B 17 Characteristics

Every major conflict the United States of America has fought in has had a defining characteristic that people identify with that era. From the Red Coats of the Revolutionary War to trench warfare of World War I, World War II also had a defining characteristic. One can make the argument that in World War II that defining characteristic was the use of aviation, most notably the bomber. One of the most iconic bombers of World War II was the B-17 Flying Fortress. This paper will explain what brought about the development of the B-17 and its inception, as well as the B-17’s role in combat and supporting ground troops. Lastly, discussed are the Memphis Belle and Old 666, two notable B-17’s from World War II.
History of the B-17 Following the
B-17’s had been greatly upgraded since their first use in Europe by the British and with an improved bombsite this first mission proved much more successful. The initial missions conducted by B-17’s in Europe were tactical bombings against manufacturing and military installations within the range of escorting fighters (Bowers 1976). However, in late 1943 B-17’s based in Italy were able to conduct strategic bombings into the previously unreachable heart of Germany. Strategic bombings allowed the Allied forces to target Germany’s industry and resources, hindering their ability to bring fuel, ammunition, and replacement weapons to the front lines. Strategic bombing into Germany did not come without its consequences, as many B-17’s were lost due to substantial and effective German fighter planes. These losses led England to abandon daytime raids and only conduct night raids; however, the United States continued daytime raids due to its increased accuracy. As a result, the day and night bombings conducted by the two countries was known as “Bombing Around the Clock.” Even still, Germany was able to rebuild their plants and get them back into production in a reasonably short amount of time and therefore the same targets
While many believe the Memphis Belle was the first B-17 to complete 25 missions, the B-17 Hells Angels accomplished the feat six days earlier on May 13, 1943. The significance of completing 25 missions stems from the statistic that a bomber and its crew would only be able to complete 8-12 missions before it was destroyed by the enemy or permanently damaged. While the Memphis Belle may not have been the first B-17 to achieve the task, it was the first to achieve it without losing a single member of its crew. The Memphis Belle downed eight enemy fighters, dropped a payload of over 60 tons worth of bombs over Germany, France and Belgium, and flew 148 hours and 50 minutes of combat missions, covering more than 20,000 combat miles. Currently, the Memphis Belle is at National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio undergoing extensive