Flying fortress in the air

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC).

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Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 bombers, the Boeing entry outperformed both competitors and more than met the Air Corps' expectations

All photos: Splash/All Over Press

Although Boeing lost the contract because the prototype crashed, the Air Corps was so impressed with Boeing's design that they ordered 13 more B-17s for further evaluation

All photos: Splash/All Over Press

From its introduction in 1938, the B-17 Flying Fortress evolved through numerous design advances

All photos: Splash/All Over Press

The B-17 was primarily employed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial and military targets

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The United States Eighth Air Force, based at many airfields in southern England, and the Fifteenth Air Force, based in Italy, complemented the RAF Bomber Command's nighttime area bombing in the Combined Bomber Offensive to help secure air superiority over the cities, factories and battlefields of Western Europe in preparation for the invasion of France in 1944

All photos: Splash/All Over Press

The B-17 also participated to a lesser extent in the War in the Pacific, early in World War II, where it conducted raids against Japanese shipping and airfields.

All photos: Splash/All Over Press

From its pre-war inception, the USAAC (later USAAF) touted the aircraft as a strategic weapon; it was a potent, high-flying, long-range bomber that was able to defend itself, and to return home despite extensive battle damage

All photos: Splash/All Over Press

It quickly took on mythic proportions,and widely circulated stories and photos of notable numbers and examples of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status

All photos: Splash/All Over Press

All photos: Splash/All Over Press

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