If you choose a combat model that best represents the strategic bombing operations of the Allied forces during World War II, then the Boeing B-17 "Air Fortress" bomber must be extremely vocal. This four-shot heavy bomber can be said to be the most famous American bomber during World War II, even if the follow-up B-29 "Super Air Fortress" is larger and stronger, and with the blessing of the first nuclear explosion aircraft, it still cannot overshadow the limelight of the old "Air Fortress", from 1942 to 1945, the B-17 has always been the main model of the US Army Airlines strategic bombing against Germany. I believe that many military fans and friends are already quite familiar with the image of this classic fighter through film and television works, military publications and even military games, but there are some things about the "Air Fortress" that you may never know, such as how many tons of bombs the B-17 dropped in World War II? How much does a B-17 cost? Where did the nickname "Fortress in the Air" come from? The following author will pick up the little-known details about the "Air Fortress" for you.
1. Which old bomber was the B-17 developed to replace?
On August 4, 1934, the United States Army Air Corps issued a tender to major aircraft manufacturers to develop a new bomber to replace the Martin B-10 twin-engine bomber. Interestingly, the B-10 was not yet in service at the time and was not officially commissioned until three months later. The U.S. military requires the new bomber to be able to cruise at an altitude of 3,000 meters for 10 hours and reach a maximum speed of 320 km/ h with a payload, while hoping to further reach a range of 3,200 km and a high speed of 400 km/ h. Boeing, Douglas and Martin competed, with Boeing's solution being the only four-engine heavy-duty aircraft and the other two companies being twin-engine medium-sized.
The Martin B-10 bomber was a twin-engine bomber installed by the U.S. Army in the early 1930s.
2. Who gave the B-17 "Air Fortress" nickname?
On July 28, 1935, Boeing's M299 prototype made its maiden flight. The day before, Richard Williams, a reporter from The Seattle Times, had visited Boeing and was amazed by the size of the M299 and its self-defense weapons (five 7.62 mm machine guns), so he accompanied the press picture with this caption: "15-ton air fortress." Keenly aware of the promotional value of the title, Boeing executives quickly decided to use "Air Fortress" as the trademark and nickname for the new bomber.
■ The cartoon image of the B-17 "Air Fortress" is a flying castle.
3, B-17 actually lost the bid initially, but also canceled the order!
On August 20, 1935, the M299 prototype was tested from Seattle to White Land Aviation Base, with a total flight of 9 hours and 3 minutes, an average cruising speed of 406 km / h, and its excellent performance was favored by the military, and an order for 65 aircraft was issued before the evaluation was completed. However, on October 30, the M299 crashed during a test flight, and Boeing's $99,620 unit price for the new aircraft was considered too expensive, while rival Douglas was quoted at $58,200, so The Army Chief of Staff, General Marin Craig, canceled Boeing's order in favor of ordering Douglas's B-18 bombers, which, although it won the competition, was discontinued in 1939, and only 350 were built.
■ Boeing's M299 prototype, the first prototype of the B-17.
4, B-17 through the military backdoor to continue to develop and install.
Although Boeing lost the order, the M299's outstanding performance won a large number of supporters within the Army Aviation Force, who took advantage of the loophole in the legal system to order 13 more prototypes from Boeing under the name of YB-17 on January 17, 1936, thus saving the fate of the four-engine bomber. After years of improvement, it was finally officially commissioned in April 1938 and received the official designation B-17.
On May 12, 1938, two YB-17s flew over the Atlantic Ocean, 980 kilometers off the east coast of the United States, over the Italian cruise ship "King", a deliberately scheduled "interception" mission.
When the Pacific War broke out, how many B-17s were equipped by the U.S. Army Air Force?
Although the B-17 was deployed a year before the outbreak of World War II, production was initially very slow. After the outbreak of World War II, the U.S. military ordered 512 B-17s in 1940, but by the time pearl harbor attacked, there were fewer than 200 B-17s in the entire U.S. land aviation. According to statistics, from January 11, 1937 to November 30, 1941, Including prototypes, Boeing delivered 155 B-17s to the military. After the United States entered the war, the production rate of the B-17 suddenly increased, and orders surged, so that the production of the B-17 was shared by Boeing, Douglas and Vega in the late war, and the total production reached 12,731 aircraft by the time of the shutdown in May 1945! Of these, Boeing 6981, Douglas 3000 and Vega 2750.
The B-17E that The U.S. Army Aviation had equipped before the outbreak of the Pacific War, had fewer than 200 B-17s at the time of the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
6. What is the unit price of a B-17? How much does the total cost of all B-17s cost today?
In 1935 Boeing offered nearly $100,000 each, while the B-17 doubled in price when it was put into production, to about $200,000 per aircraft by 1940. Although the final production of the B-17 exceeded 12,000 aircraft, its unit price rose to $238329 by 1945, equivalent to $2,581,000 in 2016. It is estimated that the total cost of all 12,731 B-17s is equivalent to $38 billion today, close to the total cost of the three newest Ford-class supercarriers in the United States ($13 billion each)!
■ The B-17F formation flying over Europe has maintained a unit price of more than $200,000, equivalent to about $2.5 million today.
7, B-17 production of tens of thousands, but not the largest number of heavy bombers manufactured in the United States, who is the number one?
Although the B-17 produced more than 12,000 bombers, it was still not the largest number of heavy bombers produced during World War II, and this crown was won by the B-24 Liberator bomber manufactured by the United Company, which was comparable to the B-17's four-engine bomber production of 18,500! It was also one of the main forces of strategic bombing against Germany, but the B-24 had more cameos than the B-17 on patrol aircraft, anti-submarine aircraft, transport aircraft and other platforms. The B-24 was also the most numerous bombers ever built in aviation history, with the Luftwaffe's Ju 88 coming second with 15,000 aircraft, the B-17 in third place, and the two main British heavy-bombers, the Lancaster and Halifax, with 7,377 and 6,176 respectively, slightly surpassing the B-17, and the B-29, the strongest heavy-hit in World War II, produced 3,970.
■ B-17 bombers on Boeing's production line, its production is as high as 12731.
8. How many tons of bombs did the B-17 drop during the strategic bombing operations in the European Theater of World War II?
From July 1942 to May 1945, the B-17 participated in the main operations of strategic bombing operations against Germany. According to statistics, in 2 years and 10 months, the B-17s of the US Army Air Forces stationed in the European Theater flew 290,000 sorties, with a cumulative bomb dropped 580631 tons. In contrast, the total bomb dropped by another workhorse, the B-24, was 410508 tons, while the total bombing volume of all U.S. bombers except for the above two types was 420,520 tons, so the B-17 was the largest American bomber in World War II. In the ranking of the total bomb drops of bombers in the world war II countries, the B-17 is also second only to the British "Lancaster", which dropped 618252 tons of bombs.
The B-17 fleet dropped bombs over the German mainland, and during the war the B-17 dropped nearly 600,000 tons of bombs in the European theater.
9. In World War II, the B-17 developed a powerful "gunboat machine" for long-range escort.
In the early strategic bombing operations against Germany, the B-17 suffered heavy losses from German fighters due to the lack of long-range fighter escort. To enhance its defensive firepower, Boeing designed a self-defending gunboat aircraft based on the B-17F, the YB-40, to drive out German fighters in formation. The YB-40 eliminated the bomb carrying capacity, doubled the number of 12.7 mm machine guns throughout the fuselage, added self-defense turrets, increased the number of machine guns to 14 to 16, carried 10,700 rounds of ammunition, and increased to 18 or even more if necessary. However, the YB-40's full weight increased by 1800 kg compared to the B-17F, and the climb rate dropped significantly, and the time to climb to an altitude of 6000 meters increased from 25 minutes to 48 minutes for the B-17F. The YB-40 built 25, and between May and July 1943, it fought 48 sorties and shot down only 5 enemy aircraft, which was not effective, and then withdrew from the front line of operations, and did not manufacture in large quantities.
■ Close-up of the fuselage middle of the YB-40 gunboat aircraft, note the double 12.7 mm machine gun with the turret on the back and the side window.
10. In the later stages of the war, the US military converted a small number of B-17s into remote-controlled bombing aircraft to carry out special bombing missions.
In early 1944, the top brass of the United States Army Aviation corporation formulated a covert operation code-named "Aphrodite", converting some of the old B-17s that had been in service for a long time into unmanned remote control aircraft BQ-7, which was operated by the mother aircraft by radio, loaded with 10 tons of high explosives, and hit German targets under the guidance of the mother aircraft, mainly for attacking fortified fortifications such as U-boat caves and V-1/V-2 launch bases. However, the remote control device is not reliable and still requires manual control to take off. At least 25 B-17s were modified and flew 14 missions, none of which were successful, killing several pilots in accidents, including Joseph Kennedy Jr., the eldest brother of future U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
■ A BQ-7 remote-controlled bomb plane took off from the airport under the control of a pilot, and operation Aphrodite ended in failure.
10. How many B-17s became spoils of war for Axis forces?
In the course of ongoing combat operations, it is inevitable that B-17s will fall into enemy control areas and fall into enemy hands. On the European battlefield, about 40 B-17s were captured by the Germans, of which 12 were restored, restored to flight capabilities, and were painted with the Iron Cross to join the Luftwaffe sequence. These B-17s were primarily used for interception training for fighter pilots to familiarize themselves with the B-17's defensive weaknesses. In addition, a small number of B-17s were assigned to the KG 200 Special Wing to carry out secret missions such as airdrop agents in the Middle East and North Africa. In the Pacific Theater, the Japanese captured three damaged B-17s in the Philippines early in the war, including one D-type and two E-models, and repaired them and transported them back to Japan using other damaged B-17 parts. The Japanese conducted extensive technical research on it, but also used it for air combat training and propaganda films.
■ A B-17 captured by the Luftwaffe (top) and its livery (bottom), in order to avoid accidental injury by its own anti-aircraft guns, the lower surface of the aircraft was painted with a striking orange color.
■ The B-17D captured by the Japanese was on a test flight with the Hinomaru logo painted on the main wing.
11. How many countries and regions in the world have used the B-17?
The B-17 was the main bomber of the U.S. Army in World War II, primarily equipped with the U.S. Army Air Force, and its peak number was 4,574 (August 1944). During and after the war, B-17s were also supplied to the Allies as military aid, and a small number of B-17s were acquired by Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union. According to statistics, the military and civilian versions of the B-17 have served in 24 countries or regions, including the United States, Britain, Canada, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominica, Denmark, France, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Portugal, Peru, Nicaragua, South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden, the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Japan and Taiwan. It is worth mentioning that Brazil received 13 B-17s in 1951 for search and rescue reconnaissance missions, and served until 1968, being the last B-17 to be retired.
■ Countries in the world that have used the B-17 military type.
■Countries in the world that have used the B-17 civilian type.
12. How many of the U.S. Army Air Force's B-17 crew have received the Medal of Honor?
During World War II, tens of thousands of air crews served in the B-17 unit, and they made great sacrifices in the "air fortress" over the battlefield. According to statistics, 4688 B-17s were lost in combat in the European battlefield, and each B-17 had an average of 10 crew members, which meant that more than 40,000 US air crew members were killed, wounded or captured, they were one of the most sacrificial and tenacious fighting groups in the war, and many crew members were honored, including the U.S. military's highest medal of honor - the Medal of Honor. During the war, 17 B-17 crew members were awarded the Medal of Honor, 11 of whom were posthumously awarded, including 2 brigadier generals: Brigadier General Frederick Custer, who parachuted over Belgium as a co-pilot over Belgium on 24 December 1944 and insisted on maneuvering the damaged aircraft until the crash; Brigadier General Kenneth Walker, who died as commander of the 5th Bomber Command while leading the bombing of Rabaul on 5 January 1944.
U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stinson wears a medal of honor for Sergeant Maynard Smith. Smith saved the lives of the wounded aircraft and six crew members through tenacious fighting as a B-17 belly gunner on May 1, 1943.
■ The two highest-ranking recipients of the B-17 Crew Medal of Honor: Brigadier General Custer (left) and Brigadier General Walker (right).
13. The two most famous B-17 "Memphis Beauties" and "All America" aircraft in the war.
During World War II, many B-17s were famous for their outstanding combat experience, the most famous of which were the Memphis Beauty and the All Americans. The Memphis Belle was a B-17F with serial numbers 41-24485, delivered to the military on July 15, 1942, and incorporated into the 324th Squadron of the 91st Bomber Group in September 1942, piloted by a crew commanded by Captain Robert Morgan. From November 7, 1942 to May 19, 1943, the Memphis Beauty flew 25 combat missions, each time returning safely, and shot down 8 enemy aircraft in the battle. The Memphis Beauty was one of the first B-17s of the 8th Air Force to complete 25 missions, and then flew back to the United States as a representative of the heroic model of the war, and its deeds were twice put on the screen. The Memphis Beauty is preserved to this day and restored to the permanent collection of the United States Air Force Museum.
■ After completing 25 combat missions, the crew members took a group photo in front of the nose of the aircraft, and the side of the nose was painted with a beautiful woman pattern, a number of sorties and a shot down enemy aircraft logo.
The USS America was also a B-17F, serial number 41-24406, attached to The 414th Squadron of the 97th Bomber Group. On February 1, 1943, the Usser America, piloted by captain Prague Kehn Jr., went to bomb the German-controlled port of Tunis, where she was intercepted by German fighter jets on her way back. The using the USS America's machine gun fire hit 1 Bf 109, the out-of-control fighter collided with the rear fuselage of the USS Using the USS, its wings almost cut off the tail, the left horizontal tail was completely destroyed, and only a few fuselage skeletons were left to connect to the tail. The nearly severed B-17 continued to fly with its terrible rift and eventually landed safely, and the photograph of it flying with injuries became one of the most famous images of the B-17 in World War II. The USS Transamerica was later restored and remained in service until it was dismantled in March 1945.
■Photograph of the injured flight of the Using American, which was hit and whose tail was nearly broken.
■ A painting depicting the All-American being hit by a German fighter jet.
14, the scarf does not allow eyebrows, female pilots have also flown B-17.
The B-17 crew on the front line is all manly, but the "air fortress" is not unrelated to women. Female pilots from the U.S. Women's Air Service during the war took on many aircraft transfer missions, transferring domestically manufactured aircraft to airfields in the rear of the theater. Nancy Love and her co-pilot, Betty Gillis, became the first female pilots to fly the B-17 in 1943, and it was planned that they would fly a B-17 nicknamed "Queen Bee" from the United States to Britain, but given the dangers of the long-distance flight, the mission was personally canceled by Admiral Arnold, commander-in-chief of the Land Aviation. Love flew 19 types of military aircraft during the war, including the C-54 and B-25 in addition to the B-17, leaving a long history of women's flights.
The two first female pilots to fly B-17 bombers, Nancy Love (left) and Betty Gillis (right).
15. How many B-17s still exist in the world today?
Although the B-17 has more than 12,000 manufactured quantities, after the consumption of war and the loss of long-term use, after more than 80 years of wind and rain, there are few "air fortresses" that still remain in the world. As of May 2015, there are 10 more B-17s worldwide capable of flying, appearing at aviation exhibitions or war memorials from time to time, none of which have experienced combat flight. In addition, more than a dozen flightless B-17s are used for static display by museums or private collections in various countries.
■ At an air show in 2014, a well-preserved B-17G was on an air show.