B-17E | B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – The Queen Of The Skies

The first of the “Big Ass” B-17’s arrived England to equip the US 8th Air Force in July 1942. All the planes had been modified with enlarged gun windows and 0.50-calibre guns on either side of the nose. Further modifications were made to them after they were operational including work on the radio, bomb rack, lighting, oxygen, extinguisher and survival systems. By the time the B-17E had been shipped across the Atlantic, newer models were already coming off the Boeing production line. In fact, the B-17E was only on full combat status for just over two weeks before the appearance of the B-17F’s

The B-17E was not used in great numbers for combat because the F model was so different in performance that it made joint operations, using both planes unlikely. The B-17E took a back seat and was eventually esed as a trainer, a transport and a target-tower. With its armaments removed it could give better handling and speed.

Random B-17E from database

41-9133

Delivered SAAD 26/4/42; Westover 27/5/42; Olmstead 18/2/43; Mitchell 8/6/43; Tinker 9/7/43; Robins 20/12/43; Patterson 21/2/44; Cincinnati 11/7/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Altus 29/8/45.

41-9076

Delivered Boise 303BG 6/4/42; Lowry 29/5/42; Assigned 26BS/11BG Hawaii 9/6/42, but with Harvey Williams crash landed Ephrata, WA 6/6/42; Written off 15/6/44.

41-9097

Delivered Boise 303BG 16/4/42; West Palm Beach 17/4/42; Gt Britain 9/5/42; India; Con Inv 30/6/43.

41-2586

Built by Boeing at Seattle. Delivered to the U. S. Army. Collision with B-17E 41-9094 on 21/01/1943. All KIA

41-2462 / Tojo’s Jinx aka Billy

Delivered Geiger 22/12/41; Assigned 93BS/19BG Java 11/2/42 TOJO’S JINX with Boron; with J.E. Hensler strafed Jackson Fd, Port Moresby while taxying 25/12/41, repaired and became hack for Lt Gen Krueger 6th Army, called BILLY, then Written off in New Guinea 3/6/45.

41-9211 / Typhoon McGoon II

Delivered Cheyenne 22/5/42; Assigned 98BS/11BG Hawaii (flew to New Caledonia, at Guadalcanal Jan 43); fitted with ASV radar on nose and under wing and at least eight missions and six Japanese aircraft to its credit; retUS 901 BU Orlando 14/12/45. TYPHOON McGOON II.

41-9128 / De-Icer

Delivered Boise 28/4/42; Lowry 29/5/42; Assigned 26BS/11BG Hickam Fd 7/6/42; transferred 23BS/5BG; t/o Carney Fd, Guadalcanal, shot down over Kahili, Bougainville 27/7/43 with Karl Stubblefield, Co-pilot: Bill Nevling, Navigator: Walt Witherspoon, Bombardier: Bob Joners, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Lowell Symons, Radio Operator: Tom Shadrick, Ball turret gunner: Don Christensen, Waist gunner: John Larson,Tail gunner: Ranier Payton.(9 Killed in Action). Missing Air Crew Report 182. DE-ICER.

41-2575

Delivered MacDill 14/2/42; crash landed base with F.E. Winget 20/4/42 and salvaged.

41-9146

Delivered Geiger 301BG 28/4/42; Assigned 11Air Force; 36th BS/ 28th BG; Bronze 6/6/42; Ft Glen, MIA 28/8/42 with Albert J. Wilsey, Jr., Raymond L. Adair, Charles H. Cooper, John W. Sheppard, Paul N. Lyden, Charles M. Kantner, Rudolph S. Olesnevich, Harold N. Knutson, Donald W. Brown; 9 KIA; MACR 15932

41-9048

Delivered Sebring 26/3/42; MAD Olmstead, PA, with Roland Hudson 15/6/42; Hendricks 19/3/43; Williams 14/1/44; La Junta 6/4/44; Written off 19/9/44. Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Walnut Ridge 7/12/45.

B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – The Queen Of The Skies B-17E

“Big Tail”