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B-17 «Flying Fortress» Heavy Bomber
"Coming in on a wing and the prayer
Coming in on a wing and the prayer
Though there's one motor gone
We can still carry on
Coming in on a wing and the prayer"
This bomber is bathing in legends and the love of American pilots. The reason for this were numerous raids deep into enemy territory in the US 8th Air Force, based on British air fields. The aircraft proved to be reliable, durable – and lucky. B-17 serial number 41-24485 is still especially loved – it was the first to carry out 25 missions without losing a single crew member.
But all these achievements relate to the second half of the war. And before this, the aircraft lived long years of pre-war development and battles in the Pacific, which is of more interest to us.
The bomber’s prototype, Boeing model 299, took its first flight on July 28, 1935, immediately showing its extraordinary potential. Then the long tweaking period followed. The first B-17B series consisted of only 39 aircraft. B-17C and B-17D series consisted of 38 and 48 aircraft. 20 B-17C were transferred to Britain, were they were named “Fortress I” and sent into battle on July 8, 1941. And the B-17D series was under Japanese attack in Pearl-Harbor, where 12 aircraft were destroyed at Hikam airfield. The same day, 18 bombers of C and D series were destroyed at Clark-Field airfield on Philippines.
During the Japanese victorious raid on Pacific and Indian Ocean islands, “Fortress” was widely used as a patrol aircraft and for striking enemy convoys. Still, hitting a maneuvering ship from a heavy bomber wasn’t easy, and they had little success.
The following B-17E series consisted of 512 aircraft. Some of them went to Pacific Ocean and took part in the Coral Sea battle. It were “Fortresses” who discovered Japanese convoy heading for Port Moresby.
And by year 1943 “Fortresses” disappeared from the Pacific almost entirely, as their phenomenal durability and flying height were required in Europe. But the fairly weak Japanese anti-air defense could have been overcome by B-24 “Liberator”. Thus begins the legend of “Flying Fortress”, and thus we part with this remarkable aircraft, loved by pilots.
B-17 «Flying Fortress» in the "Pacific Storm"
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