Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - Wikipedia Many B-17s survive today in museums, and there are some that still fly. A vast majority (over 8,000) of these aircraft were lost in either combat operations or training accidents. Launching Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" and Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" from bases in England's eastern countryside, the Americans bombed their targets during the day while the British attacked at night. Incredible restored footage of WWII bombers carrying out raids Battle of Guadalcanal | Facts, Map, & Significance | Britannica Percentage wise, we lost more men," he said, recalling one mission where 52 bombers were shot out of the sky. B-17, also called Flying Fortress, U.S. heavy bomber used during World War II. In reality you had 3 or 4 gunners in 300 B17s all firing at the same German fighter which explodes and each gunner tries to claim it. Low on ammunition and under heavy artillery fire, some 6,500 G.I.s were forced to capitulate in one of largest mass surrenders of U.S. troops during World War II. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - The National WWII Museum The B-17E, the first mass-produced model of the Flying Fortress, carried nine machine guns and a 4,000-pound bomb load. AFA Statement on Loss of Historic B-17: Painful Reminder of the ... ‘Black Thursday’: The bleakest day for U.S. Army Air Forces in … The bomber was intended from the outset to attack strategic targets by precision daylight bombing, penetrating … How likely was a B17 to shoot down a German fighter? - Quora Which fighter aircraft shot down the most enemy aircraft during … Boeing The FW-90 was next with 267. Air Force vs. The Luftwaffe Statement on Loss of Historic B-17: Painful Reminder The US asked the Soviets to return the aircraft, but they refused. The best movie ever made about the Air Force may be “Twelve O’Clock High,” released in 1949. German Me 262s Gun Down B-17s | Military.com Login A Virtual Tour Of The B-17 | Hackaday B-17 Flying Fortress – Top Facts About the WWII American Bomber The bomber on the sea bed: B-17 'Flying Fortress' lies at the bottom of the Adriatic Sea after it was shot down 30 miles off coast of Croatia during WWII World War 2. By the end of the mission, the Eighth Air Force had lost 30 bombers and 300 men. The 381st lost seven of 18 deployed. This true story of the European bomber war is told by the combatants themselves and by the sometimes bemused English villagers who came to love their Yanks. Out of the 1.5 million tons of bombs dropped on Germany, the B17 dropped 500,000 tons. 4 reviews. The Real Twelve O’Clock High - Air Force Magazine B-17s Over Berlin by Ian L. Hawkins - Goodreads For the survivors, there wasn’t much time for contemplation of those lost. The 300 men shot down were obvious casualties, but when the battered bombers returned to their home bases, they carried another 301 wounded in their fuselages. 18 Facts About The B-29 Superfortress - Boldmethod The 100th Bomb Group lost 17 of 19 deployed. There are stats on this page for German aircraft: North American P-51 Mustang --- The plane that went all the way. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft primarily employed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. … 16) Three of the B-29s, which were repairable, were flown to the Tupelov design bureau in Moscow. At least seven dead in fiery crash of World War II-era B-17 Flying … 15) During WWII, four B-29s made emergency landings in the Soviet Union after making bombing runs over Japan. Memories of Aeroplanes. The B-17 (pictured in footage from The Cold Blue) dropped more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II. 60 B-52s Shot Down In One Day? Today’s U.S. Air Force Can’t … Designating the aircraft Fortress Mk I, the aircraft performed poorly during high-altitude raids in the summer of 1941. Now just imagine 60 B-52 bombers shot down in one day. The P … A merica joined Britain's strategic air campaign designed to destroy Nazi Germany's industrial capacity soon after her entrance into World War Two. The … My B-17 crew survived Nazi-occupied France in World War II. At 30,000 feet, the improved Mustang reached 440 MPH, almost 100 MPH faster than the Allison-equipped Mustang at that altitude. Wegmann and Schnorrer each claimed two B-17s, and Seeler claimed one. Naturally, he scrambled to give chase. While the US had less than 200 at the start of the war, more than 12,000 B-17s were produced by the end and served in every theater. The B-17 bomber that crashed was one of 13,000 made. They were … Almost all of the other bombers suffered some level of damage. Why A German Pilot Escorted An American Bomber To Safety … Operational History. View results. The B-17G involved in Wednesday's crash had been involved in one previous incident in 1987, when it ran off a runway in Pennsylvania. The first Merlin-equipped Mustang, the P-51B, flew in November 1942. The results were impressive. Answer (1 of 15): The twenty-five mission mark was more honored in the breach than the observance, as the saying goes. Over 5,000 B-17 bombers were lost in combat missions in world war II How many Lancaster bombers were shot down? More than 50,000 Airmen lost their lives in the four years of WWII and the majority of those losses were on bomber missions over Nazi Germany in B-17s and B-24s. They were re-painted and used by the Luftwaffe for training exercises. The Bomber Boys: Heroes Who Flew the B-17s in World War II [Ayres, Travis L.] on Amazon.com. 8th airforce B17 claims were hilariously inflated and not even vaguely in relation to actual recorded Luftwaffe losses. 6) The B-17G had 13 .50-caliber machine guns. 3249 shot down of 7377 built at a cost of 45,000 pounds each Many B-17s survive today in museums, and there are some that still fly. Answer (1 of 3): VERY unlikely. The 8th Air Force had fired 99 million rounds of ammunition during these flights and it is thought that 20,000 German planes were destroyed. How many B17 crews actually managed to complete 25 missions … One Allied bombing mission in March 16, 1944 – targeting the southern German cities of Augsburg, Ulm and Friedrichshafen – involved 740 planes. A World War II-era B-17 bomber crashed in a fireball as it tried to land Wednesday at New England’s second-busiest airport, seriously injuring at least six people aboard, officials said. How many b-17 bombers were shot down during World War 2? Seventy five years ago, 291 B-17F Flying Fortress high-altitude heavy bombers, each with a crew of 10, attacked the ball bearing plants around Schweinfurt, Bavaria. BBC - WW2 People's War - aviation memories The B-17 was designed by the Boeing Aircraft Company in response to a 1934 Army Air Corps specification that called for a four-engined bomber at a time when two engines were the norm. There are very few films left in existence showing the Me 262 in action, especially shooting down allied bombers with P-51 escorts. Since 1985, we have been dedicated to original reporting and expert analysis on national security--just three blocks from the White House. The life of a ball turret gunner - Herald Community Newspapers The Bomber Boys: Heroes Who Flew the B-17s in World War II … As World War II intensified, the bombers needed additional armament and armor. B-17 Flying Fortress in World War II - ThoughtCo B-17 Flying Fortress. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber used by the United States Army Air Forces and other Allied air forces during World War II.Of the 12,731 aircraft built, approximately 4,735 were lost during the War. Over 5,000 B-17 bombers were lost in combat missions in world war II How many Lancaster bombers were shot down? German ground-based antiaircraft artillery and 300 fighters shot down 60 of the aircraft, with 600 crewmen killed or taken prisoner, the largest Army Air Force loss of the war to date. 15 Things You Never Knew About The B-17 Flying Fortress More than 50,000 Airmen lost their lives in the four years of WWII and the majority of those losses were on bomber missions over Nazi Germany in B-17s and B-24s. ... May 15, 2004) was a colonel and a Command Pilot in the United States Air Force from Asheville, North Carolina. Lacking a true heavy bomber at the start of World War II, the RAF purchased 20 B-17Cs. The average age of the crew of a B-17 was less than 25, with four officers and six enlisted Airmen manning the aircraft. Captured B-17 Bombers in World War II - WAR HISTORY ONLINE B-17 | Crew, Range, & Bomb Load | Britannica Though most B-17s were scrapped after the war, we are fortunate to have one on exhibit at the Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover, Del. B17 Flying Fortress - History Learning Site List of surviving Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses - Wikipedia "That's over 500 guys that went down. As Allied armies fought their way deep into occupied Europe, it was the P-51 Mustang which wrested control of the skies from the Luftwaffe. World War II: America’s Heavy Hitter – The B-17 Flying Fortress Pow! It is the harrowing story of the first B-17 bombers in England in World War II and the terrible losses they took before long-range fighters were available to escort them on combat missions over Europe. But the story is more than that. Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls : NPR