B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – The Queen Of The Skies
B-17E
“Big Tail”
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.
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Random B-17E from database
Delivered Boise 303BG 21/4/42; Presque Is 24/5/42; with Charlie Lee overshot field at Houlton, Me. 26/6/42; repaired but stayed in US; Boise 4/9/42; Rapid City 1/10/42; Smyrna 28/2/43; 2110 BU Lockbourn 6/9/42; 3021 BU Las Vegas 17/10/42; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Albuquerque 5/7/45.
Delivered Pendleton 5/2/42; with Jack Wendell force landed base 9/4/42; Tucson 23/5/42; with Joe Gemmill force landed Geiger 30/5/42; crashed on take off 20/8/42. Salvaged.
Delivered SAAD 25/4/42; Langley 25/5/42; Olmstead 18/2/43; Langley 5/3/43; Mitchell 6/6/43; Cherry Pt 7/7/43; Grand Is 23/9/43; 1 MPC Culver 1/1/44; with ? f/landed Nebraska 26/9/44.
Delivered Boise 303BG 28/3/42; Lowry 29/5/42; Hamilton 7/6/42; Assigned 72BS/5BG Hawaii 8/6/42; transferred 26BS/11BG; Returned to the USA Rome 18/7/45; Recl Comp 14/8/45.
Delivered MacDill 92BG 12/5/42; Lockbourn 29/2/43; Recl Comp 17/2/45.
Assigned 341BS/97BG Polebrook Mar-42; 325BS/92BG Bovingdon Sep-42, then to Alconbury 6-Jan-43; detailed Portreath-Gibraltar with mail, freight & passengers, but engines malfunction and poor weather forced to return but crash landed Chivenor, Devon 14-Feb-43 10RTD. No MACR issued
Delivered Cheyenne 26/5/42; Wayne 8/7/42; Dorval 14/7/42; Gander-Prestwick 17/7/42 with Steuart Reiss, to RAF [FL456]; 220 Sq (ZZ-N painted 2-N) Ballykelly 20/8/42; detailed convoy sweep 3/2/43 with Ken Ramsden, sunk submarine U-265; Azores 18/1/44; 521 Met Sq Langham 22/1/45; Struck Off Charge 14/7/47. NANETTE.
Delivered Ogden 22/2/42; Lowry 4/5/42; slated RAF as KH999 but transferred 31BS/5BG Hawaii 16/8/42; transferred 26BS/11BG before retUS Tyndall 17/1/44; Kingman 20/11/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Albuquerque 16/6/45. (Shown on Midway TV documentary).
Delivered Salt Lake Strategic Arms Depot (SAD) 30-Nov-41; Assigned 38RS/19BG [aircraft 30], was one of the aircraft that arrived over Pearl Harbor 7-Dec-41 with Maj Truman H. Landon, Lt Bill Ellis, Lt George Newton, Lt Chester Budz, Avn Cdt Erwin Cihak, M/Sgt John Meeks, T/Sgt Jesse Schneider, S/Sgt Albt Brawley, Sgt Ben Hale; transferred 42BS/11BG Hickam Field, HI. 30-Dec-42; transferred 5AF 31-Aug-44; Written off 11-Jun-44. Never served in the UK.
Assigned 340BS/97BG Polebrook 3/42 as PHYLLIS; col with 41-9051, rep; 92BG Bovingdon 8/42; 303BG Molesworth 1/5/43 and was painted in bright colours as a formation ship; 2SAD Lt Staughton 19/7/44; on cross country trip from Molesworth to Kings Cliffe 23/7/44, with Major Louis Shulstad, Co-pilot: Capt Harry McDaniel, but pilot raised u/c in error in landing (2 Returned to Duty); Salvaged n/battle damaged 27/7/45. PHYLLIS aka TUGBOAT ANNIE (Used as hack by Gp HQ.)