8th airforce B17 claims were hilariously inflated and not even vaguely in relation to actual recorded Luftwaffe losses. In reality you had 3 or 4 gunners in 300 B17s all firing at the same German fighter which explodes and each gunner tries to claim it. 12. USAF. Of the surviving aircraft, 17 were so badly damaged that they were scrapped. Steve Snyder. 4 reviews. A B-17 shot down by Me-262. This true story of the European bomber war is told by the combatants themselves and by the sometimes bemused English villagers who came to love their Yanks. 15) During WWII, four B-29s made emergency landings in the Soviet Union after making bombing runs over Japan. During the war, pilots could only hit with 2% accuracy so a pilot had to fire almost a thousand rounds before a bomber could be brought down! There are stats on this page for German aircraft: North American P-51 Mustang --- The plane that went all the way. A merica joined Britain's strategic air campaign designed to destroy Nazi Germany's industrial capacity soon after her entrance into World War Two. The best movie ever made about the Air Force may be “Twelve O’Clock High,” released in 1949. The P … Memories of Aeroplanes. Pow! Many B-17s survive today in museums, and there are some that still fly. While the US had less than 200 at the start of the war, more than 12,000 B-17s were produced by the end and served in every theater. Those that had flown in combat missions and survived the War were subsequently sent to boneyards, such as those at Walnut Ridge and … The average age of the crew of a B-17 was less than 25, with four officers and six enlisted Airmen manning the aircraft. Developed by Boeing, a total of 12,731 aircraft had been produced by Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed from 1936 until 1945. Of the surviving aircraft, 17 were so badly … A World War II-era B-17 bomber crashed in a fireball as it tried to land Wednesday at New England’s second-busiest airport, seriously injuring at least six people aboard, officials said. 30 July 2003. The 300 men shot down were obvious casualties, but when the battered bombers returned to their home bases, they carried another 301 wounded in their fuselages. Pow! The 8th Air Force had fired 99 million rounds of ammunition during these flights and it is thought that 20,000 German planes were destroyed. The first Merlin-equipped Mustang, the P-51B, flew in November 1942. Though most B-17s were scrapped after the war, we are fortunate to have one on exhibit at the Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover, Del. 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. During World War II approximately 40 B-17s were captured and refurbished by Germany after crash-landing or being forced down, with about a dozen put back into the air. As Allied armies fought their way deep into occupied Europe, it was the P-51 Mustang which wrested control of the skies from the Luftwaffe. Over 5,000 B-17 bombers were lost in combat missions in world war II How many Lancaster bombers were shot down? The B-17G involved in Wednesday's crash had been involved in one previous incident in 1987, when it ran off a runway in Pennsylvania. Its gross weight was 4,000 lbs. About 1,100 young women flew military aircraft stateside during World War II as part of a program called Women Airforce Service Pilots — WASP for short. The 381st lost seven of 18 deployed. Naturally, he scrambled to give chase. By the end of the mission, the Eighth Air Force had lost 30 bombers and 300 men. The B-17 (pictured in footage from The Cold Blue) dropped more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II. As a 10 year boy living in a small country village in Hertfordshire, some 20 miles North West of London, our world was expanded somewhat by … Pow!” This week marks the 76th anniversary of the Japanese sneak-attack on Pearl Harbor. Boeing Plant 2 built a total of 6,981 B-17s in various models, and another 5,745 were built under a nationwide collaborative effort by Douglas and Lockheed (Vega). German Me 262s Gun Down B-17s | Military.com Login B-17 Flying Fortress. Several other B-17s remain air‑worthy to this day. They were re-painted and used by the Luftwaffe for training exercises. There were 12,731 B-17s built between 1936 and 1945. 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. B-17, also called Flying Fortress, U.S. heavy bomber used during World War II. Battle of Guadalcanal, (August 1942–February 1943), series of World War II land and sea clashes between Allied and Japanese forces on and around Guadalcanal, one of the southern Solomon Islands, in the South Pacific. The B-17E, the first mass-produced model of the Flying Fortress, carried nine machine guns and a 4,000-pound bomb load. Answer (1 of 3): VERY unlikely. Out of the 1.5 million tons of bombs dropped on Germany, the B17 dropped 500,000 tons. As World War II intensified, the bombers needed additional armament and armor. The B-17 Flying Fortress rolled off the drawing board and onto the runway in a mere 12 months, just in time to become the fearsome workhorse of the US Air Force during World War II. Their chance of survival was less than 50 percent. Launching Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" and Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" from bases in England's eastern countryside, the Americans bombed their targets during the day while the British attacked at night. Low on ammunition and under heavy artillery fire, some 6,500 G.I.s were forced to capitulate in one of largest mass surrenders of U.S. troops during World War II. According to documented reports, Wegmann claimed his kills had occurred at approximately 11:20 am. A vast majority (over 8,000) of these aircraft were lost in either combat operations or training accidents. … More than 50,000 Airmen lost their lives in the four years of WWII and the majority of those losses were on bomber missions over Nazi Germany in B-17s and B-24s. Jan. 1, 2011. Most B17s were shot down way before their 25th mission. Then, Thacker said, this: “Pow! The 300 men shot down were obvious casualties, but when the battered bombers returned to their home bases, they carried another 301 wounded in their fuselages. … Along with the naval Battle of Midway (June 3–6, 1942), the fighting on Guadalcanal marked a turning point in favour of the Allies in the Pacific War. 5) The YB-40, a modified B-17F, was developed as a super-armed gunship to protect other bombers in the days before escort fighters. The US asked the Soviets to return the aircraft, but they refused. Or even 16 aircraft, which would be 28 percent of the Air Force’s current fleet of 58 B-52Hs. The FW-90 was next with 267. 3249 shot down of 7377 built at a cost of 45,000 pounds each The remaining combat veterans and early production models were stored and later scrapped in the vast scrap drives of the late 1940s. Designating the aircraft Fortress Mk I, the aircraft performed poorly during high-altitude raids in the summer of 1941. Over 5,000 B-17 bombers were lost in combat missions in world war II How many Lancaster bombers were shot down? The P-51 Mustang had 281 kills during WW2. The … He did not specify how many people were killed. The bomber on the sea bed: B-17 'Flying Fortress' lies at the bottom of the Adriatic Sea after it was shot down 30 miles off coast of Croatia during WWII … Their chance of survival was less than 50 percent. Seventy five years ago, 291 B-17F Flying Fortress high-altitude heavy bombers, each with a crew of 10, attacked the ball bearing plants around Schweinfurt, Bavaria. ... How many b-17 bombers were shot down during World War 2? Answer (1 of 3): VERY unlikely. More than 50,000 Airmen lost their lives in the four years of WWII and the majority of those losses were on bomber missions over Nazi Germany in B-17s and B-24s. Study Guides . The average age of the crew of a B-17 was less than 25, with four officers and six enlisted Airmen manning the aircraft. But the story is more than that. Many B-17s survive today in museums, and there are some that still fly. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft primarily employed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Percentage wise, we lost more men," he said, recalling one mission where 52 bombers were shot out of the sky. Shot Down: The true story of pilot Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth. The bomber was intended from the outset to attack strategic targets by precision daylight bombing, penetrating … Lacking a true heavy bomber at the start of World War II, the RAF purchased 20 B-17Cs. About 2,400 American service members died, hundreds of … 3249 shot down of 7377 built at a cost of 45,000 pounds each My B-17 crew was shot down on a … "That's over 500 guys that went down. Every time a … My B-17 crew survived Nazi-occupied France in World War II. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Now I'm the last man standing. View results. This B-17F-27-BO (41-24585; PU-B) was crash-landed near Melun, France by a crew from the 303d Bombardment Group on December 12, 1942 and repaired by Luftwaffe ground staff. My father-in-law claimed that he flew more than seventy-five missions, mostly over Northern Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Germany. Pow! 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. One Allied bombing mission in March 16, 1944 – targeting the southern German cities of Augsburg, Ulm and Friedrichshafen – involved 740 planes. There are very few films left in existence showing the Me 262 in action, especially shooting down allied bombers with P-51 escorts. The B-17, one of more than 10,000 built, was once dubbed the "Flying Fortress," prized for its ruggedness and versatility. Only a few B-17s survive today, featured at museums and air shows; most were scrapped at the end of the war. Captured Almost 40 B-17s were captured by the Luftwaffe. For many, the B-17 is the iconic bomber of the war, and the “Flying Fortress" remains a symbol of American might. The Bomber Boys: Heroes Who Flew the B-17s in World War II [Ayres, Travis L.] on Amazon.com. For many, the B-17 is the iconic bomber of the war, and the “Flying Fortress" remains a symbol of American might. Now just imagine 60 B-52 bombers shot down in one day. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber used by the United States Army Air Forces and other Allied air forces during World War II.Of the 12,731 aircraft built, approximately 4,735 were lost during the War. For the survivors, there wasn’t much time for contemplation of those lost. It looks at Bob Morgan's life before and after the "Belle," which makes for some interesting reading. Answer (1 of 15): The twenty-five mission mark was more honored in the breach than the observance, as the saying goes. CNN — Nine-O-Nine, the vintage plane that crashed Wednesday while carrying aviation enthusiasts in Connecticut, was among 13,000 B-17 bombers produced in the buildup to … The results were impressive. Those that had flown in combat missions and survived the War were subsequently sent to boneyards, such as those at Walnut Ridge and … While the US had less than 200 at the start of the war, more than 12,000 B-17s were produced by the end and served in every theater. 8th airforce B17 claims were hilariously inflated and not even vaguely in relation to actual recorded Luftwaffe losses. heavier than a fully armed B-17, increasing its time to climb to 20,000 feet from 25 minutes to 48 minutes. B-17, also called Flying Fortress, U.S. heavy bomber used during World War II. In reality you had 3 or 4 gunners in 300 B17s all firing at the same German fighter which explodes and each gunner tries to claim it. Since 1985, we have been dedicated to original reporting and expert analysis on national security--just three blocks from the White House. It is the harrowing story of the first B-17 bombers in England in World War II and the terrible losses they took before long-range fighters were available to escort them on combat missions over Europe. The 100th Bomb Group lost 17 of 19 deployed. The first combat use of the B-17 came not with the USAAC (U.S. Army Air Forces after 1941), but with the Royal Air Force. Almost all of the other bombers suffered some level of damage. 16) Three of the B-29s, which were repairable, were flown to the Tupelov design bureau in Moscow. The first B-17s saw combat in 1941, when the British Royal Air Force took delivery of several B-17s for high-altitude missions. A vast majority (over 8,000) of these aircraft were lost in either combat operations or training accidents. Operational History. ... May 15, 2004) was a colonel and a Command Pilot in the United States Air Force from Asheville, North Carolina. The bomber was intended from the outset to attack strategic targets by precision daylight bombing, penetrating … 6) The B-17G had 13 .50-caliber machine guns. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber used by the United States Army Air Forces and other Allied air forces during World War II.Of the 12,731 aircraft built, approximately 4,735 were lost during the War. World War 2. Now I'm the last man standing. Over 5,000 B-17 bombers were lost in combat missions in world war II. Wegmann and Schnorrer each claimed two B-17s, and Seeler claimed one. To many guns to many men so the bomb load was only around 5000 lbs the Lancaster carried 18,000 lbs from 1943 onwards most B17s were shot down by flak gunners are no good against flak. 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. Lt. Franz Stigler, a Luftwaffe fighter pilot just in from shooting down two B-17s, saw Ye Olde Pub limp by. At 30,000 feet, the improved Mustang reached 440 MPH, almost 100 MPH faster than the Allison-equipped Mustang at that altitude.