benefits could be set

some quite material disadvantages:

1. We were grossly underpaid

compared with the people we

worked with.

2. The strange eating habits, as they

were fascinated by our normal use

of both knife and fork at a meal, as

we were by their habit of mixing

everything up and chopping with

the knife and then just using a fork.

3. The objection of the American

dining hall staff to us using two

plates when one was big enough.

Who wants pork chop,apple sauce,

potato, sweetcorn,peas,gravy,

pineapple chunks,cream and

strawberry jam all on one plate?

4. Eternal coffee with every meal and

not a drop of tea.

5. The lack of any beer or female

company in the area as the

Americans could afford both.

The reason it exists.The memorial chapel at Thorpe Abbotts.Constance Redgrave

Left: One of the men commemoratedat Thorpe Abbotts is General CurtisLeMay,who commanded the 3rd AirDivision.The 13th Combat Wing, towhich the 100th Bomb Groupbelonged,was part of 3rd AirDivision.Constance Redgrave

A s has already been discussed,

the main identifying feature of

the B-17G, the twin .50 cal

Bendix nose turret, had already

been introduced on the last 86

B-17Fs to be built. This had been a feature of

the failed ‘Fortress Fighter’, the YB-40

project and had been adopted for use on the

bomber version to overcome the early types’

vulnerability to head-on attacks. As

production of the B-17G continued, further

changes were made to the defensive

armament positions throughout the aircraft.

The first of these changes to be

introduced was that the waist gun windows

were staggered, the starboard window being

placed forward of the port. Experience had

shown that the waist gunners were

continually interfering with one another

while operating their guns, making the waist

occasionally seem like a wrestling match

when the formation came under heavy attack.

The windows were now fully enclosed with

a proper flexible mount for the gun in the

centre at the bottom, which increased crew

comfort enormously. The howling, freezing

gale blowing in through the waist windows

was no longer a feature of rear B-17 crew life.

The mount was also fitted with a coiled spring

device called an equilibrator, which balanced

the gun at the mount, reducing the effort

required to haul the manually aimed gun

about in combat, and therefore crew fatigue.

The nose cheek gun positions were also

modified and standardised during

production, so the port gun mount was now

in the front window, and the starboard gun

was in the second window. This reversed the

positions of the late model B-17Fs, as


The B-17GThe thoroughbred emergesThe last mass produced version of the B-17 Flying Fortresswas produced in more numbers than all the other versions puttogether. Of the 12,731 B-17s built, two thirds of them, 8760were B-17Gs. The vulnerabilities of earlier models had beendealt with and the true thoroughbred had arrived.

Formation of Boeing B-17Gs of the532nd Bomb Squadron, 381st BombGroup.Near aircraft is B-17G-65-BO (S/N42-37655), and far aircraft is B-17G-35-DL(S/N 42-107112).US Air Force

An average of 14 aircraft a day were to roll off the three B-17G production lines,a remarkable achievement.US Air Force

A brand new Boeing B-17G-40-VE (S/N 42-97991) at Lockheed Vega in Burbank.US Air Force

experience showed that the navigator was

better placed to operate the starboard gun

when required. The Sperry A-1 upper turret

also got a new plexiglass dome, higher and

less cluttered with framing, so the flight

engineer gunner now had a far better view.

Lastly, a new tail gun turret was at last

devised to replace the uncomfortable and

limited stinger position that had been a

feature of all B-17s from the E onward.

Introduced on the block 80 aircraft at Boeing,

the twin .50 cal machine guns were finally in

a proper turret mount for better traverse and

elevation. The gunner had a larger plexiglass

housing around him with less framing that

gave him a far better view and a reflector

gunsight replaced the earlier ‘ring and bead’

type. This modification had been worked out

at the United Airlines Modification Centre in

Cheyenne, Wyoming, and gave rise to the

new turret being known as the ‘Cheyenne

tail’. Aside from aircraft being built with the

new turret fitted, modification teams also

upgraded aircraft in the field from kits.

The B-17G had the same R-1820-97 as had

been fitted to the F model, but the new aircraft

had a service ceiling of about 2000 feet less

than the earlier model, even though an

improved version of the General Electric

turbosupercharger was fitted which gave the

type a service ceiling of 35,600 feet (10,851 m).

These new turbosuperchargers were

controlled electrically rather than

hydraulically as had been the case. The G’s

rate of climb suffered too; it took the G 11

minutes longer to reach 20,000 feet than it had

the F. The extra weight of the new turret and

other additions to the defensive armament was

taking its toll on performance. The

undercarriage had also been strengthened,

because the gross weight of the B-17G was

now an extraordinary 9000lb (4082kg) greater

than the F model, at 65,500lb (29,710kg).

Interestingly, partly because of the weight

issue, and partly because the formations of B-

17s were now so large, leaving such massive

condensation trails in their wake that they

could be seen from 200 miles away, it was

decided to leave the aircraft unpainted from

January 1944 onwards. The paint weighed

about 80lb (36kg), but more importantly the

matt finish increased surface drag and

slowed the aircraft down. Commanders in the

field were given the choice to remove the

Boeing B-17 47

paint from their existing aircraft as they came

up for maintenance or repair, or to patch the

paint, whichever was deemed easier and

faster to get the aircraft back on the line.

Consequently, the formations of the 8th

Air Force began to be made up of a mixture

of bright silver new natural metal aircraft,

newly camouflage painted aircraft and

patched and faded camouflaged aircraft. The

veteran aircraft would be quickly spotted in

any formation, and this led to a kind of

reverse snobbery, as the hardy survivors of

the grindingly long bombing campaign really

did look the part.

New looking aircraft and people in new

uniforms were regarded with suspicion as

being untried. The first thing a new officer

did to his peaked cap was to remove the wire

stiffener and roll the cap up to give it a look

called the ‘50 mission crush’. Wearing

headphones over it or stuffing the cap into

any handy container on the aircraft for 50

missions would certainly cause it to wear and

become misshapen, which was the look the

wearer was trying to achieve. New was bad,

raunchy and lived in was good, because it

had survived. ➤

The original ‘stinger’ tail gun position onthe B-17G.Julian Humphries

The Cheyenne tail turret on the laterversion of the B-17G, retro-fitted to aircraftin the field.Constance Redgrave

The Bendix chin turret and modified cheek windows were now standard on allB-17Gs.Caliaro Luigino

Looking through the staggered waist windows of a B-17G.Author

Smaller internal changes included

upgraded and improved cockpit

instrumentation and a more powerful engine

fire extinguisher system. The number of B-17s

who had last been seen turning for home with

an engine on fire was a matter of concern. The

engines were positioned forward of their oil

and fuel tanks, so any uncontrolled fire could

conceivably burn back through and ignite or

explode the tanks. Either way, this would

cause the loss of the wing and therefore the

aircraft, so the new extinguisher system was

capable of multiple discharges in the event of a

serious fire. Since the oil system had proved

vulnerable to combat damage, an emergency

oil system for feathering the propellers was

introduced. A number of B-17s had returned

home with missing ‘run-away’ propellers that

had torn themselves off the airframe because

the oil system was shot out and the pilots

couldn’t feather them. This was a dangerous

situation for a number of reasons.

The over-speeding propeller of the shut

down engine might break off and come

through the fuselage like a bandsaw, as

happened on a number of occasions, or the

engine might seize, leaving the aircraft with a

huge amount of drag on one side. If it was the

outer engine and the inner was also

damaged, the pilots may not have enough

control authority to overcome the drag, and

lose control. The new emergency oil system

at least gave the aircrew a backup to prevent

these disasters.

Like many other wartime aircraft at that

time, the modifications the airframe was

capable of taking without becoming

overweight had about reached a peak. The G

was to be the masterpiece, the truly combat

capable version of the Flying Fortress, but it

was also to be the limit of the types’

adaptability. The B-17G was to be used almost

exclusively by the US Air Forces operating

over Europe, where its inherent strength and

heavy defensive firepower were put to best

use against strong opposition.

The first B-17Gs began to roll off the

production lines in late August 1943, and the

last Boeing built example was delivered on 13

April 1945, meaning that the three production

lines had produced 8760 aircraft in only 20

months, an average of about 14 aircraft a day.

Considering how complex the B-17 was, this is

a remarkable achievement by any standards.

The first B-17G was handed over to the

USAAF on 4 September 1943 and began to

reach front line units later that month.

The 8th Air Force was now the largest of

the US Air Forces, and was penetrating deeper

into enemy held territory than ever before.

Due to the poor weather in Europe in winter, a

number of aircraft in each group had been

modified to become ‘pathfinders’. These were

specially equipped B-17s or B-24s fitted with a

number of the radio and radar navigation aids

that the British Bomber Command were using

at night. Gee was a navigation aid and Oboe

was a system that allowed an aircraft to drop

markers on a target by receiving triangulated

radio signals from transmitters in England.

The range of both of these systems was

limited, both by German jamming and by the

curvature of the earth. An advanced version of

the British H2S airborne radar, termed H2X

and codenamed ‘Mickey Mouse’, was fitted to

a number of B-17s. The radome containing the

radar antenna was fitted instead of either the

ball or nose turret to a number of aircraft, but

12 late production B-17Fs were modified in the

field to have a retractable radome behind and

below the nose turret, giving the aircraft a

distinctly double chinned look.

The radar was fitted to enable pathfinder

aircraft to identify targets even through the

thick cloud of the European winter, then to

mark them with parachute flares or other

devices to allow the rest of the formation to

bomb on their marker. This system was not

ideal, as the whole point of the B-17 as a

weapon system was to bomb pinpoint targets

accurately, but it did allow the offensive to

continue while the weather would otherwise

have made it impossible, and some

remarkable results were achieved with it.

Despite the weather, there was no

slackening of the pace of operations for the

rapidly growing 8th Air Force. More airfields

were being built, and more units were arriving,

including the 401st Bomb Group, the first to be

completely equipped with the B-17G, who took

up residence at Deenethorpe on 3 November

1943. This unit was to achieve the second best

rating for bombing accuracy in the 8th Air

Force in its brief history, as it was deactivated

shortly after the end of the war.

The number of fighter units was also

growing, so fighter escort became the norm

even for deep penetrations, when the bomber

force would be met at various stages of the

route by different units who had flown

directly to the rendezvous points to conserve

fuel and extend their range to the maximum.

This changed again from November 1943

with the introduction of the 357th Fighter

Group and their new fighter, the P-51B

Mustang. As more of these superb fighters

arrived in theatre, long range escort too and

from the target became possible, and the


An early production B-17G, still in factory finish camouflage.US Air Force

This badly damaged B-17 bomber was part of Operation Frantic, the shuttlemissions to Russia, photographed in Poltava, Russia, on June 22, 1944.US Air Force

The late model P-51 Mustangs were so fast

they could even catch the jet if they had the

advantage of height, and several were shot

down by the escorts. Despite the

overwhelming numbers they were facing on a

daily basis, the Luftwaffe fighter pilots fought

like lions, regularly diving in to attack

formations where they were outnumbered not

tens, but hundreds to one. No one in the 8th

Air Force had cause to doubt their bravery,

but towards the end there was a tragic

element to that courage, as there is nothing

so brave as a man defending his home, even

though he knows his cause is lost.

In the midst of all these developments, the

hard working B-17 crews had a never ending

stream of missions to complete. In the early

part of 1944 there was an all out offensive

against the German aircraft industry. The aim

was to cripple German fighter production,

prior to the much anticipated invasion of the

continent, and to draw the Luftwaffe into a

series of decisive battles in defence of the

vital factories to finally establish Allied air

superiority over Europe.

Officially termed ‘Operation Argument’,

but more commonly called ‘Big Week’, the

massive raids took place between 20 and 25

February 1944. Many of the targets were in

cities far from the UK, so the raids were split

between the 8th Air Force, who flew over

3000 sorties that week, and the newly formed

15th Air Force based around Foggia in Italy,

who flew over 500 more. Aircraft factories

and their airfields and heavy industrial plants

in Leipzig, Brunswick, Gotha, Regensburg,

Schweinfurt, Augsburg, Stuttgart in

Germany and Steyr in Austria were all

attacked, including the ball bearing works in

Schweinfurt, infamous since the heavy losses

of the attack in October the previous year.

The difference between the first raid and the

‘Big Week’ raids was a simple one. Numbers.

Imagine dawn on 20 February 1944, living

in East Anglia. Snow showers have left a

sprinkling across the fenland counties during

the night, and it is bitterly cold under dark

leaden, heavy clouds. The light north-easterly

breeze has a real chill in it with the promise of

more snow. Steadily, a rumbling grows,

increasing in depth and volume until

everything seems to be shaking in its strident

thunder. The sky seems darker still as a shroud

of aluminium is steadily unveiled across it.➤

Boeing B-17 49

concept of a daylight bombing force able to

roam at will across enemy territory became a

terrifyingly powerful reality.

The B-17s continued to suffer sometimes

heavy losses despite all these improvements,

particularly to flak and to the ever present, or

so it seemed, Luftwaffe fighters. The

Luftwaffe had introduced new weapons to

combat the massive force of armoured and

heavily armed bombers facing them. Large

air launched unguided rockets with

fragmentation warheads were carried by Me

110 and FW 190 fighters, and were intended

to break up the tight bomber formations

rather than shoot down individual aircraft,

although they frequently did so.

The deployment of these rockets required

the attacking fighter to fly straight and level

toward the B-17 formation while delivering

them, and in the face of a determined fighter

escort, this was nigh on suicidal. Heavy cannon

were experimented with, including a massive

50mm cannon, but the additional armament

made the heavy fighter versions of such aircraft

as the Bf109 and the FW190 relatively sluggish

and slow to manoeuvre, and again they fell

prey to the fighter escort. Armoured versions

of the FW190 armed with additional under-

wing cannon packs or unguided rockets began

to make an appearance, as did a whole new

generation of aircraft, the first rocket and jet

powered fighters.

The Me163 rocket powered fighter was a

point defence interceptor armed with two

30mm cannon. Small and fast, the aircraft

made an agile opponent, difficult to see but

armed with a heavy punch. The first German

jet fighter was the Me262, a twin engined

fighter armed with four 30mm cannon in a

close grouping in the nose and unguided

R4M rockets under the wings. The firepower

of this aircraft, coupled with its great speed,

made it horribly effective against the bomber

formations. Only a short burst of a few

rounds could rip the wing off a B-17, even

with its upgraded armour. Fortunately for the

American aircrews, the Me262 suffered from

engine problems and were only ever available

in small numbers toward the end of the war.

Boeing B-17G-50-VE (S/N 44-8167) of the 15th Air Force, 2nd Bomb Group, 96thBomb Squadron,during an in-flight bomb drop.US Air Force

Boeing B-17G of the 91stBomb Group.US Air Force

Four thousandWright Cyclones bellow

insistently across the land. The ‘Mighty

Eighth’ are going to war. 1000 bombers are

airborne in 16 combat wings aiming for 12

separate targets in Germany, and this is just

the first raid of the week, all the raids

despatched were of this magnitude. On this

first raid, only 21 bombers were lost out of the

entire force, partly due to the German fighter

force being confused by the multiple large

raids and only successfully intercepting one of

them in large numbers, and partly due to the

sheer scale of the raid. It was also the only time

three Congressional Medal of Honours were

awarded to UK based aircrew in a single day.

1st Lt William R Lawley of the 305th BG

brought his crippled B-17 back, despite being

severely wounded in the face and his co-pilot

killed. He landed the aircraft at Redhill, with

two engines out and another on fire, to

successfully save his seven wounded

crewmen who could not parachute to safety.

On board a 351st BG B-17, a cannon shell

exploded in the cockpit, killing the co-pilot

and rendering the pilot unconscious. The

aircraft began to fly erratically, so the

bombardier ordered the crew to bale out and

jumped himself. Ball turret gunner and flight

engineer Sgt Archie Mathies and navigator

Walter Truemper regained control, and with

the rest of the crew set course for England,

despite neither Mathies nor Truemper

having any real flying experience. The cold

blasting air in the shattered cockpit meant

that the crew had to take it in turns to keep

the aircraft straight and level, no-one could

stand the numbing airflow for long. On

arriving over Polebrook, the rest of the crew

were ordered to bale out, and the two men

tried to land to save the wounded pilots life.

They were talked down on the radio twice,

but both times were too high and had to

abort. Sadly, on the third attempt, the aircraft

stalled and crashed, and the brave Mathies

and Truemper were killed. The unconscious

pilot was recovered alive from the wreckage,

but died later of his wounds.

Tales of extraordinary heroism like these

were happening every day among the B-17

crews, this is simply how life was for them.

Their utter determination to succeed,

regardless of odds or wounds, is what makes

up a large part of the B-17 legend. It was the

quality of the people as much as the machine

that made the daylight bombing campaign

both possible and ultimately successful.

‘Big Week’ cost the 8th Air Force 97 B-17s

and 40 B-24s, with another 23 aircraft having

to be written off and scrapped due to the

nature of the damage inflicted on them. The

15th Air Force lost 90 aircraft on their raids,

the numbers being exacerbated by the fact

that damaged aircraft had to negotiate the

Alps to return to their bases in southern Italy.


Although these numbers seem high, in terms

of the size of the raids, losses were extremely

light. The best example is the second raid on

Schweinfurt; the first raid on 17 August 1943

had cost the 8th Air Force nearly one third of

the attacking force, on the ‘Big Week’ raid,

this fell to under seven percent.

A great deal of damage was done to the

German aircraft industry, but this was to

recover by dispersing the factories, many to

underground and secret sites. The Luftwaffe

pilots were feeling the attrition effects of

fighting a war on three fronts, and never again

really challenged the bomber raids in the way

they had in 1943. The twin-engined fighter

units had suffered horrendous casualties to

the Allied fighter escorts, and were withdrawn

from the air defence role completely. Air

superiority was now with the Allies, and the

Luftwaffe was never to regain it.

The 8th Air Force, now with 30 heavy

bombardment groups and the largest US Air

Force by far, began to roam at will over

Germany, trying to force the remaining

Luftwaffe fighters up to fight. The first raid on

Berlin took place on 4 March 1944. 730 heavy

bombers, mostly B-17s, were escorted by 800

fighters. Although 69 B-17s were lost, it was a

strike against the German capital in daylight.

It is said that the leader of the German fighter

forces, Major General Adolf Galland was

outside the Air Ministry building when the air

Factory fresh B-17Gs with the aircraft that replaced them as the USAAF’s strategicbomber, the Boeing B-29.US Air Force

Boeing B-17G with bomb bay doorsopen over Berlin.This aircraft belongs tothe 452nd Bomb Group.US Air Force

Boeing B-17G-20-VE (S/N 42-97557)“Mercy’s Madhouse”(VK-X) of the 303rd BombGroup,358th Bomb Squadron,after a wheels-up emergency landing on Dec.7,1944.US Air Force

The original positions of the waist gunnerwindows meant they could and didinterfere with each other.US Air Force

With the withdrawal of the German army, the Dutch civilian population were leftstarving,and appealed to the Allies for assistance. Food supply flights wereplanned with the co-operation with the Germans,who would not fire on aircraftengaged in the mission.Called Operation Chowhound, 10 bomb groups of theUS 3rd Air Division flew 2268 sorties beginning 1 May 1945,delivering a total of4000 tons. 400 B-17Gs dropped 800 tons of K-rations during May 1–3, onAmsterdam Schiphol Airport.US Air Force

The Dutch civilians let the B-17 crews know how much their lifesaving effortswere appreciated.US Air Force

B-17G 44-85784, received by USAF on 19 June 1945 but did not see operational service,served with the Institute Geographic National in France on survey work.Acquired by TedWhite to serve as a flying memorial and named Sally B.Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm

Princess Elizabeth at the dedicationceremony for this Boeing B-17G of the306th Bomb Group,which was named“Rose of York” in her honour.The aircraftwas later lost after a mission to Berlinwhen it crashed into the North Sea.US Air Force

raid sirens sounded. He looked up, and saw

single engined fighters escorting the bombers

over Berlin, and knew they must have come

from England. He turned to his companion

and said, “That’s it, we’ve lost the war.”

Sadly, it was to take over another year of

fighting and many more lives before that

statement became true. The CBO finished on

1 April 1944, and the Allied Air Forces went

over to sorties aimed at preparing the way for

the invasion of the continent in June. The

strategic bombing campaign continued, but

the priority of targets had changed. Many B-

17s would be lost, but never in the numbers

that had stricken the 8th Air Force previously.

The end was in sight, and when it came

the massive B-17 force was to almost

completely disappear within a year. The B-

17G was produced in greater numbers than

any other model, right up to the end of the

war, but it was already rendered obsolete by

aircraft like the B-29. Small numbers of the

aircraft ended up in secondary roles, but

many were scrapped, or put out into the

desert airfields to await disposal. A sad end

for a strong and reliable machine. However,

some were to survive, some in very unusual

ways, as will be discussed in the next articles.

■ Words: Tim Callaway

Boeing B-17 51

Inside the B-17The B-17 carried a nominal crew of 10 in both the F and G models, the most produced versions ofthe aircraft. We will take a look at each of the crew positions in turn, and get a close up look at whatlife was like for the crew of a Flying Fortress. For the purpose of this article, we are using four B-17Gs as our models, the Collings Foundation’s ‘Nine O’ Nine’, the Lone Star Flight Museum’s‘Thunderbird’, the Royal Air Force Museum’s 44-83868 and The B-17 Charitable Trust’s ‘Sally B’.

Walking through the crew positions from noseto tail, with all their attendant equipment.

Interior view of the bombardier’sstation.Caliaro Luigino

L et us start our tour in the nose,

which can be reached either

from the nose hatch if you were

athletic or had a ladder handy,

or via a hatchway that came up

between the pilots in the cockpit.

BOMBARDIER’S STATIONThe first crew station in the B-17, and easily

the most exposed, is not a position for anyone

who suffers from vertigo. Even with the

wheels firmly on the ground, the

bombardier’s chair is a good 10 feet in the air.

However, this is the heart of the B-17, its

reason for existing.

Seated on the small swivel chair, like a

piece of office equipment but with a two-inch

broad lap safely belt, you are completely

surrounded by plexiglass. It is as if you are

halfway across a fish bowl, and the view on a

mass B-17 mission must have been both

stunning and terrifying at the same time.

Between your feet is the super-secret (at

the time) Norden bombsight through which

you are responsible for accurately delivering

the B-17s bomb load. During the bombing

run, you actually have control of the aircraft

through the adjustment mechanisms of the

sight, slaved through the simple autopilot.

You crouch over the sight to use it, leaning

forward into the perspex nose space and

looking down on the target through its

complex and powerful optics.

To use the sight accurately you needed to

enter certain data to allow the sight to

compensate for the wind and the movement

of the aircraft. This information comes from

the instrument panel on the left wall of the

nose next to your seat. Here you had the port

cheek .50 cal (12.7mm) hand-aimed machine

gun in its blister window, below which were

an altimeter, air speed indicator and outside

air temperature guage mounted in a panel.

Forward of these instruments was the bomb

selector panel, which enabled you to select

how many bombs were dropped and who was

responsible for dropping them, as both the

pilot and bombadier have bomb release

switches. At the bottom of this stack was a

programmable automatic release system

which would drop selected bombs over a set

period of time. The bomb release switch was

mounted on the front of this panel on all

models of the F and G. On later G models,

next to your left ankle on the floor was a

circular topped box with three levers sticking

out of it, looking for all the world like a

Boeing B-17 53

The bomb panel on the left side of thebombardier’s position. Author

Close up of the right side of thebombadier’s position with the rightcheek gun.Caliaro Luigino

The navigator’s station. Author

NAVIGATOR’S STATIONBehind the bombardier’s seat in the extreme

nose of the aircraft, on the left hand side of

the nose is a desk, with a seat in front of it,

again a swivel chair with a lap strap. This is

the navigator’s station.

To use the desk, on which you would lay

out your maps and charts for the flight, you

would be facing sideways, to the left. The

desk is equipped with a small angle lamp for

map reading at night or in very bad weather.

There is a shelf above the desk, where the

gyroscope for the gyro compass sits, along

with its control box. Hanging from the shelf,

just above eye level is the the gyro compass

and radio compass, a simple radio navigation

aid similar in function to a modern ADF

found in many light aircraft.

You can easily read the bombadier’s air

speed indicator and altimeter from your seat,

which gives you all the information you need

to navigate acurately. Above the desk,

mounted on the left side wall of the fuselage,

is your oxygen controller and intercom plug.

Behind you as you sit, mounted on the right

wall of the fuselage is the right cheek .50 cal

(12.7mm) machine gun in its blister window.

You could use either the right or left cheek

gun, but the right hand one is easier to

reach by far.

Behind the gun under the third window

on the right side of the fuselage is what in

essence is a small periscope, calibrated to let

you work out what the wind was at your

altitude. This is called the drift sight, and

since you knew the direction you were

supposed to be heading, you could look

through this device and calculate how far off

that course the wind was pushing you, or

drifting you. Therefore you could calculate

the strength of the wind on that day at that

height. This was not only important to the

navigator for accurate navigation, but also for

the bombadier, who took the information

from the sight and fed it into the Norden

bombsight to allow for the strength of the

wind on his bomb run.

The navigator was responsible for keeping

the B-17 on course and on time, and in the

formation bombing raids the aircraft was

most often used for, the formation leader

navigators were responsible for the accuracy

of the whole raid, as a mistake could throw

the whole formation off.

Moving back down the fuselage, through

the hatchway in the roof at the back of the nose

compartment, brings us up into the cockpit,

standing between the two pilots’ seats.➤

throttle quadrant. These three levers were

the bomb bay door lever on the right, and the

two levers that actually selected the racks,

internal or external, of bombs to be dropped.

On the right hand wall, the starboard cheek

.50 cal was one bay further back, and was

usually operated by the navigator.

Next to your seat on the starboard wall

were your oxygen supply station and its

guages and your intercom box for speaking

to the rest of the crew. The two ammunition

boxes for the cheek .50 cals were on the floor

to the right of your seat and slightly behind

it. On other B-17 models, that would have

been it, but the B-17G has an additional

system for the bombardier to master.

Right in front of your face is a reflector

gunsight slaved to the Bendix twin .50 cal

(12.7mm) chin turret under your seat. It

literally is directly under you, your seat is

mounted over the actuators and floor

mounting of the turret that protrude into the

nose. Where the sight points, so does the

turret as both are electrically actuated. To

control the turret in pitch and yaw, an

actuator handle, which is in its stowed

position to your right in the main photograph,

can be swung down and left directly in front of

you. This has two large control handles, not

unlike an X-box controller, which allow you to

move the guns up and down, rotate the turret

left and right, and of course, fire the weapons.

As you move the turret, the sight also

moves, its reflected aiming point on the small

square of glass showing you exactly where

your bullets will go. The bombardier’s seat is

an extremely exposed position, but a vital and

busy one.

Behind the navigator was the rightcheek gun and the drift sight on theright side of the nose.Caliaro Luigino

COMMANDER AND SECONDPILOT’S COCKPITThe cockpit of a B-17 seems unbelievably

complex at first glance, but when the mass

of intruments and controls are broken down

into their relevant groups, it becomes

greatly simplified.

This is a large multi-crew, four-engined

aircraft, so consequently in the cockpit there

are four sets of engine controls and

instruments, just for a start. The aircraft

commander sat on the left, the second pilot

or co-pilot on the right.

Let’s start on the left wall of the fuselage,

next to the commander’s seat. Here are the

intercom control box, radio selector, vacuum

pump selector switch and electrical panel that

allow the commander to control who he was

talking to both in the aircraft and on the

radio, which vacuum pump was supplying

pressure to drive his flight instruments, and

which of the four engine driven generators

was supplying both AC and DC electrical

power to the aircraft’s many systems. A small

lamp on a flexible mount was fitted above

these in the corner of the panel to allow the

commander to read his instruments at night.

Immediately in front of his and the co-

pilot’s seat are duplicate sets of the main

flying controls. A large control yoke, like half

a car steering wheel mounted on a pole, has

the Boeing logo tastefully decorating the

centre boss. The wheel controls the ailerons,

rolling the aircraft left and right as you turn it

left and right. Pulling or pushing on the yoke

controls the elevators, raising or lowering the

aircraft’s nose. Under your feet are two large

pedals, controlling the rudder. Push on the

left pedal and the nose yaws to the left, and

vice versa with the right pedal.

Now to the flight instruments. This often

depends on which model of B-17 you have,

and how it has been restored. On the panel in

front of the commander in a standard aircraft

are ancilliary flight instruments such as the

radio compass and remote compass as well

as a number of system guages for the

vacuum pumps and oxygen supplies for the

commander and copilot.

The main flight instruments are clustered

in the centre panel where both pilots can see

them clearly. Often in many of the restored B-

17s flying today, these include modern radios

and radio navigation aids, such as ADF and

VOR. The basic group have not changed

however, and still include an air speed

indicator, gyro compass, altimeter, turn and

bank indicator, climb and descent indicator

and artificial horizon. There is also a flap

position indicator to show the pilot how much

flap he has selected for landing or take-off.

The right hand panel in front of the co-

pilot includes all of the engine instruments,

but of course there are four sets of them

which is why it initially looks so complicated.

The manifold pressure, RPM (revolutions per

minute), oil pressure, fuel pressure and

cylinder, oil and carburettor temperature

guages all have two needles on each, to cut

down on the number of instruments needed

to monitor all four engines. The General

Electric turbochargers, that allowed the

engines to produce full power at high

altitude, were complex and easily

mishandled, so close monitoring of the

engines’ condition was very important in a B-

17. On some restored B-17s, the flight

instruments are duplicated on both pilots

panels, with the engine instruments clustered

in the centre panel, like the main photo below.

There are many variations, largely

because most of the aircraft still flying today

passed through both military and civil users

and many modifications before being

restored, consequently, each aircraft is now

pretty much unique.

Above the engine instruments are a set of

large, red, emergency ‘feathering’ buttons,

which either pilot can reach in a hurry.

These turn the propeller blades of the

selected engine edge-on to the airflow,

stopping the propeller from windmilling and

overspeeding the engine, but just as

importantly, reducing the drag when an

engine had to be stopped in flight.

Below the centre panel, a large quadrant

sticks out inbetween the pilots’ seats. On top

next to the instrument panel are various

switches for the engine starters and electrical

systems. There are also control switches for

the engine cowling flaps, enabling you to

open them to keep the engines within

temperature limits on the ground or at slow

speed, or close them to reduce drag in flight

and keep the engine temperatures balanced

in the cold high speed air of cruising flight.

Below these are four black headed levers

that control the fuel mixture for each engine.

As you climb higher, the air gets thinner, so

you have to reduce the amount of fuel going

to each engine to keep the mixture of fuel

The main cockpit instrumentpanel.Caliaro Luigino

Boeing B-17 55

and air perfectly balanced. To the right of

these is a box with a large dial on it. This

controls the manifold pressure in the

engines, by controlling the turbochargers. To

much pressure can damage the engines

badly, so great care was taken with this

device, balancing the turbo pressure using

the intruments to achieve the best power for

any given altitude.

Behind these were four large throttle

levers, push them forward for full power, and

pull them all the way back for engine idle.

Below these were four more black or brown

headed leavers that controlled the pitch of

the propeller blades. You would want to

maintain the highest possible propeller RPM,

keeping the angle of the blades low, or fine

pitch as it is called, for take-off and landing,

to get the maximum responsiveness from the

engines. Once in the cruise at high altitude,

coarse pitch could be selected to make each

turn of the blades work hardest in the thin

air. Three white headed levers among the

three sets of engine control levers allowed

you to lock them in place once the desired

setting had been reached.

On the end of the central pedestal was

the autopilot adjustment controls, which as

well as flying the aircraft straight and level,

gave the pilot the ability to hand control

over to the bombardier on the bomb run.

Lastly, right down on the floor were the

rudder trim wheel to trim the aircraft to fly

straight, and the elevator and tailwheel

locking levers. A large wheel on the

commander’s side of the quadrant was the

elevator trim wheel, allowing the pilot to

trim the aircraft for level flight.

On the co-pilot’s side of the cockpit, the

flying controls were largely a repeat of the

commander’s set and as has already been

mentioned, his panel was full of engine

instruments. However, on the right hand wall

of the cockpit, he had a large box of

emergency controls that switch on the

engine mounted fire extinguishers in case an

engine caught fire in flight.

Since the main fuel and oil tanks on a B-17

were in the wings behind the engines, any

engine fire could be extremely dangerous

and needed to be controlled immediately.

Also, by the co-pilot’s right knee on the wall

of the fuselage was a set of levers that

controlled the intercooler temperatures to

the turbochargers. Above the pilots’ heads,

mounted in the centre panel of the cockpit

glazing was one last group of instruments.

The intercom for the pilots and flight

engineer was here, as was the control set for

the radio navigation equipment. Aside from

the hydraulic system pressure guage, the last

instrument was one of the oldest taken into

the air, the simple magnetic compass.

Since the flight engineer also manned the

Bendix upper turret just behind the pilots, he

often assisted the pilots by managing the

engine controls by kneeling between the

pilots’ seats for take-off and sometimes for

landing. He also called the airspeed to the

pilots on take-off to allow them to concentrate

on flying the aircraft. If we move behind the

pilots seats now and take a step back, we will

be in his position.➤

The co-pilot’s side of the cockpit.Caliaro Luigino


Themain throttle quadrant between thepilots’seats.Caliaro Luigino

The commander’s side of the cockpit.Author

The roof instrument panel in the cockpit.Author

Boeing B-17 57

The flight engineer’s station.AuthorThe fuel selector switches on the mainspar.Author

Above left: The rear cockpit bulkhead with the main circuit breaker panel on theright and the upper turret just visible at the top.Above middle: Looking aft into the bomb bay from the front.Caliaro LuiginoAbove right: Looking forward into the bomb bay from aft.The emergencyundercarriage lowering sockets can be seen on the front bulkhead and front stepCaliaro Luigino

FLIGHT ENGINEER’S STATIONAND UPPER TURRETThe flight engineer’s station comprises the

back half of the cockpit compartment. As has

already been said, the flight engineers two

main responsibilities were to assist the pilots

with engine, fuel, hydraulic and electrical

systems, and to man the twin .50 cal

(12.7mm) Bendix upper turret. He was also

fully trained in all the aircraft’s systems,

could maintain the whole aircraft when

operating away from its home base, and

could often make temporary repairs for

damaged systems in flight.

His turret position was mounted in

the rear cockpit roof and has a small

sling seat and foot rests to allow the flight

engineer to climb up into it and remain

there. The turret was electrically actuated,

two control handles, again, not unlike an X-

box controller, moved the guns up and down

and turned the turret, as well as being

equipped with triggers to fire the guns.

The right hand handle also controlled the

ranging of the turret and sight by twisting

it. There was a small reflector sight

mounted inbetween the guns that enabled

accurate aiming.

Just behind the commander’s seat on the

left of the cockpit looking forward, was the

flight engineer’s seat and desk he used when

not manning the turret. This held the

intercom control but was mostly used for

writing up the engineering log of faults or

defects to report to the groundcrew after the

flight. On the left wall of the cockpit next to

his seat was the flight engineer’s oxygen

control point.

Looking aft from the flight engineer’s seat,

there was a bulkhead with a door in it at the

back of the cockpit beyond the turret. The

door opened onto the catwalk down the

middle of the bomb bay. The bottom of the

bulkhead was actually the main wing spar

running through the fuselage. On this, at the

bottom of the door, were mounted two

selector levers that enabled the flight

engineer to pump fuel from tank to tank

in the wings and manage the fuel on the

aircraft effectively. On the left side of the

bulkhead, as you look aft, was the main

hydraulic reservoir tank, whereas on the

right was the main electrical panel with all

the fuses or circuit breakers for the aircraft’s

electrical systems.

Moving aft through the bulkhead door we

now enter the bomb bay, standing on the

catwalk down its center. This catwalk is

actually the very strong fuselage keel

through this area, and connects the main

wing spar to the rear wingspar, both of which

form the front and rear bulkheads of the

bomb bay as they cross the fuselage.

Inside the bomb bay, aside from the

bomb racks, are the emergency

undercarriage lowering points into which

crank handles are inserted and turned to

manually lower the wheels in the case of a

system failure. The crank handles to do

this are mounted in brackets on the aft

bulkhead of the next compartment, the

wireless operator’s. ➤


WIRELESS OPERATOR’S STATIONWithout doubt, the largest and most

comfortable compartment in the B-17, the

wireless operator’s station was enclosed

between two bulkheads with doors, aft of the

bomb bay and forward of the rear gunnery

compartment with the ball and waist gunners.

The wireless operator’s seat was on the

left side of the fuselage, looking forward, in

front of a large desk mounted on the

bulkhead to the left side of the door. This

held the main long range radio receiver and a

morse key, and left enough space for him to

keep the log of messages received.

On the bulkhead immediately behind his

seat was the main long range transmitter

unit. Next to his seat was the usual intercom

connection box and oxygen control point. On

the same bulkhead, but on the right side of

the door, two shelves held two transmitters

and three recievers for what was known as

the command radio, a short range system for

talking between formation aircraft or nearby

local ground stations. Opposite these, on the

right side of the rear bulhead, were five

transmitter tuning units. Aside from enabling

the aircraft commanders to talk to one

another and taking messages from their

home base, the wireless operator could also

assist the navigator in transmitting for a radio

fix from ground stations to discover their

position if they became lost.

Under the floor of the compartment was

the bombing camera, that took photographs

of the target during and after the bomb run

and was operated by the wireless operator.

Lastly, many B-17s had a single .50 cal

(12.7mm) machine gun in a swivel mount in

the large upper glazed hatch. The wireless

operator may not have been able to see much

from there, and its defensive value was

questionable, but the morale value to

wireless operators of being able to shoot

back was unquestionable.

The radio operator was also trained to be

the first aid man on the crew. Emergency

equipment such as first aid kits and other tools

were located in the radio room, considered to

be the safest place in the aircraft during

ditching or crash landing. In the event of such

an emergency all crew members, except the

pilots, would come to the radio room and sit

on the floor with their backs toward the

forward bulkhead. Once the aircraft was

stopped, the large glazed hatch in the roof

could be quickly jettisoned for a quick exit.

Stepping through the rear bulkhead of the

wireless operator’s compartment, we enter

the main gunners’ compartment, with the

ball, waist and tail turret aft of us. ➤

Left: The wireless operator’s station.Caliaro Luigino

The right side forward bulkhead of thewireless operator’s compartment fittedwith the command radio transmittersand receivers.Caliaro Luigino

The emergency crank handles stowedon the rear right bulkhead of thecompartment.Author

The ball turret mounting fromforward.Caliaro Luigino

Below: The ball turret mounting from aftCaliaro Luigino

Above left: The ball turret mountingwithout the ancillary equipmentshowing the electrical panel on thebulkhead and a clear view of thesupport mechanism.ConstanceRedgrave

Above: The interior of the ball turretshowing the seat, foot pedals, controlhandles and sightingwindow. Constance Redgrave

Exterior of the ball turret with the hatchopen.Constance Redgrave

The interior of the ball turret showingthe sighting window and the mount forthe sight.

BALL TURRETThe Sperry ball turret has to be one of the

most innovative aircraft defensive systems

ever developed. In the B-17, it is mounted in

the fuselage immediately aft of the wireless

operator’s compartment. A central shaft

runs down from the top of the fuselage and

connects to the two arms that mount to the

centre on either side of the spherical turret.

This enables the electrically driven turret to

revolve 360 degrees and pitch through 170,

covering the aircraft against all attackers

from below. The ammunition boxes and

feeds are inside the aircraft, mounted on

brackets attached to the central shaft. The

gunner’s oxygen supply and intercom link

also ran down the central shaft, so never

restricted the movement of the turret.

The turret was never manned for take-off

and landing, and was stowed with the guns

pointing aft. The hatch was on the back side

away from the guns, so once airborne it had

to be manually cranked around until the

hatch was inside the aircraft and the gunner

could open it and get in. Once inside and

strapped in, the gunner turned the power

on and operated the turret with his two

hand controllers inside. The ball turret was

well named, not only was it spherical, but

the gunner was rolled up in a ball in the

foetal position to operate it. His feet were in

stirrups, held either side of the circular

armoured glass sighting window. As he was

tucked up in a ball, he looked through this

window between his knees. Between his

face and the window was a computing

gunsight. His left foot pedal adjusted the

sight, and when he had a target framed in

the sight, the range was correct. Two

handles stuck out above the sight which

turned and pitched the turret up and down.

On the end of the handles were electrical

firing buttons that fired both guns.

Although on paper this position would

appear dangerous, in fact, ball turret

gunners, being rolled up inside an

armoured ball, suffered fewer injuries than

most other crew positions.

THEWAIST GUNNERS’ STATIONSStepping around the ball turret and heading

aft we come to the waist gunners’ stations.

These are two large windows on either side

of the fuselage with a swivel mount for a

single hand operated .50 cal (12.7 mm)

machine gun in each. On the first B-17s,

these windows were opposite each other,

which made it impossible for the gunners to

track targets without barging into one

another. The lesson of staggering the

windows, with the right hand window as you

look forward being two frames further

forward than the left window, was first

learned on the YB-40 escort fighter version of

the B-17, and incorporated into every model

of B-17 built after that. The gunners’ stations

were identical, with an intercom connection

and oxygen control point mounted on the

fuselage wall next to their positions, along

with the ammunition boxes for their guns.

The weapons had simple iron sights and to

aim them was purely a question of muscle.

On many B-17s, the gunners chose to remove

the windows, either once in the cruise, or

permanently, as it geve them a better view.

This meant they were standing wrestling a

heavy gun in the freezing airflow, an amazing

feat of endurance on missions as long as 10

or 12 hours.

Moving aft towards the tail gunner’s

position, there is an Elsan type chemical

toilet on the floor just in front of the

retractable tailwheel housing. You have to

climb past this, then over the tailplane

mainspar to reach the tail turret. ➤

Looking forward through the waistgunners’ positions.Caliaro Luigino

Looking forward through the waistgunners’ positions.Caliaro Luigino

Close up of the starboard waist gunner’s position.Caliaro LuiginoClose up of the port waist gunner’s position.Author


THETAIL GUNNER’S STATIONOn the early B-17s there were no tail guns, a

shortcoming that quickly was resolved from

operational experience. The first tail gun

positions, know as ‘stinger’ types were fairly

simple. A glazed housing was built at the

base of the rudder to allow the gunner to see

any aircraft approaching from astern. Two

hand operated .50 cal machine guns were

mounted on a simple swivel mount in the

extreme tail, the barrels projecting about two

and a half feet from the fuselage.

The gunner sat on a simple wooden seat

with his knees on two pads to either side of

the guns. These guns were mechanically

connected to a simple ring and bead type

sight mounted in front of the gunner’s rear

window. As he moved the guns, the sight

moved. On either side of him were the

ammunition boxes for the guns, as well as the

usual intercom connector and oxygen control

point. The tail gunner had his own escape

hatch just under the starboard tailplane, as

there was no way he could have reached the

main escape door quickly in an emergency.

Later B-17s were built with a new and

much improved tail turret called a Cheyenne

tail. This was a powered turret fitted with a

reflector gunsight and enabled far greater

movement of the tail guns than the earlier

stinger had.

For take-off and landing, the tail, waist and

ball gunners would all be seated on the floor

of the wireless operator’s compartment. Only

after climbing out from their base would the

gunners move to their gun positions and get

them set up for what was likely to be a very

long day. ■ Words: Tim Callaway

Looking aft past the tailwheel mountand the tailplane spar.The tail gunner’s oxygen regulator on the fuselage wall.Author

Right: The tail gunner’s position in thestinger type tail.Author

Boeing B-17 63

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T he life of the average groundcrew

working on B-17s could be and

often was a miserable one. In the

Far East and the Pacific, just

simply doing your job could expose

you to monsoons, hurricanes and sweltering

heat, not to mention the poisonous snakes,

spiders and other animals that took shelter in

the aircraft you were trying to work on.

Accommodation was usually tented, or some

sort of rudimentary shelter, and food was dull,

monotonous and never sufficient. Add to that

the ever present threat of tropical diseases from

insects and poor water supplies, then the sheer

travail of manual labour on heavy bombers

became infinitely more difficult.

In the European theatre, life had different

hazards. The weather was at least a little less

violent, but the cold of a British winter

presented its own hardships. Initially, a great

deal of the accommodation was in tents, very

unsuitable for winter temperatures, but as the

force build up continued and more bases were

completed, most ground crews were billeted

in Nissen huts, which while better than a tent,

were draughty, cold and damp. While this was

bearable in the summer months, winter was a

different matter. Because of the confined

nature of the accommodation, disease could

spread like wildfire through a hut sealed up to

protect the occupants as best they could from

the winter chill.

The B-17 is a large aircraft, its tail stands

19 feet 2 inches (5.84 m) above the ground.

Because it is a tailwheel design, the nose and

engines are about 10 feet (3 m) in the air, so

any work being done on these requires the

use of a stand or ladder. A simple scaffolding

stand with a flat platform on wheels was

issued to most heavy bomber units, as it was

useful for any of the larger designs of aircraft.


Maintaining an

The vital groundcrews of the B-17sThe work of the ground crews is often overlooked in militaryhistories, but without them, the raids and famous events thataircrew achieved simply would not happen. In the case of theB-17, the 8th Air Force would have run out of aircraft on severaloccasions if the engineering teams had not been on hand to repairand reconstruct the large numbers of battle damaged aircraft.

aluminiummountain

Parked aircraft at Deenethorpe,England.Closest aircraft is BoeingB-17G-80-BO (S/N 43-38077) (IY-Q)of the 401st Bomb Group, 615thBomb Squadron. Photo taken onJan. 12, 1945.U.S.Air Force

Refuelling a B-17F could be a long job on those aircraft equipped with ‘TokyoTanks’.U.S.Air Force

Boeing B-17F-27-BO (S/N 41-24606) of the 303rd Bomb Group, 358th BombSquadron, in the squadron maintenance area with engines removed.U.S.Air Force

Ladders were also issued, but groundcrews

became adept at fashioning their own

equipment and acquiring what they needed

from local supplies. The generous American

Forces cigarette ration became particularly

useful in this regard. Even so, working in the

winter on ice or snow bound platforms or

ladders propped against the freezing metal of

airframes was hazardous, there were many

injuries to engineers, some serious, and a

number of deaths from accidents.

What is not widely known is that most of

the day to day maintenance work, and indeed

most heavy tasks, took place in the open.

Hangars were available, but major overhauls

and repairing the massive damage some

aircraft made it home with took up most of

the space. One less recognized task for the

Boeing B-17 65

Nuthampstead, England – Aircraftmechanics with the 398thBombardment Group change aB-17 Flying Fortress engine.Duringthe group’s stay in England fromMay 1944 to April 1945, the 398thflew 195 missions and lost 292men and 70 B-17 aircraft in combat.U.S.Air Force

ground crew was to remove human remains

from the damaged aircraft. They were usually

familiar with their aircrew, so the effect of

this on morale is obvious and the effect of

this as a long term stress has never really

been examined. Although the aircrews got to

complete a tour and rest, the groundcrews

were in it for the duration. Every day,

operations or not, engineers would be found

repairing and preparing aircraft all over the

airfields of the 8th Air Force, predominantly

on hardstands in the open. Because of this,

the warm heavy sheepskin lined flying

jackets of the aircrew became much prized

items, bartered for or stolen wherever

possible. After a year of war, it was nearly

impossible to identify who was air or ground

crew at an average US base.➤

Boeing B-17G-1-VE (S/N 42-39801) “Northern Queen”of the 94th Bomb Group, 33rdBomb Squadron.U.S.Air Force

Engineers did not only work at their own

bases. Frequently aircraft were forced to land

at other airfields, either by weather or

damage, and sometimes the nearest large

field had to suffice in an emergency. If the

location was another airfield, then local

resources could be used to assist in making

sufficient repairs to get the aircraft back to its

base. In the case of a field landing, the

groundcrews had to assemble and transport

all the equipment they needed to complete

the work. When the shuttle missions started,

groundcrews found themselves in the front

line, travelling to the shuttle point of the

mission. This might have been North Africa

or Russia, but either way entailed a

hazardous journey to maintain and repair the

aircraft on arrival in order for them to

complete the return mission.

As well as engineers, armourers also

travelled on the shuttle missions, and to any

aircraft that landed away in order to recover

the guns and ammunition to make the

aircraft safe. Their job had its own hazards,

some obvious, some less so. Handling

bombs, napalm tanks, guns and ammunition

has and will always be a matter for great care

and attention to detail. There were a number

of unfortunate accidents where bombs

detonated on the ground at 8th Air Force

airfields, and a number of accidental

discharges from guns. On 23 June 1943, the

entire bomb load of ‘Caroline’, a B-17F of the

381st Bomb Group, suddenly detonated on

the ground at Ridgewell in East Anglia. 21 US

service personnel, mostly ground crew, and

one British civilian were killed in the

explosion. Aside from the hazards of

explosion, loading bombs into an aircraft

could also be dangerous. Faulty release gear,

damaged or worn, could allow a bomb to

drop from the rack onto the personnel below.

Severe injuries and deaths were recorded

from this happening at a number of airfields.


Op Frantic - MSgt. John M.Bassett, LeninBoykov of Leningrad,and MSgt.MichaelCajolda service a visiting task forcebomber.U.S.Air Force

A Coastal Command BoeingFortress IIA of 220 Squadron receivestreatment to its engines in a hangarat Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides,in May 1943.Author’s collection

A Dodge fuel bowser with the line of recently delivered aircraft at Prestwick,March1944.U.S.Air Force

Ground crew at the fuel depot refilling one of the Groups bowsers.U.S.Air Force

Boeing B-17 67

Since the bombing campaign was a

continuous effort over the near three years it

ran for, the work of the groundcrews was

similarly lengthy. An aircraft would arrive back

from a mission in the afternoon or early

evening, and the engineers would often be

working all night to get her ready for the next

days operation. The armourers would be

similarly engaged. Once the aircraft was

stopped, the guns would be removed for

cleaning and servicing. As soon as the target

and the bomb loads were known, the weapons

would be prepared and the ammunition for the

machine guns made ready to be taken out and

loaded onto the aircraft as soon as the

engineers were ready. This happened day after

day with the occasional break, such as the two

week hiatus of operations after ‘Blitz Week’.➤

The end result of all the effort,a Group of B-17s on the wayto the target.U.S.Air Force

Working in the open on a B-17 on shuttle mission to Russia as part of OperationFrantic.U.S.Air Force

“WHENTHE SHUTTLE MISSIONSSTARTED,GROUNDCREWS FOUNDTHEMSELVES INTHE FRONT LINE,TRAVELLINGTOTHE SHUTTLEPOINT OFTHE MISSION.”

Two maintenance crew members ofthe 401st Bomb Group are busy tryingto unmire the wheels of a B-17 after oneof the planes landed off the runwaywhen returning from a raid overBremen,Germany on 26 November1943.U.S.Air Force

Aside from the engineers and armourers,

every station had a complete administrative

unit, a medical staff and many other

specialists such as wireless operators, air

traffic controllers, parachute packers and

other emergency equipment supervisors.

When you add cooks, quartermasters,

bomb disposal experts, storemen and the

full panoply of other military roles, it is

easy to see why an operational airfield often

had a larger population than any of the local

towns. All of these people played a vital role

in the daylight bombing offensive, even

though most of them never set foot in an

operational bomber.

If the bombing campaign was a grindingly

long one for the aircrew, it was an equally

long slog for the groundcrews. That they

continued to keep the bombers ready for

missions, repaired and fully operational, in

the conditions they worked in every day, is

testament to their tirelessness, skill and

determination. ■ Words: Tim Callaway

In the tyre bay with a complete set ofnew tyres for a B-17.U.S.Air Force

Armourers pose with bombs destined for Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress, 41-9022‘Alabama Exterminator II’ of the US Army Eighth Air Force’s 384 Bomb Group atPolebrook,Northants in November 1942.U.S.Air Force

Women groundcrew unload a Boeing Fortress II bomber which has recently arrived attheAtlanticAir Terminal,Prestwick,Scotland,sometime in March 1944.Author’s collection

RAF groundcrew using a towed bowser torefuel a Fortress II of 220 Squadronbetween patrols at Benbecula,OuterHebrides, in May 1943.Author’s collection

T he first fighter units in the 8th Air

Force belonged to the 4th Fighter

Group, and were formed from the

‘Eagle Squadrons’ on 12

September 1942. These were three

RAF Squadrons, 71, 121 and 133, made up of

American volunteer pilots who had joined the

RAF to fight even before America had officially

entered World War Two. The group scored a

number of notable firsts; not least being that

they were the first 8th Air Force fighters to

penetrate German airspace on 28 July 1943 and

they were the first to engage enemy aircraft

over both Paris and Berlin. As part of the 4th

Fighter Group, the Eagle Squadrons became

the 334, 335 and 336 Fighter Squadrons

respectively, and kept flying their Supermarine

Spitfire Mk Vs until 1 April 1943.

After this, they flew the Republic P-47C

Thunderbolt, which must have been a bit of a

shock to the pilots. Going from the small,

lithe Spitfire to the massive seven-ton

Thunderbolt must have required a great deal

of retraining in tactics and the capabilities of

the equipment. Its size and weight earned it

the nickname of ‘Juggernaut’, most often

shortened to ‘Jug’. Some unkind observers,

usually other fighter pilots, said the best way

to take evasive action in a P-47 was to undo

the straps and run round the cockpit! P-47

pilots had an excellent reply to this, which

was they could out-fall anyone. In fairness,

the P-47 acquitted itself well, being fast and

Boeing B-17 69

The vital escortsAs the 8th Air Force grew in strength and began to range deep into enemy territory, the defensiveweaknesses of the B-17 were exposed and losses grew to near unsupportable levels. From 4 May1943, escort fighters began to accompany the bombers as far as their limited range allowed. All thatchanged when the P-51 Mustang entered service, which could reach even as far as Berlin. Escortpresence always reduced losses, and the bomber crews affectionately termed them ‘Little Friends’.

Little friends

extremely tough. Fitted with eight .50 cal

machine guns, it also packed a tremendous

punch. The addition of 75- or 108-gallon

drop tanks on the fuselage centreline

mount increased the range of the P-47

sufficiently to allow it to reach some targets

in Germany. ➤

Getting airborne in the P-47.The wide track undercarriage greatly simplifiedground handling of the fighter.Julian Humphries

B-17G ‘Miss Angela’ escorted by a P-51D Mustangon the way to an air show. Frank B Mormillo

On 27 September 1943, P-47s of the

4th, 56th, 78th and 353rd escorted two

groups of B-17s all the way to Emden and

back, the first time 8th Air Force fighters

had gone all the way to a target in Germany.

Later in the war, carrying a variety of

bombs and rockets, the P-47 also made a

powerful fighter-bomber in the ground

attack role. Its 2000hp Pratt and Whitney R-

2800 engine was turbosupercharged, the

large turbo unit being mounted in the rear

fuselage behind the cockpit. This gave the

big fighter excellent high-altitude

performance, a point not lost on the pilots,

Altogether ten 8th Air Force Fighter

Groups were to be equipped with the P-47,

some for the duration of the war. One, the

56th Fighter Group, was to fly the P-47C, D

and M in combat from February 1943 to the

end of the war. They were also the highest-

scoring fighter unit in the 8th Air Force,

flying 447 missions and claiming 674 enemy

aircraft destroyed in the air and 311 on the

ground, for a loss of 128 of their own. Known

as ‘The Wolfpack’, the 56th proved that in the

right hands, the big P-47 could match any

fighter on even terms.

Concurrent with the P-47 was a second US

fighter, and another unusual design. It was

the first tricycle undercarriage twin-boomed

single-seat fighter, the Lockheed P-38

Lightning. The Lightning was to gain

greatest fame in the Pacific as a long-range

fighter, but was also used extensively in

Europe and North Africa. To the Germans it

was known as the ‘Forked-Tail Devil’ because

in the right hands it could be a surprisingly

nimble and tricky opponent.

They had a slightly longer range than the

P-47s so P-38 units could fly for nearly 640

miles before having to turn back. Of course,

flying a continuous escort, weaving to stay

with the bombers, reduced that to about 300

miles, and allowing for 15 minutes of support

over the target, having rendezvoused with

the bombers close to it, made the viable

range about 400 miles. Either way, the P-38,

particularly the later J model, was an

improvement over the P-47 in terms of range.

At high altitude, the P-38’s size counted

against it, making its turn radius greater that

that of most opponents. At medium altitudes,

below 18,000 feet (5,486m), the big twin-

engined fighter proved just as agile as their

single-seat opposition, but with two

advantages; the P-38 was faster and had a

better rate of climb. Pilots soon learned to

use these advantages to best effect, and

developed new tactics to suit the P-38s speed.


REPUBLIC P-47DTHUNDERBOLT SPECIFICATION

Length: 36ft 1in (11.00m)

Wingspan: 40ft 9in (12.42m)

Height: 14ft 8in (4.47m)

Empty weight: 10,000lb (4536kg)

Loaded weight: 17,500lb (7938kg)

Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-

2800-59 twin-row radial engine,

2535hp (1890kW)

PerformanceMaximum speed: 433mph at

30,000ft (697km/h at 9145m)

Range: 800mi combat, 1800mi ferry

(1290km / 2900km)

Service ceiling: 43,000ft (13,100m)

Rate of climb: 3120ft/min (15.9m/s)

Armament● 8 × .50in (12.7mm) M2 Browning

machine guns (3400 rounds)● Up to 2500lb (1134kg) of bombs● 10 × 5in (130mm) unguided rockets

The P-47 shows off how good the pilot’sview from the cockpit was in this latemodel,with a teardrop canopy and cut-down rear fuselage.Julian Humphries

who could of course turn height into speed to

overcome the disadvantage of the P-47’s

relatively poor acceleration.

The P-47 was well liked by its pilots for a

number of reasons. It was immensely strong,

and its wide-track undercarriage greatly

simplified ground handling, particularly after

the narrow wheel track of the Spitfire. The

ducting for the supercharger ran under the

cockpit, making the fuselage deeper than most

fighters at that point. In the event of a forced

landing, it was this ducting that would take the

shock of impact, rather than the pilot’s legs as

was the case in some other fighters.

The P-47 was huge for afighter, but tough, surprisingly

manoeuvrable and wellbehaved for such a largeaircraft.Julian Humphries

The first 8th Air Force unit to take the P-38

into battle was the 55th Fighter Group, who

became operational on 14 October 1943, and

made their first escort sortie on 3 November,

to Wilhelmshaven to act as target support.

The Group claimed six enemy aircraft shot

down for no losses that day. Interestingly, the

Group claimed to put the first 8th Air Force

aircraft over Berlin on 3 March 1944, when a

group of P-38s flew straight there and back.

One of the characteristics of the P-38 that

pilots really appreciated was its armament of

four .50 cal machine guns and a 20mm cannon.

On other aircraft, these were spread out down

the wings and required the guns to be

harmonised at a certain range where the rounds

from the guns converged. The P-38s guns were

all clustered in the nose, pointing straight

forward. This extended the effective range of the

guns beyond other fighters, and concentrated

the firepower of the aircraft into one deadly

stream. A very short, accurate burst from a

P-38 could do real harm to an enemy aircraft.

As the P-38 was such an advanced design,

mechanical problems, particularly in the

extremely cold winter temperatures at 30,000

feet over Europe, causedmany engine problems

mostly with the oil and lubrication systems.

These were to dog the fighter in its early

escort missions, while the robust and relatively

simple P-47 had no such shortcomings. This

limited the P-38 in early operations, but these

problems were solved in later versions.

Both these fighters had excellent

characteristics in different ways, but they

both had the same shortcoming – range.

However, the next fighter to enter service

would change this, and solve the bombers’

escort problems at a stroke.

The North American P-51 Mustang is a

remarkable aircraft by any yardstick. In April

1938, Britain realised that the writing was on

the wall and war was inevitable. The

government established a purchasing

commission in the US to find and acquire new

aircraft, tanks and ships for use by the British

forces. Sir Henry Self headed the commission,

and was particularly interested in fighters. At

the time, the only aircraft considered suitable

for the RAF was the P-40, and Curtiss were

running at full stretch just to meet their

American orders. Self asked North American

if they could produce the P-40 under licence,

and they convinced Self that it would be

quicker to start with a new and better design

than to set up a production line for an already

in-service aircraft. They were as good as their

word. Just 117 days after the order was placed,

the prototype NA-73X, as it was known, rolled

out of the North American factory.➤

Boeing B-17 71

LOCKHEED P-38L LIGHTNINGSPECIFICATIONS




Empty weight: 12,800lb[86] (5800 kg)

Loaded weight: 17,500lb[86] (7940 kg)

Powerplant: 2× Allison V-1710-111/

113 V-12 piston engines, 1725hp

(1194kW) each

PerformanceMaximum speed: 443mph (712km/h)

on War Emergency Power: 1725hp at

64inHG and 28,000ft (8530m)

Stall speed: 105mph (170km/h)

Range: 1300mi combat

(1770km / 3640km)


Rate of climb: 4750ft/min

(24.1m/sec) maximum

Armament● 1× Hispano M2(C) 20mm cannon

with 150 rounds● 4× Browning MG53-2 0.50 in

(12.7mm) machine guns with 500rpg● 4× M10 three-tube 4.5in (112mm)

rocket launchers or Inner Hardpoints:

2× 2000lb (907kg) bombs or drop

tanks or 2× 1000lb (454kg) bombs

or drop tanks, plus either 4× 500lb

(227kg) or 4× 250lb (113kg) bombs

or 6× 500lb (227kg) or 6× 250lb

(113kg) bombs● Outer Hardpoints: 10× 5 in (127mm)

HVARs (High Velocity Aircraft

Rockets) or 2× 500lb (227kg) or 2×

250lb (113kg) bombs

Left: An early P-38 shows off theremarkably clean lines that gavethe aircraft such speed.The twinbooms carried theturbosuperchargers for the twinAllison V-12 engines.US Air Force

Steve Hinton flies ‘Glacier Girl’, a P-38 Lightning dug out from268 feet of ice in eastern Greenland in 1992.The massedfirepower of having the guns clustered in the nose is clear inthis view.U.S.Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ben Bloker

Initially, the new fighter was a poor

performer above medium altitudes, but this

was due to its Allison V-12 engine, and no fault

of the airframe or design. The first Mustangs

were relegated to low-level fighter and

reconnaissance roles. In April 1942, a Mustang

was being tested by the RAF, who were so

impressed by the type’s low-level speed and

handling that they invited a Rolls Royce test

pilot, Ronnie Harker, to fly it, and he suggested

the Merlin 61 be fitted to cure the fighter’s

poor performance at altitude. At this point, a

legend was born, and the P-51B and C began

rolling off the production lines early in 1943.

With the Merlin engine, an additional 85-gallon

fuel tank in the fuselage behind the pilot’s seat

and the ability to carry two 75-gallon drop

tanks, the lithe and agile fighter had a combat

radius of an unbelievable 750 miles. This was

sufficient for the P-51 to escort bombers all the

way to Berlin and beyond, and back.

Early models of the aircraft suffered from

handling problems with the rear tank full, but

these were swiftly cured, and the limited

rearward visibility problem caused by the

built-up rear fuselage was fixed with the

introduction of the teardrop canopy on the

next model of the Mustang, the P-51D.

Interestingly, P-51 pilots were some of the

first to wear a new piece of equipment to help

them in combat, the ‘G’-suit. This was inflated

by bleed air from the aircraft’s exhaust then

high G was applied and squeezed the pilot’s

upper legs and stomach. This restricted the

flow of blood through the body and increased

the pilot’s tolerance to high G manoeuvres.

The first 8th Air Force unit to receive the

superb new fighter was the 357th Fighter

Group, who were to fly the P-51 in combat

from November 1943 to the end of the war.

They were originally intended as a 9th Air

Force Fighter Group, but the 8th needed the

Mustangs and requested the transfer. The

357th claimed the highest number of enemy

aircraft shot down in a single mission, on 14

January 1945, with 56 claimed as destroyed.

With the introduction into service of groups

like this, the nature of escort duty changed.

TheMustang allowed US fighters to range on

either side and ahead of the bomber stream, to

pick off enemy fighters before they got

anywhere near the bombers. Free-roaming

groups of P-51s flew all over Germany, and the

bomber losses fell dramatically. Flak still

claimed a large number of the bombers, but

the losses to fighters tailed right off.

Even the introduction of the newMe 262

jet fighter did not trouble the P-51 units

unduly, as they were just fast enough to catch

the jet, and shot a number of them down. With

the introduction of the Mustang in large

numbers, the US daylight bombing campaign

stepped into high gear. The bombers were

able to hit any target with greater accuracy

NORTH AMERICAN P-51DMUSTANG SPECIFICATION



Height: 13ft 4½in (4.08m:tail wheel on

ground, vertical propeller blade.)

Wing area: 235ft² (21.83m²)

Empty weight: 7635lb (3465kg)

Loaded weight: 9200lb (4175kg)

Max take-off weight: 12,100lb(5490kg)

Powerplant: 1× Packard V-1650-7

liquid-cooled supercharged V-12,

1490hp (1111 kW) at 3000rpm;

1720hp (1282 kW) at WEP


at 25,000ft (7600m)

Cruise speed: 362mph (580km/h)

Stall speed: 100mph (160km/h)

Range: 1650mi (2755km) with

external tanks


Rate of climb: 3200ft/min (16.3m/s)

Armament● 6× 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) M2

Browning machine guns with 1880

total rounds (400 rounds for each

on the inner pair, and 270 rounds for

each of the outer two pair)● 2× hardpoints for up to 2000lb

(907kg) of bombs● 6 or 10× T64 5.0in (127mm)

H.V.A.R rockets

and concentration than ever before, so

consequently the German war machine began

to be starved of weapons and replacement

vehicles. At last, Operation Pointblank, against

the German aircraft industry, was showing an

effect. The Luftwaffe were never again to send

as many fighters against the bombers.

Such was the quality of the P-51 that they

were to remain in service for a very long time.

The US were still using them in the Korean

war, and air forces around the world were to

keep some in service until the 1960s. Popular,

simple, fast and manoeuvrable, the Mustang

remains one of the best piston-engined

fighters of all time. ■ Words: Tim Callaway

The superb view from the teardropcanopy on the P-51D.Julian Humphries

The clean lines of the Mustang madeit very fast, and consequently popularas an air racer in the post war years.Keith Draycott

The P-51B had the built-up rear fuselage which restricted rearwardsvisibilty for the pilot.The large D-shaped windows behind the cockpitwere an attempt to minimize the effect of this restriction.Keith Draycott

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J. Francis Angier was raised on a

Vermont farm and became a B-17

pilot during World War Two. He flew

jets and helicopters during the Cold

War as well as many other types and

models during a long aviation career. His love

of flying was only exceeded by his love for

his family and country. Shot down over

Germany in 1944, he spent seven months as a

POW. His training, air battles, capture and

survival are part of the story.

‘Ready or Not’ will appeal to aviation

enthusiasts, military & local historians. Maj.

Angier gives the reader a taste of life in the

USA before World War Two, what it was like

to learn to fly and the operations of an 8th Air

Force Bomb Group, the 457th BG at Glatton.

He also details what it was like to become a

prisoner of war. This extract deals with the

events of 25 October 1944, certainly his

longest mission………

On October 24, 1944, I went off DNIF

(duty not involving flying) back on to flight

status after 10 days of recuperation from the

shrapnel wound in my upper arm, a memento

of the mission to Cologne on October 14.

Relaxing and writing letters until almost

midnight, I had just decided to get some rest

when a jeep pulled up to the door and a very

polite sergeant said, “You are on alert to fly

tomorrow’s mission, if you feel up to it.” This

was not the usual procedure, but I

appreciated the concern for my physical

condition. We were all aware that the group

was very short of crews due to heavy losses

in recent raids. I felt “up to it.”

Breakfast, as I remember, was terrible –

worse than awful! The powdered eggs and

catsup had a slight petroleum taste. I was

never one to complain but thought it OK to

bring it to the cook’s attention. In the same

light-hearted manner (for one o’clock in the

morning), he promised me pancakes and real

Vermont maple syrup “next time.”

But there was not to be a next time for me

at Glatton Station.

After getting my gear ready and

removing the names of some of my crew

members from the schedule (one of them,

Tech Sergeant Tunstall, had flown 84

missions), I went to the final briefing. It

looked like a fairly routine mission, a strike

at the port of Hamburg. Aircraft No. 42-

97951, the one assigned to me at Langley

Field, Virginia on my twenty-first

birthday (what a present!), had

had 16 hour’s ferry time and four

hour’s shake-down when we left

for the United Kingdom via

Gander, Newfoundland to

Holyhead, Wales. It was a

beautiful radar-equipped

pathfinder plane with all the

latest gadgets installed. My

navigator-bombardier-radar

operator and best friend Lt. Earl

Beyeler checked out the

performance of the equipment

and the flying qualities with me,

and we were as pleased as if we

had a lifetime title to No. 951.

However, once we arrived

overseas, everyone else wanted

it as well and I was nearly court

martialed for refusing to give it

up at each base where I landed.

Generals and colonels all

insisted they needed the

pathfinder-equipped aircraft, as

they were fairly new and scarce

at the time.

My crew and I were well-

trained in radar techniques and

had orders to proceed to the 457th Bomb

Group station to which we were assigned. It

was a real letdown to report to Glatton

without our new, super-equipped B-17, but it

was reassigned to the 457th in early August.

On September 17, 1944, No. 951 was shot

down in the invasion of Holland, with Major

Hozier flying as task-force commander with

another pilot. Eleven thousand aircraft took

part in the day’s operation, and because I had

argued to fly my own plane the Group

commander had, in effect, grounded me for

the day, so I had to stand down during the

largest air operation since D-Day. However, I

lived to fly again.

The aircraft assigned to us on October 25

was 42-97899. I conducted the pre-flight

inspection with my flight engineer T/Sgt

Howard Lang and the ground-crew chief as

well as the communications and armament

people until we were satisfied with the

condition of the plane. It was in excellent

shape, nearly new, so we took off and

climbed up through 23,000ft of fog and

weather to assembly altitude, where I

assumed my position in the formation as

leader of the high squadron.

As we approached the island of Helgoland,

just north of the German coast, we turned

right, according to the briefed route that would

take us along the east side of the Weser River

estuary. We saw the usual flack coming up

from Helgoland, letting us know the enemy

was awake, but it was too far away to bother us.

Our penetration of enemy territory was

through reported light defenses over a cloud

cover – according to weather forecasts – at

about 2200ft. This cloud cover obscured the

coastline, and when I observed the first anti-

aircraft fire from the mainland, it appeared to

be eight to 10 miles ahead and dead level

with the groups flying in front of us but

considerably to the right of our flight path.

Another four bursts of heavy calibre fire

appeared dead ahead of our aircraft, and as I

was flying to the right of and somewhat

higher than the lead squadron led by Capt.

Bill Doherty, I moved the squadron slightly

to the left to avoid subsequent fire.


Longest Mission25 October 1944 – A personal viewThis story is taken from Major J Francis Angier’s book ‘Ready or Not – into the Wild Blue. TheAviation Career of a B-17 Pilot, 457th Bomb Group, 8th AAF.’ It is published by Old Forge Booksand is reproduced here with kind permission of Martyn Chorlton.

The

Major J Francis AngierUS Air Force

Meanwhile we were conducting an oxygen

check. I had advised the crew there was flack

at our level at 12 o’clock. “Check your flack

suits and oxygen and acknowledge, please.”

Just as the tail-gunner, S/Sgt. Maynard Judson

acknowledged, three bursts of flack appeared

immediately in front of us and the fourth burst

struck between the No. 3 and No. 4 engines,

blowing a large hole in the leading edge of the

right wing approximately three feet by six feet

and back into the wing as far as the main spar.

A small fire with a peculiar blue-green

flame started in the No. 4 engine. We

expended our fire extinguisher on the fire

with very little effect. I found I had no control

over the two starboard engines, with No. 4

revving to the red line and No. 3 shaking

violently in the engine supports. The

engineer called out, “The whole right wing is

on fire.” And indeed, the fuel tanks were

burning so intensely that we could see the

internal structure of the wing glowing red.

No. 3 engine was bending down, and

vibration soon tore it loose from the mounts.

Realising there was no way to save the

aircraft, I called my deputy leader and asked

him to move the squadron above and to the left

of us to avoid any of my crew striking the other

planes in the squadron as they bailed out. I had

just hit the bail-out bell and told the crew to

leave the aircraft when the No. 3 engine and

right landing gear fell away. Pieces of metal

from the debris struck S/Sgt. Osborn, cutting

his face as he bailed out the waist door.

Hoping everyone had left the airplane, I

attempted to turn out of the formation, but

the manoeuvre turned into a roll and a

horizontal spiral due to No. 4 engine running

wild and uncontrollable. I pushed No. 1 to full

throttle in an attempt to balance No. 4; No. 2

had shut down.

Lack of oxygen was beginning to blur

my vision. I no longer had any control of the

Boeing B-17 75

B-17G 42-97951 after she was transfered to the 457th BG,but before the U hadbeen added to the triangle marking.Note the H2X bombing radar in place of theball turret.US Air Force

plane and was attempting to leave my

seat when the plane went into a steep

climb. This caused heat from the fire in

the bomb bay to rise into the cockpit,

and although there was no fire around me

the heat was becoming unbearable. The

paint on the instrument panel was already

blistering, and I thought it was all over,

for sure.

When the aircraft reached a vertical nose-

up attitude, all power stopped abruptly. The

plane started falling tail first. Then it

exploded – violently.

Approximately two-and-one-half minutes

had elapsed since we were hit by the burst of

anti-aircraft fire. It was generally agreed that

a B-17 would explode in about 40 seconds

after being on fire.

I lost consciousness from the concussion

but had the sensation of being ejected out the

right side of the cockpit and remember

feeling the intense cold.

After falling about two miles, I came to

my senses. My immediate concern was

the condition of my parachute; I anticipated

that it might have caught fire or been

damaged in the explosion. Reaching around

to examine the backpack, I was greatly

relieved that although my leather jacket

and flight suit were badly torn, the chute

seemed to be intact. There was a light

coating of ice on me, no doubt caused by

the sudden change from the intense heat

to the minus 50 degrees below 0 outside.

The layer of ice began to fly off in the

wind my fast fall was generating. I was

bleeding from several cuts and could hear

absolutely nothing.

Some people have the misconception a

person falling from great heights would “be

dead before hitting the ground.” The

sensation of falling lasts only during

the time a body is accelerating. After that

it is a feeling of being supported by a strong

rush of air. I had missed that initial feeling

of falling because of my momentary loss

of consciousness. ➤

457th BG aircraft parked at Glatton,now Peterborough/Connington airport.US Air Force

Two 457th BG aircraft, Paper Doll and Hamtramack Mamma,at the moment ofbomb drop.US Air Force

I was falling “like a log” – on my back,

without spinning or tumbling – and, looking

about, I could see both the east and west

coasts of Denmark on my left and the Zeider

Zee and Friesian Islands in Holland

stretching out to the western horizon on my

right. Because the plane had no forward

motion when it exploded, the debris was

falling with and around me.

The entire tail-section of the plane was

tumbling slowly, due to its comparative light

weight for its size, about a mile higher. The

bright yellow eight-man life raft had inflated

and was floating down another half a mile

above the tail-section.

Directly above was the left wing, with both

engines and the bomb bay still attached to it.

The bombs, which had not been armed, were

still in the bomb bay. They were completely

exposed and formed a pivot around which the

wing was spinning quite rapidly, much like a

maple seed spiraling down on its own wing.

The control cables, with the bell cranks

still attached, were whirling around outside

the 200-foot circle transcribed by the wing

and would have created another obstacle for

my parachute if I opened it. There were also

other pieces of the plane that could damage

the chute if it was open. The main part of the

right wing was falling about a half mile away,

still burning, and leaving a long trail of oily,

dark smoke.

Remembering we had been briefed that

the cloud layer over the coast was at about

2000ft, I decided to roll over and look at it, to

help judge my altitude and determine how

much time I had remaining to safely open my

chute. Up to this point, I had had nearly

complete control, but in turning over there

was some unpleasant tumbling and I had

difficulty breathing in the wind rushing past.

I was, however, able to see the cloud layer

and felt I would have a little more time to give

the spinning wing a chance to drift off to one

side or the other so my parachute could pass

through without becoming entangled in the

control cables or other debris.

Somehow, I had managed to monitor the

time but had mistakenly calculated my time

to reach the ground at about two-and-a-half

minutes although it actually took less than

two minutes. The wing was at this time less

than 200ft above me when, suddenly, I passed

through the cloud layer and could see tree

branches and a dark brown landscape. I

pulled the ripcord with the feeling it was too

late, but it functioned perfectly and I struck

the ground almost immediately.

The parachute was a backpack that I had

worn all the time in the plane. It had a 28-foot

canopy, in contrast to a chest type that had to

be buckled on when needed and was only

24ft in diameter. The extra width of my chute,

no doubt, saved my life by slowing me down

quickly so close to the ground.

Although it was instantaneous, I felt the

sequence of events as I hit the ground feet

first with tremendous force. My shoulders

struck my knees, dislocating both shoulders.

My face hit the ground, causing a severe and

permanent neck injury, while the jolt of the

impact did considerable damage to all my

joints and caused some internal injuries.

The wing with the bomb bay still attached

landed some 200ft away and was burning

quite intensely as fuel drained down out of the

wing, which was tilted at an angle against

some trees. Other debris was still falling into

the three-acre clearing in a wood where trees

had been cut and left lying on the ground.

The tail section of the plane floated down with

an oscillating motion and landed in the upper

parts of some pine trees several minutes later.

Usually when a large plane exploded, the

debris would be scattered over a five to six-

mile path on the ground, due to the forward

momentum of the plane and its contents. In my

case, the plane had no forward speed as it was

falling tail first when it disintegrated, causing

the parts of the plane, me and the body of

Howard Lang, the engineer, to land in a small

area. Had I successfully opened the chute at a

few thousand feet, it would have carried me

perhaps miles away from the crash site.

The impact stunned me for a time, but the

heat from the fire and the realisation the

bombs could go off when they got hot enough

motivated me to begin the painful process of

getting out of the parachute harness with two

dislocated shoulders. My back pained me so

much I believed it was broken, but it was due

to damage to several vertebrate. Somehow, I

crawled out and was sliding and rolling

toward a little wood road nearby, when I saw a

body lying face down in a small space

between parts of the wreckage. It was Lang.

He had not opened his parachute, possibly

due to injuries from shrapnel or not having


‘Flak Dodger’ of the 457th, this aircraft was to survive the war so is well named.US Air Force

43-37694,‘Patty Ann’of the 457th BG en-route to target.US Air Force

cleared the plane when it exploded.

After identifying him, I continued my

awkward travel away from the burning aircraft,

and upon reaching the little wood road

completely exhausted, I used my feet to push

myself across the roadway into a shallow ditch

on the other side. The intense pain triggered

my memory enough that I realised there was

morphine in my survival kit. With difficulty, I

opened the surret and gave myself a shot. The

bombs went off perhaps 10 minutes later,

uprooting and knocking over trees. I was

unable to breathe for a time, because the blast

created tremendous pressure followed by a

vacuum as it pushed and rolled me through

the underbrush. I experienced excruciating

pain in my lungs and stomach. When air

rushed back into the vacuum, it dragged me

back through the underbrush but, thankfully,

enabled me to breath again.

As I slowly recovered from this second

explosion of the day, my hearing returned in

my right ear, although I was experiencing a

severe headache and considerable distress

from my other injuries. Two boys, about 16

years of age, were making their way toward

me, one with black hair and the other blond.

The blond boy reached me first and tried to

shake hands with me. By this time my

shoulders, elbows and knees were badly

swollen and very painful. Shaking hands was

not what I needed at that time.

“I’m a Dutchman,” he said in fair English.

I knew we were not in Holland, but I asked

him anyway, “Is this Holland?” The black-

haired boy, probably a member of the Hitler

Youth, answered arrogantly, “Nein! das ist

Deutschland!”

On a hill about three-quarters of a mile away,

was a hospital, a convalescent home for burn

victims fromHamburg. There was an inspection

party there that day, and some of them had

watched the pieces of the airplane falling into

the wood through the overcast. They had not

seen my parachute as it had opened at tree-top

level, and from experience they had learned

not to approach shot-down bombers until the

bombs had exploded or until they were fairly

certain there were no bombs aboard.

A tall, very homely man in some type of

uniform, probably Home Guard, approached

me down the old wood road, slowing down as

he struggled to get a large pistol out of its

holster. He held the gun ahead of him and

came up very close to me until the barrel of

the gun was in my face. The man was shaking,

obviously quite frightened, and I expected he

would pull the trigger either by accident or by

intention. “Pistol! Pistol!” he shouted with a

trembling chin. I rarely carried my .45 and

also advised my crew not to do so. If one crew

member shot either a civilian or one of the

military it would mean the death sentence for

the rest of us. When he was satisfied I was

unarmed, he uncocked his gun.

A party of about 20 people started down

the hill after the bombs went off. The first

people to reach me called me names and

yanked me to a sitting position in the road,

kicked me repeatedly and when they had

knocked me over, stomped on me. Some of

them shouted with sarcasm and anger,

“Liberator! Terrorflieger! Gangster bastard!”

while others kept asking, “Anglis? Anglis?” A

woman pushing her bike close by said, “Don’t

tell them you are English, even if you are, or

they will hang you.” An old man with a long

club struck me in the nose just as some of the

military arrived and drove off the civilians at

gunpoint. I do not remember the trip up the

hill because of the hard blow to the nose, but I

do remember my arrival there.➤

Boeing B-17 77

457th BG aircraft in tightformation.US Air Force

Another survivor of the war, 43-3773,‘Ace of Hearts’, dropping bombs on the targetat Ludwigshafen on 1 February 1945 US Air Force

The Burgomeister punched me in the face

and rifled my pockets as they searched me.

They left me in the switchboard office, sitting

on the floor where four or five girls were

working while the guards looked in at me

through the open door every few minutes.

They could see I wasn’t up to escaping!

One girl cleaned the blood from my face,

and another one gave me tea. She hid the cup

in a drawer when an officer came in to return

my billfold and rosary, which the

Burgomeister had taken. Two medics finally

put my shoulders back in place after a

struggle and excruciating pain. They put a

tight band around my upper arms to hold the

shoulders in place.

Finally, after I got them to understand

what I needed, two guards took me to a

bathroom, where I required assistance

because of my painful shoulders. It was then I

discovered my hard landing had caused a

rectal prolapse, a rather bloody sight that

sent one of the guards scurrying away to get

the medics again. Another, more painful,

procedure took place while the guards, both

very young, looked on wide eyed as the two

medics struggled with the biggest case of

haemorrhoids they had ever seen. I don’t

really think they tried to be unnecessarily

harsh, but it was not a thing I would ever

want to go through again.

This was followed by a perfunctory

interrogation by an officer who explained

how we were shot down by a new gun

battery that monitored the emissions from

our radar and synchronized the guns to lock

on to a lead plane and fire when the range

was optimal. The lead plane showed up as a

clear blip on the radar screen. Now I knew

why lead pilots drew straws or flipped a card

to see who would lead the next day’s mission.

How I wished there were a way to let

them know about this new system. A

telephone call back to England would have

saved lives, but I didn’t have the dime – or

pfennig, whatever they used. We knew they

could read our radar emissions, but it was

news to me that they had been able to tie into

the aiming and firing of the guns.

They told me my crew members had

come down about 20 miles away and would

be brought to the hospital. They arrived

there in a large open car at about dusk. They

had been captured by farmers, one of whom

had two sons in a prison camp in the United

States, so they were well treated and not

badly injured. We were all taken to a jail

several miles away on a flat-bed truck. None

of us felt welcome at that hospital that cared

for the burn victims of our target for the day.

I knew Lang was dead, and an officer told

me the tail gunner’s body (Sgt. Judson) had

been removed from the tail section, which had

landed in the treetops several minutes after

the main part of the wreckage had come

down. He had apparently been killed by

shrapnel. The fate of Lt. Plestine, the

navigator, was unclear, but one of the guards

later asked me if he was the one with “the

ring,” saying he had been killed. Plestine had

always worn a Jewish ring, in spite of repeated

warnings as to what might happen if he were

captured. Later comments by guards led me to

believe he was killed by civilians a few miles

from the crash site. In my case, had the

military not intervened, I’m certain I wouldn’t

have survived the worst beating of my life.

My condition left me too weak that

evening to give my crew a “pep talk” on

surviving what lay ahead of them. Some of

them had been with me for nearly a year, and

I had love and admiration for all of them. I

fervently wished their fate could have been

avoided and their families spared the anguish

they were about to experience.

Nevertheless, all who survived the

shooting down also survived the prison

camps, even though the enlisted men worked

under inhumane conditions and endured a

long march in winter under much worse

conditions than the rest of us.

It was very difficult for me to climb up

onto the flat-bed truck they were using to

transport us. My back, right knee and

swollen joints restricted my movements, but

the guards provided incentives. Two armed

guards rode with us while a third sat up front

with the driver. There were no sideboards on

the truck and just a light layer of old straw

that did little more for us than blow into our

faces. We wondered how the driver kept the

old truck on the road in the darkness without

lights of any kind. After about a half hour, we

arrived at a local jail – a dimly lit two-story

building where they separated us, with much

guttural shouting and shoving in the dark.

My room, on the second floor, was about six

feet by nine, with a high ceiling and no

furniture. There was a platform on one side for

a bunk that had no mattress, only a thin, ragged

blanket. Near the ceiling was a small window.

The door had a peephole so the guards could

check on the occupant. An electric heater was

attached to a wall. A pail was placed near the

door, completing the facilities.

I lay on the bunk, shivering, until the heater

came on and stayed on for about 20 minutes,

making the small room uncomfortably hot.

Then it clicked off, and soon it was very cold

again. This went on all night while I took an

assessment of my condition.

My nose was so badly smashed from the

old man’s club that I couldn’t breathe except

through my mouth, a painful process because

I wasn’t used to it, and my throat was raw due

to breathing in some of the superheated air in

the plane just before the explosion.

All my joints were swollen and my back

gave me no relief regardless of any position I

tried to assume. With my painful shoulders

and neck, it was impossible to sleep. The on-

and-off heat seemed to be a contrived means

of adding to discomfort and worried me that it

might cause pneumonia. While the heater was

on, I tried to keep on top of the blanket, and

when it began to get cold again I tried to keep

it on top of me. A pillow of some kind would

have helped position my neck better, but there

would be no pillow for me for many months. ■

Extracted from:Ready or Not into the Wild BlueThe Aviation Career of a B-17 Pilot, 457thBomb Group 8th AAF by J. Francis AngierMajor (Ret.)


The 457th on their 200th mission to Chemitz,Germany on 2 March 1945 US Air Force

Two 457th BG B-17Gs.US Air Force

‘Nine O’Nine’ the Collings Foundation B-17Gshowing how much the nose armament improved inthe G model of the Flying Fortress.The cheek gunmounts were improved and the Bendix chin turretwas added with a remote sight mounted for use bythe bombardier.This aircraft is #44-83575, she wassold in January 1986 to the current owners, theCollings Foundation,and is seen here in companywith the Foundation’s Consolidated B-24Liberator. Frank B Mormillo

At the end of March 1944, an

American detachment from

RAF Harrington, the main base

for Operation Carpetbagger

tasked with flying OSS agents

and supplies to Occupied Europe, arrived at

RAF Leuchars in Scotland for Operation

Sonnie. This involved disguising its US

Army Air Force (USAAF) B-24s as civil

aircraft with their crews wearing airline

uniforms to fly to Stockholm’s Bromma

airport. Their mission was to bring back

several hundred American engineers

working with Swedish industry, including the

SAAB aero works, and Norwegian aircrew

trainees who had made their way to neutral

Sweden. The Liberators joined the BOAC

Lodestars and Mosquitos running the

gauntlet of Luftwaffe fighters based in

Norway to fly this dangerous route in

daylight, without loss.


When damaged USAAF B-17 were forced to land in neutral Sweden, the bombers were interned for theduration. That was until some of them were ‘sold’ for $1 each and pressed into a vital airline service.

Felix FortressesThe diplomatic negotiations between

Sweden and the United States that brought

about the clearances for Operation Sonnie,

also paved the way for Operation Felix, the

replacement of ABA Swedish Airlines DC-3s on

the ‘Ball-Bearing’ run with American Boeing

B-17 bombers. The ‘Ball-Bearing’ run was a

vital supply line from Swedish manufacturers

to the British armaments industry flown under

the noses of the Germans.

During the war Sweden maintained strict

neutrality. That declaration allowed the nation

to become a refuge for the crews of damaged

aircraft from both sides, including more than

1,400 Americans. By the rules of Sweden's

neutrality, the planes and their crews were

interned. Early in the war this was not a

problem as Allied and German personnel were

generally returned on a one-for-one basis, but

as the war progressed, a far greater number of

Allied planes and crews ended up in Sweden,

and they were forced to remain there. A total

of 131 B-24s and B-17s landed or crashed in

Sweden between July 1943 and May 1945. Of

these, Bulltofta airfield in Malmo received no

less than 33 B-24s and 29 B-17s.

Along with this growing population of Allied

airmen that could not be repatriated, Sweden

had another problem. Swedish airline AB

Aerotransport (ABA) had lost two of its five

DC-3s to Luftwaffe fighters while flying the

dangerous route between Sweden and Scotland.

The airline needed to replace those lost planes,

preferably with long-range planes that could

fly the safer route over northern Norway.

Carl Florman, the chief executive of ABA,

held a luncheon for high ranking British and

US military personnel where he presented

his plan to convert USAAF B-17s that had

made emergency landings in Neutral

Sweden, for high-speed courier operations. It

was not until Colonel Felix M Hardison took

over the position as US Air Attaché in

Stockholm in early 1944, that Florman’s

proposition began to be taken seriously.

A new Swedish airline, Swedish

Intercontinental Airlines (SILA) had been

founded in 1943 by private investors in close

co-operation with the state-owned ABA, to

take over the long-range overseas routes

from ABA that would concentrate on its

short-range routes in continental Europe. A

deal whereby interned USAAF aircrew would

be released in exchange for 10 B-17s free of

charge, became known as Operation Felix.

Two B-17Fs and five B-17Gs were

transferred to SAAB Aerospace for

conversion into civil aircraft at its Linköping

facility, the three additional interned B-17Fs

were cannibalized for spare parts.

One of these converted bombers was the

former A Good Ship & Happy Ship, whosecrew was able to guide the damaged plane to

a safe landing in Sweden.

As part of the campaign to pave the way

for the allied invasion of Europe, the USAAF

made its long-anticipated strike on Berlin

March 6 1944. It was the first massive

daylight raid on the capital of Hitler's Reich;

as was predicted, the Luftwaffe rose up in

force, resulting in heavy losses for both sides.

One of the planes that did not return that day

was the USAAF 388th BG/562 BS Boeing B-

17G Flying Fortress 42-31240 named A GoodShip & Happy Ship. After being hit by anti-

aircraft fire and dropping out of formation,

the crew realised that their lone damaged B-

17 would not have a chance of making it back

to England. Their only hope was to turn

north and make for neutral Sweden. It was

the last mission for A Good Ship & HappyShip, but it would not be its final flight.

An AB Aerotransport (ABA)/ Swedish Intercontinental Airlines (SILA) Boeing B-17-FFelix.Boeing

Several interned USAAF aircrews were

recruited to form a salvage team who would

play a vital part in getting Operation Felix off

the ground. This is one their stories. “On

about July 1 1944, I was summoned to the

American Legation in Stockholm to meet

with Colonel Hardison. I had been

‘volunteered’, along with some other pilots

to form a maintenance unit to recover,

repair and fly interned aircraft to a storage

site in Sweden. On 20 and 21 June, 24 B-17s

and B-24s had landed at Bulltofta airfield at

Malmo. Ten aircraft had previously landed

there, and were in process of repair by a

small contingent of one officer and nine

enlisted men.

The airfield was a mess. Airplanes

were scattered all over the small field,

some had belly landed, others had landed on

one gear, two had crashed head on into a

sheer bluff, one had smashed its right wing

into a building, and another had gone over

an embankment, and nosed down into a

police pistol range. Others were erect, on

three wheels.

We had no special tools or maintenance

equipment at the start, but with the

assistance of the Swedish fighter unit and

ABA airline facility, we were able begin work.

A Major Joe Filkins arrived from the UK

on 19 June on an inspection trip, and

remained to oversee our operation, and was

successful in obtaining Kennedy type

toolboxes, and special tools from the UK.

Later, he was successful in getting a Jeep and

trailer. We had an operation going!

We looked at every airplane to determine

if they could be repaired, if not, they would be

used for salvageable parts and scrapped.➤

Boeing B-17 81

ABA/SILA B-17-F SE-BAK named Jim, theformer 42-30661 Veni Vidi Vici.Saab

SE-BAH, named Sam at Linköping was the only ABA/SILA B-17 Felix lost in an aircrash.Boeing

B-17G-40-BO serial 42-77155 became SE-BAO,named Bob.

Most of these airplanes had landed in

southern Sweden, in places other than

Malmo. It was necessary to send teams to

these locations to retrieve them. One B-17

had belly-landed in a peat bog, the team even

laid a short narrow-gauge railroad to salvage

the parts.

The most complex repair accomplishment

was on my own B-17G 42-39994. We replaced

the entire left wing and landing gear, with

parts from another aircraft.”

Before they entered ABA/SILA service,

SAAB engineers removed all military

equipment. The front gunner’s turret was

extended to accommodate the navigator’s

cabin and a Honeywell autopilot was installed

in the cockpit.


Looking forward to the cockpit of a B-17being modified for passenger serviceby Saab.

The only surviving B-17-F Felix hasbeen restored to its original USAAFidentity and displayed at the USAFat Dayton,Ohio.USAF Museum

The well appointed passenger cabin of an ABA/SILA B-17Felix could accommodate up to 14 passengers.Saab

Boeing B-17 83

The Felix had three freight compartments:

Nose 400kg, between cockpit and navigation

compartment 4000kg and one in the tail. The

forward passenger compartment had six

transverse seats, the rear five forward facing

on the left side and three on the right side. In

the toilet compartment the tail wheel

mechanism blocked the toilet when the wheel

was retracted. So mostly it wasn't. Bomb bays

were transformed into cargo and baggage

compartments and an internal elevator was

installed to lift payloads from the ground. The

rear fuselage contained two passenger cabins

with limited space for the accommodation of a

maximum of 14 passengers. Although no

parachutes were available for passengers,

large life rafts were carried on board for a

possible ditching in the North Sea.

Compared to the DC-3, the civil B-17 could

fly much further and higher. Its maximum

range of over 2000 miles allowed a northern

routing around the dangerous Skagerrak

region to Scotland to be taken. The Felix

flights crossed Occupied Norwegian territory

north of the city of Trondheim in less guarded

airspace. As a precaution the rear gunner’s

position was retained as a lookout for enemy

aircraft although the twin .50 machine guns

were not. The first converted B-17F, SE-BAH

named Sam, left Stockholm-Bromma airport

on 9 October 1944, bound for Scotland’s

Prestwick airport near Glasgow. However,

there was no happy ending for A Good &Happy Ship. Saab delivered the converted B-

17F SE-BAM to ABA/SILA onMay 6, 1944,

and it was given the new name Tom.

Tragically, after 1117 hours of service, the

plane and its crew of six were lost on 4

SWEDISH BOEING B-17S

These 10 aircraft landed in Sweden

during World War Two and were

interned with their crews. Seven were

rebuilt by Saab in Linköping,while

three were used as spares.

B-17F-35-DL serial 42-3217 Georgia

Baby. Belly-landed at Årjäng 24 July

1943.Spares.

B-17F-75-DL serial 42-3543 SackTime Suzy.

Emergency-landing at Bulltofta 9

October 1943.Civil reg.SE-BAH,named

Sam.

B-17F-25-VE serial 42-5827 Lakanuki.

Belly-landing at Skegrie in Trellborg 5

January 1944. Spares.

B-17F-115-BO serial 42-30661 Veni Vidi

Vici. Belly-landed at Gälltofta near

Rinkaby 24 February 1944.Civil reg. SE-

BAK, named Jim.

B-17G-5-BO serial 42-31163 A Good &

Happy Ship. Belly-landing at Rinkaby

March 6 1944.Civil reg. SE-BAM

named Tom.W/O 4 December 1945.

B-17G-10-VE serial 42-40006 Liberty

Lady. Belly-landed at Mästermyr,

Gotland 6 March 1944.Burnt by the

crew.Spares

B-17G-40-BO serial 42-77155. Belly-

landed at Bulltofta April 11 1944.Civil

reg. SE-BAO,named Bob.

B-17G-35-DL serial 42-107067. Belly-

landed at Bulltofta April 11 1944,Civil

reg. SE-BAR. Sold to Det Danske

Luftfartselskab A/S (DDL) in 1945.Civil

reg.OY-DFE, named TrymViking.

B-17G-35-BO serial 42-32076 Shoo

Shoo Shoo Baby. Belly-landed at

Bulltofta May 29 1944,Civil reg. SE-BAP,

In December 1945 sold to DDL.Civil

reg.OY-DFA named Stig Viking.

Transferred in March 1948 to the

Danish Army Air Corps, serial 672

named Store Bjørn, and in December

1949, to the Danish Navy. From

October 1952 the Danish Air Force

used as a transport with ESK-721 finally

retiring it a year later.After two years in

storage, sold to the Institut

Géographique National, a French

aerial mapping company based in

Creil outside Paris, and flew under the

civilian registry F-BGSP, now restored in

the USAF Museum at Dayton,Ohio.

B-17G-20-BO serial 42-31490. Belly-

landed at Bulltofta 21 June 1944.Civil

reg. SE-BAN named Ted.

December 1945 when it crashed near Vreta en

route from Gothenburg to Stockholm.

However, on 27 June 1945, barely two

months after the fall of Germany, ABA had

inaugurated their transatlantic service to

New York from Stockholm employing the

refitted B-17 Felixes.

The Felixes continued to serve the

airlines until 1948, when the last one was

retired. The Danish airline Det Danske

Luftfartselskab A/S bought two B-17s from

Sweden in 1945, one of which was given the

Danish civil register OY-DFA and named StigViking. It was subsequently transferred in

March 1948 to the Danish Army Air Corps,

given the serial 672 and named Store Bjørn,before being transferred to the Danish Navy

in December 1949 before being used by the

Danish Air Force as a transport aircraft with

ESK-721 from October 1952. It was finally

retired from military service a year later.

After two years in storage the B-17 was sold

to the Institut Géographique National, a

French aerial mapping company based in

Creil outside Paris, and flew under the

civilian register F-BGSP.

In 1968 Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby was foundabandoned in France, and the French

government presented the B-17 to the US Air

Force. In July 1978 the 512th Military Airlift

Wing moved it to Dover Air Force Base,

Delaware, for restoration by the volunteers of

the 512th Antique Restoration Group. After a

10-year restoration to flying condition, the

aircraft was flown to the US Air Force

Museum at Dayton, Ohio in October 1988

where it remains on public view, the last

surviving B-17-F Felix. ■ Words: David Oliver

An ABA/SILA B-17Felix taxying at

Linköping after itsconversion to anairliner.Boeing

A 1945 ABA/SILA flight schedule showinga Boeing B-17-F amonst its fleet.Saab

In order to meet a perceived

‘continental threat’, the British

military developed the idea to site an

RAF bomber base near Mildenhall in

the late 1920s. Shortly thereafter, the

government purchased the land in 1929,

followed by the completion of the first

buildings in 1931. Three years later, RAF

Mildenhall opened on 16 October 1934, as

one of the RAF’s largest bomber stations.

For the duration of the war, except for a

brief period to have concrete runways laid in

1943, RAF Mildenhall was involved in most of

RAF Bomber Command’s numerous

offensives against Germany. The base

withstood several attacks by the German

Luftwaffe, but was never put out of

commission (typically, the base’s downtime

after an attack lasted until personnel could fill

in the damage to the runways). In addition to

its own airfield, the base held responsibility

for satellite airfields at Newmarket,

Tuddenham, and Lakenheath.

Immediately after the war, Mildenhall

participated in humanitarian missions, flying

home repatriated prisoners of war, and

dropping relief supplies to the Dutch people

stranded by the flooding caused by the

retreating German Army. By the end of

1945, Mildenhall operational activity

experienced a drastic decrease, and despite a

brief flurry of flying activity in the late 1940s,

the RAF reduced the base to ‘care and

maintenance’ status.

On 12 July 1950, the 93d Bomb Group

arrived at RAF Mildenhall and began

operations. Shortly afterwards, 7 Feb 1951,

the 509th Bomb Wing arrived at Mildenhall,

replacing the 93d Bomb Group. SAC

established the 7th Air Division Headquarters

at Mildenhall. From 1954 through 1958, US

politics influenced USAF activities within the

United Kingdom, fostering a period of force

reduction and modernization. Gradually, the

number of Air Force personnel decreased,

and SAC departed RAF Mildenhall in late

1958, as its runway no longer met the

requirements for its newer aircraft. On 17 July

1959, SAC and USAFE reached an agreement

facilitating and substantially increasing Third

Air Force’s role in making operational

decisions regarding the US Air Force units in

the UK. In late 1959, RAF Mildenhall became

the home for the Military Air Transports

Service (later Military Airlift Command) Air

Passenger Terminal for the United Kingdom,

with the 7513th Air Base Group providing

service to the terminal.


Still at home in CambridgeshireAs mentioned in the Thorpe Abbotts article, the 100th Bomb Group was one of the most famousamong the 8th Air Force Heavy Bombardment units based in the UK. Today, they are still here, witha change of role, but still proudly wearing the Box-D on their aircraft, the only US Air Force unitallowed to still carry their World War Two insignia. Many thanks to Karen Brown and the 100 ARWPublic Affairs Office for the following…..

100 Air Refuelling Wing

Senior Airman Ian Metz, 100thAircraft Maintenance Squadron,checks control surfaces on a KC-135 from the aircraft’s flight deckduring Loyal Arrow 2009 in Lulea,Sweden.Maintainers spend severalhours before and after each flightmaking sure the jet is ready.Notethe heritage nose art.US Air Force/Staff Sgt Austin M May

Six KC-135 Stratotankers move on the taxiway as part of a training mission tovalidate maintenance and operational capabilities.The training missiondemonstrated Team Mildenhall’s quick response capability as the only Air Forcerefuelling wing in Europe.Photo by Staff Sergeant Jeanette Copeland

The ground crew engineers are stilljust as vital.A KC-135 Stratotankerundergoes an isochronal inspectionat Royal Air Force Mildenhall,England.US Air Force/Airman 1stClass Franklin J Perkins

In late 1965, Mildenhall welcomed the

arrival of the Silk Purse Control Group and

the 7120th Airborne Command and Control

Squadron (7120 ACCS), previously stationed

at Chateauroux Air Station, France. Upon its

arrival at Mildenhall, the 7120 ACCS

converted from C-118s to EC-135s. On 8 June

1966, the base received yet another unit, the

513th Troop Carrier Wing (513 TCW), which

relocated from Evreaux-Fauville Air Base,

France. With its activation on Mildenhall, the

513 TCW assumed operational control of two

Military Airlift Command rotational C-130

squadrons and the 7120 ACCS. Two years

after its arrival, the Air Force redesignated

the 513 TCW the 513th Tactical Airlift Wing

(513 TAW) with no change in its mission.

The next significant event in Mildenhall

history came with the arrival of Detachment

4, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, which

controlled rotational SR-71 and U-2R aircraft

from the base. Four years after they began

rotational duty at Mildenhall, the base

became a permanent station for the SR-71 in

January 1983. From its arrival until the

departure of the last SR-71 on 18 January

1990, the aircraft came to symbolize RAF

Mildenhall in the local publics’ eye.

On 18 June 1987, HQ USAFE

redesignated the 513 TAW as the 513th

Airborne Command and Control Wing (513

ACCW). Nearly five years later, during the

Air Force’s transition to the objective wing

structure, the Air Force inactivated the 513

ACCW on 31 Jan 1992, and activated the

100th Air Refuelling Wing in its place on 1

February 1992. The activation of the 100

ARW at RAF Mildenhall saw the return of the

unit to the country in which it built its war

fighting heritage and legacy. ➤

Boeing B-17 85

100th Bomb Group B-17G over its target.The 100th Bomb Group was one of themost famous units of the 8th Air Force during the World War Two and became the100th Air Refuelling Wing (ARW).Note the Box D on the tail, still carried by the unitsaircraft today.US Air Force

A Royal Danish Air Force F-16 FightingFalcon receives fuel Chief Master Sgt.Christopher Powell, 100th OperationsGroup boom operator, commands theoperation.The Danish F-16 was one of30 performing their semi-annual aerialrefuelling training.US Air Force/TechSgt Kevin Wallace

A KC-135 Stratotanker sits on a hardstand at RAF Fairford.The tanker was deployedfrom Royal Air Force Mildenhall while the runway there was closed for repaving.US Air Force/Airman 1st Class Franklin J Perkins

A KC-135 Stratotanker conducts air-to-air refuelling with a MC-130 Hercules cargoplane from the 352nd Special Operations Group,both from RAF Mildenhall, insupport of a rescue mission involving a critically injured crewman on a cargovessel off the coast of Ireland.The KC-135 provided 42,000lb of fuel for the mission.US Air Force/Master Sgt Charles Tubbs

100 AIR REFUELLINGWINGThe 100th Air Refuelling Wing (ARW) is a

large, diverse organization which conducts

air refuelling and combat support operations

throughout the European and African areas

of responsibility. Located at RAF Mildenhall

in the United Kingdom, the wing directs

reception and mobilizes for contingency

operations. The 100th ARW refuels US and

partner nation military aircraft over a span of

more than 20 million square miles using its

15 assigned KC-135 Stratotankers. The wing

further supports more than 10,000 military,

civilian, dependent and retiree personnel,

including 3rd Air Force and four associated

partner units. The 100th ARW is organized

into three groups.

100th Operations Group: The 100th

Operations Group provides critical air

refuelling capabilities to Air Combat

Command (ACC), Air Force Special

Operations Command (AFSOC), Air Mobility

Command (AMC), United States Air Forces in

Europe (USAFE), and North Atlantic Treaty

Organization (NATO) allies. The group’s two

squadrons conduct operations throughout

Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia using 15

assigned KC-135R aircraft and successfully

integrate deployed KC-135/KC-10 aircraft

supporting peacetime, contingency and Single

Integrated Operations Plan (SIOP) missions.

The 100th Operations Support Squadron

provides full spectrum, critical operational

support to include mission planning, flight

scheduling, intelligence, combat crew

communications, survival training, weather,

airfield operations, air traffic control, life

support supervision, flight records

management and flight data analysis.

The 351st Air Refuelling Squadron

provides 27 KC-135 aircrews and employs 15

aircraft for training, operational air refuelling,

aeromedical evacuation, and airlift missions

for US and NATO fighter, bomber, support,

and reconnaissance aircraft in the airspace

over the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Africa and

Southwest Asia.

100th Maintenance Group: The 100th

Maintenance Group is accountable for a full

spectrum of aircraft and equipment

maintenance, ensuring readiness of refuelling

operations, tactical airlift, special operations,

and strategic reconnaissance throughout

Europe and Southwest Asia. It also supports

ACC, AFSOC, AMC, and USAFE aircraft

maintenance efforts and manages the

regional repair centre for all C-135 aircraft

deployed to Europe and Southwest Asia. The

group is comprised of three squadrons.

The 100th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

manages and performs on-site maintenance

to 15 KC-135R aircraft, including launch,

recovery, special inspections, service,

troubleshooting and component replacement.

It also supports air refuelling by providing

maintenance recovery teams for all KC-135

aircraft operating within Atlantic, European

and Southwest Asian theatres.

The 100th Maintenance Operations

Squadron is responsible for coordinating and

monitoring the overall maintenance

production effort, ancillary training, plans

and scheduling, analysis and assessing health

of the fleet (HOF) to effectively execute

flying programme for 15 KC-135s valued at

$930-million. To accomplish this, it manages

$8.6-million in fiscal programmes, facilities,

and deployments as well as oversees base

test, measurement and diagnostic equipment.

The 100th Maintenance Squadron performs

aircraft, component and ground maintenance

support of assigned ACC, AFSOC, AMC,

USAFE and transient aircraft. The squadron

also maintains combat readiness and deploys

personnel and equipment in support of NATO,

USEUCOM and USSOCOM operations

throughout Europe and Africa.

100th Mission Support Group: The 100th

Mission Support Group consists of five

squadrons that support the host flying wing,

3rd AF, and partner and geographically

separated units assigned to several

commands. The group ensures the capability

of the base to deploy, receive, employ and

sustain Air Expeditionary Forces during

wartime operations and disaster situations

and provides base support and quality-of-life

facilities, materials and services to assigned

members, their families and retirees.

The 100th Civil Engineer Squadron

supports diverse RAF Mildenhall missions

for personnel from ACC, AFSOC, AMC, and


Tech Sgt Al Pelletier, 351st Air Refuelling Squadron boom operator, transfers fuelfrom a 100th Air Refuelling Wing to an F-15E from the 48th Fighter Wing, RAFLakenheath.US Air Force/Staff Sgt Austin M May

Finnish F-18 Hornets refuel from a 100th Air Refuelling Wing KC-135.US Air Force/Staff Sgt Austin M May

Airman 1st Class Joshua Modlin,100thSecurity Forces Squadron,stands guardover Air Force One in the pre-dawn hours.US Air Force/Staff Sgt Austin M May

An F-15D Eagle moves behind a KC-135Stratotanker for aerial refuelling insupport of the Icelandic Air Policingmission.US Air Force/Maj Andrew Rose

USAFE. It manages 330 personnel and a

$31.2-million annual budget to sustain real

property, environmental, fire protection and

disaster preparedness. The squadron is also

responsible for $1.8-billion physical plant

comprising of 1123 acres, 1138 facilities, and

101 housing units and maintains 24 mobility

teams totalling 149 personnel for 24-hour

response to emergencies.

The 100th Communications Squadron

provides management, operation and

maintenance of communications-computer

systems, air traffic control, landing systems,

visual information and information

management services, and postal services for

the 100th ARW, 3rd AF, 501st Combat Support

Wing, ACC, AMC, AFSOC and USAFE. It also

provides connectivity to the USEUCOM and

National Airborne Command Posts, the NAOC,

and US presidential missions to Europe.

The 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron

provides comprehensive logistics support to

100th ARW and six partner units. It manages

stores, inventories and distributes supply assets

and fuel, as well as operating and maintaining

base vehicles. It also provides passenger travel,

cargo movement and household-goods

shipments and coordinates/directs base

reception/deployment operations. Squadron

members train Unit Deployment Managers

(UDM), deployment work centre personnel,

and equipment managers. They also manage

support agreements andWar Reserve

Materials (WRM).

The 100th Force Support Squadron

provides customer support in

military/civilian personnel services,

transition assistance, readiness/family

support and manpower, and educational

opportunities to active-duty/family members

of USAFE, ACC, AMC, AFSOC, and DoD. It

administers 500+ personnel assigned to 100th

ARW, 3rd AF, 100th MSG, and 501st CSW.

The 100th Force Support Squadron also

provides wartime food service, bed-down,

recreation and mortuary programmes via 88

mission-ready troops supporting AEF,

humanitarian and contingency operations.

100th FSS serves the morale/welfare needs

of more than 10,000 home-station customers

with wide-ranging programmes enhancing

readiness, esprit de corps and quality of life.

It maintains fiscal control of non-appropriated

funds as well as provides Mortuary Affairs

support in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The 100th Security Forces Squadron

defends the 1100-acre air base, hosting

10,000+ personnel, and protects $2-billion in

assigned aircraft. It also maintains 22

deployment tasking codes, totalling a 226-

person mobility commitment with over

$5-million in equipment. The 100th SFS

conducts pre-deployment combat training for

wing AEF personnel. It also administers

critical security programmes, including

military working dog, info/personnel

industrial security, law enforcement and

Antiterrorism/Force Protection. ➤

Boeing B-17 87

BOEING KC-135RSPECIFICATION

Power Plant: CFM International CFM-

56 turbofan engines

Thrust: 21,634lb each engine




Speed: 530mph at 30,000ft (9144m)

Ceiling: 50,000ft (15,240m)

Range: 1500 miles (2419km) with

150,000lb (68,039kg) of transfer fuel;

ferry mission, up to 11,015 miles

(17,766km)

Maximum Takeoff Weight:322,500lb (146,285kg)

Maximum Transfer Fuel Load:200,000lb (90,719kg)

Maximum Cargo Capability:83,000lb (37,648kg), 37 passengers

Crew: Three: pilot, co-pilot and boom

operator. Some KC-135 missions

require the addition of a navigator.The

Air Force has a limited number of

navigator suites that can be installed

for unique missions.

Aeromedical Evacuation Crew: A

basic crew of five (two flight nurses

and three medical technicians) is

added for aeromedical evacuation

missions.Medical crew may be altered

as required by the needs of patients.

A KC-135 from the 100th Air Refuelling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England, refuels apair of F-16 Fighting Falcons from Spangdahlem Air Base,Germany,during amultinational exercise.The 100th ARW Stratotanker fleet bears the ’Box D’ tailmarking,and is the only unit in the US Air Force authorized to display its WorldWar Two tail insignia.US Air Force/Staff Sgt Jerry Fleshman

THE KC-135RThe KC-135 Stratotanker provides the core

aerial refuelling capability for the United States

Air Force and has excelled in this role for more

than 50 years. This unique asset enhances the

Air Force’s capability to accomplish its primary

missions of Global Reach and Global Power. It

also provides aerial refuelling support to Air

Force, Navy andMarine Corps and allied

nation aircraft. The KC-135 is also capable of

transporting litter and ambulatory patients

using patient support pallets during

aeromedical evacuations.

Four turbofans, mounted under 35-degree

swept wings, power the KC-135 to takeoffs at

gross weights up to 322,500lb. Nearly all

internal fuel can be pumped through the

flying boom, the KC-135’s primary fuel

transfer method. A special shuttlecock-

shaped drogue, attached to and trailing

behind the flying boom, may be used to

refuel aircraft fitted with probes. Some

aircraft have been configured with the

Multipoint Refuelling System or MPRS.

MPRS configured aircraft are capable of

refuelling two receiver aircraft

simultaneously from special ’pods’ mounted

on the wingtips. One crew member, known as

the boom operator, is stationed in the rear of

the plane and controls the boom during in-

flight air refuelling. A cargo deck above the

refuelling system can hold a mixed load of


An RAF Mildenhall KC-135 Stratotanker refuels a 352nd Special Operations Group MC-130P Combat Shadow over the Atlantic Ocean.The 352nd Special Operations Groupprovided refuelling support to six CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft on their way back toHurlburt Field, Fla, following their first combat tour.US Air Force/Capt John Sisler

An F-22 Raptor from Elmendorf Air ForceBase,Alaska,approaches the boom ofa 100th Air Refuelling Wing KC-135Stratotanker. Part of a Coronet mission,the tanker took two F-22s halfwayacross the Atlantic Ocean beforehanding them off to another tanker forthe rest of the journey.US AirForce/Staff Sgt Austin M May

passengers and cargo. Depending on fuel

storage configuration, the KC-135 can carry

up to 83,000lb of cargo.

Air Mobility Command manages an

inventory of more than 415 Stratotankers, of

which the Air Force Reserve and Air National

Guard fly 235 in support of AMC’s mission.

The Boeing Company’s model 367-80 was

the basic design for the commercial 707

passenger plane as well as the KC-135A

Stratotanker. In 1954 the Air Force purchased

the first 29 of its future 732-plane fleet. The first

aircraft flew in August 1956 and the initial

production Stratotanker was delivered to Castle

Air Force Base, Calif., in June 1957. The last

KC-135 was delivered to the Air Force in 1965.

Of the original KC-135A’s, more than 415

have been modified with new CFM-56

engines produced by CFM-International. The

re-engined tanker, designated either the KC-

135R or KC-135T, can offload 50 percent

more fuel, is 25 percent more fuel efficient,

costs 25 percent less to operate and is 96

percent quieter than the KC-135A.

The KC-135RT model aircraft continue to

undergo life-cycle upgrades to expand its

capabilities and improve its reliability. Among

these are improved communications,

navigation, auto-pilot and surveillance

equipment to meet future civil air traffic

control needs. ■

Lt Col Brett Pennington,100th OperationsGroup deputy commander,performs apre-flight inspection on a KC-135.US Air Force/Staff Sgt Thomas Trower

A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refuelling Wing sits on theflightline.This aircraft offloaded fuel to nine jets from the 48th FighterWing during its mission.US Air Force/Staff Sgt Thomas Trower

During 1942 and 1943 three

RAF Coastal Command

squadrons used the

Fortress. A Fortress from

No 206 Squadron, flying from

the Azores, sank U-boat U-627 on 27 October

1942, the first of six U-boat kills claimed by

the Squadron and of 11 credited to RAF

Fortresses during the war.

One Fortress IIA aircraft was fitted with a

40mm Vickers S gun in the nose, for use

against any U-boat caught on the

surface. Although the Coastal Command

Fortresses received radar, usually in the

position of the chin or ventral turret, the B-24

Consolidated Liberator was preferred for

night missions using radar against the

German U-Boats. Once sufficient Liberators

became available, the Fortresses were

steadily phased out of anti-submarine

work, instead taking on the equally important

role of meteorological reconnaissance, flying

long and lonely sorties to provide the

weather data essential for the planning of

the bomber offensive. The Fortress

remained in RAF service in limited numbers

throughout the war. By 1945 the Fortress

was being used by two Meteorological

squadrons, one air-sea rescue squadron and

one anti-submarine squadron.

Lastly, in the closing stages of the war,

the B-17 was used by the RAF, very

effectively, as a radar counter measures

aircraft in support of the RAF’s night-time

heavy bomber raids.

It is not widely known, even now, that the

RAF used B-17 Fortresses on what were, at

the time, highly classified radio/radar

counter measures (RCM) night operations

with No 100 (Bomber Support) Group during

the latter stages of the war in Europe. No 100

Group was a special duties group within RAF

Bomber Command. It was formed in

November 1943 to consolidate the

increasingly complex business of electronic

warfare and countermeasures within one

organisation. The Group was responsible for

the development, operational trial and use of

electronic warfare and countermeasures

equipment. Its squadrons were based at RAF

stations in East Anglia, chiefly in Norfolk.

The first RAF squadron to receive the

modified Fortress Mk IIs for these special

duties was No 214 Squadron, which

exchanged its Short Stirlings for the

American Fortresses in January 1944, and

took up residence at RAF Sculthorpe. Here

it was joined by crews from the USAAF

803rd Bomb Squadron, also operating in

the RCM role.


The Boeing B-17After the disappointing entry into RAF service as a bomber, theFortress was passed to Coastal Command and used as a longrange maritime patrol aircraft. Air to Surface Vessel radar wasintroduced, as was some unusual armament. The Fortress was tothen return to Bomber Command, but in a very different role.

‘Fortress’ in RAF ServicePart Two

The standard armament of CoastalCommand Fortresses was the depthcharge for anti-submarine work.Here,armourers of 220 Squadronbased at Benbecual in the OuterHebrides load the bomb bay of aFortress IIA with 250lb version of thisweapon in May 1943.

In April 1944 the 803rd and 214 Squadron

departed for RAF Oulton, leaving Sculthorpe

empty for redevelopment. It took some

weeks to modify 214 Squadron’s Fortresses

with the highly-secret electronic-counter-

measures equipment and for the operators to

become proficient in its use, so RCM ‘ops’ did

not start in earnest until April 1944 by which

time the Squadron was operating from

Sculthorpe. From January 1944 to December

1944, No 214 Squadron operated Boeing B-17

Flying Fortress IIs; from November 1944

these were supplemented by Fortress IIIs (B-

17Gs), which the squadron operated until the

war’s end (and afterwards up to July 1945).

The RAF adopted the B-17 Fortress for

the RCM role because the aircraft’s deep

bomb bay was capable of accommodating the

special electronic countermeasures

equipment. Initially, the Squadron’s aircraft

carried the original ‘JOSTLE’ equipment,

officially T3160, which had become known as

ABC (‘Airborne Cigar’), and which had been

used by 101 Squadron in its special Lancasters,

with an eighth crew man, since 1943. This

equipment consisted of a panoramic receiver

and three transmitters, which enabled the

VHF ground-to-air R/T frequency being used

by the German fighter controllers to be

identified and then jammed.➤

Boeing B-17 91

Based at Benbecula in the OuterHebrides,Boeing Fortress IIA,FK190/J,of 206 Squadron preparesto take off in May 1943.206Squadron were to sink the first U-boat of the 11 claimed by RAFFortresses on 27 October 1942.Thewartime censor has been busy onthis photograph, removing theaerials and ‘stickleback’array of theASV I anti-submarine radar that ranalong the spine of the aircraft,butmissing those on the lower fuselageside, just visible under the wing.

FK185, the second Fortress IIA or B-17E delivered to the RAF was extensively modified.The bomb aimers entire posiiton was moved down into a chin installation to allowthe addition of a Vickers 40mm anti-tank S gun in the centreline of the nose.This gunwas intended for use against submarines and their more often armoured top decksand gun positions encountered by Coastal Command later in the war.

Boeing Fortress IIA, FK212/V,of 220 Squadron based at Benbecula in the OuterHebrides in flight over the Atlantic Ocean in May 1943. FK212 failed to return froma patrol on 14 June 1943.

An additional crew member, the Special

Operator, who was a German-speaker,

operated the equipment and listened in for the

controller’s transmissions. When he was sure

that he was listening to the master controller,

he jammed that frequency and if the Germans

changed frequency he had to find the new

frequency and jam that within seconds.

The Special Operators were volunteers who

were required to have a reasonable command of

the German language. They had to learn certain

code words such as ‘Kapelle’ for target and

‘Karussel’ to fly in orbit. They did not have to

speak to the German night fighters. By this

stage of the war, the jamming signal was an

undulating pitch that served to prevent the

transmission of instructions to the Luftwaffe

night fighters. This ‘jammer’ was extremely

vulnerable to being homed onto by night

fighters and its use was terminated in July 1944.

214 Squadron then began using JOSTLE IV

to jam enemy communications. JOSTLE IV

emitted multi-directional radiations, jamming

the wavelength of the German R/T Fighter

Control frequencies. JOSTLE IV was very

powerful and could blank out a whole spectrum

of VHF frequencies. When it was first being

tested the Fortress involved had to fly almost

to Iceland to avoid blotting out the BBC’s

transmissions! The JOSTLE equipment was

large and heavy (it weighed over 600lb) and

the Fortress was an ideal aircraft to carry it.

The equipment replaced the underside

ball turret fitted to the USAAF B-17s used on

daylight operations, so this was not present

on the RCM Fortresses. Other RCM

equipment carried by these special

Fortresses included MANDREL, a radar

jamming device operating in the 85 to 135

MHz to counter the German’s FREYA early

warning radar, and PIPERJACK for jamming

of the German night fighter’s Airborne

Intercept radar. The aircraft also carried and

dropped WINDOW, now known as ‘chaff’, to

confuse and swamp the enemy radar picture.

The 214 Squadron Fortresses flew just

above themain RAF bomber stream on night

raids or sometimes ahead of the bombers as a

MANDREL screen. The aircraft were painted

black underneath with the standard Bomber

Command brown/green camouflage pattern on

the top surfaces but with a black fin and fin


FA706,a Boeing Fortress II, seen here on the ground at Prestwick,Ayrshire after itsdelivery flight to the UK. it was flown to Boscombe Down,Wiltshire,where tests andinvestigation of the new nose astrodome by the Aeroplane and ArmamentExperimental Establishment (A&AEE) were carried out.This aircraft subsequentlyserved with 220 Squadron and was written off following a ground incident at Lajesin the Azores in August 1944.

Toward the end of the Second World War, the RAF began using the Fortress for meteorological reconnaissance duties over themid-Atlantic and Iceland area.This Fortress IIA, FK197,belongs to 251 (Met) Squadron and was based at Reyjavik, Iceland.

A Fortress II, SR384 BU-A of 214 Squadron photographed on 25 May 1944. Under thecommand of P/O Hockley, the aircraft was to be lost that night.

Boeing Fortress III, HB773, on the ground at Prestwick,Ayrshire on 28 March 1944.Although intended for use by Coastal Command as a GR.III, HB773 never flew withthe RAF,being diverted for service with the 8th US Army Air Force shortly after thispicture was taken.

Boeing B-17 93

strake. The crew of these Fortresses was 10

strong. They flew with a single pilot and a flight

engineer, who occupied the co-pilot’s seat. They

carried a navigator, bomb aimer, wireless

operator, top gunner, two waist gunners and

rear gunner, as well as the special operator. All

five gunners were armed with .5 heavymachine

guns. In April 1945, 214 Squadron was joined at

Sculthorpe by 223 Squadron which was also

equipped with B-17 Fortresses in the RCM role.

Despite the ability of the RCM Fortresses

to disrupt the enemy defences, indeed

perhaps because this made them high value

targets, these RCM operations were by no

means without risk. Between April 1944 and

the end of the war in Europe in May 1945,

214 Squadron lost 15 Fortresses to enemy

action and one to an accident when it hit a

tree on the approach to land back at base; 89

of the Squadron’s aircrew were killed and 39

were taken prisoner of war.

The high price paid by 214 Squadron must

be balanced against the lives that its operations

saved. There is no way of knowing howmany

Bomber Command crews were saved by the

disruption caused to the German’s air defence

system by the RCM Fortresses but there can

be no doubt that they were many and that

these operations were well worth the losses

that the 214 Squadron crews suffered.■

Words: Clive Rowley. Pictures: Editors Collection

A rather posed photograph of a 220Squadron radar operator at his set. Heis looking through the light filter at theCRT indicator screen where any signalreflections from a vessel will bedisplayed.May 1943.

Boeing Fortress III, HB796/G,equipped for radio and radar countermeasureswork with 100 Group, Bomber Command,photographed in August 1944 at theAtlantic Air Terminal at Prestwick,Ayrshire,where aircraft were modified forservice in this role by Scottish Aviation. Equipment fitted included AmericanAN/APS15 radar in the radome under the nose,‘Airborne Cigar’ (ABC) radio-jamming equipment (the large aerial on top of the fuselage and an ‘AirborneGrocer’ aircraft radar jamming installation, the aerials of which can be seeneither side of the tail turret. HB796 served with 214 Squadron at Sculthorpe,Norfolk, and was lost in action on 9 February 1945.

A B-17G intended for the 8th Air Force and HB775,a Fortress III for theRAF, sit side-by-side at Prestwick in March 1944 having just completedtheir delivery flight across the Atlantic.Note that the RAF version of theaircraft lacks the cheek gun positions of its American counterpart.

the first of several captured US heavy bomberswas delivered to 2 Staffel of I/KG 200 at Finow.

On 12 December 1942, USAAF 8th AirForce B-17F 41-24585 ‘Wulfe-Hound’ of the303rd Bomb Group, had made a wheels-uplanding in a field near Melun in France, 60miles south-east of Paris. The Germansmoved the Fortress to Leeuwarden airfield inthe Netherlands where it was found to havesuffered minimal damage, apart from acrushed ball turret, and the decision wasmade to put it back into airworthy condition.

It was first flown by the Germans on 17March 1943 when it was ferried to theLuftwaffe Test and Evaluation Centre at Rechlinwhere it was used for interceptor training withZerstoerer Schule 1 at Neubiberg, and Orlynear Paris, which became a B-17 spares centrefor the Luftwaffe. It was delivered toVersuchsverband (KGzbV) at Berlin-Rangsdorfin Germanmarkings during September 1943,transferred to KG 200 on its formation and tookpart in training for its first clandestineoperations at the beginning of 1944.

On 20 February 1944 a newclandestine Luftwaffe unit,Kampfgeschwader 200commanded by OberstHeinrich Heigl, was formed at

Berlin-Gatow. Its task, the covert transportand supply of German agents on behalf of theRHSA (Central Security Department of theReich) headed by Ernst Kaltenbrunner, tobehind enemy lines on all fronts.

Formed by the Luftwaffe High Command(OKL), the first units came from anamalgamation of Experimental Units of theAbwerhr 5th Branch responsible for testingcaptured aircraft, and from VersuchsverbandOb.d.L that used various German andcaptured transport aircraft for overt andcovert missions to support German forces.

Major Karl Gartenfeldt, commandingofficer of I Gruppe, KG 200, had almost 100experienced aircrew at his disposal and was

KG200The Luftwaffe’s Clandestine B-17s

equipped with some 60 aircraft of more than20 different types. Gartenfeldt was one of KG200’s charismatic and experiencedcommanders. As a Hauptmann, he hadflown in most of the agents dropped intoEngland and Northern Ireland during theearly years of the war, flying both Ju 88s andHe 111s from Chartres in France. TheGruppe Gartenfeldt, which became KG 200’s1 Gruppe, had carried and inserted morethan agents into France, Italy and Greeceduring 1943.

During the spring of 1944, the Luftwaffe’snew KG 200 was undergoing a period ofintensive training for its clandestine role whichwas becoming evermore urgent withincreasing Allied gains on all Fronts. Initially, ithad to rely on the veteran He 111 that wasused to drop most of the German agents intoEngland since 1940, but this was about tochange. Within three months of its formation

B-17F ‘Miss Nonalee II’was captured by the Germans when it landed at Nordholm,Denmark in October 1943.via Finn Buch

The former ‘Miss Nonalee II’ atRechlin in Luftwaffe markings,was later used for demonstrationflight and training.via Finn Buch

The first captured USAAF B-17F, theformer ‘Wulfe-Hound’undergoing

testing Rechlin in 1943.Boeing

Boeing B-17 95

A second captured B-17 used by theLuftwaffe was B-17F 42-30146 named ‘Downand Go’ which landed at Karlsupp, Denmarkon 27 July 1943, which the crew mistook forneutral Sweden. Another aircraft captured inDenmark was B-17F 42-30336 named ‘MissNonalee II’. As it approached the Danish coaston 9 October 1943, one engine ran away and itwas necessary to feather the propeller andhead back to England. A few minutes later asecond engine lost power and it was decided toland in Denmark since it would not be able toreach England. The crew all bailed out exceptthe pilot, Lt Glyndon D Bell who landed the B-17 safely in a field at Nordholm Gods nearVarde. Lt Bell managed to evade capture andeventually made his way to neutral Sweden.

The Germans decided fly ‘Miss NonaleeII’ out of the field and all the guns, bombsightand radio equipment were removed to lightenher. On 16 October the B-17 was flown toEsbjerg airfield on three engines by Germantest pilot Hans-Werner Lerche. It was laterflown to Schwerin and Rechlin for evaluationwhere it was given the code 7+8 and wasused until December 1944 for KG 200 crewtraining but not operations.

One of KG 200’s first B-17 operations, aptlycodenamed Etappen-Hase – Hopping Hare –to establish a series of landing strips behindAllied lines along the Algerian-Tunisianborder had been launched the previousNovember. The aircraft chosen for themission by Kommando Tosca was the reliableHe 111 and a rugged single-engineMesserschmitt Bf 108 communicationsaircraft flown by Oberleutnant Dümcke. Theirdestination was an abandoned former Italianemergency landing strip at Wadi Tamet inLibya where their crews set up a W/T stationcodenamed Traviata. Over a six-week periodthe Taifun flew towards Tunisia selectingthree main landing sites en route.➤

The former ‘Punchboard’at Hildesheim in 1945 with KG 200 officers,Oberfeldwebel Rauchfuss and his radio-operator Feldwebel Monkemeyer.

Arab agents, who had been trained inBerlin, were then carried to the sites to setup fuel dumps and man radio links by thecaptured B-17 ‘Wulfe-Hound’, wearingGerman code letters DL+XC, flown fromMarseilles on one of its first clandestinemissions and by the spring of 1944, thenetwork was operational. However, Traviatahad been discovered by a British Long RangeDesert Group force which destroyed theW/T station. It took Oberleutnant Dümckealmost two months to convince his KG 200superiors that it was safe to attempt toreactivate the Traviata network and on 16May 1944 he took off from Kalamaki in a B-17bound for Wadi Tamet. Seeing no obvioussign of the enemy, he landed but kept theengines running. He was greeted by smallarms fire that hit the aircraft and woundedhim in the hip. Nevertheless, Dümckemanaged to take off and head out across theMediterranean towards Athens at low level,but the B-17 was losing fuel. It made it as faras the Bay of Kalamata where the injuredpilot successfully ditched the bomber inshallow water without any loss to his crew.

Within a four-week period following D-Day, aircraft of KG 200 dropped more than250 agents behind Allied lines includingsome from the B-17s that also carried otheragents to Trans-Jordan. On 26 June 1944Leutnant Wolfgang Pohl flew Operation Anti-Atlas from Istres in the South of Francecarrying several SS agents dressed in Arabrobes, in a B-17G. While flying south off theeastern coast of Spain, the B-17 developed afuel leak and was forced to make anemergency landing at a Spanish Air Forcebase at Valencia. After its ‘passenger’ hadbeen spirited away by their Abwehr escort,the German Air Attaché in Madrid had tonegotiate the release of the crew, while theSpanish authorities impounded the B-17.

By mid-1944, KG 200 had expanded innumbers and scope. Three more USAAF B-17s had been acquired, appearing on the KG200 inventory as Dornier Do 200s. B-17F 42-30048 named ‘Flak Dancer’ force landed atLaon airfield in France while a damaged B-17G 42-38017 landed at Schlezwig-Jagelairfield in northern Germany.

On 9 April, a second B-17G was forceddown intact in Denmark when it landed at aGerman-held airfield Vaerlose. This wasflying Fortress 42-39974 named ‘Punchboard’.Its pilot, Lt Racener related the events of thatday. “We were hit in the No. 2 engine and wewere losing fuel at an alarming speed. Thenavigator reported that if we continued losingfuel at this speed, we could only just reachSweden. I asked for a course and we calmlyleft our formation and flew northwards. Allammunition and machine guns were thrownoverboard, while we flew low over the sea. At

last we reached land. At that time none of usknew the colours of the Swedish flag, butfrom the flagstaffs we saw a red flag with awhite cross. Denmark was occupied andtherefore probably was not allowed to usetheir own flag, we agreed that this had to beSweden. After 10 or 15 minutes of flying wesaw a lovely open field which was verysuitable for landing. I was circling around thefield to check it for ditches and fences, andwhen I was halfway across the field Isuddenly discovered camouflaged planeswith the Swastika on the rudder. I pulled theplane up and tried to turn away, but just thenone of the gunners reported a Me-210, whichwas on our tail and the light flak becameawake and fired warning shots. Withoutmachine guns and ammunition we did nothave a chance and I returned to the runway.From this day and after 13 months in aGerman POW camp I can assure that there


B-17F ‘Miss Nonalee II’ suffered a collapsedundercarriage following a ground loop whileflown by a Luftwaffe pilot.via Finn Buch

B-17G 42-39974 ‘Punchboard’ seen at the German-held airfield at Vaerlose inDenmark in April 1944. Ernst Kopfer

were 10 Americans that learned to know thedifference between the Danish and theSwedish flag.” ‘Punchboard’ was later seen atHildesheim in 1945 re-numbered by theLuftwaffe as A3+BB.

The last B-17F captured by the Germanswas 42-30713 named ‘Phyllis Marie’ that wascaptured 8 March 1944 at Vaerlose, againafter its crew had mistaken Denmark forSweden. Several other damaged B-17s werecannibalised for spares by KG 200 includingB-17F 42-5714, and B-17G 43-38432.

While Ernst Kaltenbrunner, KG 200’s task-master, was making contact the US Office ofSS in Switzerland, the Kampfgeschwader wasunder great pressure as its sphere ofoperations shrank with every Allied gain. Ithad lost all of its outstations with theexception of Austria and Denmark by thistime and an ever-increasing number of itsaircraft. On 10 February 1945 one of its B-17G

Fortress operated by Kommando Olga, theformer ‘Down and Go’, exploded soon aftertake off at Echterdingen killing six of theeight crew and 10 members of the VichyFrench government who included the Comtede Bony de Lavergne. Another KommandoOlga B-17F was shot down as it headedtowards Strasbourg by an RAF Mosquito nearLuvigny, France on 3 March 1945 on the wayto drop eight agents near Dijon. Three of itscrew bailed out and survived.

A successful mission was carried out byone of the surviving Olga B-17s on the nightof 19 March. Operation Karneval was flownby Leutnant Pohl who flew from Hildesheimto drop one agent on the outskirts ofBrussels and six near Waals on theBelgium/German border. These agents werein fact SS commandos whose mission was toassassinate the Mayor of nearby Aachen whohad just been appointed by the occupying US

forces. They succeeded in their task. A KG200 B-17 was left at the Oranienburg Airfieldduring the last days of the war where it wasdamaged by USAAF B-17 raid on 10 April1945 and the former ‘Phyllis Marie’ wasfound abandoned when US troops overranAltenburg airfield on 4 May 1945.

Elsewhere, as its fuel ran out,communications all but ceased and itsairfields overrun, KG 200 was disbanded andits crews released from duty. Since June1944, more than 600 agents including fivewomen, had been dropped behind enemylines by aircraft of I Gruppe/KG 200.Although there were widespread reports ofhigh-ranking Nazi officials and vast amountsof cash and valuables smuggled out ofGermany by KG 200 as the Third Reichcrumbled, in reality very few of its aircraftwere capable of flying anywhere.■Words: David Oliver

Boeing B-17 97

A KG 200 B-17 was written-off by a USAAF B-17 raid of Oranienburg Airfield in April1945.US Archives

‘Wulfe-Hound’was also used by the Luftwaffe to train fighter pilots and develop tactics for use against the B-17.Here Luftwaffecrew are allowed a close inspection of the aircraft.via L Mirow

Operated since 1982 by hernamesake and guardian angelElly Sallingboe of B-17Preservation, Sally B flies withthe help of a dedicated team of

volunteers and the backing of the Sally BSupporters Club, one of the largest of its kindin the world. She is maintained by ChiefEngineer Peter Brown and his team ofvolunteers, and flown by experiencedprofessional pilots who volunteer their time.


Sally BSally B is the only airworthyB-17 flying in Europe today.Based at the Imperial WarMuseum at Duxford inCambridgeshire, England, this65-year-old warbird flies as amemorial to the 79,000American Airmen who losttheir lives in Europe duringWorld War Two.

The flying memorial

The left hand nose artwork of Sally B, typical of many wartime artworks.Jarrod Cotter

This Flying Fortress never saw warservice. She was one of the last B-17s tobe built by Lockheed Vega and didn’t jointhe fleet of the US Army Air Force until 19June 1945 as 44-85784. Initially the aircraftwas modified for a training role andredesignated TB-17G. From May 1948 sheembarked upon a test career with the newlyformed USAF with modifications including amanned pod on one of the wingtips. With allthe modifications for the test programmes,the aircraft was now known as an EB-17G.She was then loaned to the General ElectricTest Flight Centre at Schenectady, New Yorkfrom September 1950 and used as a flyingtestbed for a variety of equipment andengines. When all the tests were completed,she was no longer required, and afterremoving all test equipment, 44-85784 wasflown to Olmstead AFB, Pennsylvania on 2July 1954 to await disposal.

This however was not to be the end of herstory. The French Institute GeographiqueNational, who had a fleet of B17s, bought herfor survey work. 44-85784 was cancelled fromthe USAF inventory on 28 October 1954, andflown to Europe as F-BGSR where she wasbased at Creil, near Paris.

In 1975, after many years in France, theaircraft was bought by Ted White whobrought her to the UK to be restored towartime condition and named Sally B afterhis partner Elly Sallingboe. Registered as

N17TE, she flew her first air show at theBiggin Hill Air Fair on 18 May 1975 andbecame the official flagship of theAmerican Air Museum in Britain. Everyyear Sally B flies over the AmericanCemetery at Maddingly near Cambridge intribute to the 79,000 US servicemen whodied fighting in the skies of Europe duringWorld War Two. Flypasts over former USEighth Air Force bases are also carried outwhenever possible.

Sadly, in 1982, Ted White was killed in aflying accident just as plans were afoot for anew airshow aimed at raising funds tosupport the Sally B. Elly and the teamovercame what was a terrible shock, not onlyto successfully run the airshow for manyyears, the famous Great Warbirds AirDisplay, but also to keep Sally B flying rightup to today. Aside from flying at airshows,she has made numerous TV and filmappearances, includingWe’ll Meet Again in1980 when the TV company funded theconstruction of her gun turrets. In 1989 shestarred with four other B-17s in the filmMemphis Belle and half of the aircraft is stillin the ‘Memphis’ livery.

In 1998 Sally B suffered a series of engineproblems, grounding her in Guernsey for ninemonths. With a lot of commercial andvolunteer support, the engines were replacedand in 1999 she returned to Duxford, butwithout the funds required to continue flying.➤

SALLY B AND FRIENDS DAY AT DUXFORD

Sunday 31 July 2011Sally B and Friends Day is a brand newevent at Duxford honouring B-17 FlyingFortress, ’Sally B’.An informal, relaxedday, it will feature some fantastic flying,starring Sally B as the focus with moreflying from her ‘Little Friends’ and anarray of historic aircraft.

Members and Duxford visitors will havea nostalgic day in a 1940s atmosphereenjoyed across the museum with thesound ofVera Lynn and Glenn Miller,vintage vehicles andWorldWar Two re-enactments.While not flying Sally B will be

on static display throughout the day whenthere will be the opportunity to meet herpilots and crew and much,much more onthis nostalgic day at Duxford.

And... there is a very special perk forMembers of the Sally B SupportersClub – as a big ’thank you’ for their loyalsupport throughout the year – IWMDuxford has given members of the SallyB Supporters Club free access to thisspecial nostalgic day.

Please note that this event is not anair show. It is a special occasion withelements of flying.

Sally B in full Memphis Belle paintscheme,applied for the movie of

the same name. Frank B Mormillo Sally B dominates the skyline at an airshow,even when on the ground,andbecomes a focal point for her many admirers and friends.Jarrod Cotter

Sally B pilots. Peter Kuypers in thecommander’s seat and Jim Jewell inthe co-pilot’s seat.Julian Humphries

The Sally B’s guardian angel,Elly Sallingboe,chats to a young fan at the crew signingtable at a Duxford air show.Jarrod Cotter

Sally B in a bomb doors open passin a typical air show routine. It’ssurprising how small the bombbay is compared to the size of theaircraft.Jarrod Cotter

In March 2000 the B-17 Charitable Trust wasformed under Patron of the Trust Air ChiefMarshal Sir John Allison, a well-knowndisplay pilot and a friend of Sally B’s from theearliest days. The formation of the trustenabled access to greater funding and shereturned to the air the following year.

Operating a large, four-engined historicaircraft costs approximately £400,000 peryear. While Sally B is based at the ImperialWar Museum, she is not owned ormaintained by the museum. In the US,different aviation safety laws mean that

American aircraft can sell rides to passengersto pay for their upkeep, Sally B can’t do this.She is instead a registered charity, and theonly B-17 run totally on public donations.

It is incredible to think that this aircrafthas been flying in the UK for over 35 yearslargely due to public support andappreciation for the amazing service the B-17contributed during World War Two. Sadly,the generation that remembers this servicewill soon be gone, and without Sally B flyingin the summer skies of Europe, thesememories could just disappear.


The right hand nose artwork on Sally B,a reminder of her role as the famousMemphis Belle in the film of the samename.Jarrod Cotter

Marks of Ted. Both the teddy bear logoin the nose...Jarrod Cotter

...and the blue and yellow checkered engine cowling are salutes to Ted White,whofirst bought Sally B to the UK.Jarrod Cotter

One of the Sally B’s party pieces atairshows,a slow flypast with twoengines smoking, commemorating theway many B-17s returned from raids,shot up and limping home on two.Jarrod Cotter

Boeing B-17 101

There are many ways you can help Sally B:Please make a donation: All money donated toSally B goes directly to help ensure her futureas a unique piece of living history.● Get Your Name on Sally B: Donate £495 or

more (£445 for Sally B Supporters ClubMembers) and have the name of yourchoice added to the prestigious Roll ofHonour on the outside of Sally B’s fuselagefor two years. You and a companion will beinvited to be VIP guests, for a special daywith Sally B at Duxford, when your chosenname will be officially unveiled.

● Sally B Supporters Club: now in its 31styear, you can join this group of friendlydedicated people whose ultimate aim is tokeep Sally B flying. Only members andcrew get access to the inside of Sally B.

● Create a link to the Sally B website fromyour own.

● Make a legacy – Please contact thewebsite for further information.

● Go to www.sallyb.org.uk or post donationsby cheque payable to ’The B-17 CharitableTrust’ to PO Box 92, Bury St Edmunds,Suffolk IP28 8RR

If you would like to see Sally B flying in 2011,visit www.sallyb.org.uk for list of air displayswhich are published in April and updated assoon as dates are confirmed. ■ Words:Constance Redgrave

In full Memphis Belle regalia duringthe making of the film.No astrodomeor chin turret, the full paint schemeand even the wheel discs paintedcorrectly. Frank B Mormillo

Sally B makes a fine centrepiece for special events at air shows.Here three P-51D Mustangs formate on the bomber,playingthe part of escorting fighters.A pair of modern fighters, F-15Es,are moving in to bring the flypast right up to date.Jarrod Cotter

Under the leadership of Chief Engineer Peter Brown,a team of volunteer engineersspend the winter months getting Sally B ready for the air show season. It’s hardlong and dirty work.Constance Redgrave

L ike many aircraft of its time,the Boeing B-17 was over-engineered. This was not amistake or a product ofignorance, but a willingness to

err on the side of safety by the engineeringteams responsible for designing the complexfour engined aircraft and its sub-systems.


Tough!On a wing and a prayerAlthough this article is about the strength of the B-17 airframe, it is as much a testimony to theBoeing engineers who designed, and the factory workers who built, the B-17. What they createdwas a machine which became much loved by its crews for one simple reason, it would bringthem home with the kind of battle damage that would have downed many lesser aircraft.

Building the upper fuselage structure before it was put on the circular crosssection forward fuselage.The upper turret mounts are going in, a reinforced ringwith lightening holes cut in it to reduce the weight.US Air Force

Skinning the upper fin and its fillet as a separate structure before it is added to theupper rear fuselage.The tags mark the rivet positions and ensure the skin is linedup properly.US Air Force

The strengthened wing mount in thecentre section box is clearly visible onthe forward fuselage section to the leftof the picture.US Air Force

With the fin and fillet fitted, the rearfuselages were then skinned.Thefuselage formers and longerons thatbound them together can be clearlyseen.US Air Force

When the Fortress was first designed,materials science was in its infancy, andstress analysis was literally a hit and missaffair. If you wanted to know how strong astructure was, you put it in a jig andsubjected it to the worst possible forces youthought it would ever be subjected to, andrecorded the stresses at the moment itbroke. This was called static load testing, it isstill used today but is a far more scientificand closely monitored process, subjectingthe test piece to repeated stresses in itsexpected life cycle, to see when in the cyclethe object fails. That way, not only thestructural strength but the life expectancy ofa given structure can be accurately predicted.The 14th Y1B-17 had been intended as anairframe for precisely this use, but the ninethaircraft built flew into severe icing conditionsnear a thunderstorm and performed some

Boeing B-17 103

unusual manoeuvres as a result, reaching3.67G. This was considered load testingenough, and the 14th aircraft became atestbed for developing the engineturbosuperchargers instead.

It can be said that as a consequence of thestate of physical sciences of the day, the B-17was far stronger than it needed to be toperform the task required. The fuselagestructure was made up of formers connectedby longerons, clad in a riveted metal skin thattook a great deal of the loads imposed on thestructure as a whole. The wings and tailplanewere largely similar, the formers beingreplaced by airfoil section shaped ribs,connected by two massively strong spars, themain and secondary spar and a number ofsub spars. Between the spars ran loadbearing webs, and the whole was againcovered in a riveted stressed skin. The

engine mounts ran forward from the mainspar junctions, so the load from the engineswas spread through the centre of theairframe. The spaces between the ribs andspars became the home to fuel tanks andother equipment. The wing spars and thefuselage met in the centre section box, amassively strong structure. The spars formedthe front and rear walls of the bomb baybelow floor level inside the fuselage. Thefuselage formers at this point were alsostrengthened, because the centre box tookthe loads from the wings and the front andrear fuselage. Structure within the centre boxalso supported the bomb racks, and ofcourse, the bomb load when carried. Asimilar smaller twin spar structure ranthrough the rear fuselage, joining thetailplane to the fuselage and the spars of thevertical fin.➤

Taken from the citation in the 398th Bomb Group records. Lawrence M.Delancey, 0-41351,Army Air Forces, United States Army,for gallantry in action while serving as a pilot of a B-17 bomber on a mission over Germany 15 October 1944. Immediatelyafter bombs away Lt. Delancey’s aircraft was hit by flak.A shell pierced the chin turret and exploded in the nose, killing thebombardier and destroying practically all the instruments.The entire nose section was shorn off and all that remained was atangled mass of instruments,wires and sheet metal.With the oxygen equipment ruined and a sub-zero gale rushing throughthe plane, Lt. Delancey descended to a lower altitude and headed out of enemy territory. Flying at reduced speed andunable to take proper protective measures with his off-balanced plane, he was subjected to every conceivable type ofground fire. By sheer determination and tenacity he managed to bring the battered aircraft over the home base.Withoutproper brakes Lt. Delancey climaxed this miraculous feat of flying skill and ability by accomplishing a safe landing.His actionsunder conditions which would have caused a less courageous pilot to abandon his aircraft are in keeping with the finesttraditions of the Army Air Forces. By Command of Lieutenant General DOOLITTLE.U.S.Air Force

Two of the most remarkable photographs of the war. Boeing B-17F-5-BO (41-24406) “All American III” of the 97th Bomb Group,414th Bomb Squadron, in flight after a collision with an Fw-190 near Tunis on a mission to Bizerte on 1 February 1943. Followedby a close-up of the damage after landing on the rear fuselage,as the tailwheel wouldn’t come down.The left horizontalstabilizer was torn completely off, and the aircraft was nearly cut in half by the collision.The aircraft was repaired andcontinued to fly missions.U.S.Air Force

What all this meant practically was that atany point on the B-17’s structure, removing oneor two structural members would not cause thewhole to fail. The interconnected structuralmembers and skin would ‘re-route’ the load onthe airframe, and because each member wasstronger than it needed to be, they couldabsorb the extra load for long periods of time.None of these techniques were exclusive to theB-17, many other types and manufacturers usedsimilar methods of construction, but on thisaircraft they all came together to producesomething quite outstanding.

The engineers created this tremendouslystrong airframe and then refined it forproduction. The airframe was broken downinto a number of simpler sub-assemblieswhich could be quickly produced in numbers.This was to have a tremendous effect on howquickly modifications could be put into theproduction line, since it was often a questionof changing only one part of the productionsystem. Since the fuselage was built in twosub sections, the change between the D and E

model that completely redesigned the rearfuselage did not cause the disruption it mighthave. Likewise, the addition of the upperturret to the forward fuselage only affectedthat part of the production facilities. It was theattention to detail of the factory workers thatbuilt all these assemblies that founded the B-17’s reputation of reliability and strength.Rare indeed was there a reported error due toa production mistake, and no failures due tothis were ever recorded. Keeping that diligentrecord up for 12,731 examples of the aircraftis an achievement everyone at Boeing,Lockheed Vega and Douglas can be veryrightly proud of.

The effect of all the engineering andproduction prowess at the operations end isthe stuff legends are made of. B-17s survivedflak and fighter damage that other aircraft ofthe period could not have managed. This wasthe heart of the B-17 legend, it was theaircraft that would get you home, as thephotographs on these pages attest. ■Words: Tim Callaway


This aircraft DF-F (42-87880),‘LittleMiss Mischief’, a 91st Bomb Group B-17G,had a remarkable career, ithad the rear fuselage of another B-17G (42-31405) grafted on to itduring the repairsto the flak hitshown here,and eventually madean emergency landing atBassingbourne on 4 April 1945 andwas scrapped.U.S.Air Force

This photo purports to be the insideview of the damage to ‘Little MissMischief’ ofter she was hit by flak on15 October 1944. If it is, then it wastaken after the ball turret and itsmount were removed.The formerand longeron structure are clearlyvisible, as is its ability to takepunishment without seriouslyweakening the whole.U.S.Air Force

A direct hit by flak on ‘Little MissMischief’ , a 91st Bomb Group B-17G,on 15 October 1944 over Cologneleft the ball turret gunnermiraculously alive and only slightlyhurt.One of the .50 cal barrels, avery tough item,has been bentthrough 90 degrees.U.S.Air Force

This 92nd Bomb Group B-17 belongs to the 327th Bomb Squadron,and suffered aflak hit on the starboard rear wing root which split open the side of the fuselage.Sadly, both the ball turret gunner and radio operator on this aircraft were killed,butthe aircraft did return safely to Podington.U.S.Air Force

‘E-Z Goin’, a 100th Bomb Group B-17 was on a mission to Buchen on 7 April 1945when she was rammed by a Messerschmitt Bf109.The fighter removed the top halfof the fin and the port tailplane.The cuts in the rear fuselage and fin fillet are fromthe fighter’s propeller.The aircraft made it back to Thorpe Abbotts in this condition,and astounding feat of airmanship.U.S.Air Force

In recent years the use of laser-guidedweapons has become a commonplacesight in television news programmes.These weapons and their application invarious conflicts has enabled the

accurate bombing of targets and minimisescollateral damage outside the target area.Guided weapons have their earliest beginningsin the latter stages of the SecondWorld War.

The Germans fielded wire and tv-guidedmissiles launched from aircraft, as well as theV-1 Flying Bomb, a pre-programmed cruisemissile, and the V-2, a short range ballisticmissile. The United States began their use ofremotely guided weapons with the developmentof a novel method of using war-weary bombers.The German guided missiles were promisingbut were not produced in sufficient quantity tomake a real difference. Likewise, theAmerican alternative was not a great success.

REMOTE CONTROLThe United States Army Air Force (USAAF)realised that their own bombers could notcarry as large a load as the 12,000lb (5400kg)of bombs which were easily uplifted by anRAF Avro Lancaster. As the US had specifictargets in mind, such as heavily protectedsubmarine pens, rocket and flying bomb

Project

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress pioneered the ‘smart’bomb in an unusual manner. François Prins has the story.

Aphroditesites, they worked out that some nine tons ofexplosive would be required to inflict anysort of lasting damage. There was no aircraftcapable of carrying such a bomb load in theUSAAF, so an alternative was sought. Theplan to produce a heavy weapon and adelivery system was given the codename‘Operation Aphrodite’, and responsibility wasvested with General James ‘Jimmy’ Doolittle.

‘Aphrodite’ was the brainchild of theUSAAF bombardments experts; theysuggested using war-weary bombers filledwith explosives and guided by remote controlto the targets. Nothing quite like this hadbeen mooted before. Previously, there hadbeen trials with remote control aircraft butnone with a heavy bomber or with thesuggested all-up weight. Quite who came upwith the original idea is not on record. On 26June 1944, at an Eighth Army Air Forceconference Doolittle authorised work toproceed and gave the task of implementingthe scheme to the Third BombardmentDivision under General Earle Partridge. Heallocated administrative responsibility to the338th Bombardment Group at KnettishallHeath in Suffolk and Lt. Col. Roy Forrest andhis 562nd Squadron at RAF Honington weretasked with the project and the missions. ➤

Side view of a B-17F converted for use in OperationAphrodite.The white paint daubed on the aircraftis clearly visible, as is the open cockpit.

General James Doolittle was given thetask of implementing Operation Aphrodite.He was a famous pre-war aviator and ledthe US bombing raid on Tokyo in 1942.

The Third Bombardment Division underGeneral Earle Partridge held overallresponsibility for Operation Aphrodite.Partridge was a highly-decorated officer whotook a great interest in Operation Aphrodite.


BQ-7 PAYLOADS

Approximately 25 drone aircraft,mostlywell used B-17Fs,were modified out of aplanned 65.The drones were packedwith 20,000lb (900kg) of British-madeTorpex,a mixture of 41.8% RDX,40.2%TNTand18% aluminium powder.This,50%more powerful than TNT alone,came inboxes weighing approximately 55lb (25kg),of which 335 were installed betweenthe nose and the rear of the bomb bay,which was reinforced and sealed.A totalof five Mk 9 demolition charges, remotelydetonated in case of an aircraftmalfunction,and impact fuzescompleted the load,which was armedby the pilot just before he jumped eithervia an enlarged nose access door orfrom the now open cockpit.Analternative load, installed in at least onedrone for an attack on aV-1 launch site,was 160 incendiary bombs and 830 USgallons (3142 litres) of jellied petroleum(napalm).This was meant to follow anattack by a high-explosive drone.

On 1 July, 10 converted Boeing B-17F and Gbombers (designated BQ-7), along with a singleB-17F and three Consolidated B-24 Liberatorsto act as command and guide aircraft(designated CQ-4), arrived at Honington. TheBQ-7 conversion programme had been hastilyput together. The drones would be undercontrol of a crew, usually of two, for take-off, asthe simple remote control system was notcapable of handling such a complex task.

Allowing the crew to escape once theremote controls were set resulted in twotypes of modification, the first being anenlarged forward escape hatch, the secondwas far more involved. It entailed removingthe entire cockpit canopy and roof leavingjust the front windscreen, as well as theentire upper fuselage extension whichpreviously housed the upper turret and thewireless operators compartment roof andwindow. The now circular section centrefuselage was re-skinned and the cockpit wasadapted for its new role.

The crew of these cabriolet drones woreheadscarves to keep warm, leading to thenickname “Babushka”. The B-17s werelightened by some 12,000lb (5400kg) with theremoval of all unnecessary equipment such asguns, gun turrets, seats, armour, bomb racksand all extraneous weight to make it as lightas possible for the increased payload. Tocontrol the drone-bomber, a television camerawas fitted to the flight deck so that thecontroller (in the CQ-4 Mothership) couldmonitor the instruments. A second camerawas sited in the nose of the BQ-7 giving aview of the ground ahead of the bomber forthe controller to decide when to launch theflying bomb onto its selected target. Theremoval of the main canopy was to enable thetwo-man flight crew to vacate the drone onceit had reached operational altitude in order forthe controlling aircraft to take over andremotely fly the drone to the selected target.

Once the BQ-7s had been gutted, they werefitted with the cameras and the control system.This consisted of two Azon (Azimuth only)controllers, one connected to turn controls andthe other the elevators. A radar altimetercompleted the control system to allow flight ata constant altitude. Various antennae, one in aventral pod resembling a large Americanfootball, were fitted. Because the drones weremodified by hand, installations varied slightlyin detail between aircraft. In 1944, all this wasall quite primitive when compared with presentday technology. However, the work wascompleted, the aircraft were painted, or ratherdaubed, white without any identification marksand training commenced. British-made Torpexexplosive was used in place of the less potentUS-made trinitrotoluene (TNT).

As the missions were dangerous,volunteers for the BQ-7 drones wererequested and there was no shortage ofyoung pilots ready to tackle ‘Aphrodite’. Theycarried out several hours flying the modifiedaircraft and, more importantly, attendedlectures on how to vacate the bomber viaenlarged hatch or the open cockpit. Alsofamiliarising themselves with their new rolewere the B-17/B-24 based CQ-4 guidancecrews. Once training was complete the unitmoved to RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk.

It was the task of the drone BQ-7 crews totake-off and fly the aircraft to 2000ft (600m). Atthis height the captain would then run tests onthe remote flying equipment with thecontroller, who would be in the commandaircraft, set the throttle controls and, once bothmen were satisfied, the control aircraft wouldtake over and continue to fly the drone. Thesecond crew-member/pilot would now arm thebomb load to explode on contact and then bothmen would leave by parachute. From this pointthe controller, in the CQ-4 at 20,000ft (6000m),would fly the robot to the target where it wouldbe crashed. That was the theory.

Although Lt Joseph Kennedy did not flythe B-17 he volunteered for the US Navyrobot bomber programme and waskilled when his B-24 exploded.

The cockpit of a factory-fresh Boeing B-17 – remote control Azon units were fitted onthe Aphrodite aircraft.

View of the open cockpit of aconverted Aphrodite Boeing B-17 thepanels immediately behind the pilotsseats covered the area left by theremoval of the roof.

MISSIONS COMMENCE‘Operation Aphrodite’ was carefully workedout. Attacks would be carried out by fourrobots in two waves of two aircraft. Thecommand aircraft would crash the first twoon target and return to base to collect thesecond wave and escort them to the sameobjective. A fifth BQ-7, loaded with fuel andexplosives, would follow and finish off thejob. A fighter aircraft would follow the droneat a safe distance, to destroy it if it went out ofcontrol over friendly territory. The CQ-4would also have a fighter escort, andphotographic Mosquito for post-attackdamage assessment completed the missionteam. The unit moved to Fersfield, near Dissin Norfolk and waited to launch an attack onthe Pas-de-Calais V-1 missile sites; but theweather kept the aircraft grounded until 4August 1944, when it cleared.

Two command aircraft took-off andclimbed to a pre-selected control point toawait the arrival of the two BQ-7s, whichtook-off separately and were escorted by theguide aircraft to the control point. Once thishad been reached, the command aircraftcontroller and the two pilots on board thedrone went through a checklist. Then thefirst robot aircraft (42-39835) turned andtracked across the airfield at which point thesecond crew member, Technical SergeantElmer Most, bailed out.

Unfortunately, the BQ-7, which wasloaded with 21,000lb (9500kg) of explosive,stalled as he exited. The aircraft rolled ontoits back and went into a steep dive. The pilot,Lt. John Fisher Jnr., tried to regain controlbut was unable to correct the spirallingaircraft, which was loaded with 18,000lb.(8200kg) of Torpex. It crashed in WatlingWood, Sudbourne Park, near Orford in

Suffolk and exploded on contact, destroyingover two acres of forest and leaving a massivecrater 10 to 15ft (3 – 4.6m) deep and 25ft(7.6m) across. Lt. Fisher’s body was neverfound and only small fragments of the B-17were recovered.

Sgt. Most had landed safely and was foundby a local policeman. However, as the entireproject was top secret Most had to say thathe was one of a full crew from a B-17 that hadbeen damaged by enemy action. In order tofind the other members of the crew of theaircraft, the policeman organised a searchparty but, not surprisingly, they did not findanyone else from the supposed aircraft.

In spite of the accident with the Fisher’s B-17, the second aircraft (42-30342), crewed byFirst Lieutenant Fain Pool and Staff SergeantPhilip Enterline, was ordered to proceed andall went to plan. The two-crew baled out andthe command aircraft escorted the robot toWatten in the Pas-de-Calais. However, theprimitive television failed and the bombardieron board the B-24, having lost the picture, hadto guide the robot blind to the objective,which he missed. The next wave faired nobetter and they lost one aircraft to enemygunfire and crashed the second B-17 short ofthe target due to control problems. It had notbeen a success; one man had been killed andtwo others injured on landing by parachute,and no targets had been damaged.

However, the planners were notdisheartened. On 6 August, two more B-17s(42-20212 and 42-31394) were despatched,accompanied by four command/control B-17/B-24s, to attack the V-1 site at Watten inFrance. At first, all went to plan, the aircraftclimbed to height, the crews parachuted tosafety and, initially, the robots responded tothe command aircraft. Then the leading

machine crashed into the sea and the secondaircraft turned around and headed back tothe coast. It would not respond to any signalsfrom the control aircraft. The runaway B-17was seen over Ipswich, at a much lower levelthan was comfortable, given the bomb load itwas carrying, and then turned away towardsthe sea. Here finally the B-24 was able to gaincontrol once more; crashing the drone intothe sea terminated the mission.

General Doolittle was unhappy with theresults and ordered a full enquiry into theprogramme. Technical problems were at theforefront and the remote control equipmentwas changed for an improved version calledCastor, along with a new television system.While the aircraft were being modified theUS Navy arrived. They had always been veryinterested in the ‘Aphrodite’ programme and,on 17 July, a unit of 26 men was posted toFersfield. They brought with them twoConsolidated PB4Y-1 (US Navy B-24) robotsand two ex-RAF Lockheed PV-1 Venturacommand/control aircraft. The modifiedPB4Y-1s, designated BQ-8s, already had theimproved Castor control system, and theNavy crews were intent on succeeding wherethe USAAF had failed.

Using the codename ‘Operation Anvil’ theunit (VB-110) began training exercises,which appeared to be successful. Aside fromthe new equipment, the operational methodsalso changed. A co-pilot replaced theengineer in the BQ-8s and the mothershipwould now follow the drone at the samealtitude, staying within 3200 yards until justbefore the target. One of the volunteer PB4Y-1 pilots was Lt. Joseph Kennedy Jnr. He wasthe eldest son of former US Ambassador toBritain Joseph Kennedy Snr., and the brotherof John, Robert and Edward Kennedy.➤

Boeing B-17 107

This shows the standard B-17 interior looking aft –on the Aphrodite aircraft this area was completelyfilled with crates of Torpex high explosive.

On 12 August, Consolidated PB4Y-1

(Bu/No 322271), with Kennedy and

Technical Sergeant Wilford Willy, took-off

to join the already airborne Venturas. At

2000ft (600m) the Ventura took over the

PB4Y-1 and the two navy men prepared

to leave the aircraft. From eye-witness

accounts the Liberator appeared to be flying

normally before it suddenly exploded in mid-

air near Blythburgh. Debris fell over a wide

area and only small pieces of the bodies of

Kennedy and Willy were found. It would

appear that the US Navy had as much

success as the USAAF, but they were not

about to give up and scheduled an operation

for 3 September on the U-boat pens at

Heligoland in Northern Germany.

Modifications were made to the Liberator

control systems and also to the arming of the

bomb load, which would be by electronic

detonation and not by manual priming. On 3

September the aircraft took-off and all went

well; the PB4Y-1 climbed out smoothly, the

checklist was completed and the control

aircraft took over. The crew parachuted to

safety and the three aircraft headed off for

Northern Germany. Above the target the

television pictured was blurred and the

controller found it difficult to identify the

island, let alone the U-boat pens. In the event,

the German gunners found their targets and

the three aircraft all sustained several hits,

including one to the control system. This left

the bomber out of control and it crashed on

Dune Island near Heligoland, destroying

some non-strategic installations.

FURTHER MISSIONSMeanwhile, the USAAF had modified their

BQ-7s with new control systems and were

ready for another mission. Targets at

Heligoland and Heide/Hemmingstedt were

selected. On the first mission the pilot was

killed when his parachute failed to open, but

the aircraft made it to the target. However, it

was hit by enemy gunfire and crashed short

of the submarine pens. The next sortie was

also unsuccessful, the crew baled out safely

but the controller was hampered by poor

picture quality and crashed the aircraft short

of the target at Heide/Hemmingstedt. The

second BQ-7 on the same mission crashed

into the sea following loss of control from the

guide aircraft.

Undaunted, the USAAF continued to

mount attacks using the BQ-7s, but they were

still plagued with equipment failure, usually

with the poor quality of pictures transmitted

by the cameras or by reception on board the

control aircraft. This lack of success did not

dismay the planners and they suggested

other targets and also some improvements to

the robot, including the ability to alter the

engine throttle settings to allow the control

aircraft to fly the robot to a higher altitude.

However, without the human input of

handling the controls, they almost constantly

tended to freeze in the cold air as the aircraft

ascended. There was no heating and the

cockpit was quite exposed.

On 5 December 1944, the railway yards at

Herford near Hanover were selected. Two

aircraft (B-17s 42-39824 and 42-30353) took-off

and headed for the target. One was shot down

and the second lost power and made a very

gentle crash landing, which did not cause the

nine-tons of explosive to detonate. The

Germans were delighted to find a complete

‘Aphrodite’ aircraft with its guidance systems

undamaged. Even this set-back did not sway

the planners, and a 10 robot attack on a

selected target was suggested. This did not

proceed, but on 20 January 1945, two BQ-7s

(43-30178 and 43-30237) headed for the power

station at Oldenberg. Neither aircraft reached

the target and ‘Operation Aphrodite’ was

quietly shelved.

Although the concept was perfectly

sound, the technical equipment of 1944 was

simply not up to the task and in the time

available no real headway could be achieved.

Since then we have come a long way, with

guided missiles that can fly using on-board

computers to a selected target and with

highly-efficient Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

that can be flown by operators several

thousand miles away. ‘Operation Aphrodite’

remains a fascinating experimental

programme, despite its failures, and is

another example of the versatility of the

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. ■

Words: François PrinsPhotography: Courtesy of Boeing and USAFvia François Prins


Mass production of the B-17 Flying Fortress underway at one of the Boeing plantsduring World War Two.This clearly shows the upper section of the forward fuselagethat was removed to create the open cockpit Aphrodite BQ-7s.

A B-17F converted for use as a remote controlled bomb,all non essentialequipment was removed along with canopy, so the pilot,who was only there fortake off, could make a hasty exit.The drone would contain a basic remote controlsystem and two early television cameras, so the controller could see theinstruments and the view from the nose.Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm

PB-1 AND PB-1WThe US Navy had mostly relied on large flyingboats for maritime patrol duties, but theadvantages of the large four engined landplanewere obvious given their greater speed andcomparable or better endurance. During thewar years the USN had already gainedconsiderable experience with a pair of B-17s,both designated as PB-1s despite the fact thatone was an F and the other a G model.

These aircraft were used in a variety of testsconfirming the type’s suitability in the longrange patrol role, similar to that undertaken bythe RAF Fortresses of Coastal Command. Thetwo PB-1s were complemented by a further 48B-17s which were transferred from the USAAFas the SecondWorld War came to an end.These aircraft carried out maritime and anti-submarine patrols around the continental USand across the Pacific. In this role the PB-1 wasreplaced by the purpose built twin enginedLockheed PV-2 Neptune fromMarch 1947.

More extensively modified aircraft weresupplied after the war when 31 B-17Gs wereconverted at the Naval Aircraft ModificationUnit in Pennsylvania to carry the AN/APS-20

search radar and designated PB-1Ws. If theradar designation seems familiar, thesewere to be extremely long lived equipmentand it is worth recording the story of thisremarkable radar. The AN/APS-20 wasoriginally fitted to Grumman TBM-3WAvenger AEW aircraft as part of ProjectCadillac in 1945, to improve the defensivescreen for the US fleets against “kamikaze”attacks. Although the project was still undertrial when the war ended, the US Navy wasimpressed by the APS-20’s performance andselected it to be fitted to the PB-1Ws.

The PB-1W gave the radar picket longerrange and allowed a more autonomousoperation by the radar aircraft. During the1950s these radars were fitted to Douglas AD-3W Skyraider AEW variants for both the USand Royal Navy, and operated from the fleetcarriers of both services. As the Skyraiderswere retired from the Royal Navy, 20 salvagedAPS-20 sets were fitted to the Fairey Gannetto produce the AEW3 version of the aircraftwhich served through the 1960s.

Delays to advanced AEW programmesmeant there was a gap in the UK’s radar

Boeing B-17 109

– The Navy and Coast Guard

The US Navy and Coast Guard alsoemployed the B-17 in a variety ofroles, developing aerial surveyingand Airborne Early Warningtechniques among others.

PB-1W (BuNo 77138) fromearly warning squadron

VW-1 in-flight near Hawaiiin January 1954.US Navy

In flight, this early PB-1W (BuNo 77230)has the radome fitted but retains thechin turret and lacks the underwingtanks. It was operated by VX-4 in 1947US Navy

defences, so in 1971 12 APS-20s weresalvaged yet again and fitted to the four-engined long-range maritime patrol AvroShackleton aircraft to produce the ShackletonAEW2. These were not to retire from frontline service, despite their interim solutionstatus, until 1991 when they were replaced bythe first of the RAF’s Boeing E-3D SentryAWACS platforms. A total of 46 years infrontline service is an incredibleachievement, especially for a piece of militaryelectronic equipment. ➤

To return to the PB-1, at the Naval AirMaterial Center’s Naval Aircraft ModificationUnit (NAMU) at Johnsville, Pennsylvania, thelarge radome containing the rotating scannerwas installed over the original bomb-baydoors which were sealed closed. All otherarmament was deleted and the new aircraftwere known as PB-1Ws. To permit patrols inexcess of 20 hours an incredible 3400 gallons(12,870 lts) of fuel could be carried. Toaccommodate this increase, additionalinternal wing tanks and under-wing externaltanks were fitted. The aircraft were initiallyleft in their customary unpainted metalfinish, but to protect the airframe from theharsh maritime elements a clear wax wasapplied. Later still, the aircraft were paintedoverall dark blue.

A total of 11 men formed the crew of thePB-1Ws, consisting of six officers, (Pilot inCommand, Second in Command, Navigator,CIC Officer, and two RadarOperators/Controllers) and five enlisted men(Plane Captain (now referred to as CrewChief), 2nd Mechanic, ElectronicsTechnician, and two Radio Operators). Therewas provision of some basic comforts ontheir long patrols, a small galley and restbunks were installed in the rear fuselage. Forthe time, the type carried an impressive arrayof navigational aids and was relativelysuccessful in its new role. The PB-1W was adelight to fly, being much lighter than theoriginal B-17G because the modificationprogramme removed a great deal of themilitary equipment form the aircraft.However, its lack of cabin pressurizationmade it cold and uncomfortable for the menoperating the radar and tracking systems.

The first few PB-1Ws were delivered toNaval Air Squadron VBP-101 in April of1946. By 1947, PB-1Ws had been deployed to


Another early PB-1W (BuNo 77235) in the natural metal scheme but with the upperturret removed.Photographed while serving withVX-4 on 25 May 1949.US Navy

Checking the one and a half million dollar nine-lens aerial mapping camera isthe following crew: (L to R): Lieut.Commander Fred T.Merritt, USCG,PlaneCommander; Lieut.Commander Arthur R.Benton,U.S.Coast & Geodetic Survey; J.T. Smith,U.S.Coast and Geodetic Survey photographer;Terrance K.O’Driscoll, USCoast & Geodetic Survey photographer on 4 September 1959.US Coast Guard

US Coast Guard PB-1Gphotographed at CGAS Kodiak,

Alaska.US Coast Guard

units operating with both the Atlantic andPacific fleets. VPB-101 on the East Coastwas renamed VX-4 and moved to NASQuonset Point in Rhode Island. VX-4 becameVW-2 in 1952 and transferred to NASPatuxent River in Maryland. VW-2 had theprimary mission of early warning, with asecondary mission of antisubmarine warfareand hurricane reconnaissance.

VW-1 formed in 1952 with four PB-1Ws atNAS Barbers Point in Hawaii and was given amission similar to that of VW-2. PB-1Wscontinued in service until 1955, graduallybeing phased out in favour of the LockheedWV-2, a military version of the Lockheed1049 Constellation commercial airliner. PB-1Ws were retired to the Naval AircraftStorage Center at Litchfield Park, Arizona.They were stricken from inventory in mid-1956 and many were sold as surplus andended up on the civil register.

PB-1GAs will be detailed later, 12 B-17Gs weremodified to carry air-droppable lifeboats.These were designated B-17Hs, and wereintended for use by the Air Rescue Service ofthe USAF. The US Coast Guard (USCG) also

made use of this version in the air sea rescuerole but designated the type as the PB-1G.The first aircraft were transferred to theUSCG early in 1945 and the advantages oflong-range search and rescue aircraft quicklybecame apparent to the service. With the endof the Second World War, the US Air Forcewas retiring large numbers of B-17s, manybrand new having never been delivered tothe front line. An additional 17 aircraft wereacquired relatively cheaply and used in avariety of roles.

The aircraft were left in natural metalfinish, but carried prominent yellow wingtips and bands around the fuselage edgedwith black stripes. Coast Guard aircraftinitially carried the national markings in theusual positions, but during the latter part oftheir service the fuselage insignia migratedto the middle of the aircraft’s broad tail. Toassist with their search duties, a smallsurface radar radome adorned the lowernose where the bomber’s chin turret used tobe. These aircraft were also fitted withadditional internal fuel tanks. The air-droppable lifeboat modifications were alsoadopted to enhance the air sea rescuecapabilities of the USCG. ➤

Boeing B-17111

PB-1W MODIFICATIONS

The conversion to PB-1W standardrequired the following modifications:● Chin turret removed.● Norden bomb sight removed.● Bombardier’s station retained

as a look out post for anti-submarine or search andrescue missions.

● Top forward turret removed.● Cockpit armour removed.● 300 US Gallon drop tanks fitted

under the outer wings.● Extra fuel tanks in the outer wings,

known as “Tokyo Tanks”.● AN/APS-20 Seasearch Radar was

fitted with the transmitter in thefuselage and aerial in a bulbousdi-electric fairing under the bomb-bay,although on one aircraft(BuNo 77234) this was fitted abovethe centre fuselage.

● Modernised Identification, Friend orFoe (IFF) fitted.

● Radio Direction Finder (RDF) fitted● Instrument Landing System (ILS) fitted● LOng RAnge Navigation (LORAN)

system fitted● 2 Radar operators consoles facing

aft in the former bomb-bay● Radio Operators seat turned to

face outboard● Waist gun positions and ball turret

removed● Bench seats fitted for observers at

the waist positions● Floating smoke markers carried● A latrine and a galley were fitted

amidships.● Tail guns and armour were removed● Provision for spares and/or

cargo to be carried in therear fuselage

PB-1G,CG-77249,photographed at Argentia in Newfoundland, running up enginesprior to taking part in the International Ice Patrol, 15 February 1954.US Coast Guard

A number of the PB-1Gs were used onflights for the International Ice Patrol to trackthe movement of polar ice and assist in thesafety of shipping. In 1946, one of the aircraftwas adapted to carry an aerial mapping cameraand given the Coast Guard serial number 7254.Essentially this was a brand new aircraft, as atthe time of delivery the airframe only had 52hours flying time. The bomb-bays were sealed,oxygen tanks were installed and the one and ahalf million dollar nine-lens camera wasmounted under the fuselage in the placepreviously occupied by the ball turret.

Interestingly, this aircraft kept its Nordenbombsight, which was used to assist in aimingthe camera accurately. The capability of theaircraft was such that most of the photo-mapping missions were flown between 20,000and 30,000 feet. At 22,000 feet the cameracould photograph 315 square miles of terrainwith one click. For 12 years the 7254 flewmapping missions ranging from Alaska toPuerto Rico. During these years the aircraft,home based at the Elizabeth City air station,flew just under 6000 hours covering more thanone and a half million miles. The PB-1Gs wereto serve with the USCG from 1945 to 1959, thelast flight being carried out on 14 October1959 by 7254 after 14 years of service. ■Words: Julian Humphries


BuNo 77237 was a B-17G converted for use as an airborne earlywarning radar platform designated as a PB-1W.Radomes for theAPS20 radar were fitted,along with a number of other externalaerials, to a total of 31 PB-1Ws.Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm

This PB-1G banking away affords agood look at the airborne lifeboat.Thelifeboat weighed 3250lb and carriedfuel, food and water for a crew of 12 tosurvive 14 days.This photograph wastaken on 27 April 1948.US Coast Guard

Although grainy, this photograph is of PB-1W (BuNo 77234) TE-7 of VW-1, the onlyPB-1W with the radome mounted above the fuselage. In February 1953 this aircraftwas operating at Pohang in South Korea in support of Navy Task Force 77 and the1st Marine Air Wing. US Navy

This PB-1W is still in the early natural metal scheme and retains its chin and upperturret, although both are unarmed.The underwing tanks and underfuselageradome are fitted.US Navy

One of the most interesting

conversions was brought

about by the heavy losses the

Luftwaffe inflicted on the

American bombers as they

commenced daylight missions beyond the

range of the escorting fighters available in

mid 1942. This grinding campaign was a true

test of the theory that the heavily armed

B-17s and B-24s would be able to fight their

way to and from the target. The grim reality

was that losses exceeding 10% of the raiding

force were commonplace and many more

aircraft were nursed back to England trailing

smoke with dead and severely wounded

crewmen on board. In an attempt to provide

additional defensive firepower to the combat

boxes over the same range as the standard

bombers, B-17F serial number 41-24341 was

converted into the prototype XB-40, a heavily

Oddball B-17sAs has already been noted, the B-17 saw operational service in a variety of roles other than as aheavy bomber. Many of these ‘special’ machines were modified from stock aircraft rather than beingpurpose built. The big Boeing found employment in a range of diverse roles, some in experimentalwork, others in unglamorous but essential maritime patrol duties. The majority of adaptationsduring the Second World War were based on B-17Fs, while those modified after the war came fromthe surplus stock of the standard G model.

The Boeing-LockeedVega XB-40 US Air Force

armed escort ship literally bristling with

guns. The armament was increased to

14 .50 cal (12.7mm) heavy machine guns by

installing an additional dorsal turret into the

space previously occupied by the radio

compartment, doubling the number of guns

in the two fuselage waist windows and adding

a remotely operated chin turret to deter the

deadly head-on attack manoeuvre.

Experience gained in combat led to the

relocation of the port waist gun position

which was moved several frames aft to give

clearance between the two beam gunners,

this feature along with the chin turret was

adopted in the definitive B17-G. To feed the

guns vast quantities of ammunition was

stored in racks where the bomb load had

previously been stowed and additional

armour plating was fitted to protect the

crew stations.➤

An excellent illustration of the firepowerof a YB-40.Note the second dorsal turretis set well behind the radio operator’scompartment fairing. US Air Force

Boeing-LockheedVegaYB-40 mid-fuselage art work detail.US Air Force

Right: The long Allison enginenacelles made the XB-38 the mostaesthetically pleasing of the B-17variants.US Air Force

A further 24 Lockheed-built B-17Fs were

allocated for conversion, the work was

conducted by the Douglas Aircraft Company

to avoid delays in production of the much

needed bomber version. 20 aircraft were

completed as escort platforms. These were

designated as YB-40s indicating the type’s

elevation to service use, while the remaining

four aircraft were finished as training aircraft

and were known as TB-40s. The first YB-40s

were delivered to the European theatre on 8

May 1943 by which time the problem of a

truly effective escort fighter had still not

been satisfactorily resolved. It was a grim

time for the 8th Air Force and causalities

among the bomber squadrons were verging

on the unsustainable. On 29 May 1943 eight

YB-40s accompanied 147 B-17s of the 1st

Heavy Bombardment Wing on a

comparatively short range mission to St

Nazaire on the French coastline. Despite the

combined weight of the defensive firepower,

eight bombers were lost and 60 were

damaged, one so heavily that it was written

off after a crash landing.

The following month saw increased

activity for the YB-40s crews, who suffered

their first loss on 2 June when Wango Wango

(42-5735) of the 91st Bomb Group was

brought down by anti aircraft fire over

Holland. On 4 June a single YB-40

accompanied 200 B-17s drawn from the 1st

and 4th Heavy Bombardment Wings on a true

long range mission to Trondheim in Norway.

The enemy caused damage of varying

degrees to 30% of the force and one aircraft,

B-17F (42-3217), crash landed in Sweden

where the crew were interned. Over the next

few weeks YB-40s continued to be mixed with

the bombers, often taking up position in the

vanguard where they could hopefully protect

the formation commander. On 26 July 50 B-


YB-40 SPECIFICATION

General characteristics:Crew: 10Length: 74ft 9in (22.6m)



Wing area: 1527ft² (141.9m²)

Empty weight: 54,900lb (24,900kg)

Loaded weight: 63,500lb (28,800kg)

Max takeoff weight: 74,000lb (34,000kg)

Powerplant: 4× Wright R-1820-65

turbosupercharged radial engines,

1200hp (895kW) each


Cruise speed: 196mph (315km/h)

Range: 2260 miles (3640km)

Service ceiling: 29,200ft (8900m)

Wing loading: 47.2lb/ft² (231kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.066hp/lb (0.11kW/kg)

ArmamentGuns: 18 (or more) × .50in (12.7mm)

Browning M2 machine guns.Typically

used 14-16,with room for up to 30.

Rounds carriedNose - 2200

Front top turret - 2500

Aft top turret - 3300

Ball turret - 300

Waist guns - 1200

Tail guns - 1200

Total - 10,700

The XB-38 in flight.US Air Force

The prototype XB-40, converted froma B-17F.US Air Force

The single example of the XC-108A cargo version of the B-17. Even though thefuselage had a large side door for easy access, the load size was limited by itscomparatively small diameter.US Air Force

RB-17G taken in Alaska,c.1950,by MSGT Hugh Morgan. It is wearing insignia red(FS11136) arctic markings,which covered the rear 1/4 of the length of the fuselageand inboard from the wing tips to the inboard cutout for the ailerons.via Dave Menard

17s of the 1st Heavy Bombardment Wing

attacked targets near Hannover along with a

pair of YB-40s, but the formation was badly

mauled losing 14 of its number.

It was soon discovered that the YB-40 was

actually a tactical liability to the retiring

bombers, as its greater weight and drag made

it slower than a standard B-17 free of its bomb

load. Before this experiment was consigned to

become an interesting historical aside in the

tale of the mighty Boeing bomber, attempts

were made to carry even heavier armament.

A four gun chin turret underwent trials, along

with a 40mm cannon mount before the idea

was finally abandoned. In practice it was

found that the heavy escort experiment was

not a practical solution to the problem and

only the introduction of the North American

P-51 Mustang, a truly long-range fighter,

stemmed the bomber losses. Little, if any, use

of the type in its intended role was made after

the summer of 1943. The surviving aircraft

were returned to the US where they were

stripped of military equipment and several

found their way to Canada. Despite its

ultimate failure the YB-40’s legacy improved

the defensive capabilities of the B-17 and

many lessons in both protection and

firepower were incorporated into the B-17Gs

then on the production line.

XB-38As an insurance policy should there ever be

an interruption in the supply of Wright R-

1820 radial engines, a single B-17E (41-2401)

was fitted with four inline V-12 Allison V-1710

-89 engines. These produced 1,425hp, almost

50% more power. The conversion was carried

out by the Vega division of Lockheed and was

a far larger task than merely replacing the

engines. The oil coolers had to be relocated

from the wing leading edge to the lower front

of each individual nacelle. The Allisons were

liquid-cooled rather than air-cooled engines

and required large radiators. These

rectangular units were installed in pairs

between the inner and outer engine nacelles

on each side. Since the work was so

extensive, the opportunity was also taken to

increase the internal fuel capacity of the

airframe. The resulting XB-38 was among the

most aesthetically pleasing versions of the B-

17. The Allison engines were a great deal

longer than the original radials and were

mounted in streamlined cowlings projecting

well ahead of the wing’s leading edge. Unlike

the Wright powered aircraft, large blunt

spinners covered the hub of the three bladed

propellers. The aircraft first flew on 19 May

1943, some 14 months after the decision to

build the prototype had been taken.

Early flights were hampered by technical

problems with the exhaust system, but the

XB-38 demonstrated an impressive maximum

speed of 327mph (526kmh) and was capable

of cruising at 226mph (363kmh). During the

ninth flight, an uncontrollable fire broke out

in the starboard inner engine and the two

crewmen were forced to bail out. The

burning aircraft fell to earth near the small

settlement of Tipon, California, and was

completely destroyed. Sadly, both

crewmembers suffered malfunctions with

their parachutes, one being killed instantly

and the other severely injured. This tragedy

brought the experiment to an abrupt end.

The shortages of the R-1820 never

materialised and conversely the Allison was

in increasing demand for fighter types. The

advantages of the new version could not

justify interrupting the flow of standard

bombers from the factories.

PHOTO-RECONNAISSANCETo provide the USAAF with a long range

photo-reconnaissance platform, 16 B-17Fs

were stripped of most of their armament and

all of their bombing equipment to make room

for the tri-metragon camera installation. This

was fitted into the nose of the aircraft to

create the F-9 version of the Fortress. The

conversions were carried out by the United Air

Lines Modification Centre in Ohio during early

1942. As well as the camera mounts, additional

fuel tankage was installed in the empty bomb

bay. These were followed by an unknown

number of F-9As which were also based on

the B-17F and differed only in respect of the

camera installations. Later, the early F-9

versions were re-designated F-9Bs and were

joined by nine fresh conversions bringing the

total number of this model to 25.

The next batch of just 10 conversions was

based on the B-17G. Without their distinctive

armament it was very difficult to tell the new

F-9C machines from the earlier versions.

Readers familiar with modern American

military aircraft designations may wonder

why the letter F was chosen for the converted

aircraft. Prior to 1948 the letter P denoted

pursuit aircraft (fighters), while allegedly the F

referred to ‘fotoreccon’ types. After the war the

surviving F-9s were re-designated as RB-17Gs,

clearly indicating their role and origin.➤

Boeing B-17 115

General characteristicsCrew: 10Length: 74ft 0in (22.56m)



Wing area: 1420ft² (131.9m²)

Empty weight: 34,750lb (15,762kg)

Loaded weight: 56,000lb (25,401kg)

Max takeoff weight: 64,000lb (29,030kg)

Powerplant: 4× Allison V-1710-97

turbosupercharged liquid-cooled V12

engines, 1425 hp (1063 kW) each

PerformanceMaximum speed: 327mph

(284 knots, 526km/h)

Cruise speed: 226mph

(197 knots, 364km/h)

Range: 3,300mi (2870nmi, 5310km)

Service ceiling: 29,600ft (9020m)

ArmamentGuns: 10× .50in (12.7mm) Browning M2

machine guns

Bombs: 6000lb (2,700kg)

XB-38 SPECIFICATION

The XB-38 taxying.US Air Force

A rare RB-17G, this one of the 338thReconnaissance Squadron.Note thelarge lower nose windows for thecamera installation.US Air Force

A B-17D captured by the Japaneseduring 1942.The appearance ofphotographs of these aircraft was arevelation as their existence hadbeen a closely guarded secret.viaM Nicholson

B-17F Wulf Hound (41-24585) inGerman markings after capture andbeing restored to fly.via L Mirow

newly established B-29 bases in Chengdu,

China, but a lack of spares for the Wright

Cyclone engines in the region severely

hampered its availability. It was returned to the

United States and was employed on the trans-

Atlantic cargo route fromMaine to Prestwick

in Scotland for the remainder of the war.

Other purpose-built transport aircraft

were far more efficient in the cargo role and

only very limited use was made of the

converted bombers. Despite this, an XC-108B

based on B-17F (42-30190), was used in 1943

to supply Allied forces with aviation fuel, until

sufficient C-46 and C-47 transports became

available. The next conversion was the YC-

108, an executive transport aircraft for VIPs,

but the arrival of dedicated four engined

airliners such as the DC-4 and Lockheed

Constellation with greater comfort and

seating capacity soon rendered the converted

bombers obsolete. Other transport or cargo

adaptations included eight VB-17Gs, VIP

transports for Senior Officers, and 25 CB-

17Gs which could accommodate 64 rather

cramped troops.


TheVB-17G had no armament and various comfort modifications such as foldingstairs at the rear door,but it was unmistakably a converted bomber lacking headroomand the interior space required for passengers to travel in comfort.US Air Force

AVB-17G photographed at Kodiak,Alaska. Unlike many of the modified transports,this one retains the glazed bombardier’s nose.US Air Force

VB-17G 0-339356 on the ramp witha selection of Boeing aircraft thateventually replaced the type inservice up to the modern day.TheB-17 is followed by a B-29,B-47,KC-97 tanker and a B-52.To the left thenose of theYB-52 prototype canbe seen.This aircraft was borrowedfrom the USAF in 1958 to take partin the movie ’Lady takes a flyer’.via Dave Menard

This captured aircraft is thought to be B-17E 41-2471.Note thatthis aircraft was fitted with remotely sighted twin .50 cal Sperryunderside turret. Problems with this turret led to it beingreplaced by the more familiar Sperry ball turret.This is one ofthree B-17s known to have been captured and operated by theJapanese during the war.Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm

TRANSPORTVERSIONSThe first conversion of the B-17 airframe into a

dedicated VIP transport aircraft was based on

an E model (41-2593), long after this version

had been superseded as a front line bomber.

Only four machine guns were retained, a pair

in each of the nose and tail positions. All the

other guns and turrets were deleted, while the

interior was converted into a flying office for

General MacArthur’s private use. A small

kitchen and seats which also served as

makeshift beds were provided along with

additional glazed panels in the fuselage. To

further explore the feasibility of creating

transport aircraft from redundant bombers,

another E model (41-2595) was stripped of all

armament and unnecessary military fittings to

create the XC-108A. A large door hinged at top,

opening upwards and outwards, was cut into

the port fuselage to facilitate large cargo items.

However, the cargo-carrying capability was

limited by the small diameter of the available

load-carrying area. This aircraft was

moderately successful ferrying supplies from

India, over the Himalayan Mountains to the

Boeing B-17 117

transported to Japan, where the Imperial

Japanese Army Air Force carried out detailed

technical examinations. The American

bombers were highly prized and were used to

train fighter pilots to develop tactics to use

against them. As far as is known, no use was

made of them in a combat capacity. The US

made only limited use of the B-17 in the

Pacific theatre, and from 1942 the Japanese

were gradually dislodged from their territorial

gains. This combination of factors deprived

them of the opportunity to acquire further

aircraft or spares from crash sites, so it is

likely the three machines they did have

gradually became unserviceable.

In Europe it was a different story. Vast

numbers of Allied aircraft ranged over

occupied territory for several years, so it was

inevitable that some would fall into German

hands. Many were of course completely

destroyed, but a considerable number were

captured intact before their crew could

destroy or disable them. With a constant crop

of aircraft forced down to harvest from, the

Luftwaffe was able to form an impressive

collection of British and American machines,

including Spitfires, Thunderbolts and B-17s.

The bombers were highly prized, as they

were not only used to develop fighter tactics,

they also filled a gap in the Luftwaffe’s long

range transport capability. The exact number

of captured B-17s made airworthy by the

Germans is unknown, but some reliable

sources put the figure as high as forty.

Several B-17s, were passed to

KampfGeschwader KG200 and their

operations are described in a separate article.

■ Words: Julian Humphries

CAPTURED B-17SAfter the World War Two, American

intelligence officers were startled to find

evidence of captured Fortresses in Japan.

Photographs of three B-17s flying in

formation over the mainland had been

circulated in the Japanese press as early as

1942. During their early territorial gains in the

Pacific, Japanese troops overran numerous

airfields capturing a varied bag of Allied

types. These included two B-17E models and

a single D version, (40-305), which had been

abandoned at Clark airfield in the Philippines.

Such was the hasty and often disorganised

nature of the retreat ahead of the

overwhelming Japanese forces that many

aircraft were stranded for lack of fuel or minor

repair. Those types of military interest were

quickly restored to airworthy condition and

On 14 May 1948, Israel became

an independent state and

almost immediately found

itself embroiled in a war of

independence. The armies of

Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq began an

attack on the infant state that few observers

thought it would survive. The UN placed an

arms embargo on all the nations involved in

the war, leaving Israel with a major problem.

How to acquire the weapons she needed to

defend herself.

Agents all over the world, both Israeli and

‘machal’, a word that means a supporter of

Israel from abroad, began to search for

aircraft, vehicles and weapons, all of which

were routed through the friendly state of

Czechoslovakia. The methods by which the

authorities were fooled into releasing the

aircraft were many. To export four ex-RAF

Beaufighters from the UK, the Israeli

purchasers formed a fake film production

unit with a commission to produce a film

about New Zealand Beaufighter pilots during

the war. On the first day of filming, the

aircraft took off, and headed for

Czechoslovakia.

In the US, there were a number of key

figures instrumental in buying aircraft for

Israel and getting them out of the country. Al

Schwimmer was an experienced flight

engineer with Trans World Airlines and a

pilot. He arranged for the transfer 13 surplus

transport aircraft to Panama, and thence to

Israel, organizing the Air Transport

Command that carried arms from

Czechoslovakia to Israel. He also recruited

pilots, engineers, and mechanics for the new

air force and became second-in-command of

the new Israeli Air Force (IAF) with the rank

of Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1950, he would form

Israeli Aircraft Industries, now the largest

company in the state. Later still, David Ben-

Gurion would describe Schwimmer’s actions

as the “single most important contribution to

the survival of Israel.”

Charlie Winters was a Miami

businessman who was using three

civilianised B-17s to transport fruit and

vegetables between Puerto Rico and Florida.

He organised the sale of these for $15,000

dollars each to the Israelis. They had no

turrets or military equipment, but were

quickly brought up to sufficient standard to

make the long trip by a team of engineers.

This first group was supposed to be joined in

Czechoslovakia by a fourth aircraft, but the

first flight tipped of the authorities, and the

fourth B-17, flown by Irvin Schindler, having

routed to the Azores via Canada, was

impounded by Portugal in the Azores at the

request of the US Government. This aircraft

was 44-83842 (N7712M), and ended up being

sold to the Dominican Republic.

Bill Katz, a former USAAF pilot, was

one of the pilots who flew the first three

out of the US, via a refuelling stop in the

Azores to the Czechoslovak base at Zatek,

also called Ezion by the Israelis. To cover

their tracks, they had filed flight plans to

Brazil. Zatek was a hive of activity, military

aircraft and transports with weapons loads

were moving in and out continually, as it was

the hub to resupply the beleaguered state.

The three B-17s were fitted with better

instrumentation here, and loaded with bombs

for the flight to Israel. While they were at

Zatek, there was an attempt to acquire the

original turrets and bombsights for the B-17s,

but this failed.


The Israeli Air Forceand the B-17 The last B-17s

to go to warThe acquisition of modern weapons was vital to the survival of the newly-declared independent stateof Israel. How they managed to purchase then move these aircraft and vehicles to Israel in the faceof international sanctions is a story worthy of a John Le Carre novel. Among the aircraft purchasedwere four B-17s, which became the first bombers to serve with the fledgling Israeli Air Force.

A rare photograph of all three IAF B-17s in flight, 1601 and 1603 taken from 1603.Mal Scholl collection

1603 from 1602.1602 was the only aircraft in locally applied camouflage,the other twoaircraft had plain brown upper paintwork.Later they were to appear both in naturalmetal and a brown/green upper,blue under camouflage.Mal Scholl collection

H2 (1602) was in the worst condition of the three B-17s. It was given a re-paint in a four-colourLight Brown,Dark Brown, Light Green and Dark Green disruptive camouflage pattern on theuppersurfaces with light Bluish Grey undersurfaces.The Mickey Mouse cartoon was on bothsides of the fin.The Magen David national insignia was in the usual six positions, and theserial number was in blue.Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm

The propeller hubs had been paintedas the B-17s start for another mission.

Mal Scholl collection

a giant leap in capability. The B-17s flew their

next missions on the morning of 16 July. The

three bombers attacked El-Arish air base,

then at midday they attacked Egyptian

forces in the south and at night Syrian forces

on the northern front. The next few days

again saw extensive use of the B-17 with

attacks against Jordanian, Iraqi and Egyptian

forces, against the Syrian capital Damascus

and against various Arab air bases. Initially

they had fighter escort, usually from

Spitfires, but these were discontinued as

unnecessary after the first first raids

encountered no aerial resistance. By the time

the war ended in 1949, they had flown over

200 sorties and had taken part in every major

campaign of the war.

69 Squadron moved to Ekron, then to

Hazor after the war. One of the aircraft was

fitted with a maritime search radar and used

for patrols out across the Mediterranean.

During the early 1950s, the original turrets

were acquired as well as enough spares to

keep at least two of the fleet flying. During

July 1956, the three were put into storage, but

the Suez Crisis that began late in October

brought them out of retirement. On 31

October the B-17s attacked Egyptian

positions in the Gaza strip, but every

attempted mission on the three days after

this failed, either due to weather or on the

last occasion, failures of the bomb release

mechanisms. These failures saw the end of

the B-17s front line service with the IAF, the

The delivery flight became a bombing

mission as the position in Israel was

becoming dire. The three old bombers were

tasked with attacking two targets, one was to

bomb the Royal Palace of King Farouk and an

officers school in Cairo. The other two were

to strike at Gaza city and the Egyptian air

base at El-Arish. They took off on 15 July

1948, and both flights had difficulty in finding

their targets. The solo aircraft did bomb

Cairo, missing its intended targets but

causing great consternation in Egypt as they

considered their capital immune from attack.

Thirty people were killed in the city, but

the political effect of the raid far outweighed

the damage and the number of casualties.

The second pair could not find their intended

targets, and eventually bombed Rafiah

instead. Throughout the flight, the oxygen

system was malfunctioning, causing several

members of the crews to pass out on

occasions. All three landed safely at Ekron

that evening, and Bill Katz became the

commander of the new 69 “Patishim” (“The

Hammers”) Squadron who operated them

from Ramat David Air Force Base.

The three B-17s were 44-83811

(NL5014M), 44-83753 (NL5024M), and 44-

83851 (NL1098M) and were given the Israeli

Air Force identifiers of H1 (1601), H2 (1602)

and H3 (1603) respectively. The IAF at that

time had been using converted transports,

including a de Havilland Dragon Rapide, as

makeshift bombers so the B-17s represented

An Israeli Air Force F-15I (Ra’am) fromthe IDF/AF No 69 Hammers Squadronmanoeuvres away after receiving fuelfrom a KC-135 Stratotanker overNevada’s test and training rangesduring a Red Flag exercise.US AirForce/Tech. Sgt.Kevin Gruenwald

aircraft were finally retired in November

1958. 69 Squadron went on to fly the F-4E

Phantom with the IAF, and now is equipped

with the F-15I.

These were the last B-17s in operational

service anywhere in the world, and retired

with honour from what by then was a jet only

world. ■ Words: Tim Callaway

Boeing B-17 119

USAF RESCUE SERVICEAlthough more than 120 B-17Gs wereintended to be converted to carry a large air-droppable lifeboat, eventually only 12 weredelivered. These were known as B-17Hs, andfrom 1943 to 1948, flew what were called‘Dumbo’ missions worldwide with the AirRescue Service of the USAF. Dumbo was theterm given to long-range Air Sea Rescueoperations, and had been carried out by PBYCatalina flying boats.

Since the B-17 could not land on water torecover the aircrew, a novel approach tothese missions was developed. As if theshock of being forced to ditch in the seawas not enough for aircrew, a B-17H wouldthen arrive and drop a whole lifeboat tothem! The lifeboat was carried longitudinallyunder the fuselage, covering the bombbay and attached by four cables to thefuselage. On finding the downed aircrew,the pilot would fly toward them, into wind,at 1500ft (457m) and 120mph (193kmh). The27ft (8.2m) long boat would be released

directly over the survivors, which woulddescend, bow downwards, under threestandard 48ft (14.6m) cargo parachutes ata speed of 27 feet per second (8.2 metresper second).

The lifeboat, constructed of mouldedplywood, had two inboard motors, an80 sq ft (7.4 sq m) mainsail, 54 sq ft (5 sq m)jib, and carried food and water for a crew of12 for 14 days. The boat weighedapproximately 3250 pounds (1474kg),including equipment, parachutes and fuel.Stowed in the equipment locker of the boatis an instruction booklet explaining theelements of sailing and operation of a smallboat in the open sea. Depending on theaircraft’s deployment, it was usual for allarmament to be deleted, but when operatednear potentially hostile areas some of theguns were refitted.

In 1948 all of the lifeboat carryingB-17s were redesignated SB-17G indicatingtheir role and origin, and shortly afterwardswere retired.


PostwarBy the war’s end, only a fewhundred examples of the B-17had survived the terrible attritionof combat, fatigue and accidents,mostly those that had not beendelivered to the front line. TheUSAAF had little need of thevenerable bomber, surplus torequirements as a front lineaircraft, since the superb BoeingB-29 Superfortress was superiorin every respect to its olderstablemate. Many brand newaircraft languished on militaryairfields in the US, butfortunately many B-17s weresaved from the scrapyardsmelter by the airframe’sinherent versatility.

Workhorses

Boeing SB-17G-95-DL (S/N 44-83773) in flight over DiamondHead,Oahu,Hawaii.US Air Force

TRANSPORTVERSIONSA single B-17G (44-85728) was purchased byHoward Hughes’ Transcontinental &Western Airlines in June 1946. The aircrafthad been flown straight into storage withoutever having seen action and was just one ofseveral hundred redundant Fortresses thenin the US.

After negotiations with the FAA, limitedpermission was obtained to use the aircrafton proving flights to establish new routes forthe airline. The aircraft was given the civilregistration NX4600 and was even given itsown unique Boeing model number, Model299B. The aircraft was completelydemilitarised and the interior wasdramatically modified to provide seating for11 passengers and a crew of four.

Extensive use was made of sound andvibration proofing materials to improvepassenger and crew comfort, as the oldwarhorse was a very noisy and draughtyplace as any former crew member will attest.Several flights were made around the MiddleEast and the aircraft was eventuallypresented to the Shah of Iran before makingits way into the hands of the French researchorganisation the Institut GéograhiqueNational (IGN). At least 13 other less heavilyconverted B-17s had been acquired by theIGN, which used them for mapping thepoorly charted areas of the world.

The sole 299B, bearing a new Frenchregistration, F-BGOE, was still in use as lateas 1967 but was reportedly scrapped inFrance during the early 1970s. Otherpassenger and cargo conversions from bothex-military VB-17Gs and stock bombersserved with airlines and air transportcountries around the globe. Slowly, as thespares situation worsened, these aircraftwere scrapped or left to rot. More modernaircraft, and the availability of ex-militarytransport aircraft such as the DC-3 and -4,killed the market for B-17 transports veryquickly. Happily, a number of these ex-transport types survived to become the muchprized restored warbirds that grace many anair display around the globe. ➤

Boeing B-17 121

Boeing SB-17G of the5th Rescue Squadron,Flight D.US Air Force

Top view of Boeing SB-17G (S/N 44-83722) with Stinson L-5 (S/N 42-98578).US Air Force

How low can you go? In the Saudi Arabian desert a Boeing SB-17G makes a low-levelpass.Courtesy of Lt Col (Ret) Ted Morris

ENGINETEST BEDSIn 1946 a pair of B-17Gs, (44-85813 and 44-85734) were allocated to trials with two ofthe new turboprop engines, the immenselypowerful Wright XT-35 Typhoon and theequally impressive Pratt & Whitney XT-34.Both of these engines were based on earlyturbine technology, and therefore werevery large.

To limit the modifications required to theageing Fortresses, they were accommodatedin the nose section. However, this forced therelocation of the cockpit aft, which was nowsituated just forward of the wing leadingedge. A false cone shaped nose replaced thebombardier and navigator positions andcovered the engine mounting points for thedelivery flights to the respective companies.44-85813 went to the Wright AeronauticalCompany and 44-85734 was delivered to Prattand Whitney in Seattle, Washington. Both ofthese single engines were powerful enoughto allow the four wing mounted engines to beshut down in flight.

Later the aircraft were redesignated JB-17Gs and were engaged in flight testing thehighly successful Allison T-56 turboprop. Anumber of other powerplants, including theWright R-3350 radial engine, were fitted tothe JB-17G testbeds during their careers, butthe development of the jet engine meant theirtime was short-lived.

The lifeboat descending under three standard 48ft (14.6m) cargo parachutes.The boatwas equipped with sails, engines, and enough food and water for between 12 and 14days. US Air Force

XT-34 turboprop test bed – three-quarterfront view of Boeing B-378 test bed for turboprop engine, in flight near Edwards Air ForceBase,Calif,on 9 August 1956.US Air ForceFront view of a B-17G-105-VE (S/N 44-85747),fitted with theAllisonT-56 turboprop.US Air Force

Boeing B-17 123

SHOO SHOO SHOO BABY, THE STORY OF ONE FORTRESS IN PICTURES

After recovery from France and a massive restoration programme,‘Shoo Shoo ShooBaby’ is seen here en route to the National Museum of the United States Air Force on12 October 1988.The aircraft was never painted when assigned to the 91st BombGroup; however, it is displayed at the museum painted to conceal the extensive sheetmetal work necessary to return the aircraft to its wartime condition. US Air Force

After disposal by the Danish Air Force, like so many surviving flying B-17s,‘Shoo ShooShoo Baby’was used by the French National Geographic Institute as a mappingand survey aircraft.US Air Force

The aircraft carried the name ‘Store Bjorn’while in service with Denmark.US Air Force

QB-17 AND DB-17The QB-17 was a successful remotelycontrolled pilotless drone conversion of theoriginal bomber. The control problems thathad plagued the earlier BQ-7 Aphrodite hadbeen pretty well resolved with better electronicequipment by the 1950s. The drone aircraftwas controlled from another B-17 conversion, acontrol platform designated as the DB-17. Thiscombination was used to safely gather data onthe effects of atomic explosions.

Later, the majority of QB-17s wereexpended as targets during the developmentground to air and air to air missiles, includingthe ubiquitous AIM-9 Sidewinder. The DB-17director aircraft were painted in highvisibility black and yellow stripes, the QB-17drone aircraft were most often painted redand white to clearly differentiate whichaircraft to shoot at! The upper surfaces wereeither white or natural metal with redundersides to allow ground controllers avisual reference to make sure the aircraft wasthe right way up. The few USAF units thatwere equipped with the type were the last USmilitary users of the B-17.➤

Boeing B-17G ‘Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby’ origi-nal nose art.US Air Force

Boeing B-17G ‘Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby’ (42-32076 LL-E) was delivered to the 91st BombGroup of the 8th Air Force in 1944. She is photographed here on a mission later thatyear. Foreground aircraft is B-17G-35-DL (S/N 42-107069) (LL-N).US Air Force

QB-17G target drone taken at DetroitWayne Major Airport, c1954,by Wm

J Balogh Sr.via Dave Menard

CIVILIAN OPERATIONSTo protect and promote the emerging aero

industry from the commercial use of the vast

numbers of ex-military types left over at the

end of World War Two, specific limitations

were placed on the use of the surplus

machines. Some B-17s saw limited use as an

executive airliner in the style of the YC-108s.

Stripped of the weight of military equipment

and unhindered by the drag of the various

turrets, the type could lift enormous loads

over considerable ranges.

Several were converted into large area

crop sprayers, while others were equipped

with fire fighting equipment during the

1960s. Known as Air Tankers, the aircraft,

based on both former F and G models, had a

capacious water tank fitted in place of the

bomb racks. The tank was divided into four

cells and had a total capacity of 2000 US

gallons (7570 litres). Many of the pilots

engaged in fire fighting had previously flown

combat missions and some were undoubtedly

recreating the excitement of their youth by

putting out forest fires. The water, often

mixed with fire retardant, could be dropped

in sequential salvos from the cells to create a

wall of water, or was dropped en masse in one

massive hit. It is believed that at least 20 such

conversions were undertaken, but the type

became increasingly difficult to maintain as

the supply of Cyclone engines and spares

dwindled over the ensuing 20 years.

By the mid-1980s the type had

disappeared from use, but their employment

as fire bombers ensured that there were

airworthy survivors for collectors and

organisations such as museums and veterans’

societies to restore to stock condition. ■

Words: Julian Humphries


Front view of a converted tanker with the water tank doors open.The fuselage tanks

could carry water, slurry, or water mixed with fire retardant.Clifford Bossie

The drone ground contol unit used for

taxying and take-off of the QB-17s.

US Air Force

Close up of the modified bomb bay doors

on a firebomber aircraft.The centre pipe

was used to fill the tanks from bowsers.

Clifford Bossie

QB-17G target drone. via Dave Menard

QB-17G target drone taken at Scott Air Force Base, Illinoisc1953/54 via Dave Menard

Converted Firebomber B-17G 44-83546 operated by TBM inc.(#68) as N3703G until 1981.Bill Spidle

DB-17G drone controller taken byGordon S Williams,along with one ofher chicks, an all red QF-80F in thebackground. via Dave Menard

Black Hills Aviation operated firebomber B-17s fromAlamogordo Airport in New Mexico for many years.Note this aircraft has also been modified with anenlarged rear loading door.Clifford Bossie


SurvivorsBoeing’s legacy thunders on

Considering what a short and brutal service lifemost B-17s had, the number of survivingexamples, particularly airworthy, flying examples,that remain today are testimony to two things; theinherent toughness of the airframe and the almostfanatical following the aircraft has amongrestorers, collectors and owners.

RARE B-17S UNDER RESTORATION

B-17D “The Swoose”under restoration,the rear fuselage with the name andartwork on it. Clifford Bossie B-17F “Memphis Belle” under restoration.Clifford Bossie

B-17D“The Swoose”under restoration, the nose art with the flags of all the countriesthe aircraft visited.Clifford Bossie

B-17D “The Swoose”under restoration,the lower “bathtub”machine gunposition with its twin .50 cal machineguns. Clifford Bossie

B-17G“Sentimental Journey”.Caliaro Luigino

Boeing B-17 127

B-17s are to be found all overthe world, flying as treasuredmemorials or air displayexhibitors, on display inmuseums or under

restoration in many hangars andprofessional engineering centers. The costof flying a B-17 today can run to manyhundreds of thousands of pounds a year,but owners fiercely remain loyal to theircharges, finding a way to pay the bills andkeep that mighty aircraft in the air, wherethey fervently believe it belongs.

Surviving airframes are still beingdiscovered in the most unlikely places. Inthe jungles of Papua New Guinea, at thebottom of lakes, lost in frozen wastelands.Whatever the condition of these finds, thereare specialists and expert engineers whowill find a way to restore them to theirformer glory. I have often been amazed,having seen what appears to be a collectionof small pieces of scrap metal arrive at afacility, to check back a few years later todiscover a half completed brand newaircraft rising from the ashes.

Talking to people who work with, neveron, you notice, B-17s, and asking themwhat is it that keeps them climbing aroundon a aluminium mountain until the smallhours of the morning trying to find anelusive oil leak, or nurse a leaking hydraulic

system back to health, and they will look atyou as if you are mentally deficient just forasking. The most eloquent answer I haveever had to the question was a genial shrug,followed by a long steady gaze at the objectof the mans’ affections. “Just look at her;”he said, “think about what she stands for.It’s a privilege.”

Its not that I don’t understand, I do; andhave my own reasons for spending myentire life chasing old aeroplanes. It’s justwhen it comes to B-17 people there is adifference. These are large, expensive andcrotchety airframes, they’re not a Spitfire ora Mustang, where the attraction is obvious,the beauty of a B-17 is a little more hidden,you have to work to appreciate the nuanceddelight of this machine.

I found some of it one morning 15 yearsago at an air show in July. It was very early,the crowd had not yet arrived, and the skywas a dazzling warm blue. The grass hadbeen cut, giving that unmistakable aromathat says air show to me, and the only soundswere the skylarks over the airfield andoccasional snatches of muted conversationbetween people getting aircraft ready out onthe flight line. We were walking behind theB-17 on a hardstanding at one end of thetaxiway, I say we, because my son was withme, eyes bright and head on a swivel, at hisfirst air show and trying to drink it all in.➤

The following list is incomplete, so if youknow of any more,please let us know.

B-17D 40-3097 “The Swoose”The only B-17D to survive intact to today isnow under full restoration at the NationalMuseum of the US Air Force.B-17E 41-2446 “Swamp Ghost”Forced landed in Agaiambo Swamp,Papua,New Guinea during the war thenrecovered by David Tallichet’s organizationearlier this decade and now on display atthe Planes of Fame Museum.B-17E/XC-108A 41-2595 “Desert Rat”A very unusual B-17 that was fitted with largecargo door on port side and a solid nosethat hinged open to the left.Now under longterm restoration to bomber configuration.B-17E 41-9032 “My Gal Sal”Force landed on ice in Greenland in 1942,then recovered in 1995.Now underrestoration as a static exhibit in a newmemorial park in Blue Ash,Ohio.B-17E 41-9090 “The Sooner”Force landed in a fjord in Greenland, thenrecovery attempted in 1999. Recovery isstill planned at a later date.B-17E 41-9205Nothing more is known about the aircraftother than it was recovered from BennettLake,Canada,Circa 1972.B-17E 41-9210After a long history flying in Canada andBolivia among others, this aircraft is nowbeing restored to flying condition by theFlying Heritage Collection,Arlington,WA.B-17E 41-9234This aircraft force landed on the Black CatPass, Papua New Guinea, circa 1944 andis still awaiting recovery.B-17F 41-24485 “Memphis Belle”Thismost famousof B-17s,after years ondisplayin various locations, is now under restorationat the National Museum of the US Air Force.B-17F 42-3008This aircraft landed on a lake nearPoeskallavik, Sweden,on 9 May 1944. Itwas discovered largely intact in 1993 andthere is a recover operation planned.B-17F 42-3374 “Homesick Angel”This aircraft is currently on static display as230320- L at the USAF Museum,Offutt AFB,NE.B-17F 42-29782 “Boeing Bee”After a long career including time as a firebomber, this aircraft was purchased by theMuseum Of Flight,Boeing Field,Seattle,WAin 1990 and restored to airworthy condition,making its first flight on 9 May 1998.B-17F 42-30681This aircraft was recovered as awreck from acrash site inAlaska in 1996 and is currentlysorted in two locations,the fuselage atTillamook NASAir Museum,OR,and the wingsatArcticWarbirds,Fairbanks-Bradley Field,AK.B-17G 42-32076 “Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby”This aircraft was delivered for display at theNational Museum of the US Air Force on 13October 1988.Once the Swoose andMemphis Belle are complete, the aircraft willmove toWashington DC for display there.➤

B-17 SURVIVORS

B-17G“Mary Alice” in the American Air Museum at Duxford.Julian Humphries

B-17G“Sally B”.Julian Humphries


B-17G 43-38635 “Virgin’s Delight”Another ex-fire bomber, this aircraft hasbeen fully restored and is now on displayat USAF Museum,Castle AFB,CA.B-17G 44-6393 “Return to Glory”This aircraft is now on display at the USAFMuseum,March AFB,CA.B-17G 44-8543 “Chuckie”After service as a aerial spray aircraft thisaircraft was restored to airworthy conditionand now is on display at and flies fromMilitaryAviation Museum inVirginia Beach,VA.B-17G 44-8846 “Pink Lady”A former IGN survey aircraft, the aircraftwas acquired by the Forteresse ToujoursVolante Association based at Paris-Orly. Ittook part in the film Memphis Belle in 1989,but now is grounded for a lack of spares.B-17G 44-8889Another former IGN survey aircraft is ondisplay in theMusee de l’Air,Le Bourget,Paris.B-17G 44-83512 “Heavens Above”This aircraft is on display at the USAFMuseum, Lackland AFB, San Antonio,TX.B-17G 44-83514 “Sentimental Journey”This beautifully restored example flies aspart of the Commemorative Air Force, theArizona Wing,at Mesa,AZ.B-17G 44-83525 “Suzy Q”Sadly this aircraft was damagedbyHurricaneAndrew,but is now undergoing restoration atthe Fantasy of FlightMuseum,Polk City,Florida.B-17G 44-83542 “Piccadilly Princess”This aircraft is displayed in a novel way atthe Fantasy Of Flight Museum,Polk City, FL.It forms part of a walk through exhibit andoffers an unusual view of a B-17.B-17G 44-83546 “Memphis Belle”This aircraft flew inmovie“Memphis Belle”in1989 and has since been flying from theAmericanAirpowerMuseum,Farmingdale,NY.B-17G 44-83559 “King Bee”This aircraft is on display at the StrategicAir & Space Museum,Offutt AFB,NE.B-17G 44-83563 “Fuddy Duddy”Another fire bomber survivor, this aircraft isflown and operated by Martin Aviation,Orange County,CA, from her base at JohnWayne airport.B-17G 44-83575 “Nine-O-Nine”This aircraft is part of the CollingsFoundation of Stowe,MA and is inbeautifully restored flying condition.B-17G 44-83624 “Sleepy Time Gal”This aircraft is on display at the Air MobilityCommand Museum,Dover AFB,DE.B-17G 44-83663 “Short Bier”This aircraft is on display at the USAFMuseum,Hill AFB, UT.B-17G 44-83684 “Picadilly Lily II”This aircraft is on display at the Planes OfFame Museum,Chino,CA.B-17G 44-83690 “Miss Liberty Belle”This aircraft is on display at the GrissomAir Museum,Peru, IN.B-17G 44-83718This aircraft was on display at the Museu doFAB,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil,but is now in storage.B-17G 44-83722This aircraft is believed to be in storageand owned by the Weeks Air Museum,Tamiami, FL.➤

The American Air Museum at Duxford,home of “Mary Alice”, from the waistgunners position of the “Sally B”.Author

B-17G“Fuddy Duddy”.Frank B Mormillo

B-17G“Texas Raiders” in company with “Sentimental Journey”. Frank B Mormillo

B-17G“Aluminium Overcast”.Frank B Mormillo

B-17G“Pink Lady”.Frank B Mormillo

Boeing B-17 129

The unique high pitched whining “chur-chur-chur-chur” of a starter motor startledus and the starboard inner engine, the onewe were behind, coughed into roaring lifein a cloud of blue smoke. The smell, soundand battering airstream hit us both prettysimultaneously. Initially a little afraid, myson suddenly grinned, turned into the man-made gale and leaned into it, sniffing thefine aroma of burned aviation fuelappreciatively. We stood for a moment,transfixed and both grinning likeschoolboys who had got out of triple mathsto play rugby.

The engine was throttled back and wemoved on, my son animated by what hadhappened, full of questions about power,role, how many were built; so I foundmyself telling him stories about B-17 thatgot their crews home with impossibledamage, of the young men who died inthese aircraft, of the brilliant engineers whocreated her and the thousands of people

who built her, when it suddenly struck me.A B-17 is not just an aircraft any more. It isan entire sensory heritage wrapped inaluminium. What do you hear when youthink of a B-17? I’ll bet it’s Tommy Dorseyor Glenn Miller music, underscored withthe basso profundo of four Cyclonesgrowling away.

This aircraft is as much an icon as aSpitfire or a Mustang, it just brings a lotmore with it than physical beauty. It is asymbol for an entire era, perhaps amessage to us that in the darkest of timespeople can achieve remarkable things. So Ifor one am delighted the great beast stillthunders and bellows across the sky. Longmay they continue. I would hate to live in aworld where my son couldn’t have foundthat thrill of being knocked about byhistory, living breathing history of the kindwe cannot ever afford to forget lest webecome doomed to repeat its mistakes.Keep ‘em flying! ■ Words: Tim Callaway

B-17G 44-83735 “Mary Alice”This aircraft is on display at at theAmerican Air Museum,Duxford, UK.B-17G 44-83785 “Shady Lady”Still airworthy,this aircraft is on display at theEvergreenAviation Museum,McMinnville,OR.B-17G 44-83790This aircraft force landed on a frozen lakein Newfoundland in 1947, then recoverdby Tom Wilson and Don Brooks and is nowundergoing restoration to airworthy atDouglas,GA.B-17G 44-83814After a time on display in the Pima AirMuseum, this aircraft was returned toWashington-Dulles for the National Air andSpace Museum,where it is in storageawaiting restoration and display.B-17G 44-83863This aircraft is on display at the Air ForceArmament Museum, Eglin AFB, FL.B-17G 44-83868This aircraft is currently on display at theRAF Museum,Hendon, London,UK.B-17G 44-83872 “Texas Raiders”This aircraft is flown by the CommemorativeAir Force, the Gulf Coast Wing,Midland,TX.B-17G 44-83884 “Yankee Doodle II”This aircraft is on display at the 8th AFMuseum,Barksdale AFB, LA.B-17G 44-85583This aircraft is on display at Recife AB,Brazil.B-17G 44-85599 “Reluctant Dragon”This aircraft is on display at the USAFMuseum,Dyes AFB,Abiliene,TX.B-17G 44-85718 “Thunderbird”This beautifully restored example is flown bythe Lone Star Flight Museum,Galveston,TX.B-17G 44-85734 “Liberty Belle”Another superb restoration by Tom ReillyVintage Aircraft, this B-17 is flown by theLiberty Foundation based in Atlanta,GA.B-17G 44-85738 “Preston’s Pride”Ths aircraft is on display in the AMVETSChapter 56 compound,Tulare,CA.B-17G 44-85740 “Aluminum Overcast”This aircraft is flown by the EAA AviationFoundation,Oshkosh,WI.B-17G 44-85778 “Miss Angela”This aircraft is flown by the Palm SpringsAir Museum,Palm Springs,CA.B-17G 44-85784 “Sally B”This aircraft is owned and operated by theB-17 Preservation Trust Ltd., Duxford, UK.B-17G 44-85790 “Lacey Lady”This aircraft is currently under restorationby the Bomber Foundation,Milwaukee,OR.B-17G 44-85813 “Champaign Lady”This aircraft is owned by the B-17Project, Urbana,OH,and is underrestoration to airworthy.B-17G 44-85821This aircraft was last heard of advertisedfor sale as restoration project in 2000.B-17G 44-85828 “I’ll Be Around”This aircraft is on display in theastounding Pima Air & Space Museum,Tucson,AZ.B-17G 44-85829 “Yankee Lady”This aircraft has a long and interestinghistory and is now flown by the Yankee AirMuseum,Willow Run,MI.■

B-17G“Liberty Belle”.Frank B Mormillo

B-17G“Miss Angela”. Frank B Mormillo

B-17G“Thunderbird”.Caliaro Luigino B-17G“Nine O’Nine”.Frank B Mormillo

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Nothing compares to Spitfire. The most famous British fighteraircraft in history, she owned the sky during the Battle ofBritain and to this day remains the ultimate British hero. Herpowerful design combined with the skill and courage of thepilots who flew her gave the Spitfire an iconic status thatwill live on forever. Now, you can own an exclusive tribute toSpitfire with the Defender of the Skies designer men’s watch.

The ultimate salute to the ultimate aircraftA truly distinctive timepiece, the exclusive, limited editionDefender of the Skies watch combines the Spitfire experiencewith accurate precision timing in a sleek stainless-steel form.Its distinctive face is based on the design of watches suppliedto Britain’s pilots during World War 2 and bears a silver, blueand red roundel as a tribute to the British forces.

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A dramatic homage to the Spitfire, this distinctive limitededition watch comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and ispayable in 4 convenient monthly instalments of £24.99 (plusa total of £9.99 postage and handling)* – exceptional value atjust £99.96. To reserve your Defender of the Skies watch backedby our 30-day, money-back guarantee, send no money now.Simply fill in and post the Reservation Application.

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Inscribed with an image ofthe MK22 Spitfire and the

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