| This photo of an Aleutian SB-17, outfitted as a rescue plane, was seen on Shemya around 1945-46. Provided by Dan Lange. Many thanks for this rare shot! |
| First flown on 28 July 1935, the B-17 prototype known as
the Boeing 299, was immediately dubbed the "Flying Fortress"
by the press corps in attendance. The USAAC ordered 13 YB-17s, followed
by another contract for 39 near-identical B-17Bs. By the middle of the
1940s, the Fortress had been further improved with the addition of two
extra guns and more powerful engines. Twenty B-17Cs were exported to
Britain to serve with the RAF. Early lessons learned in Europe resulted
in Boeing enhancing the armor of future models, along with additional
guns and self-sealing fuel tanks. This resulted in the B-17E, 512 of
which were built in 1941 and 1942. These were followed by the B-17F,
which had a re-designed nose to incorporate a 0.50-in gun, a
strengthened undercarriage to cope with increased bomb loads, and Wright
R-1820-97 engines. The final version was known as the B-17G, of which
8,680 were built. It had a gun turret located in the front and bottom of
the aircraft. There was an SB-17, a Fortress converted for search and
rescue duty that saw service in the Aleutians. The key to the B-17's
design and success was this heavy machine gun armament that enabled the
B-17 to penetrate defended airspace unescorted. There were 12,731 B-17s
built by Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed.
There were few B-17 pilots over the age of 30, with most of their crews consisting of men only in their 20's. The first American combat loss in WWII was that of a B-17 shot down by Japanese Zeroes on the way to Pearl Harbor. The B-17 fought in every theater of WWII. While it was America's main strategic weapon in Europe, it also saw action in the Aleutians. Specifications:
Additional References: 1) Jane's Historic Military
Aircraft 2) Aircraft of the World |