One of the United States, the B-17 was flown by the United States Army Air Force throughout the American participation in the Second World War. The plane was used to bombard German targets in Europe during daylight hours a method which resulted initially in very heavy losses.
Flying Fortress
The Flying Fortress was designed for a competition, announced in 1934, to find a modern replacement for the assorted Keystone biplane bombers then in service. The prototype first flew on July 28 in 1935, and went on to win the competition. Top speed was 317 mph, cruising at over 200 mph with 4,000 pounds of bombs.
Production
Production of the similar B-17 was undertaken by Douglas and Vega, a subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Corp. 3 400 B-17s were produced by the three companies. By the end of production, more than 12 700 B-17s had been built.
First mission
The first American mission from England took place. The Germans were warned by radio from a picket ship off the Dutch coast, and two of the bombers flown by Americans were shot down. The bombardiers of two of the other planes were so confused by the camouflaged targets that they failed to drop their bombs at all. The Americans fought their way back to England, but in one bomber the pilot was injured and the copilot killed. The bombardier, who had been washed out of flying school, took over the controls and flew the plane back home on two engines.
