Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress

B-17F-1-BO Flying Fortress 41-24352 “Holey Joe”.

The B-17F was an upgrade of the B-17E. Outwardly, both types were distinguished primarily by the ten-panel fully-framed nose glazing on the "E" series. A molded, one-piece or two-piece all Plexiglas nose cone replaced this framed glazing on the "F" series (the two-piece cone had a nearly-transparent diagonal seam). Fully-feathering paddle-blade propellers were also substituted. Many internal changes were also made to improve the effectiveness, range, and load capacity of the Flying Fortress. Once placed in combat service, however, the "F" series was found to be tail-heavy. The combined weight, when fully combat-loaded, of the four rear gunners and their heavy .50 caliber ammunition, moved the bomber's center of gravity rearward from its original design point. This forced the constant use of the bomber's elevator trim tab, stressing that component to eventual failure. In combat the B-17F also proved almost immediately to have inadequate defensive protection when being attacked directly from the front. Various armament configurations of two-to-four flexible machine guns were added to the Plexiglas nose cone and side window positions (the starboard position was placed further forward). Late production "F" series Flying Fortresses received substantially-enlarged bulged "cheek" mounts for their .50 caliber machine guns, then located on each side of the nose. These replaced the previous side window-mounted .50s. These "cheek" mounts allowed for firing more directly ahead. An overhead bulged dome was also added on top of the nose for use by the navigator.

The problem of head-on defense was not adequately addressed until the introduction of a powered, Bendix-designed, remotely operated "chin" turret in the final production blocks of F-series Fortresses, starting with the last 65 (86 according to some sources) B-17Fs built by Douglas, from the B-17F-70-DL production block — directly derived from its debut on the YB-40 experimental "gunship" version. Most sources say that the turret was introduced on the B-17F-75-DL, but photographs indicate that the F-70-DL also had the turret.

By using reinforced landing gear, the maximum bomb capacity was also increased from 4,200 lb (1,900 kg) to 8,000 lb (3,600 kg). Though this modification reduced cruising speed by 70 mph (110 km/h), increased bomb-carrying capacity was favored by decision makers over speed. A number of other modifications were made, including re-integrating external bomb racks; because of the negative impact on both rate-of-climb and high-altitude flight performance, this configuration was rarely used and the bomb racks were once again removed.

Range and combat radius were extended with the installation in mid-production of additional fuel cells in the wings. Called "Tokyo tanks", nine self-sealing rubber-composition fuel tanks were mounted inside each wing on each side of the reinforcing joint between the inner and outer wing spars. With an extra 1,080 US gal (4,100 L) to the 1,700 US gal (6,400 L) available on the first B-17Fs, the "Tokyo tanks" added approximately 900 mi (1,400 km) to the bomber's target capability.

3,405 "F" series Flying Fortresses were built: 2,300 by Boeing, 605 by Douglas, and 500 by Lockheed (Vega). These included the famous Memphis Belle. 19 were transferred to the RAF, where they served with RAF Coastal Command as the Fortress II. Three examples of the B-17F remain in existence, including the restored Memphis Belle.

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress. 

B-17F crew positions.

“Hell's Angels” USA Bond Tour. Program from the Chicago Reception, 20 March 1944.

B-17F 41-24605 "Knock-Out Dropper". Assigned to the 359th Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bombardment Group. Shown at Molesworth England in 1945. This B-17 was the first to complete 50 combat missions on Nov 16, 1943, and the first to complete 75 missions on Mar 27, 1944. It survived the war and returned to the United States. The aircraft was subsequently scrapped at Searcy Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma, July 1945.

353rd Bombardment Squadron Douglas-Long Beach B-17F-15-DL serial number 42-3025; circa 1944.

The "Lady Liberty" Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Flying Fortress s/n 42-29807 364th BS, 305th BG, 8th AF. Originally assigned to the 334th BS, 95th BG, 8th AF and named "Patsy Ann III". Shot down by Obstlt. Josef Priller in an Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A6 from JG/26 and crashed into Westerschelde off Vlissingen, Netherlands on August 19,1943. 8 KIA, 2 POW.

Boeing B-17F-30-BO Flying Fortress s/n 42-5077 323rd BS, 91st BG, 8th AF. This plane was shot down by fighters on the August 12,1943 mission to Gelsenkirchen, Germany. She was damaged first by Hauptmann Naumann of JG 26/6, then shot down by Obfw. Adolf Glunz of JG 26/4 in a Fw 190A-5 over Brunninghausen, Germany. 4 of the crew were KIA, 6 became POW's.

"Hell Cat" Lockheed/Vega B-17F-35-VE Flying Fortress s/n 42-5910, of 365th BS, 305th BG, 8th AF. This aircraft was originally assigned to the 326th BS, 92nd BG and named "Ruthie". She was badly shot up by fighters on the July 4, 1943 mission to Nantes but managed to make it back to Alconbury. After being repaired she was transferred to the 305th BG and renamed "Hell Cat". Ran out of fuel and crash landed at Hawkinge, England on September 15,1943. Scrapped two days later. Photo taken at: RAF Chelveston (AAF-105), England.

Douglas-Long Beach B-17F-45-DL serial number 42-3325, 524th BS, "Paddy Gremlin", of the 379th Bomb Group, RAF Kimbolton, England.

Bomber crews of the 385th Bomb Group return to base following a mission, they walk past a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30251) nicknamed "Piccadilly Queen". Some of the Flying Fortress crews after their return to an operational station in Britain from the great raid on the Ruhr; 6 November 1943.

A Boeing B-17F-95-BO Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30275) nicknamed "Vibrant Virgin" GX-P of the 548th Bombardment Squadron, 385th Bombardment Group in flight. It failed to return from a mission to the shipyards at Bremen, Germany on 8 October 1943 (10 aircrew became POWs). The formation was met with stiff resistance by German fighters and flak crews on the ground the entire way, from the Dutch coast all the way into the German heartland, and back again. In addition, a large force of German fighters launched vicious attacks against the planes. Over the target, the formation encountered intense flak. Damaged by flak, it crashed near Quakenbrück, Germany.

A B-17F Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30827 "Roundtrip Ticket III") of the 385th Bomb Group at North Weald, 28 June 1944.

A bomber crew of the 385th Bomb Group with their B-17F Flying Fortress. Before they take off on the great Ruhr raid six airmen who together represent 100 operations against the Nazis. Left to right: front row Lieut. Fred D. Albert, navigator; Lieut. Theodore J. Kleuser, co-pilot; Lieut. Ruel Weikert, pilot and commander of the aircraft. Second row: Tech. Sgt Darwin Mushrush, top turret gunner and engineer; Lieut. Tom Betow, bombardier. Back row: Tech Sgt Walter Clowniuk radio gunner. 6 November 1943.

Senior pilots in front of Boeing B-17 [B-17F-80-BO] 42-29996 (PY-R) "Flag Ship", of 407th Bomb Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group, at Alconbury Airfield, England; June 1943. This aircraft was lost (MIA) on 16 November 1943, commanded by 2nd Lt. Joseph F Thornton; of the crew 1 evaded capture, 9 became POWs.

A B-17F Flying Fortress (serial number 42-5718) nicknamed "The Widow Maker" of the 94th Bomb Group in flight; 1943.

B-17F-25-DL serial number 42-3123 of the 95th Bomb Group at unfinished Andrews Field, England. This aircraft was later transferred to the 381st Bomb Group at RAF Ridgewell and crashed near Fladderlohhausen, 10 mile SE of Quakenbruck near Bremen Germany 8 October 1943. Ten crew KIA.

97th Bomb Group B-17F attacking Messina Italy 8 May 1943.

Boeing B-17F-95-BO Flying Fortress serial number 42-30267 of the 97th Bombardment Group (8th AF); 1943.

A completed B-17 F heavy bomber is checked by final inspectors at the Long Beach, Calif., plant of Douglas Aircraft Company before it moves to the flight line for rigid acceptance tests; c. October 1942.

The crew of the Boeing B-17F-5-BO Fortress (s/n 41-24399) "Man-O-War" from the 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. This aircraft was shot down by Hptm Johannes Naumann in a Fw 190A-6 of 6/JG 26 on a mission to Kassel (Germany), crashing at Opijnen, Holland, on 30 July 1943. eight of the crew were killed, two became prisoners. Lt. J.M. Stewart, Lt. W.W. Dickey, S/Sgt. R.C. Schnoyer, S/Sgt. H.L. Langan, T.E. McMillan, T/Sgt. C.J. Merriwether, T/Sgt. Jack M. Wheeler, Lt. J.A. Creamer. 367th Bomb Squadron. Thurleigh, England; 5 December 1942.

B-17F serial number 42-29685 explosion, RAF Alconbury, England; 27 May 1943.

Boeing B-17F on flight line, Amarillo Army Airfield; 1943.

B-17F-60-BO Flying Fortress serial number 42-29536 "Mary Ruth, Memories of Mobile", 401st Bomb Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group, based at RAF Bassingbourn, England. This aircraft was shot down by fighters over Hüls, Germany, June 22, 1943, with 2 killed and 8 captured.

A U.S. Army Air Forces Boeing B-17F-27-BO Flying Fortress (s/n 41-24639, c/n 3324), nicknamed "The Careful Virgin" in flight over an airfield in England. It was assigned to the 91st Bomb Group, 323rd Bomb Squadron, which arrived at RAF Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire, in November 1942. After completing 80 missions, this aircraft was transferred to AFSC for "Operation Aphrodite" (flying bomb). It was launched against German V-3 site at Mimoyecques, Pas-de-Calais (France) on 4 August 1944, but impacted short of target due to a controller error.

A USAAF Boeing B-17F-20-BO Flying Fortress (s/n 41-24528) over Mount Bagana on Bougainville after participating in a raid on the Japanese airfield at Buka and then heading for Shortland harbor to attack Japanese shipping, 11 November 1942.

Boeing B-17F radar bombing through clouds over Bremen, Germany, on November 13, 1943. The B-17Fs were of the 384th Bomb Group, and were targeting the city center of Bremen. A white "skymarker" bomb can be seen shooting out smoke, fired from a PFF B-17, indicating the time to bomb. Most B-17Fs of the group were recalled while forming over England due to weather reported over Europe, and one B-17 (B-17F-25-BO 41-24575 "Sunrise Serenader" of the 544th Bomb Squadron, flown by 1st Lt Ralph Connell Jr.) accidentally crashed when recalled, and only radio operator TSgt Alan Bradford survived. The mission was the 130th for the Eighth Air Force in England, and 66 B-17s and 61 B-24s bombed Bremen, with 3 B-17s and 13 B-24s being shot down.

B-17F-25-BO Flying Fortress serial number 41-24554 "The Mustang", 63rd BS, 43rd BG, New Guinea, 1943.

Boeing B-17F-20-BO Flying Fortress serial number 41-24523.

USAAF Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress bombers of the 26th Bomb Squadron, 11th Bomb Group over the Southwest Pacific in 1942. The B-17F-20-BO (s/n 41-24531) visible on the right was shot down by a Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter over Tonolei harbor, Buna Island, Solomon Islands, on 18 November 1942. During the attack the pilot Maj. Allen J. Seward, and the copilot Lt. Jack Lee were killed. One engine caught on fire, but Col. LaVerne Saunders made a water landing about 50 km from Tonolei harbor near a very small island. An Australian coastwatcher reached the survivors about three hours later. The crew was taken to Vella Lavella Island and picked up by a U.S. Navy Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina flying boat and returned to Guadalcanal.

Lockheed/Vega B-17F-45-VE Flying Fortress, s/n 42-6092 .

A formation of U.S. Army Air Forces Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress of the 91st Bombardement Group return to RAF Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire, after a mission, 28 July 1943.

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress s/n 42-5763 "Bomb Boogie" of the 401st Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group; c. 1943.

Boeing B-17F cockpit; c. 1943.

A U.S. Air Force Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress drops incendiary bombs on Oschersleben, Germany, 28 July 1943. The attack was part of the so-called "Blitz Week" against German fighter production. Targeted at Oschersleben were the AGO Flugzeugwerke.

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress near Mount Rainier, Washington; April 1943.

Boeing B-17F formation with engine contrails; c. 1943.

Although more than 400 design changes were incorporated in the B-17F Flying Fortress (here 42-5234), the only external change visible is the elongation of the Plexiglas nose.

Another view of B-17F (42-5234).

Boeing B-17F-130-BO "Jumpin' Jive", serial number 42-30949; c. 1943.

This B-17F, serial number 41-24577, was named "Hell's Angels" after the 1930 Howard Hughes movie about World War I fighter pilots. Assigned to the 358th Bombardment Squadron of the 303rd Bombardment Group, this Flying Fortress was originally commanded by Captain Id E. Baldwin. He piloted her overseas from Kellogg Field near Battle Creek, Michigan, to RAF Molesworth, England, in 1942. The bomber would fly with several commanders and numerous crewmen during her fifteen months with the Eighth Air Force in the European Theater. The aircraft was the first B-17 to complete 25 combat missions in Eighth Air Force, doing so May 14, 1943. she is seen here having completed her thirty-first mission. "Hells Angels" was returned to the USA after 48th mission on December 13, 1943. Scrapped August 14, 1945.

Belly landing of Boeing B-17F-25-BO "Thumper", serial number 41-24579, of the 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group; 23 January 1943.

Boeing B-17F-25-VE "Mad Money II", serial number 42-5838, of the 384th Bomb Group; c. 1943. (The -VE suffix indicates that this B-17F was built by Lockheed Vega in Burbank, California.)

Boeing B-17F-27-BO, serial number 41-24606, of the 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, in the squadron maintenance area with engines removed; c. 1943.

Boeing B-17F-60-BO "Thundermug", serial number 42-29604; c. 1943.

Boeing B-17F-85-BO (s/n 42-30043) SO-V "Ruthless" of the 384th Bomb Group, 547th Bomb Squadron; c. 1943. Note the unusual national insignia and squadron code markings placement. The national insignia was originally the white star on blue circle and then altered by adding the white bars on either side with a red outline, which partially covered the previously applied squadron and individual aircraft letter SO-V. Ditched in the North Sea while returning from the 4 October 1943 mission to Frankfurt-am-Main. Entire crew was rescued.

Boeing B-17Fs in flight; c.1943.

B-17F-80-BO #42-29959. Damaged by 20mm shells on 14 July 1943. Picture shows tail gunner T/Sgt. Harris Goldberg the next day. B-17 serial number missing some digits, but identified by Mission Report of 306th Bomb Group’s 14 July 1943 mission. Harris Goldberg was tail gunner on #42-29959 and damage report is same like the picture shows. #42-29959 lost on 8 October 1943 with Lawrence W. Kooima crew. Six KIA and four POW.

Boeing B-17F, Burbank, California, 1943.

German fighters attack U.S. Army Air Forces Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress on 28 July 1943. The attack was part of the so-called "Blitz Week" against German fighter production. Targeted were the AGO Flugzeugwerke at Oschersleben, Germany.

A German Focke-Wulf Fw 190A attacks U.S. Army Air Forces Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress on 28 July 1943. The attack was part of the so-called "Blitz Week" against German fighter production. Targeted were the AGO Flugzeugwerke at Oschersleben, Germany.

Large formation of Boeing B-17Fs of the 92nd Bomb Group; circa 1943.

Ground personnel watch a B-17 Flying Fortress (FR-M, serial number 42-30298) nicknamed "Ragin' Red II" of the 379th Bomb Group start up in snow at Bassingbourn, January 1945.

Boeing B-17 s/n 42-31662 SC-B 'Fancy Nancy IV' and crew. 612th BS, 401st BG, 8th AF, RAF Deenethorpe; 1944.

B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 306th Bomb Group fly in formation over another B-17 (WW-J, serial number 42-5086) during a medal ceremony for Staff Sergeant Maynard Smith. Original caption: 'Highest American Award For U.S. Air Gunner. 15.7.43. Col. Henry L. Stimson, U.S. Secretary of War to-day presented the Congressional Medal of Honor - America's highest award - equivalent to Britain's V.C. to Staff Sergeant Maynard Smith, for his bravery during a raid on St. Nazaire in France. Smith is the second man in the European Theatre of Operations to receive this award in World War II and the first to live to receive it. The presentation took place at a station "somewhere in England". The picture shows:- A formation of Flying Fortresses fly past in salute as Col. Henry Stimson presents the award which took place in front of a Flying Fortress.'

This girl in a glass house is putting finishing touches on the bombardier nose section of a B-17F navy bomber, Long Beach, Calif. She's one of many capable women workers in the Douglas Aircraft Company plant; October 1942.

Downed American Boeing B-17F bomber "Miss Ouachita" of the 91st Bomb Group. At center: Major Heinz Bär, 1943; Eins.Kp.Lw.zbV (Air Force Operations Company on special duty.) In German territory, near the Dutch border; February 1944.

Douglas-Long Beach B-17F-50-DL Flying Fortress (42-23352) "Virgin's Delight", 410th BS, 94th BG, 8th AF, after bombing Marienburg Focke-Wulf factory. This aircraft was shot down by fighters on November 29,1943 and crashed into the North Sea off the coast of Germany. 8 KIA, 2 POW: 2nd Lt. Walter Chyle - Pilot (POW) O-742240; 2nd Lt. Robert G. Foster - Co-Pilot (KIA) O-736502; 2nd Lt. Burgess Overby - Navigator (KIA) O-750210; 2nd Lt. Peter P. Maximowicz - Bombardier (KIA) O-673858; S/Sgt. Herbert S. Owens - Engineer/Top Turret Gunner (KIA) 16079079; S/Sgt. Delmar L. Best - Radio Operator (KIA) 16073426; Sgt. Buford N. Edwards - Ball Turret Gunner (KIA) 18153495; Sgt. William D. Ross - Right Waist Gunner (KIA) 34451983; S/Sgt. Vincent V. Osadchy - Left waist Gunner (KIA) 37278042; Sgt. Floyd L. Frye - Tail Gunner (POW) 36703203.

An Army sentry guards new B-17 F (Flying Fortress) bombers at the airfield of Boeing's Seattle plant. The ship will be delivered to the Army and the Navy after they have successfully undergone flight tests; circa December 1942.

Women workers install fixtures and assemblies to a tail fuselage section of a B-17F bomber at the Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, California; October 1942.

20th Bombardment Squadron Boeing B-17F-85-BO Fortress 42-30082 being serviced at Ain M'lila Airfield, Algeria. Aircraft markings include a red circle around its fuselage "Star and Bars", used only briefly in the fall of 1943. Later assigned to the 419th Bomb Squadron (301st BG), this aircraft survived the war, returning to the United States in September 1945. It was scrapped shortly afterwards.

B-17F-95-BO 42-30244 "Holy Terror". Delivered Cheyenne 1 May 1943; Smoky Hill 14 May 1943; Tinker 24 May 1943; Smoky Hill 29 May 1943; Dow Fd 31 May 1943; Assigned: 351BG Polebrook 9 June 1943; Transferred: 388BG Knettishall 17 June 1943; 335BS/95BG [OE-M] Horham 18 June 1943; 39m, MIA Eberfeld 5 January 1944 Pilot: Andy Williams, Navigator: George Thomas, Bombardier: Gene Schienburg, Engineer / Top Turret Gunner: Carl Westfall, Radio Operator: Paul Levinson, Ball Turret Gunner: George Ganster, Waist Gunner: Harry Hunke, Waist Gunner: Don Lynch, Tail Gunner: Joe Booker (9POW); Co-Pilot: Gene Davila (evaded, returned UK 7September 1944); crashed Lambourg, near Mesmil-Martinsart, 16 miles South of Arras, France.

B-17F-95-BO 42-30244 "Holy Terror" 334 BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF.

B-17F nose compartment with bombardier and navigator's stations.

TSGT Robert Siavage poses in the Radio Compartment of his 306 Bomb Group B-17F. His .50 caliber gun is stowed overhead. This aircraft still retains the insulation in this compartment, although crews often removed this in the field.

B-17F 41-24605 BN-R “Knockout Dropper” 359BS 303BG, 24 October 1943.

B-17F 42-5341 GN-Q “Vicious Virgin” 427BS 303BG.

B-17F 41-24561 BN-T “The Duchess” 359BS 303BG.

B-17F 41-24561 BN-T “The Duchess” 359BS 303BG.

B-17F 41-24587 GN-P “Bad Check” 427BS 303BG.

B-17F 41-24587 GN-P “Bad Check” 427BS 303BG. “Kentucky Briar Hopper” beneath waist window.

B-17F 42-29754 PU-B “Shangri-La Lil” 360BS 303BG.

B-17F 42-5264 VK-J “Yankee Doodle Dandy” 358 BS 303 BG with Capt George T. Mackin, Maj Kirk R. Mitchhell, Capt John V. Lemmon. Flew 40 missions, photo taken 29 March 1944 as it was prepared to return to the U.S. for a war bond tour.

The crew of "Hell's Angels" finished their 25 missions ahead of the "Memphis Belle", but were not selected for the War Bonds Tour since the Wyler film crew had focused on "Memphis Belle" following the loss of "Invasion II". "Hell's Angels" was B-17F 41-24577 based with the 303rd BG at RAF Molesworth. Interestingly, this aircraft completed 48 combat missions without incident in its career, and eventually did make it back to the USA on a War Bonds Tour in February 1944. She was eventually retired from service and sold for scrap at Searcey Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma on 7 August 1945. Shown here are the ground crew for "Hell's Angels".

B-17F “Hell’s Angels.”

The champion baseball team of the Eighth Air Force, all members of the 303rd Bomb Group based at Molesworth, England, pose in front of the B-17 “Hell’s Angels”, 17 September 1943.

Signing names on B-17F “Hell's Angels” for her U.S. tour, 20 January 1944.

Signing names on B-17F “Hell's Angels” for her U.S. tour, 20 January 1944.

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress (41-24577) VK-D "Hell's Angels" 358th BS 303 BG 8th AF. Completed 48 missions without an abort or any crewman injured. Returned to the USA at Newark, New Jersey on 10 February 1944 for War Bond tour. The first aircraft to complete 25 missions in the UK, earlier than the much more publicized “Memphis Belle” reached the same status. Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Searcey Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma on 7 August 1945. Photo shows group members signing aircraft before it was flown to the USA in 1944.

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress (41-24577) VK-D "Hell's Angels" 358th BS 303 BG 8th AF.

"Hell's Angels" on War Bond Tour in February 1944.

Film Director Major William Wyler and Dramatist Terrence Rattigan discuss the script of their planned film in front of a B-17 Flying Fortress.

A B-17F believed to be 42-5070 “Invasion II” which also flew with the 91st BG out of Bassingbourn alongside "Memphis Belle" was due to finish her 25 missions ahead of the "Belle", and William Wyler’s film crew documented this aircraft heavily in anticipation of this event … only for the aircraft to go down on its 23rd mission. Wyler then focused his attention on the "Memphis Belle" and her crew.

Capt. Oscar D. O’Neil and crew of the 401st Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, beside Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 42-5070 "Invasion II". England, 12 March 1943. Capt. O’Neil crouched down center front row.

B-17F of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) at an airfield in the United States of America (USA). Ground personnel work on the engines of a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Hannah". (Imperial War Museum FRE7604)

Boeing B-17F “Bad Penny” ( 41-24480) was part of the 91st Bomb Group at Bassingbourn, England, and was used as the camera ship for the 1943 film “Memphis Belle.”

Bailout from Boeing B-17F-75-BO Flying Fortress (42-29856) "Patches", 815th BS, 483rd BG, 15th AF, over the Weiner Neustadt, Austria rail yards on May 10,1944. The aircraft is at 22,500 feet with two engines feathered and fuel leaking from the left wing tanks (you can see wisps of it behind the wing). Two crewmen had already bailed out. Plane went into a slow turn and was losing altitude, then blew up. Eight of the crew got out.

Boeing B-17F of the 95th Bomb Group with damage to the No. 3 engine.

A group of B-17s from the 524th and 525th Bomb Squadrons, 379th Bomb Group. Douglas-Long Beach B-17F-25-DL Flying Fortress (42-3113) (FR-F), 525th BS, 379th BG, 8th AF. Lost on May 29,1943 mission to bomb the sub pens at St. Nazaire, France. A combination of flak and fighters took it down.

Boeing B-17F-20-DL (42-3060) (LL-G) of the 401st Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, 8th AF, does a low-level fly-by in Bassingbourn, England. Lost on 1 December 1943 mission to Leverkusen, Germany. Shot down by fighters east of Cologne. Parked aircraft is B-17F-20-DL (42-3072) (DF-B) of the 324th Bomb Squadron.

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress (42-39843).

Members of the flight and ground crews of a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress named "Honey Chile II" make adjustments to their plane prior to a mission, Polebrook, Northamptonshire, England, fall 1942.

An American soldier paints caricatures of Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito on the nose of a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress named "Flying Flit-Gun",' which originated from the 97th Bombardment Group of the 8th Bomber Command.

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress named "Flying Flit-Gun",' which originated from the 97th Bombardment Group of the 8th Bomber Command.

American photographer and journalist Margaret Bourke-White was the country's first accredited female photographer during World War II, and the first authorized to fly on a combat mission. Shown here on the engine nacelle of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress named "Flying Flit-Gun".

Three American military personnel, possibly ground crewmen, sit on their bicycles in front of a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress named "Berlin Sleeper II".

Before taking off on a mission in 1944 in a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress named "Mission Belle", the crew in England receives a talk from 26-year-old Chaplain James O. Kincannon, a Van Bueren, Arkansas, minister affectionately known as "Chaplain Jim".

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress "Mary Ruth – Memories of Mobile" of the 91st Bomb Group, US Eighth Air Force, on a mission to attack the U-boat pens at Lorient, May 1943.

The fuselage of Boeing B-17F 42-3136 "No Balls At All" on its way to be salvaged after crash landing during a raid over Schweinfurt on February 24th 1944.

Catastrophic flak hit.

A damaged B-17F of the 385th Bombardment Group returning to England as a row of medics and ambulance crews watch. 1943.

Unescorted Boeing B-17Fs over Schweinfurt, Germany, Aug. 17, 1943.

The nose art of a B-17F Flying Fortress (serial number 42-6097) nicknamed "The Bad Penny Always Comes Back" QJ-O of the 96th Bomb Group.

Boeing B-17F’s over Dornier plant, Meulan, France.

B-17F “Liberty Belle.”

B-17F “Sweetheart.”

B-17F “Kipling’s Error the III,” 9 November 1943.

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress “Impatient Virgin.”

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress “Superman.”

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress being refueled from an RAF fuel bowser.

B-17F ball turret.

B-17F Flying Fortress 42-30713/BI-E/Phyllis Marie of the 390th BG 568th BS.

Boeing B-17F, left front quarter view; circa 1943.

B-17F, 42-3126, with large white “61” buzz number on fuselage indicating a Stateside training aircraft.

Wreckage of Boeing B-17F (42-3128) somewhere in Iceland. 2nd Service Group, 19 April 1943.

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortresses, Greenland.

Two B-17Fs of the 43rd Bomb Group at Port Moresby in New Guinea in 1942 as a DC-5 transport takes off.

A B-17F, “Aztec’s Curse” (41-24457), after a raid of destruction on Japanese installations, turns toward its home base on the Solomon Islands. B-17, 41-24457, over Gizo, Ghizo Island, Solomon Islands, 5 October 1942.

B-17F of the 97th Bomb Group returns to its base at Biskra, North Africa, on three engines, December 1942.

A typical load for a moderate or deep penetration of the Third Reich consisting of ten 500 pound bombs, fins already fitted, is taken to a B-17F on dollies. Once there the bombs would be hoisted aboard using the shackles visible on top of them. Whereas larger and more destructive bombs had their advantages, as there would inevitably be fewer of them, greater accuracy would be needed to achieve the same effect. Even with the Norden bombsight’s vaunted accuracy, pattern bombing was the order of the day.

A 94th Bomb Group B-17F (42-29728, YM-H) with cocarde star dulled with gray for one mile visibility. Code letters in standard position were in medium gray with blue cast. July 1943.

Close-up of the tail gun position of a B-17F. The remote sight can just be made out in the transparent panel.

Two B-17F Fortresses of the 91st Bomb Group arrive in England late in 1942. In the foreground are a Hurricane (left) and a Fairchild Argus (right) of the RAF.

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress (42-6092).

B-17F-1-BO (41-24412) of the 12th Air Force’s 97th Bomb Group, November 1942. Standard camouflage with yellow surround to fuselage cocarde.

Comparison of nose armament between the B-17F and G. The F (“Tinker Toy” seen here with combat damage) retains the nose gun, while the cheek guns cannot be brought to bear straight ahead.

B-17F (42-6174) of the Night Leaflet Squadron (422nd Bomb Squadron) with matt black undersides. B-17 propeller bosses and blades on camouflaged aircraft were normally black, with the exception of blade tips which were yellow.

B-17F, “Eagle’s Wrath,” 324th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group. Sixteen mission markings and seven enemy fighter kills claimed. Pilot nicknamed “Shorty,” navigator “Zero.”

B-17F “Superman,” unit unknown, North Africa. Superman figure is typical image and coloring, but appears to be wearing a sailor’s cap. Carries 27 mission markings on the nose (six appear to be in yellow, the remainder in black) and three enemy fighter kill markings.

B-17F “The Sad Sack” of the 91st Bomb Group being prepared for a mission at Bassingbourn, near Cambridge.

Typical European weather made navigation, target finding and accurate bombing far more difficult than the USAAF expected. B-17F “Meat Hound” (42-29524) of the 306th Bomb Group in cloudy skies.

B-17F, 42-29475, “Stric Nine,” LL-H, 401st Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, headed for Kiel, Germany, 19 May 1943.

B-17F, “Rebel’s Revenge” (42-29750, OR-L) of 323rd Bomb Squadron, sporting the “star and bar” with red surround. Identification letters grouped aft and individual letter repeated under tail number. “Rebel’s Revenge” was lost shortly after this photo was taken.

Flying Fortresses over the German capital. The low squadron is barely in the contrail belt.

This 95th Bomb Group B-17F (42-30288, OW-T) had been in service with the group six months when photographed in December 1943. Yet it still has the old cocardes and no group letter in the divisional square. Code letters in this squadron were a distinctive sky blue.

An original B-17F (42-29526, ??-I) of 99th Bomb Group showing a darker green on center fin section. Note “personal” Bugs Bunny painting on rear fuselage. Nickname “Bugs” was in red and white. Bomber had completed one hundred missions when this photograph was taken.

A Messerschmitt Bf 110 silhouetted between a pair of B-17F bombers.

A Messerschmitt Bf 110 takes a position on the tail of a B-17F, a favorite spot from which to fire heavy rockets.

A Messerschmitt Bf 109 can just be seen in front of the B-17F “Virgin’s Delight” of the 91st Bomb Group, performing the split-S breakaway maneuver.

This eyeful of a Flying Fortress has proved to be the last view of many an Axis fighter pilot.

A combination of firepower and tight formation, as seen here with the 96th Bomb Group early in 1943, proved insufficient protection against attacking fighters. The censor has obliterated the group tail letter on the nearest aircraft only.

Still in close formation after a penetration to Mainz, B-17Fs of the 381st Bomb Group begin their bombing runs.

A tight ‘ladder’ of bombs goes down from a B-17F of the 96th Bomb Group. In the background are other groups in rather ragged formations, while flak bursts stain the sky.

B-17F Flying Fortresses unload their bombs over the target.

B-17F Flying Fortresses, 322nd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, England.

Crew of B-17F-115-BO (42-30721), “Sweet and Lovely,” 533rd Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, preparing for a mission.

B-17F crash landing at La Senia, Oran, North Africa, 23 June 1943.

Another view of B-17F crash landing at La Senia, Oran, North Africa, 23 June 1943.

Damaged over Bremen, this 100th Bomb Group Fortress made a spectacular crash-landing when a propeller came off after touchdown. Over 800 holes were counted from the radio room aft.

B-17F, 42-5225, DR-S, “Stormy Weather,” 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, after crash landing back at base after a raid on railroad marshaling yards at Hamm, Germany, 4 March 1943. Casualties: Pilot, left eye; navigator, back of head; ball turret gunner, left leg; co-pilot, left side of face.

Another view of B-17F, 42-5225, DR-S, “Stormy Weather,” 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, after crash landing back at base after a raid on railroad marshaling yards at Hamm, Germany, 4 March 1943. Of the 16 bombers from the squadron that participated, four were lost and the remaining 12 all crash landed. Foam was required to extinguish the fire in the starboard inboard engine.

Damage to ball turret of “Stormy Weather” after the crash landing on the 4 March 1943 raid. Damage may be from the crash landing and/or from enemy action.

B-17F (42-38091), Eighth Air Force, England.

B-17F Flying Fortresses, Eighth Air Force, England.

An instructor of the B-17 Mobile Training Unit teaches crew chiefs the latest procedures in servicing the B-17 oxygen system. Carrying their instructional equipment in big GI trailers, mobile training units opened school right on a flight line. Here in the shadows of “Flak Alley Lil,” a B-17F (42-3181), KY-L, later JJ-L, veteran of 36 missions, schools a group of crew chiefs on the latest procedures in servicing the Flying Fortress oxygen system at an Allied base in England. He illustrates his lecture with a mock-up of the actual assembly. 366th Bomb Squadron, 305th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force.

B-17F Flying Fortresses over Europe.

B-17F Flying Fortresses over France nearing Dornier assembly plant at Meulan.

B-17F Flying Fortress, “Black Jack,” New Guinea.

Formation of B-17F Flying Fortresses, 381st Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, over England.

Another view of formation of B-17F Flying Fortresses, 381st Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, over England.

When the men of an Eighth Air Force group gave the town of Thetford, England, a plaque, honoring it as the birthplaces of Thomas Paine, American patriot, philosopher and author, the crew of this B-17F-120-BO (42-30793), of the 562nd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, thought it appropriate to name their plane “Tom Paine” and to inscribe the fuselage with one of his famous remarks: “Tyranny, like Hell, not easily Conquered!”

B-17F, “Duchess,” BN-T, 359th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, over Norway.

B-17F-95-BO (42-30301), “Idiot’s Delight,” 332nd Bomb Squadron, 94th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force. While on loan to the 710th Bomb Squadron, 447th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, after April 1944, she was damaged by flak on the 19 June 1944 mission to St. Jean d’Angely, France and ditched in the English Channel. Entire crew listed as missing in action, presumed killed.

B-17F ‘Talisman,’ seen here at Port Moresby in 1943, was one of the last B-17s to operate in the Pacific theater.

B-17F “Hell’s Angels” undergoing maintenance.

Ground crew of Boeing B-17F-25-BO Fortress “Hell’s Angels” (41-24577) of the 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, RAF Molesworth. This was first B-17 to complete 25 combat missions in the 8th Air Force, on 13 May 1943. After completing 48 missions, the aircraft returned to the U.S. on 20 January 1944, for a publicity tour.

B-17F, “Hell’s Angels,” 303rd Bomb Group, first B-17 to complete 25 missions in the ETO, flew a total of 48 missions, is seen here taking off from her home base at Molesworth, England, for the flight home.

B-17F Flying Fortress, “The Old Man,” returns from Gasmata with battle damage.

B-17F Flying Fortress, “Tainan Ku,” 403rd Bomb Squadron, Milne Bay, New Guinea.

Typical Fortress nose art. “Fickle of ?” is the rather suggestive name of this B-17F of the 385th Bomb Group.

B-17F, “Ooold Soljer,” 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, carries a .30 cal. machine gun in the cheek position which was unusual for the Eighth Air Force. She was lost when she collided with another B-17, “Two Beauts,” of the 358th Bomb Squadron. Eight of her crew also died in the collision.

B-17F, FC-?, 571st Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, USAAF, captured by the Germans and intended for use by KG200, seen here after recapture by American forces near Versailles, France, 24 September 1944. Note the red surround to the national insignia.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, “Homesick Angel,” after crash landing, 28 July 1943.

B-17F, “Jersey Bounce,” 303rd Bomb Group, Molesworth, after returning from a mission to Rouen, France, 12 December 1942, where she suffered damage to the nose from a cannon shell, is examined by ground and flight crews.

Damage from cannon shell on nose of B-17F “Jersey Bounce.”

Tail detail of the third B-17F built by Douglas which was an original combat aircraft of 303rd Bomb Group. Medium Green blotching shows up dark on rudder and light on fin. Radio call letter on fin is in white and medium gray on the fuselage.

Heavy Medium Green blotching on 42-5053, a B-17F-30-BO of the 305th Bomb Group. Code letters are pale gray.

A 12th Air Force B-17F-40-BO with the National Insignia introduced in August 1943. Note how the recently applied Insignia Blue border contrasts with the faded Insignia Blue of the old cocarde. White triangle identified the group, and the white O below designator, the 340th Bomb Squadron.

A priest blesses a B-17F crew before a mission.

B-17Fs of 390th Bomb Group over target.

B-17F-25-BO Flying Fortress, “[????] Horse,” 41-24548, bellied in at Tadji, New Guinea, after right wheel collapsed and stripped for parts.

B-17F, 41-24606, “Werewulf,” VK-H, 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, after having three engines shot out over France, landed in an English field, had all four engines replaced by the 2nd Mobile Repair Unit, and was flown out after an emergency airstrip was built for her.

B-17F, 41-24587, “Bad Check,” GN-P, 427th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, dispersed at the edge of a wheat field at Molesworth. She was downed by enemy fighters over Oschersleben, 11 January 1944.

B-17s, 96th Bomb Group, heading for Germany. Lead plane is a Boeing-built B-17F, center plane a Vega-built B-17G and third plane a Douglas-built B-17F.

Airfields for the USAAF bombers were hastily prepared. An open-air bomb dump at Framlingham, with tented accommodation. In the background is a B-17F of the 569th Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group.

Bombs could be carried externally on racks as seen here on these B-17Fs of the 94th Bomb Group, but this was rarely done.

Aircraft of the 381st Bomb Group lined up on the runway at Ridgewell prior to a mission.

The U.S. bomber crewmen set their watches during a briefing. The projector at center showed reconnaissance photographs of the target.

The 305th Bomb Group which, under the command of Curtis LeMay, did so much to get the tactics right. Station-keeping in the formation ahead appears to leave much to be desired.

Winging over mountainous barriers.

Early loss. A Fortress breaks up and goes down over northern France after being hit on the way to the target.

A Focke-Wulf Fw 190 attacks a B-17.

A member of the 2nd Air Base Group stands guard in front of a Boeing B-17 parked on an airfield in Iceland, 21 July 1942.

Boeing B-17s in a parking area at 2nd Air Base Group airfield in Iceland, 21 July 1942.

Engine change on the Boeing B-17 “Stinky” at the 2nd Air Base Group airfield in Iceland, 25 July 1942.

Engine change on the Boeing B-17 “Stinky” at the 2nd Air Base Group airfield in Iceland, 25 July 1942.

Boeing B-17 of the 2nd Service Group, warms up for take-off from Meeks Field, Iceland, 23 April 1943.

Boeing B-17s of the 2nd Service Group on the line at Meeks Field, Iceland, 23 April 1943.

Maintenance men prepare a Boeing B-17 for another mission. 2nd Service Group, Meeks Field, Iceland, 23 April 1943.

Maintenance man sweeps snow from the wing of a plane at Meeks Field, Iceland. 2nd Service Group, 23 April 1943.

Boeing B-17 “Bab’s Best,” 42-29779, 2nd Service Group, which ran off the taxi strip at Meeks Field, Iceland, causing only slight damage. 1 May 1943.

Boeing B-17 parking facilities of the 2nd Air Base Group airfield in Iceland. 21 July 1943.

Bombs away!

An aircraft factory producing German fighter planes is the target of these bombs spilling from the bomb bay of a Flying Fortress.

Daylight precision bombing at its best: bombs of the first wave of Fortresses over Regensburg explode in a tight, deadly pattern on the Messerschmitt aircraft factory. Most of the parked fighters visible on the airfield at lower center were destroyed or damaged.

Pillars of dark smoke denote hits on an oil refinery by the preceding wave, as more bombers bore in to attack.

Flying Fortresses returning to their bases in the British Isles.

Flying Fortresses returning from the first raid on German-held Rouen, France, 17 August 1942.

Belly landing! A B-17 of the 379th Bomb Group touches down tail-first at Kimbolton. The ball turret has been jettisoned and all looks good. This group flew more sorties and dropped a greater weight of bombs than any other.

Damaged over Bremen, this 100th Bomb Group Fortress made a spectacular crash-landing when a propeller came off after touchdown. Over 800 holes were counted from the radio room aft.

At bomber bases in England there were always “hangar queens” like this B-17 that had crash-landed. As Peter Hurd’s painting shows, such wrecks were stripped of equipment needed to repair other Fortresses.

Major General Carl Spaatz decorates American airmen with the Distinguished Flying Cross as Brig. Gen. Ira C. Eaker watches.

Two B-17 Flying Fortresses’ vapor trails light up the night sky over Eastern Europe.

B-17 Flying Fortresses from the 398th Bombardment Group fly a bombing run to Neumunster, Germany, on 13 April 1945, less than one month before the German surrender on 8 May 1945.

Hangar queen.

“Milk run.”

Ground crew getting ready to perform maintenance on a B-17.

Part of the crew of this B-17 got out.

King George VI and the crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress “Holey Joe.”

This 2nd Bomb Group aircraft of the Fifteenth Air Force was hit by flak over Hungary. Pilot Lt. Miller brought it 520 miles back to Foggia in Italy by steering with the outboard engines and gaining and losing height by adjusting power settings.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (41-2554).

B-17 Flying Fortress, 41-24639, OR-W, 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group.

Bombs being loaded into B-17 of 390th Bomb Group. Aircraft name is “Virgin” but there is evidence of censorship of part of name.

B-17 Flying Fortress, taking off from Momote Airstrip, Los Negros.

B-17 Flying Fortress, 41-2633, General George Kinney’s personal transport.

B-17s on Guadalcanal being readied for a mission.

Conditions in the Pacific could be primitive. This aircraft made a wheels-down forced landing on a New Guinea beach…

… and after repair, the locals were enlisted to help lay a steel matting runway to allow it to take off.

Junked B-17 bombers in Biskra, North Africa, 31 December 1942. Their parts were to be used for repairs.

B-17 “Impatient Virgin” 15 July 1943, Norfolk, England.

Practice bombs.

Men attending a briefing before a mission.

Crews of the 97th Bomb Group, USAAF, mount their bikes on leaving the briefing room at Grafton Underwood in Northamptonshire in the summer of 1942.

A B-17 wing lies in the foreground. The workshops in the rear. 50th and 26th Servicing Squadrons, Biskra, North Africa, 31 December 1942.

B-17F, “Eager Beaver,” North Africa, 1943.

In this iconic World War II photograph, a Douglas-built B-17F-50-DL Flying Fortress, 42-3352, “Virgin’s Delight,” of the 410th Bomb Squadron, 94th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 8th Air Force, is over the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter factory, Marienburg, East Prussia, 9 October 1943. The aircraft commander was Lieutenant R.E. Le Pore. The accuracy of the bombing on this mission was virtually unprecedented during the war. See The “Magic” 1,000-foot Circle: Eighth Air Force Precision Bombing, Mission No. 113 of 9 October 1943 by Robert H. Hodges, Merriam Press, Hoosick Falls, NY, 2006, for complete account of this mission.

B-17F, “Eager Beaver.”

Dornier Do 200. A captured B-17 rather incongruously wearing Luftwaffe markings at Orly Airport, Paris, in December 1942.

Clark Gable with Eighth Air Force B-17F with pre-Cheyenne tail position, in Britain, 1943.

Strike photo, Marienburg Mission, 9 October 1943.

Post-strike photo, Marienburg.

Boeing B-17F formation over Schweinfurt, Germany, on August 17, 1943.

Boeing B-17F radar bombing through clouds over Bremen, Germany, on November 13, 1943.

German training model on how to attack a "flying porcupine" (fliegendes Stachelschwein). Model of a B-17E/F with lattice showing the sphere of influence of the B-17's weapons, along with a model of a Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

Captured B-17F-27-BO in Luftwaffe markings, the USAAF-named "Wulfe-Hound", 41-24585, of the 360th BS/303rd BG, was downed on 12 December 1942 near Leeuwarden, Netherlands, while on a raid on Rouen, France. The first Flying Fortress to fall intact into German hands, it was operated by Kampfgeschwader 200 from March 1944.

Captured Boeing B-17 “Wulf Hound,” 41-24585, Zirkus Rosarius, Luftwaffe.

One of the best-known and most photographed captured aircraft in enemy markings is the now-infamous Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Wulfe Hound. This “Fort” was a B-17F of the 303 Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force that a made a forced landing in France in December 1942. Wulfe Hound became the first B-17 captured intact by the Luftwaffe and was thoroughly used by them to better assess weak points of the Flying Fortress. It was later transferred to the Luftwaffe’s KG 200. Wulfe Hound’s American pilot, Lieutenant Paul Flickenger, said that he always felt guilty because his was the first B-17 that the Luftwaffe was able to capture in a flyable condition. The crew was attempting to destroy the airplane by stuffing a parachute into a fuel tank and then firing a Very pistol flare into it. Unfortunately, the Germans arrived before they could get a fire started. He ended up as a POW and managed to escape twice, being captured again on both occasions.

It’s likely that this Luftwaffe-marked B-17 Fortress is not Wulfe Hound, as the Swastika on the tail is considerably bigger than in other photographs of the famous aircraft. This Fort is heavily camouflaged from marauding Allied aircraft, and was used extensively by KG 200 for night missions.

Another B-17 in Luftwaffe markings. This one, the second B-17 to fall into German hands was B-17F-85-BO “Flak Dancer” (42-30048) from 544BS 384BG. The aircraft was piloted by Lieutenant Dalton Wheat when he forced-landed at Laon airfield in France on 26 June 1943, on a mission to Villacoublay. After repairs and traditional period of trials in Rechlin, the Flying Fortress was transferred to KG 200 in the spring of 1944 and coded A3+CE. Units like the famous KG 200 actually operated a number of captured B-17 bombers, in particular on night missions, where the markings were less obvious. Due to the lack of German aircraft with sufficient range, some recon missions used captured American B-17s or B-24s and Soviet Tu-2s. For the most part, these machines were used for re-supply roles (dropping in supplies to German forces operating behind Soviet lines), or transporting important personnel. It appears that this was photographed at a captured Luftwaffe airfield late in the war as the gawkers appear to be Allied airmen.

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress under attack from a German fighter as she skims over the North Sea towards home, one engine smoking. Wartime artwork.

The crew of a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress bails out as their bomber goes down. Wartime artwork.

The only 105mm M3A1 howitzer used in the Battle for Buna-Gona is unloaded through the bomb bay doors of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress used to transport it New Guinea from Australia. The aircraft also brought spare parts, a tractor and ammunition and the gun crew. November 1942.

B-17F Flying Fortress #41-24543 "Pluto" with artwork by Ernie Vandal, circa 1942.

B-17 F-50-DL 42-3393 "Just a Snappin'", 100th Bomb Group. Just-A-Snappin is best remembered for bringing her crew back from Bremen on 8th October 1943, despite being badly damaged and with wounded men onboard. Damage to the hydraulics rendered the brakes inoperable and the B-17 crashed into a lone oak tree in a field near Ludham, close to Thorpe Abbotts.  

Crew of “Just A Snappin” on the Bremen Mission. Standing from left : William McClelland, Harry H. Crosby, Charles A. Via, Jr., Everett E. Blakely, James R. Douglas. Kneeling : Lester W. Saunders, Monroe R. Thornton, Edward S. Yevich, Lyle E Nord, and Edmund G Forkner.

Nighttime maintenance training on a B-17 at Amarillo Army Airfield. 1943.

B-17s possibly at Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma City, 1944.

Staff Sergeant Maynard Smith, Secretary of War Henry L Stimson and personnel of the 306th Bomb Group salute in front of a B-17 Flying Fortress, during a medal ceremony at Chelveston. Passed for publication 16 Jul 1943. Mr. Stimson, U.S.A. Minister for War, visited a Fortress Aerodrome in England, where he decorated S/Sgt. Maynard Smith with the Medal of Honor, for conspicuous gallantry when he fought a fire when his plane caught fire during a raid on Germany. 1943.

B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Eager Beaver" of the 306th Bomb Group. 1943.

USAAF Boeing B-17F Bombers, 322nd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group in flight, early 1943. Top right is 42-5712 LG-S 'Heavyweight Annihilators No.2' aka 'My Prayer'.

B-17F 42-5712 “Heavyweight Annihilators No.2” (starboard side, located under double cheek windows to forward compartment). Delivered Cheyenne 20/8/42; Wayne 6/11/42; West Palm Beach, Fl 14/12/43; Assigned 322BS/91BG [LG-S] Bassingbourn 1/1/43 HEAVYWEIGHT ANNIHILATORS No.2; battle damaged 22/6/43, repaired & transferred 322BS; crash landed Manston on return from Schweinfurt 17/8/43; severe damage by flak with 500+ holes but remaining crew brought aircraft back to crash land on grass at RAF Manston, UK; Salvaged Cat E. Missing Air Crew Report 283. MY PRAYER.

Cpl. Tony Starcer painting the nose art on the 91st Bomb Group B-17F 42-5712  “Heavyweight Annihilators No.2.”

B-17F 42-5712 LG-S “My Prayer” starboard side nose art. 

B-17F 42-5712 LG-S “My Prayer” port side nose art scroll.

B-17F-85-BO 42-30037 BK-F 546th Bomb Squadron, 384th Bomb Group. Assigned to 3 missions; first mission was recalled, second mission was scrubbed and did not take off; third mission attacked Villacoublay Airfield, Paris, France, attacked by enemy aircraft east of Caen, France, crew bailed out, aircraft crashed east of Dieppe, France.

Two examples of factory project numbers that were a production marking. On B-17F-120-BO 42-30822 “Foolish Virgin aka The Dorsal Queen” of 385th Bomb Group this has been painted on the nose: “822” are the last three digits of the aircraft’s serial. Delivered Dallas 4/8/43; Denver 16/8/43; Dalhart 17/8/43; Assigned 551BS/385BG [HR-R] Gt Ashfield 8/9/43; Missing in Action Regensburg 25/2/44; 7 Killed in Action, 3 Prisoner of War, flak, exploded mid-air over Regensburg, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 2776.

King George VI passes a B-17F-1-BO Flying Fortress 41-24352 “Holey Joe” as he meets personnel of the 301st Bomb Group during a royal visit. 

B-17F-1-BO Flying Fortress 41-24352 “Holey Joe”.

B-17F-10-BO 41-24480 “The Bad Penny” during visit by the King. Assigned 324BS/91BG [DF-B] Bangor 31/8/42; Bassingbourn 26/9/42; 322BS [LG-A] 5/43 16+m; taken off operations and transferred 403 AD 2/7/43; 8AF HQ Sqd 15/8/43 for VIP duties. Salvaged 19/10/44. Used as camera ship to film Major William Wilder's Memphis Belle film.