The Combined Bomber Offensive was effectively complete. Copilot was Lieutenant Donald Putt, while Boeing chief test pilot Leslie R. Tower was behind the pilots in an advisory role. 60 Of the 291 attacking Fortresses, 60 were shot down over Germany, five crashed on approach to Britain, and 12 more were scrapped due to damage - a loss of 77 B-17s. Arriving over the target, LeMay's bombers encountered little flak and were able to place approximately 300 tons . [158][159] Strategic Air Command (SAC), established in 1946, used reconnaissance B-17s (at first called F-9 [F for Fotorecon], later RB-17) until 1949. These turbo-superchargers were incorporated into the B-17B. The prototype B-17 Bomber was built at the company's own expense and was a fusion of the features of Boeing XB-15 and Boeing 247 Transport Aircraft. ", Frisbee, John L. "Valor: The Quiet Hero.". Tora! These losses were a result of concentrated attacks by over 300 German fighters. [92] On 17 August 1942, 12 B-17Es of the 97th, with the lead aircraft piloted by Major Paul Tibbets and carrying Brigadier General Ira Eaker as an observer, were close escorted by four squadrons of RAF Spitfire IXs (and a further five squadrons of Spitfire Vs to cover the withdrawal) on the first USAAF heavy bomber raid over Europe, against the large railroad marshalling yards at Rouen-Sotteville in France, while a further six aircraft flew a diversionary raid along the French coast. Of the 12,731 B-17s built, about 4,735 were lost during the war. She was featured in a USAAF documentary, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress. For this reason, he wanted B-17 bombers and P-51 fighters for the Eighth. These aircraft were primarily used for agent drop missions over the People's Republic of China, flying from Taiwan, with Taiwanese crews. Dozens more are in storage or on static display. Britain in WW2 . "Boeing's Battle Wagon: The B-17 Flying Fortress An Outline History". A large radome for an S-band AN/APS-20 search radar was fitted underneath the fuselage and additional internal fuel tanks were added for longer range, with the provision for additional underwing fuel tanks. On 2 March 1943, six B-17s of the 64th Squadron flying at 10,000ft (3,000m) attacked a major Japanese troop convoy off New Guinea, using skip bombing to sink Kyokusei Maru, which carried 1,200 army troops, and damage two other transports, Teiyo Maru and Nojima. Of the 291 attacking Fortresses, 60 were shot down over Germany, five crashed on approach to Britain, and 12 more were scrapped due to damage - a loss of 77 B-17s. Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater of Operations and dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during World War II. Of the surviving aircraft, 17 were so badly damaged that they were scrapped. [40] The Y1B-17A had a maximum speed of 311 miles per hour (501km/h), at its best operational altitude, compared to 239 miles per hour (385km/h) for the Y1B-17. Three squadrons undertook Met profiles from airfields in Iceland, Scotland and England, gathering data for vital weather forecasting purposes. [citation needed], Another early World War II Pacific engagement, on 10 December 1941, involved Colin Kelly, who reportedly crashed his B-17 into the Japanese battleship Haruna, which was later acknowledged as a near bomb miss on the heavy cruiser Ashigara. In a 1943 Consolidated Aircraft poll of 2,500 men in cities where Consolidated advertisements had been run in newspapers, 73% had heard of the B-24 and 90% knew of the B-17. [100], A second attempt on Schweinfurt on 14 October 1943 later came to be known as "Black Thursday". Wikipedia says: Defensive armament increased from four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns and one 0.30 in (7.62 mm) nose machine gun in the B-17C, to thirteen 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the B-17G. Gr. Life and Death Aboard a B-17, 1944 - EyeWitness to History The B-17 finally had a fighter which could escort them in and out of Germany, and began to overwhelm German defenses and industry. [38] The aircraft was delivered to the army on 31 January 1939. [74] In July 1942, the first USAAF B-17s were sent to England to join the Eighth Air Force. The Allied victory against the Axis was a long journeyone that actually took much longer than the war itself. Next worst were the P-39 at 245, the P-40 at 188, and the P-38 at 139. "[22][23], The crashed Model 299 could not finish the evaluation, disqualifying it from the competition. The B-17G was the final version of the Flying Fortress, incorporating all changes made to its predecessor, the B-17F,[57] and in total, 8,680 were built,[68] the last (by Lockheed) on 28 July 1945. B-17 pilot flew unexpectedly into the middle of Japanese attack on Footage from Twelve O' Clock High was also used, along with three restored B-17s, in the 1962 film The War Lover. Other factors such as combat effectiveness and political issues also contributed to the B-17's success. The pilots flying the ME-109s and FW-190s were professionalsthe best in the world. Answer (1 of 12): Yes but the kill ratio generally favored attacking fighters. Designed by Dr. Sanford Moss, engine exhaust gases turned the turbine's steel-alloy blades, forcing high-pressure ram air into the Wright Cyclone GR-1820-39 engine supercharger. During World War II, the B-17 equipped 32 overseas combat groups, inventory peaking in August 1944 at 4,574 USAAF aircraft worldwide. While the US had less than 200 at the start of the war, more than 12,000 B-17s were produced by the end and served in every theater. Frisbee, John L. "Valor: A Rather Special Award. how many b17s were shot down during ww2 - bagtical.com The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber used by the United States Army Air Forces and other Allied air forces during World War II. The B-17 Flying Fortress became symbolic of the United States of America's air power. Operational History. The Fortress came under fire from Japanese fighter aircraft, though the crew was unharmed with the exception of one member who suffered an abrasion on his hand. The XB-38 was an engine testbed for Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled engines, should the Wright engines normally used on the B-17 become unavailable. The first Eighth Air Force units arrived in High Wycombe, England, on 12 May 1942, to form the 97th Bomb Group. [11] It combined features of the company's experimental XB-15 bomber and 247 transport. ", "Why Use Colourful Camouflage in World War 2? After Dallas airshow crash, how many B-17s are still flying? Thomas, Geoffrey J., and Ketley, Barry, "KG 200 The Luftwaffe's Most Secret Unit", Hikoku Publications Ltd., Crowborough, East Sussex, UK, 2003, Correll, John T. " Rendezvous With the 'Rex'. [57] The B-17's turbocharged Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 engines were upgraded to increasingly more powerful versions of the same powerplants throughout its production, and similarly, the number of machine gun emplacement locations was increased.[61]. The adoption of the 21 cm Nebelwerfer-derived Werfer-Granate 21 (Wfr. Though many were shot down, many more severely damaged aircraft were able to return their crews safely to base. [178] During the war, the largest offensive bombing force, the Eighth Air Force, had an open preference for the B-17. [37] Scheduled to fly in 1937, it encountered problems with the turbochargers, and its first flight was delayed until 29 April 1938. As the war intensified, Boeing used feedback from aircrews to improve each new variant with increased armament and armor. The RAF's No. [citation needed], The B-17 was noted for its ability to absorb battle damage, still reach its target and bring its crew home safely. Later on footage shows German paratroopers and American P-51 mustangs. Wagner, Ray, "American Combat Planes of the 20th Century", Reno, Nevada, 2004, Jack Bacon & Company, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 16:26. The aircraft was turned over to the Swiss Air Force, who then flew the bomber until the end of the war, using other interned but non-airworthy B-17s for spare parts. Post accident interviews with Tower and Putt determined the control surface gust lock had not been released. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - The National WWII Museum [98], Operation Pointblank opened with attacks on targets in Western Europe. Army Air Forces. Though initially surviving the impact, Hill died within a few hours, and Tower on 19 November. [75], Three damaged B-17s, one "D" and two "E" series, were rebuilt during 1942 to flying status by Japanese technicians and mechanics, using parts salvaged from abandoned B-17 wrecks in the Philippines and the Java East Indies. Nonetheless, this deed made him a celebrated war hero. Though the crash of the prototype 299 in 1935 had almost wiped out Boeing, now it was seen as a boon. He finished the war with 9 enemy planes destroyed. Linn joined The National WWII Museum staff in 2014 andservedas a Curator until 2020. in 1970, and in Memphis Belle with Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Billy Zane, and Harry Connick Jr. in 1990. [221] Both films were made with the full cooperation of the United States Army Air Forces and used USAAF aircraft and (for Twelve O'Clock High) combat footage. [33] The mission was successful and widely publicized. Footage of a B-17 bombing raid that was attacked by German flak and Bf-109's in which bombers are hit and shot down. ", Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 16:26, "intercept" and photograph the Italian ocean liner, List of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress variants, a gunner's position was added in the new tail, the campaign against German aircraft forces, raid on the German capital ship Gneisenau, National Museum of the United States Air Force, List of surviving Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Aircraft in fiction B-17 Flying Fortress, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces, Accidents and incidents involving the B-17 Flying Fortress, List of military aircraft of the United States, "Army's Biggest Bomber Has Rotating Nose. The first two ex-USAAF B-17s, a B-17F (later modified to B-17G standard) and a B-17G were obtained by the Navy for various development programs. As he maneuvered his unarmed B-17 bomber over the island of Oahu, U.S. Army Lt. Robert Thacker was puzzled. The Allison V-1710 was allocated to fighter aircraft. How many b-17s were shot down during World war II? [123] The allied fighter pilots claimed 15 Zeros destroyed, while the B-17 crews claimed five more. [16] On 20 August 1935, the prototype flew from Seattle to Wright Field in nine hours and three minutes with an average cruising speed of 252 miles per hour (406km/h), much faster than the competition. [90] The device was able to determine, from variables put in by the bombardier, the point at which the aircraft's bombs should be released to hit the target. [36] Experiments on this aircraft led to the use of a quartet of General Electric turbo-superchargers, which later became standard on the B-17 line. The campaign in North Africa began with a daring Anglo-American commando raid code-named Operation RESERVIST. Sakai, Saburo with Martin Caidin and Fred Saito. Create. Major General Frank Maxwell Andrews of the GHQ Air Force believed that the capabilities of large four-engined aircraft exceeded those of shorter-ranged, twin-engined aircraft, and that the B-17 was better suited to new, emerging USAAC doctrine. [154], During the Allied bomber offensive, U.S. and British bombers sometimes flew into Swiss airspace, either because they were damaged or, on rare occasions, accidentally bombing Swiss cities. [12], The first flight of the Model 299 was on 28 July 1935 with Boeing chief test-pilot Leslie Tower at the controls. The RAF entered World War II with no heavy bomber of its own in service; the biggest available were long-range medium bombers such as the Vickers Wellington, which could carry up to 4,500 pounds (2,000kg) of bombs. [114], By 1941, the Far East Air Force (FEAF) based at Clark Field in the Philippines had 35 B-17s, with the War Department eventually planning to raise that to 165. [69] Many B-17Gs were converted for other missions such as cargo hauling, engine testing, and reconnaissance. Flight crews ferried the bombers back across the Atlantic to the United States where the majority were sold for scrap and melted down, although significant numbers remained in use in second-line roles such as VIP transports, air-sea rescue and photo-reconnaissance. [81][82][83], By September, the RAF had lost eight B-17Cs in combat and had experienced numerous mechanical problems, and Bomber Command abandoned daylight bombing raids using the Fortress I because of the aircraft's poor performance. Frisbee, John L. "Valor: First of the Few". The experience showed both the RAF and USAAF that the B-17C was not ready for combat, and that improved defenses, larger bomb loads and more accurate bombing methods were required. Frisbee, John L. "Valor: Battle Over Bougainville". [citation needed] It was subsequently used in various films and in the 1960s television show 12 O'Clock High before being retired to the Planes of Fame aviation museum in Chino, California. Life and Death Aboard a B-17, 1944. [17], At the fly-off, the four-engined Boeing's performance was superior to those of the twin-engined DB-1 and Model 146. At the same time, the German nightfighting ability noticeably improved to counter the nighttime strikes, challenging the conventional faith in the cover of darkness. Forty-five planes survive in complete form, 38 in the United States. Copy. 223 Squadron, as part of 100 Group, operated a number of Fortresses equipped with an electronic warfare system known as "Airborne Cigar" (ABC). Serial number 44-85784 is the last airworthy B-17 in the United Kingdom and is based at the Imperial War Museum Duxford. 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 ", "Giant Bomber Flies Four Miles Per Minute. These losses amounted to 25 percent of the attacking force. [177][note 5], Many pilots who flew both the B-17 and the B-24 preferred the B-17 for its greater stability and ease in formation flying. Losses were so heavy on the mission it became known as Black Thursday." [115] When the FEAF received word of the attack on Pearl Harbor, General Lewis H. Brereton sent his bombers and fighters on various patrol missions to prevent them from being caught on the ground. [10] The B-17's armament consisted of five .30 caliber (7.62mm) machine guns, with a payload up to 4,800lb (2,200kg) of bombs on two racks in the bomb bay behind the cockpit. [41], Opposition to the air corps' ambitions for the acquisition of more B-17s faded, and in late 1937, 10 more aircraft designated B-17B were ordered to equip two bombardment groups, one on each U.S. As sufficient Consolidated Liberators finally became available, Coastal Command withdrew the Fortress from the Azores, transferring the type to the meteorological reconnaissance role. Gift of Peggy Wallace, 2010.308.082. [155], Official Swiss records identify 6,501 airspace violations during the course of the war, with 198 foreign aircraft landing on Swiss territory and 56 aircraft crashing there. Eighty years ago, the Red Army managed to stop, contain, and ultimately defeat the largest German army on the Eastern Front. [130], B-17s were still used in the Pacific later in the war, however, mainly in the combat search and rescue role. There are very few films left in existence showing the Me 262 in action, especially shooting down allied bombers with P-51 escorts. Clearly, something had to be done because the bomber was not getting through. The first bomber to hit Japan after Pearl Harbor, the B-25 Mitchell was found in every theater of the war and was a rugged, multipurpose bomber beloved by her aircrew for its survivability and ease to fly. Its famous nickname came from the fact it carried 13 .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns for protection, and had a legendary toughness for carrying its crew home on one engine or even with the tail shot away. One of the most significant weapons of World War II would be ready, but only by a hair. In 1946 (or 1947, according to Holm) the regiment was assigned to the Kazan factory (moving from Baranovichi) to aid in the Soviet effort to reproduce the more advanced Boeing B-29 as the Tupolev Tu-4. The Eighth Air Force vs. The Luftwaffe - The National WWII Museum It also developed a reputation for toughness based upon stories and photos of badly damaged B-17s safely returning to base. Originally, the B-17 was also chosen because of its heavy defensive armament, but this was later removed. All were Allison powered. Best Answer. 206 Squadron RAF sank U-627 on 27 October 1942, the first of 11 U-boat kills credited to RAF Fortress bombers during the war.[86]. The most famous B-17, the Memphis Belle, toured the U. S. with her crew to reinforce national morale (and to sell war bonds). AFA Statement on Loss of Historic B-17: Painful Reminder of the These aircraft had landed with mechanical trouble during the shuttle bombing raids over Germany or had been damaged by a Luftwaffe raid in Poltava. [78] While the Short Stirling and Handley Page Halifax became its primary bombers by 1941, in early 1940, the RAF entered into an agreement with the U.S. Army Air Corps to acquire 20 B-17Cs, which were given the service name Fortress I. Bomber wrecks were fewer but more expensive. 7071, 83, 92, 256, 26869. [34][35] The 13th Y1B-17 was delivered to the Material Division at Wright Field, Ohio, to be used for flight testing. His views were supported by Eighth Air Force statisticians, whose mission studies showed that the Flying Fortress's utility and survivability was much greater than those of the B-24 Liberator. The first Schweinfurt-Regensburg Raid occurred during >World War II (1939-1945). 12962; History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons: Volume 2: The History of VP, VPB, VP(HL) and VP(AM) Squadrons, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boeing_B-17_Flying_Fortress&oldid=1141348576. [92] It has been alleged that some B-17s kept their Allied markings and were used by the Luftwaffe in attempts to infiltrate B-17 bombing formations and report on their positions and altitudes. [121] While there, the Fifth Air Force B-17s were tasked with disrupting the Japanese sea lanes.