Main Menu

United States' Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress^1,2,3

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and P-51 Mustang escorts:	Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress:	Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress:	Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress:
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress:	Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress: U.S. Army in World War II - Pictorial Record, 1951, pg 47	Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress:	Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress:
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress:	Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress:	Boeing B-17B Flying Fortress cockpit: Boeing	Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress:
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress under attack by a Me 110 (the Me 110 appears just above the tail):	Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress:	Boeing B-17B Flying Fortress: Boeing / 12713B	Boeing B-17C Flying Fortress:
Boeing Y1B-17 Flying Fortress: USAF	Boeing Y1B-17 Flying Fortress: Boeing / 10001B

Design

The B-17 was developed to meet a USAAC requirement for a bomber to replace the Martin B-10.³

Had one of the first all metal monoplane heavy bomber to enter service.¹

The B-17E introduced a larger vertical tail surface.^2,3 The Boeing B-17E added a gun turret on top of the fuselage behind the cockpit and on the bottom of the fuselage behind the wings.^2,3

The Boeing B-17F had a larger one piece nose installed.²

Prototype

The Boeing Model 299 prototype flew on July 28, 1935.^1,2,3 This prototype crashed three weeks later before the evaluation was completed.³ The USAAC had initially disqualified the Boeing Model 299, as there were no others to evaluate, but there was enough interest that 13 more were ordered to be evaluated.³

The Y1B-17 first flew in December 1936.³

Production

Total B-17s built was 12,731.¹

• Model 299: 1³
• Y1B-17: 13³
• Y1B-17A: 1³ Delivered in April 1938.³
• YB-17: Twelve were produced and entered service in 1937.²
• XB-38: 1³
• XC-108: 1 converted³
• XC-108A: 1³
• B-17B: Built in 1940-1941.² 39³
• B-17C: Built in 1940-1941.² 38³
• B-17D: Built in 1941.² 42³
• B-17E: 512 built.^2,3 Built until May 1942.³
• B-17F: 3,400², 3,405³ Built from 1942-1943.²
  • Boeing: 2,300³
  • Douglas: 605³
  • Vega: 500³
• B-17G: 8,680^1,3, 8,685 produced by Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed-Vega.² Produced at a rate of 330 per month between 1943 and 1945.³ In early 1945 the peak production was 560 per month.³ Production ended in July 1945.³
  • Boeing: 4,035³
  • Douglas: 2,395³
  • Vega: 2,250³
• Total: 12,731³

Variants

• Model 299: Had Pratt & Whitney Hornet engines.³
• Y1B-17: Had Wright Cyclone engines.³
• Y1B-17A: Had turbo charged engines.³
• B-17B: First flew in June 1939.³
• B-17C / Fortress I: First flew in July 1940.³
• B-17D: First flew in February 1941.³
• B-17E / Fortress IIA: Added tail gunner position.¹ Added top and bottom turrets to the fuselage.² First flew in September 1941.³
• B-17F / Fortress II: One piece nose.² First flew in May 1942.³ Propellers were slightly larger.³ Engine cowling was reshaped.³ Oil tanks were self sealing.³ Wings and undercarriage strengthened to allow for larger bomb loads.³ Link between Norden bombsight and autopilot installed.³ "Tokyo tank" were installed in outer wings to allow for an additional 1,000 mile / 1,610 km range.³ Could carry 1,000 lb / 454 kg of bombs under wings.³ Late in production Bendix chin turret added.³
• B-17G / Fortress III: Chin turret.² First flown in May 1943.³ Had electrically operated turbocharger controls installed.³ Ball turret was replaced by Bendix turret.³ New tail turret ("Cheyenne").³ Some models had radar.³
• BQ-7: Radio controlled plane that was flown to near the target by the crew, who then bailed out.³ The plane was then remotely flown into the target.³
• F-9: Photo reconnaissance.³
• F-9A: Photo reconnaissance.³
• F-9B: Photo reconnaissance.³
• PB-1: US Navy version of B-17G.³ 45 were transfered.³
• SB-17: Search and rescue.¹
• TB-40: Trainer.³
• YB-40: Had up to 30 (16³) machine guns.² Was to be used as an escort.²
• XB-38: Had Allison V-1710 liquid cooled engines.³ Only 1 prototype.³
• XC-108: Personal transport for General Douglas MacArthur.³
• XC-108A: Frieghter.³

Usage

The Flying Fortress was used in large formations that mutually supported each other against enemy fighters.²

The B-17 could carry 8 tons, but seldom carried more than 1/4 of that.¹

In the 8th Air Force there were over 47,000 casualties in raids over Europe.¹

United Kingdom

The Royal Air Force (RAF) received 20 B-17Cs in 1941.³ Were initially used in daylight raids but with heavy losses they were moved to anti shipping and anti submarine duties.³

The United Kingdom received:

• B-17C: 20³
• B-17E: 45³
• B-17F: 17³
• B-17G: 85³

Pearl Harbor

The first American casualties of World War II was a B-17, on the way to Pearl Harbor, shot down by Japanese Zeros.^1,3

Flying Fortress' First Attack

On December 9, 1941, B-17s attacked a Japanese convoy off of Luzon to become the first bombs dropped by an American manned aircraft in World War II.³

Korea

A SB-17 search and rescue conducted the first American sortie in Korean War.¹

The first mission in Korea was done by a RB-17G reconnaissance plane in June 1950.³

	Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress3	Boeing B-17C Flying Fortress3	Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress3	Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress3	Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress1,2,3
Type	Medium / heavy bomber3		Medium / heavy bomber3	Medium / heavy bomber.3	Heavy bomber1,2 Medium / heavy bomber3
Crew	93		103 Pilots (2), navigator, bombardier / nose gunner, ventral gunner, tail gunner, flight engineer / dorsal turret gunner, radio operator, and waist gunners (2)3	103	9-101, 102,3
Engine (Type)		4: Wright R-1820-65 Cyclone3	4: Wright R-1820-65 Cyclone3	4: Wright R-1820-97 Cyclone3	4: Wright R-1820-97 Cyclone turbo charged piston1 4: Wright R-1820-973
Cylinders		Radial 93	Radial 93	Radial 93	Radial1,2 Radial 93
Cooling
HP		1,200 each3	1,200 each3	1,200 each takeoff3 1,380 each war emergency3	1,200 each1,2 1,200 each takeoff3 1,380 each war emergency3
Propeller blades		3 each3	3 each3	3 each3	3 each3
Dimensions
Span		103' 9"3 31.62 m3	103' 9"3 31.62 m3	103' 9"3 31.62 m3	103' 9"1,2,3 31.62 m1,2,3
Length		67' 11"3 20.7 m3	73' 10"3 22.5 m3	74' 9"3 22.78 m3	74' 4"1, 74' 9"2,3 22.66 m1, 22.78 m2,3
Height		15' 4"3 4.67 m3	19' 2"3 5.84 m3	19' 2"3 5.84 m3	19' 1"1,2,3 5.82 m1,2,3
Wing area					1,420 ft2 1,2 131.92 m2 1,2
Weight
Empty		30,600 lb3 13,880 kg3	33,280 lb3 15,096 kg3	34,000 lb3 15,422 kg3	36,135 lb2, 36,136 lb1, 38,000 lb3 16,391 kg1,2, 17,237 kg3
Loaded		46,650 lb3 21,160 kg3	53,000 lb3 24,040 kg3		65,499 lb1, 65,500 lb3, 72,000 lb2 29,710 kg1, 29,711 kg3, 32,660 kg2
Maximum load		49,650 lb3 22,521 kg3		65,500 lb3 29,711 kg3	72,000 lb3 32,659 kg3
Performance
Speed @ 25,000' / 7,620 m		323 mph3 520 kph3	317 mph3 510 kph3	War emergency: 314 mph3 505 kph3 Normal: 300 mph3 482 kph3	Normal: 286 mph3 287 mph2 462 kph2,3 War emergency: 302 mph3 486 kph3
Speed @ 25,230' / 7,690 m					287 mph1 462 kph1
Cruising speed		286 mph3 460 kph3	210 mph3 338 kph3	200 mph3 322 kph3	160 - 182 mph3 257 - 293 kph3
Climb to 10,000' / 3,048 m			7.1 minutes3
Climb to 20,000 ' / 6,095 m					37 minutes2,3
Service ceiling		37,000'3 11,277 m3	36,600'3 11,155 m3	37,500'3 11,430 m3	35,600'2,3 10,850 m2,3
Range with 4,000 lb / 1,815 kg bomb load			2,000 miles3 3,218 km3	2,200 miles3 3,540 km3	1,800 miles3 2,900 km3
Range with 6,000 lb / 2,722 kg bomb load				1,300 miles3 2,092 km3	2,000 miles2 3,219 km2
Range with 6,007 lb / 2,725 kg bomb load					2,000 miles1 3,220 km1
Range		2,400 miles3 3,862 kg3
Maximum range		3,400 miles3 5,470 kg3	3,200 miles3 5,150 km3	2,680 miles3 4,313 km3	3,400 miles3 5,471 km3
Armament		5 or 6: 0.5" MG3 1: 0.3" MG3	8: 0.5" MG3 1: 0.3" MG3	10 - 12: 0.5' MG3	13: 12.7 mm MG1 10 - 13: 0.5" MG3
Nose			1: 0.3" MG3
Chin turret					2: 12.7 mm MG2
Rear cockpit turret			2: 0.5" MG in a Sperry turret3		2: 12.7 mm MG2
Ventral turret			2: 0.5" MG in Bendix turret3		2: 12.7 mm MG2
Tail			2: 0.5" MG3		1: 12.7 mm MG2
Nose sides					2: 12.7 mm MG2
Radio operator hatch					1: 12.7 mm MG2
Waist positions			2: 0.5" MG3		2: 12.7 mm MG2
Bombs		4,000 lb3 1,814 kg3	4,000 lb3 1,815 kg3	4,000 lb3 1,815 kg3	4,000 lb3, 17,600 lb2, 17,640 lb1 1,815 kg3, 7,983 kg2, 8000 kg1
Bombs - maximum				8,000 lb3 3,629 kg3	9,600 lb3 4,354 kg3

Sources:

1. Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
2. Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
3. Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998

---