Answer (1 of 12): Yes but the kill ratio generally favored attacking fighters. The B-17F variants were the primary versions flying for the Eighth Air Force to face the Germans in 1943 and had standardized the manned Sperry ball turret for ventral defense, also replacing the earlier, 10-panel framed bombardier's nose glazing from the B subtype with an enlarged, nearly frameless Plexiglas bombardier's nose enclosure for improved forward vision. Covering 12,000 miles (19,000km) they returned on 27 February, with seven aircraft setting off on a flight to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, three days later. [74] In July 1942, the first USAAF B-17s were sent to England to join the Eighth Air Force. The Americans, on the other hand, were proponents of daylight, precision bombing using their state-of-the-art and top-secret Norden bomb-sight. As many as half a million civilians remained in Stalingrad when the Germans approached in the late summer of 1942. Gift of Austin Loree, 2011.160.029, Flying Fortresses dropping bombs and smoke markers over Goppingen, Germany in 1945. From then on, red and white neutrality bands were added to the wings of Swiss aircraft to stop accidental attacks by Allied aircraft. Later versions carried four or even six MG 151/20 cannon and twin 13mm machine guns. Many had dozens of aerial victories; some had over 100. Their first operation, against Wilhelmshaven on 8 July 1941 was unsuccessful. Although initially deemed repairable, 40-2049 (11th BG / 38th RS) received more than 200 bullet holes and never flew again. The ammunition load was over 11,000 rounds. It was a four engine, heavy bomber which first flew on July 28, 1935. Unlike the fighter pilots, individual bomber gunners did not receive official credit for any of their shootdowns. 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. ", "Why Use Colourful Camouflage in World War 2? On 1 June, Seigrist and Price returned and picked up Smith and LeSchack using a Fulton Skyhook system installed on the B-17. The resulting "Combined Bomber Offensive" weakened the Wehrmacht, destroyed German morale, and established air superiority through Operation Pointblank's destruction of German fighter strength in preparation for a ground offensive. It was code-named "Tachikawa 105" after the mystery aircraft's wingspan was measured (104-ft.) but never identified. How many b17 bombers were lost in ww2? The campaign in North Africa began with a daring Anglo-American commando raid code-named Operation RESERVIST. Date: American aircraft struck targets in Schweinfurt and Regensburg on August 17, 1943. . Forty-five planes survive in complete form, 38 in the United States. The authors of a photo book about the planes and . The "D" model, later deemed an obsolescent design, was used in Japanese training and propaganda films. ", Frisbee, John L. "Valor: One Turning and One Burning. They could also pose as ground controllers themselves with the intention of steering nightfighters away from the bomber streams. [177][note 5], Many pilots who flew both the B-17 and the B-24 preferred the B-17 for its greater stability and ease in formation flying. The Unknown Aces of the Eighth - National Museum of the Mighty Eighth The operation did not work as expected, with 90 Squadron's Fortresses being unopposed. Though the crash of the prototype 299 in 1935 had almost wiped out Boeing, now it was seen as a boon. Its famous nickname came from the fact it carried 13 .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns for protection, and had a legendary toughness for carrying its crew home on one engine or even with the tail shot away. For many, the B-17 is the iconic bomber of the war, and the Flying Fortress"remains a symbol of American might. Frisbee, John L. "Valor: Colin Kelly (He was a Hero in Legend and in Fact). B-17 Flying Fortress - Top Facts About the WWII American Bomber She was featured in a USAAF documentary, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress. The Soviets restored 23 to flying condition and concentrated them in the 890th bomber regiment of the 45th Bomber Aviation Division,[153] but they never saw combat. On 3 March 1943, 13 B-17s flying at 7,000ft (2,000m) bombed the convoy, forcing the convoy to disperse and reducing the concentration of their anti-aircraft defenses. In 1957 the surviving B-17s had been stripped of all weapons and painted black. A retirement ceremony was held several days later at Holloman AFB, after which 44-83684 was retired. Captured B-17 Bombers in World War II - warhistoryonline Air Corps doctrine dictated bombing runs from high altitude, but they soon found only 1% of their bombs hit targets. [115] When the FEAF received word of the attack on Pearl Harbor, General Lewis H. Brereton sent his bombers and fighters on various patrol missions to prevent them from being caught on the ground. ", "Durable B-17s hard for pilots to forget: Love for plane outweighs bitter memories of war", "World War II War Production Why Were the B-17 and B-24 Produced in Parallel? [131] These aircraft were nicknamed Dumbos, and remained in service for many years after the end of World War II.[132]. John Keema of the 390th Bomb Group said, "No matter the target they were defending, they were balls to the wall. A sobering statistic: Out of 1,419 Loaches built, 842 were destroyed in Vietnam, most shot down and many others succumbing to crashes resulting from low-level flying. A 1943 survey by the USAAF found that over half the bombers shot down by the Germans had left the protection of the main formation. [173], The B-17, a versatile aircraft, served in dozens of USAAF units in theaters of combat throughout World WarII, and in other roles for the RAF. An early model YB-17 also appeared in the 1938 film Test Pilot with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy, and later with Clark Gable in Command Decision in 1948, in Tora! American bomber numbers continued to build in Europe and attacks (and losses) began to build up. As the raids of the American bombing campaign grew in numbers and frequency, German interception efforts grew in strength (such as during the attempted bombing of Kiel on 13 June 1943[96]), such that unescorted bombing missions came to be discouraged. 0. However, B-17s were operating at heights too great for most A6M Zero fighters to reach. ", "Army Bomber Flies 2,300 Miles In 9 Hours, or 252 Miles an Hour; New All-Metal Monoplane Sets a World Record on Non-Stop Flight From Seattle to Dayton, Ohio. These modifications resulted in a 20% increase in aircraft weight. But help soon arrived when the North American P-51 Mustang began to reach the beleaguered Eighth Air Force in large enough numbers to make a difference. It was a very effective weapons system, dropping more bombs during the . However, the USAAF continued using the B-17 as a day bomber, despite misgivings by the RAF that attempts at daylight bombing would be ineffective. It had a crew of ten and could carry 6,000 pounds of bombs at 300 miles per hour for a range of 2,000 miles. How many B 52 bombers were shot down in Vietnam? - 2023 It had a crew of ten and could carry 6,000 pounds of bombs at 300 miles per hour for a range of 2,000 miles. [73] A squadron of B-17s from this force detached to the Middle East to join the First Provisional Bombardment Group, thus becoming the first American B-17 squadron to go to war against the Germans. The aircraft was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet radial engines, each producing 750 hp (600 kW) at 7,000 ft (2,100 m). Japanese fighter pilots machine-gunned some of the B-17 crew members as they descended and attacked others in the water after they landed. B-17 pilot flew unexpectedly into the middle of Japanese attack on As the Americans flew further into Europe and Germany, the missions became deadlier. 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. [84], As use by Bomber Command had been curtailed, the RAF transferred its remaining FortressI aircraft to Coastal Command for use as a long-range maritime patrol aircraft. [95] The raid helped allay British doubts about the capabilities of American heavy bombers in operations over Europe. ", "Chapter 18: Rouen-Sotteville, No. Before the advent of long-range fighter escorts, B-17s had only their .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns to rely on for defense during the bombing runs over Europe. The prototype B-17, with the Boeing factory designation of Model 299, was designed by a team of engineers led by E. Gifford Emery and Edward Curtis Wells, and was built at Boeing's own expense. Although the conversion was not complete until mid-1943, B-17 combat operations in the Pacific theater came to an end after a little over a year. The U.S. produced an amazing 276,000 aircraft during World War II, with 16 new B-17s per day rolling out of the factories per day by April 1944. These losses amounted to 25 percent of the attacking force. Flight crews ferried the bombers back across the Atlantic to the United States where the majority were sold for scrap and melted down, although significant numbers remained in use in second-line roles such as VIP transports, air-sea rescue and photo-reconnaissance. On 2 March 1943, six B-17s of the 64th Squadron flying at 10,000ft (3,000m) attacked a major Japanese troop convoy off New Guinea, using skip bombing to sink Kyokusei Maru, which carried 1,200 army troops, and damage two other transports, Teiyo Maru and Nojima. The Ball turret itself has inspired works like Steven Spielberg's The Mission. [10] The B-17's armament consisted of five .30 caliber (7.62mm) machine guns, with a payload up to 4,800lb (2,200kg) of bombs on two racks in the bomb bay behind the cockpit. O'Bannon was the US Navy's most decorated destroyer during World War II, earning 17 battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. the Germans broke off to refuel having shot down 15 B-17s. Top Image:Close-up of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber in flight, 1944-45. [155], Official Swiss records identify 6,501 airspace violations during the course of the war, with 198 foreign aircraft landing on Swiss territory and 56 aircraft crashing there. It should have been a peaceful Sunday morning in Hawaii. The German fighters found that when attacking from the front, where fewer defensive guns were mounted (and where the pilot was exposed and not protected by armor as he was from the rear), it took only four or five hits to bring a bomber down. Kelly's B-17C AAF S/N 40-2045 (19th BG / 30th BS) crashed about 6mi (10km) from Clark Field after he held the burning Fortress steady long enough for the surviving crew to bail out. Frisbee, John L. "Valor: 'I Am the Captain of My Soul'". [85] These were augmented starting in July 1942 by 45 Fortress Mk IIA (B-17E) followed by 19 Fortress Mk II (B-17F) and three Fortress Mk III (B-17G). [ Via] B17f-42-30336 landed in a field at Norholm Estate near Varde Denmark on 9.10.1943 after developing engine trouble, the crew baled out and the pilot landed the plane . Tragically, the plane stalled and spun into the ground soon after takeoff, bursting into flames. The first two ex-USAAF B-17s, a B-17F (later modified to B-17G standard) and a B-17G were obtained by the Navy for various development programs. B-17, also called Flying Fortress, U.S. heavy bomber used during World War II. To enhance performance at slower speeds, the B-17B was altered to include larger rudders and flaps. With a renewed focus and power, the Allies finally achieved the air supremacy needed over Normandyfor the D-Day landings in June 1944. How many B-17s were shot down during World War 2? - Answers Blast damage was caused over a radius of 5 miles (8.0km). The bomber's topside surfaces were repainted a dark olive drab, but retained its light gray under wing and lower fuselage surfaces. Given German Balkenkreuz national markings on their wings and fuselage sides, and "Hakenkreuz" swastika tail fin-flashes, the captured B-17s were used to determine the B-17's vulnerabilities and to train German interceptor pilots in attack tactics. [12] Though initially surviving the impact, Hill died within a few hours, and Tower on 19 November. Four B-17s were shot down in these operations.[171]. [39] Once service testing was complete, the Y1B-17s and Y1B-17A were redesignated B-17 and B-17A, respectively, to signify the change to operational status. Wikipedia says: Defensive armament increased from four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns and one 0.30 in (7.62 mm) nose machine gun in the B-17C, to thirteen 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the B-17G. [19][20], On 30 October 1935, a test flight determining the rate of climb and service ceiling was planned. Of the 13 YB-17s ordered for service testing, 12 were used by the 2nd Bomb Group of Langley Field, Virginia, to develop heavy bombing techniques, and the 13th was used for flight testing at the Material Division at Wright Field, Ohio. World War II: Schweinfurt-Regensburg Raid Summary - ThoughtCo [165] The last operational mission flown by a USAF Fortress was conducted on 6 August 1959, when a DB-17P, serial 44-83684 , directed a QB-17G, out of Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, as a target for an AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile fired from a McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. [172] N809Z was used to perform a Skyhook pick up in the James Bond movie Thunderball in 1965. One B-17 broke up in the air, and its crew was forced to take to their parachutes. Losses to flak continued to take a high toll of heavy bombers through 1944, but the war in Europe was being won by the Allies. A large radome for an S-band AN/APS-20 search radar was fitted underneath the fuselage and additional internal fuel tanks were added for longer range, with the provision for additional underwing fuel tanks. As of November 2022, four aircraft remain airworthy, none flown in combat. [citation needed], Two additional groups arrived in Britain at the same time, bringing with them the first B-17Fs, which served as the primary AAF heavy bomber fighting the Germans until September 1943. General Ira C. Eaker and the Eighth Air Force placed highest priority on attacks on the German aircraft industry, especially fighter assembly plants, engine factories, and ball-bearing manufacturers. ", Frisbee, John L. "Valor: The Quiet Hero.". "Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress: Queen of the Skies". Thomas, Geoffrey J., and Ketley, Barry, "KG 200 The Luftwaffe's Most Secret Unit", Hikoku Publications Ltd., Crowborough, East Sussex, UK, 2003, Correll, John T. " Rendezvous With the 'Rex'. By the end of the war, the B-17 was an obsolete aircraft which had been surpassed by another Boeing bomber, the B-29 Superfortress. Shores, Christopher, Brian Cull and Yasuho Izawa. A number of B-17Gs, redesignated B-17Hs and later SB-17Gs, were used in the Pacific during the final year of the war to carry and drop lifeboats to stranded bomber crews who had been shot down or crashed at sea. [92] On 17 August 1942, 12 B-17Es of the 97th, with the lead aircraft piloted by Major Paul Tibbets and carrying Brigadier General Ira Eaker as an observer, were close escorted by four squadrons of RAF Spitfire IXs (and a further five squadrons of Spitfire Vs to cover the withdrawal) on the first USAAF heavy bomber raid over Europe, against the large railroad marshalling yards at Rouen-Sotteville in France, while a further six aircraft flew a diversionary raid along the French coast. A merica joined Britain's strategic air campaign designed to destroy Nazi Germany's industrial capacity soon after her entrance into World War Two. Operational History. These aircraft were primarily used for agent drop missions over the People's Republic of China, flying from Taiwan, with Taiwanese crews. [103] Pilots of average ability hit the bombers with only about two percent of the rounds they fired, so to obtain 20 hits, the average pilot had to fire one thousand 20mm (0.79in) rounds at a bomber. There were 12,731 B-17s built between 1936 and 1945. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - The National WWII Museum [citation needed], The B-17 was noted for its ability to absorb battle damage, still reach its target and bring its crew home safely. [67], By the time the definitive B-17G appeared, the number of guns had been increased from seven to 13, the designs of the gun stations were finalized, and other adjustments were completed. how many b17s were shot down during ww2. Subjects > Humanities > History. The SB-17 served through the Korean War, remaining in service with USAF until the mid-1950s. Did any American B-17 crewman ever shoot down a German fighter plane while flying over Germany during World War II? Log in. [87], The air corps renamed United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on 20 June 1941 used the B-17 and other bombers to bomb from high altitudes with the aid of the then-secret Norden bombsight, known as the "Blue Ox",[88][89] which was an optical electromechanical gyrostabilized analog computer. B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 398th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, taking fire from flak over Germany, 1944-45. The B-17, for all its armor and firepower, was simply unable to continue to fly unescorted against swarms of German fighter aircraft and their sophisticated air defense system. ", "890th Bryanskiy Bomber Aviation Regiment", "The Surprising Story of Japan's B-17 Fleet", "Warbird Registry Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress", "US Coast Guard Aviation History: Boeing PB-1G 'Flying Fortress'. The Fortress came under fire from Japanese fighter aircraft, though the crew was unharmed with the exception of one member who suffered an abrasion on his hand. in 1970, and in Memphis Belle with Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Billy Zane, and Harry Connick Jr. in 1990. The aircraft was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet radial engines, each producing 750hp (600kW) at 7,000ft (2,100m). The B-17 evolved through numerous design advances[4][5] but from its inception, the USAAC (later, the USAAF) promoted the aircraft as a strategic weapon. Though many were shot down, many more severely damaged aircraft were able to return their crews safely to base. 206 Squadron RAF sank U-627 on 27 October 1942, the first of 11 U-boat kills credited to RAF Fortress bombers during the war.[86]. [142] Its toughness was compensation for its shorter range and lighter bomb load compared to the B-24 and British Avro Lancaster heavy bombers. Losses were relatively low - below the 5% threshold that was the. These losses were a result of concentrated attacks by over 300 German fighters. "Anniversary talks: Battle of the Bismarck Sea, "B-17 Pilot Training Manual (Formation). How many B-17s were shot down during the Second World War? In January 1938, group commander Colonel Robert Olds flew a Y1B-17 from the U.S. east coast to the west coast, setting a transcontinental record of 13 hours 27 minutes. [citation needed] It was subsequently used in various films and in the 1960s television show 12 O'Clock High before being retired to the Planes of Fame aviation museum in Chino, California. During World War II, the B-17 equipped 32 overseas combat groups, inventory peaking in August 1944 at 4,574 USAAF aircraft worldwide. [178] During the war, the largest offensive bombing force, the Eighth Air Force, had an open preference for the B-17.
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