Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress

Ground crew of the 92nd Bomb Group load bombs into a B-17E Flying Fortress (serial number 41-9148) nicknamed "Boomerang" at Bovington. A censor has obscured a structure in the background. Circa 17 October 1942.

The B-17E (299-O) was an extensive redesign of the previous B-17D. The most obvious change was the larger, completely new vertical stabilizer, originally developed for the Boeing 307 Stratoliner by George S. Schairer. The new fin had a distinctive shape for the time, with the opposite end of the fuselage retaining the ten panel bombardier's nose glazing from the B-17D.

Because experience had shown that the Flying Fortress would be vulnerable to attack from behind, both a tail gunner's position and a powered, fully traversable dorsal turret behind the cockpit, (each armed with a pair of "light-barrel" Browning AN/M2 .50 cal. machine guns), were added to the B-17E. Until this modification, aircrews had to devise elaborate maneuvers to deal with a direct attack from behind, including swinging the bomber laterally, allowing the waist gunners to alternate .50 caliber bursts at enemy fighters. (The configuration of a "3-window box" would later be implemented on the B-29, and also adopted by Soviet bombers as late as the Tupolev Tu-16 Badger, and in different form on the USAF's B-52). The teardrop-shaped sliding panels of the waist gunners were replaced by rectangular windows, located directly across the fuselage from each other, for better visibility. In the initial production run, the ventral "bathtub" machine gun emplacement of the B-17C/Ds was replaced by a remotely-sighted powered turret. It was similar to the one used as a ventral fuselage-mount Bendix remote turret of the B-25B through -D Mitchell medium bomber variants, but was difficult to use and proved to be a failure in combat. This resulted in all remaining B-17E production being fitted with a powered Sperry ball turret, manually operated from inside. These ball turrets also equipped the "F" and "G" series Flying Fortresses that followed for ventral-quarter defense.

A total of 512 were built (possibly from the July 1940-dated order from the then-USAAC for B-17s being for that specific number of airframes) making the B-17E the first mass-produced version of the Boeing B-17. One of these was later converted to the XB-38 Flying Fortress, which proved to be a failure during flight tests. The B-17E production order was too large a quantity for Boeing to handle by itself, so the Vega division of Lockheed and Douglas assisted in the manufacture of the bomber. Boeing also built a new production plant, and Douglas added one specifically for building B-17s.

In the middle of 1942, 45 B-17Es were transferred to the RAF, where they served under the designation Fortress IIA. Likely because of the shortcomings experienced with the Fortress I (B-17C), the RAF decided not to use the Fortress IIA as a daylight, high-altitude precision bomber, the role for which it had been redesigned. Rather, the new aircraft were transferred to the Coastal Command for anti-submarine patrol.

Four known examples of B-17Es still exist in museums today, none of which is currently known to be airworthy.

 

A U.S. Army Air Force Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress with the 38 men of flight crew and ground crew that were necessary to keep it flying, circa 1941.

Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress recognition data.

Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (41-2509). Delivered Albany 22 January 1942; MacDill 30 January 1942; Sebring 3 February 1942; with R.G. Bailey Cat E 16 May 1942 in landing accident; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Albuquerque 15 May 1945.

Boeing B-17E in flight; circa 1942.

Three U.S. Army Air Force Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress bombers (s/n 41-2512, 41-2511 and 41-2509) in late 1941 or early 1942. Aircraft 41-2509 was wrecked in a landing accident at Hendricks Field, Florida on 16 May 1942, 41-2511 a day before. Hendricks Field was home of the Army Air Force Basic Training School at Sebring, Florida, where B-17 crews were trained.

Boeing 299-O B-17E Flying Fortress (41-2393 c/n 2204) US Army Air Forces. This was the prototype of the B-17E. It was delivered to Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, USA, on October 3, 1941 and then went to Eglin Field, Valpariso, Florida, USA, on October 10, 1941; Langley Field, Hampton, Virginia, USA, on December 28, 1941; and finally to Gander Airport, Dominion of Newfoundland, on January 8, 1942. The aircraft crashed the next day (January 9, 1942).

A larger tail, great dorsal fin perfected the B-17E Fortress’s stability. A ball turret protected it from below. Its tail gun emplacement discouraged—to death—many Japanese Zero pilots. B-17E 41-2599.

The black walkway stripes can be clearly seen on the wings of this Dark Olive Drab finished B-17E (41-2599).

The B-17E featured a complete re-design of the entire rear fuselage and tail unit to make room for a tail turret.

Shadow-shading pattern shows clearly in this photograph of B-17E (41-9175) taken at Burtonwood, England in March 1943.

Two B-17Es on a factory test flight display contrasting camouflage schemes. While 41-9131 in the background has standard AAF finish, 41-9141 is painted in British type camouflage. Originally intended for RAF service, the aircraft was taken over by the AAF prior to delivery. For those that complain about the quality of some the photos in this series, these three photos are perfect examples of the problems encountered with photos obtained from multiple sources. In this group of photos, taken at the same time, of the same subject, by the same photographer, because they were obtained at different times from different sources, have different levels of quality.

Another view of the same B-17Es in the above photo.

Another view of the same B-17Es in the above two photos.

B-17E “Yankee Doodle” at home base after one of the first big raids on Occupied Europe.

“Little Skunkface,” B-17E, 97th Bomb Group, with shadow-shading camouflage and Sky type undersides. Band near left wing tip was red; similarly placed band on right wing was blue.

The “fightingest Flying Fortress in the world,” the “Suzy-Q,” a B-17E, and her crew ran more long-range bombing missions against the Japanese than any other plane.

“Suzy-Q,” B-17E (41-2489) famed for its exploits with 19th Bomb Group, pictured after its return to the USA. Despite security requirements the 93rd Bomb Squadron insignia was boldly displayed on the nose.

B-17E Flying Fortresses on the prowl for Japanese in the South Pacific.

B-17E “Galloping Gus” and her crew, 98th Squadron, Thirteenth Air Force.

Nose detail of Boeing B-17E "Typhoon McGoon II" (41-9211) of the 11th Bomb Group, 98th Bomb Squadron, taken in January 1943 in New Caledonia. Note the antennas mounted above the nose Plexiglas used for radar tracking of surface vessels.

B-17E “Madame-X” (41-2525), 31st Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group, Thirteenth Air Force (formerly assigned to the 98th Bomb Squadron, 11th Bomb Group). Eight bomb markings indicate bombing missions with three Japanese flags indicating enemy fighters claimed and a ship silhouette. Took off from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal on 9 June 1943 on a night bombing mission against Kahilli Airfield (Buin Airfield) on Bougainville. Over the target at dusk, this bomber was last contacted by radio at 19:10 and failed to return from the mission. It was believed this B-17 was lost in the vicinity of the target area.

The B-17E “Goonie” has seven Japanese Zeros to her credit in 15 combat missions in the South Pacific. This is not an unusual record for these American Air force fighting bombers. 1942.

B-17E “Yankee Doodle Jr.” (41-9227), 431st Bomb Squadron, 11th Bomb Group, Thirteenth Air Force. Six enemy aircraft and two ships claimed. On December 31, 1942 took off from Bomber 1 and crashed on Espirito Santo.

The B-17E being admired here is the “Yankee Doodle, Jr.,” which has the enviable record of having sunk a Japanese cruiser and a transport. The flags indicate Zeros shot down in South Pacific combat. 1942.

 “Sally,” Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress, personal transport from September 1942 to June 1944 of Lt. Gen. George Kenney, CO, Fifth Air Force, seen at Port Moresby, 20 March 1943.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress nose with bombardier in position. Norden bombsight is covered for security purposes.

B-17E Flying Fortress, “Yankee Diddl’er/Wouldn’t It Root Ya,” 43rd Bomb Group.

B-17E Flying Fortress, “RFD Tojo,” New Guinea.

Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress (probably same aircraft as seen in the previous photo).

B-17Es of 5th Bomb Group operating from Hawaii early in 1942 had their rudders painted with alternating red and white stripes. This was not an approved AAF marking but was apparently adopted by some units in the Central Pacific area to conform with U.S. Navy practice at that time.

Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress serial number 41-2459, photographed at RAF Shallufa, Egypt in December 1941 on its way via Florida, Caribbean, Brazil, across the South Atlantic and Central Africa to join the 9th Bombardment Squadron, 7th Bombardment Group during the Battle of the Philippines. When camouflage was adapted for bombers in February 1941, a star was added to each side of the fuselage and the rudder stripes and star on the low left and upper right wing were deleted. On 10 May 1942 the red center of the star-in-circle insignia was also deleted because of its similarity with the Japanese hinomaru Rising Sun marking. which Americans called the 'meatball'. Within two days of the B-17's arrival in the Dutch East Indies, on 15 January 1942, it was dispatched on a combat mission. This aircraft crash-landed during the mission at Kendari, Borneo and was strafed by Japanese Zero fighters. The crew escaped and were later evacuated to Java. The aircraft was subsequently blown up by the US forces on 16 January during the retreat.

14th Bombardment Squadron B-17E, Clark Field, Philippines before the 8 December 1941 attack.

Two Japanese Navy Aichi D3A1 Type 99 carrier bombers ("Val") fly near a U.S. Army 38th Reconnaissance Squadron Boeing B-17E (s/n 41-2408) that arrived over Oahu from California in the middle of the Japanese air raid on 7 December 1941. The B-17 was piloted by First Lieutenant Karl T. Barthelmess. The B-17E 41-2408 was later used to evacuate General Douglas MacArthur from the Philippines on 25 March 1942.

Boeing B-17E Fortress serial number 41-2578. of the 1st Combat Crew Replacement Center Group at Bovington Airfield, England. This aircraft was the oldest and longest serving B-17 in the Eighth Air Force. While with the 97th Bomb Group on August 17, 1942, this was the lead aircraft in the first Eighth Air Force heavy bombing mission. Later, this aircraft was used for training combat replacement crews with the 11th Combat Crew Replacement Unit at RAF Bovington until 1945.

1st Weather Reconnaissance Squadron B-17E "The Green Banana" and crew; 9 June 1944.

31st Bombardment Squadron B-17E Flying Fortresses at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, 1942.

36th Bombardment Squadron LB-30 Liberator and a Boeing B-17E Fortress (41-9126) at Fort Glenn Army Air Base, Alaska, June 1942. 41-9126 was lost August 28, 1942.

36th Bombardment Squadron B-17E Flying Fortress, Amchitka Army Airfield, Alaska; circa 1943.

411th Bombardment Squadron B-17E Flying Fortresses on the line at Gowen Field, Idaho, 1943.

A B-17E Flying Fortress (serial number 41-2578) nicknamed "Butcher Shop" of the 97th Bomb Group. It was flown by Major Paul W. Tibbets Jr. (pilot; 340th Bomb Squadron Commanding Officer (CO)) and Colonel Frank W. Armstrong (co-pilot). The "Butcher Shop" was the lead plane during the 12-ship 17 August 1942 raid on Rouen, France.

Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress serial number 41-2656, "Chief Seattle from the Pacific Northwest " was assigned to the 435th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group on 29 May 1942. Lost over Buna, Papua New Guinea, 14 August 1942 on a reconnaissance mission, crew MIA.

Boeing B-17E serial number 41-2656 "Chief Seattle from the Pacific Northwest" in flight; circa 1942.

The B-17E “Chief Seattle from the Pacific Northwest” of the 435th Bombardment Squadron, 43rd Bomb Group at Seven Mile Drome near Port Moresby, 1942.

Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress (41-2656) "Chief Seattle from the Pacific Northwest" of the 19th Bombardment Group USAAF, Summer 1942.

Camouflaged Boeing B-17E on patrol of the approaches to the vital Panama Canal; circa 1943. This is a B-17E with the early ventral turret.

A U.S. Army Air Force Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress being serviced on Eastern Island, Midway Islands, in late May or early June 1942.

A U.S. Army Air Force Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress being serviced on Eastern Island, Midway Islands, in late May or early June 1942.

A U.S. Army Air Force Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress taking off from Eastern Island, Midway Islands, in late May or early June 1942.

U.S. Army Air Force Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress bombers of the 431st Bombardment Squadron take off from the airfield on Eastern Island, Midway Atoll, on the afternoon of 31 May 1942. The plane in the center is an early-model B-17E-BO (s/n 41-2397), with a Bendix remotely controlled belly turret, flown by 1st Lt. Kinney.

B-17E of 72nd Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group, Midway Atoll, 1942.

Boeing B-17E at Wright Field, Ohio; circa 1942.

Boeing B-17E "Nemesis of Aeroembolism", used by the Aero Medical Laboratory at Wright Field, Ohio, for studies of human physiology at high altitudes.

Boeing B-17E serial number 41-2539 in flight; circa 1942.

Boeing B-17E serial number 41-9061 in flight; circa 1942.

Boeing B-17E serial number 41-9061 in flight; circa 1942.

Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress serial number 41-2599 "Tugboat Annie". Delivered to USAAC at Lowry Field, Colorado; eventually to Hickam Field, Hawaii. Participant in the Battle of Midway. Ditched at sea in January 1943.

Boeing B-17Es (serial numbers 41-2557 and 41-9182) in formation; circa 1942.

Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress serial number 41-259.

Formation Aircraft: Boeing B-17E (S/N 41-9100) of the 379th Bomb Group, 525th Bomb Squadron (FR*U). The aircraft is painted with red and white alternatives stripes; 21 July 1944.

Fukuchan nose art on a captured B-17E, drawn by Ryuichi Yokoyama at Bandung; 1942.

Boeing B-17E (s/n 41-9175) at Burtonwood, March 16, 1943.

B-17 Flying Fortress #41-9082 formerly of the 12th Air Force gifted to General Montgomery by General Dwight D Eisenhower. Wartime caption: "British Official Photograph. BNA 2147. War Office Photograph. Crown Copyright Reserved. General Montgomery Backs His 8th Army And Wins A Flying Fortress. As a sequel to a wager made some weeks ago with an American General [Major General Bedell Smith, General Eisenhower's Chief of Staff] that the 8th Army would be in Sfax by the 15th April, 1943, General Montgomery, G.O.C. 8th Army, was presented with a Flying Fortress. The General inspected the 'plane at an Aerodrome in North Africa on the afternoon of April 17th. General Montgomery was presented to the U.S. aircrew by the Captain of the 'plane. A number of soldiers gathered round during his inspection and he afterwards had a talk with several of them. The crew of the Fortress is made up of: Pilot, 1st Lieut. Frank D. Evans, Sand Point, Idaho. Co-Pilot, 1st Lt. La Roy Ellis, Jerome, Idaho. Bombardier, 1st Lt. F. Wheeler, Redwood City, California. Navigator, 1st Lt. Everett Lakin, Kansas. Engineer, T/Sgt. Jerome Scherr, Los Angeles, California. Tail Gunner, S/Sgt. W. Hayes, Franklin, Illinois. Radio/Operator, T/Sgt. Edwin R. Isaac, Newcastle, Penn. A/Operator, S/Sgt. Chas J. Cayer, Eslison, Ohio. Asst/Engineer, S/Sgt. Chas D. Hudson, Hurley, New Mexico."

Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery with the crew of his specially outfitted B-17E the "Theresa Leta". His pilot, then Capt. Richard E. Evans, is the man standing to the far right of the photograph. June 23, 1943.

General Bernard Montgomery inspects the American crew of his B-17 Flying Fortress "Theresa Leta" in June 1943. Major General Bedell Smith, General Eisenhower's Chief of Staff, bet that British forces would not capture Sfax by 15 April 1943. Montgomery won the wager when Sfax fell on 10 April, and was assigned a B-17 Flying Fortress and its crew to use as his personal transport as a result. The obsolete bomber was later replaced by a DC-3 because of the B-17's limited short field capabilities.

B-17E Flying Fortress airplanes are shown being built at Boeing’s historic “Plant 2” in Seattle.

B-17E "Calamity Jane" (41-2440) and her crew prior to take off from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, circa 1943.

A nice view inside a B-17E looking aft towards the tail. The cylindrical object in the background is a chemical toilet. The crew access door is just visible on the starboard side. (Photograph by Frank Sherschel for LIFE Magazine)

The tail gunner’s position before attaching to the aircraft. The racks on either side held the .50 cal ammunition boxes, the belts were fed through the guide trays mounted on either side. The gunner faced aft and knelt on the padded rests while sitting on the bicycle type seat in the center.

Looking aft in the radio compartment is more radio equipment and another door leading aft. Mounted to the bulkhead to the left are two hand cranks for manually lowering the flaps in case of hydraulic failure.

Next is the Radio compartment looking forward. The Dark Green or Olive Drab covering for the acoustical batting is in place here as well. Seats are in unpainted aluminum and are unarmored. Radio equipment is in black. The control cables running from the cockpit to the tail surfaces pass through on either side overhead.

The bomb bay is the next compartment aft of the flight deck, here is a view looking forward. This is an unfinished B-17E. Several components are awaiting installation but this gives an excellent view of the structural elements.

A finished B-17E bomb bay looking aft. Safety lines are in place to help keep crewmen on the narrow catwalk between the bomb racks. The Alcoa stenciling is visible on the aircraft skin confirming the bomb bay is unpainted. If you look in the lower corners of the photograph you see that the wing interior is sheeted off from the bomb bay.

B-17E bombardier's compartment looking aft. The bombardier’s seat is in the foreground, the navigator sat in a seat behind him facing the port side of the aircraft. This compartment is completely covered in the sound-deadening insulation. An unpainted (not red) fire extinguisher is mounted to the aft bulkhead. Note the armor plate behind the bombardier’s seat, and his yellow seat cushion. Note that no structural ribbing is visible, and the details of the upholstered canvas covering the rear bulkhead.

B-17E bombardier's position looking forward. The Navigator’s table in the left foreground appears to be black enamel on an aluminum frame on this Fortress. The armor behind the bombardier’s seat is primed. A Browning .30 caliber machine gun is mounted in the lower right of the nose glazing, four additional mounting sockets are visible in the photograph.

An exterior view of 41-2405 warming up her engines in the pre-dawn twilight. Even though the colors are washed out, the Sperry remote belly gun turret and sighting dome show clearly.

Ordinance crew are bombing up 41-2405. The Norton bombsight in the nose was almost always seen covered when on the ground for security reasons, even though by this time several examples had been captured intact by the Japanese on Java. Note the grounding wire attached to the pitot tube on the port side of the nose, a necessary precaution against sparks when arming or fueling the aircraft.

Pilot Lt. Arthur H. Little poses at the controls, showing details of the colors of the flight controls and cockpit. The cockpit interior was lined with sound-deadening insulation and covered with a dark green canvas. A B-24 Liberator can be seen in the background.

Co-Pilot Lt. Douglas H. Busky at his station. The cockpit side windows could be slid to the rear to allow for ventilation or an unobstructed view. Notice that the sliding portion is a single piece of molded Plexiglas and is unframed.

The Navigator, 2nd Lt. Robert W. Wert at his station in the nose. The nose compartment of the early Fortresses was also covered in the sound deadening insulation with dark green canvas covering, but later production Forts dispensed with the insulation in the nose except for the bulkhead separating the nose compartment from the cockpit. The underlying interior was unprimed.

Aft of the bomb bay is the radio compartment, where Sgt. Leslie T. Figgs is pictured at his station. This compartment was also provided with the interior insulation on the B-17E. Note the color of his table, and that none of the airframe or fittings are primed.

The after fuselage looking forward, where the waist and belly gunners relax with a bottle of milk and a sandwich. The belly gunner laid between the feet of the waist gunners facing aft to look though his sight. The crowded conditions interfered with the efficiency of all three men, and using the periscopic sight was disorienting and nauseating for the ventral gunner. The Sperry remote turret was not a success and no kills were credited to gunners using the system. In this view the sight is covered with plywood and parachutes for security reasons.

The same view, but here the photographer has switched to another camera loaded with black and white film which shows additional details. Note the structural support for the belly turret at the top of the frame, and the canvas covering for the vertical support.

B-17E fuselage interior looking forward showing the waist gun positions. This photograph is particularly interesting as it shows the remote sighting installation for the unmanned Sperry Model 645705-D belly turret. This gun installation was not successful and was only installed on the first 112 B-17Es produced, serial numbers 41-2394 through 41-2504. The gunner operated the sight by laying on the floor facing aft between the feet of the already cramped waist gunners. The belly gunner’s side scanning windows are clearly visible, two on each side, immediately above the steps. Control cables are overhead.

A posed photograph showing the waist gunners with their .50 caliber machine guns aimed aft. The lack of space for the gunners to work is obvious, some crews flew with only one waist gunner, especially later in the war. The interior of the aft fuselage was not provided with the insulative covering, and was left in unprimed Aluminum (as was the bomb bay). Restored warbirds are generally seen with primed interiors as a preservative measure which has led to an erroneous perception among modelers.

An early Fortress with the hand-held .30 caliber machine gun mounted in the nose. The relatively weak defensive armament in the nose was quickly discovered by both the Germans and the Japanese. Efforts by Fortress crews to increase the forward firepower were frustrated by heavier guns cracking the Plexiglas panels which also served as mounts. Various field modifications were tried in an effort to absorb the recoil from heavier nose guns.

Three Boeing B-17E Flying Fortresses of the 342nd BS, 97th BG, fly in close formation during a training flight over the UK, 1943. (Imperial War Museum EA23884)

A duo of B-17Es of the 26th Bomb Squadron, 11th Bomb Group, await another mission. Note the wing and nose antenna of the SCR-521 radar. Pekoa Airfield, New Hebrides Islands, in the autumn of 1942.

Ground crew reinstall a critical airframe component – the rear half of the aircraft. One can still see on the national insignia that its red center was painted over. 26th Bomb Squadron, 11th Bomb Group, Pekoa Airfield, New Hebrides Islands, in the autumn of 1942.

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

B-17E 41-24397/Phyllis with a Red Cross woman passing out donuts to airmen and ground crews.

American Red Cross Clubmobile with B-17E 41-24397/Phyllis (nose of aircraft is just visible at upper right).

B-17E 41-24397/Phyllis. Assigned 352BS/301BG Westover 8/7/42; Chelveston 9/8/42; detailed mission to Meaulte, Fr 2/10/42; crash landed RAF Gatwick 2/10/42 with 1Lt. Charles W. Paine, Jr. Co-pilot: 1Lt Robert H. Long, Navigator: 2Lt John A. Thomson, Bombardier: 2Lt Stanley A. Komarik, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: H.M. Peterson Wounded in Action, Radio Operator: SSgt Walter G. Parcells, Ball turret gunner: Sgt A.N. Bouthillier, Waist gunner: Sgt Tom J. Coburn, Jr. Wounded in Action, Waist gunner: SSgt T.L.Sheeder, Tail gunner: SSgt B.T. Taucher Wounded in Action. Salvaged battle damaged. Nose cut off to release injured crewmen; 16 cannon holes, over 300 bullet holes plus flak damage.

The major American heavy bomber of 1942, the B-17.

Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress bombers begin the bomb run. The photograph has been angled so the planes look like they are diving but bomb runs were not done in a dive in a B-17.

B-17 with P-38 escorts.

A B-17 burns after a Japanese air raid on Bandung airfield, Java.

Women pilots leaving their B-17E, “Pistol Packin’ Mama,” at Lockbourne AAF, Ohio, during WASP training to ferry B-17 aircraft. Left to right are Frances Green, Marget Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborn.

19th Bombardment Group B-17 parked in a camouflaged blister hangar probably at Batchelor Field in the Northern Territory, Australia, in early 1942. At the time, Japanese bombers were attacking the Darwin Area and the camouflage was necessary to prevent the bombers from being sighted by Japanese reconnaissance planes.

Ground personnel of the 92nd Bomb Group prepare to load bombs into a B-17E Flying Fortress nicknamed "Boomerang".

Ground personnel of the 92nd Bomb Group prepare to load bombs into a B-17E Flying Fortress nicknamed "Boomerang".

Ground personnel of the 92nd Bomb Group prepare to load bombs into a B-17E Flying Fortress nicknamed "Boomerang".

Ground personnel of the 92nd Bomb Group prepare to load bombs into a B-17E Flying Fortress nicknamed "Boomerang".

Ground crew of the 92nd Bomb Group refuel a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-9148) nicknamed "Boomerang". Refueling a new Flying Fortress ready for operations over enemy -occupied Europe. The aircraft now fully justifies her name, as the Huns have learned to their cost.

Boeing B-17E bomber of the United States Army Air Forces, Malang, 1942.

Sergeant Raymond W Szatkowski from South Hedley Falls, Massachusetts helps Corporal C M Marchbanks into an asbestos fire-fighting suit at an airfield somewhere in Britain, as a B-17E Flying Fortress 41-9154 “Bat Out of Hell” lands behind them following a mission over the Ruhr. The asbestos suit enables the wearer to work for several minutes in fire, enough time to rescue any trapped crew members should an aircraft catch fire on landing. The aircraft features the letters UX, indicating that it is an aircraft of 407 Squadron, 92nd Bombardment Group.

B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 407th Bomb Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group fly in formation during a training exercise. Aircraft are, from left to right: B-17E (serial number 41-9022) nicknamed "Alabama Exterminator", B-17E (serial number 41-9023) nicknamed "Yankee Doodle", B-17E (UX-?, serial number 41-9017) nicknamed "Heidi Ho", B-17E (UX-V, serial number 41-9013), B-17E (UX-S, serial number 41-9154) nicknamed "The Bat out of Hell", B-17E (serial number 41-9132). 

The crash tender team at an American airfield somewhere in Britain run with their hoses to a B-17E Flying Fortress 41-9154 “Bat Out of Hell” during a drill. The crash tenders are British-made and are posted with ambulances around the airfield when aircraft are due to land in order to provide a quick response to any emergency which may occur. The aircraft features the letters UX, indicating that it is an aircraft of 407 Squadron, 92nd Bombardment Group.