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United States' Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress1,2,3
| 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: 8,6801,3, 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:
- Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
- Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
- Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
