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American Combat Planes of the 20th Century is an incredible reference for anyone who is interested in any American Combat Plane History. There are 758 pages and 1700 b/w photos in this substantial labor of love by Ray Wagner, who has been passionately researching and writing about aircraft for over 50 years. Whether you are already familiar with his past works, or just discovering this accomplished author for the first time... This is the book that you've been waiting for!

If you'd like to see the book's Table of Contents ... Click here. You can also browse the entire Index Section to get an idea of the extensive amount of information that is covered within this book.

Search our site for other combat planes. A- 1 Eaton A- 4 Skyhawk A- 6 & A- 7 Air Weapons AV- 8 to A- 10 A- 20 Havoc A- 22 Martin Maryland A- 23 Martin Baltimore A- 24 Douglas A- 26 Douglas Invader Attack Planes B- 2A, F-111, F-117 Stealth B- 17 Flying Fortress B- 24 Liberator B- 25 North American B- 26 Marauder B- 29 Superfortress B- 32 Dominator B- 35 Flying Wing B- 36 B- 47 Stratojet B- 50 Boeing B- 52 Stratofortress B- 57 Canberra B- 58 Hustler Biplanes Biplanes, Army Pursuits Bombers, B- 70 to Stealth Bombers, First Big Curtiss Falcon CO- 1 DH- 4 De Havilland F3D- Douglas Skyknight F3H- McDonnell Demon F4D- 1 Skyray F4F Grumman Wildcats F- 4U Corsair F6F Grumman F7F Grumman F7U Vought F9F G. Cougar F9F G. Panther F- 16 Fighting Falcon F- 84 F- 86 Sabre F- 89 to F-94 F- 100 to F-108 First Fighters Flying Boats GAX Iraq to Afghanistan Martin Bombers Missile Era Fighters Navy Fighers Navy Flying Boats O- 2 Douglas P- 35 Seversky P- 36 to 42 Curtiss P- 38 Lightning P- 39 Airacobra P- 40 Line P- 47 Thunderbolt P- 51 Mustang Fighter P- 61 Black Widow P- 63 Kingcobra P- 79 to P-81 P- 82 Twin Mustang SB2C Helldiver TBF-TBM Avenger Thomas-Morse Torpedo Planes V- 11 Vultee XB -28 XP -48 / 77

B-17 Flying Fortress

Page 3

At first, Eighth Air Force commander General Ira Eaker had insisted that “we can make penetration without fighter support.”

But in 1943, resistance by German fighters grew more bitter and effective as bomb tonnage delivered increased, and raids like those on Ploesti and Schweinfurt in August through October 1943 cost such losses that ability of the bombers to execute their part of the war plan was in doubt.

As early as September 17, 1941, an air force board had suggested that bombers be accompanied by “destroyer escort” planes. Existing fighters being too short-ranged to protect the bombers, the logical answer by April 1, 1942, was specially armed B-17 and B-24s. A proposal by Vega was accepted, and on August 2, 1942, Vega received the second B-17F-1-BO for conversion to the XB-40. BOEING XB-40

That escort plane was first delivered on September 9, 1942, and finally revised by November 17, with the bomb capacity replaced by 2,150 pounds of armor for the crew, up to 11,200 rounds of ammunition, and fourteen .50-caliber guns. These were placed in pairs in the usual top and belly turrets, as well as in a new Bendix chin turret, a Martin power turret amidships, and on power-operated mounts at each side window and the tail.

Thirteen B-17F-10-VEs went to the Tulsa modification center in November 1942 for conversion to YB-40 escorts delivered from February 28 to March 14, 1943. Another 12 modifications were ordered, but only one of these followed the first 13 to the Eighth Air Force, the rest being stripped down as TB-40 trainers, after the escort function failed in combat. BOEING YB-40 with RP-63 target planes.

Between May 29 and July 4, 1943, nine YB-40 combat missions were flown from England, claiming five kills and two probable for one YB-40 lost to AAA, but the experiment failed as a protection system. According to the official history, “Being heavily armored and loaded, they could not climb or keep speed with the standard B-17, a fact which… resulted in the disorganization of the formation they were supposed to protect.”

An effort to strengthen the standard bomber armament was made by fitting one B-17E in September 1943 with front and rear Consolidated power turrets, but the lighter 412-pound Bendix chin turret developed for the B-40 was adopted for the last Fortress production model, the B-17G (British Fortress III).

The first G was a rebuilt B-17F-115-BO flown on May 21, 1943. Production deliveries began September 4, 1943, with two guns in the chin turret below the nose, which swung 180 degrees left and right, and 85 degrees up and down. Above them a pair of hand-operated “cheek” guns were added, beginning with the B-17G-55-BO.

Armament of the B-17G now included thirteen .50-caliber guns with 6,380 rounds, and from 6,000 to 9,600 (6 x 1,600) pounds of bombs in the bay. The waist positions were enclosed and the right side moved forward to ease the gunners’ movement. Later models deleted the seldom-used radio operator’s gun and introduced an improved “Cheyenne” tail turret with a reflector sight on the B-17G-80-BO, B-17G-50-DL, and B-17G-55-VE.

Of 8,680 Gs built, 2,395 were by Douglas, 2,250 by Vega, and the rest by Boeing, who completed Fortress production April 13, 1945. With Germany defeated, production closed at the other plants in July. About 878 had been delivered as TB-17G trainers for replacement training units (RTU). B-17 costs dropped from $301,000 each in 1941 to $204,000 in 1944. BOEING B-17G prototype, from B-17F-115-BO

B-17Gs went to Britain as the Fortress III, beginning in March 1944, and 85 were used by two RAF radar countermeasures squadrons and by a Coastal Command squadron. Another 14 2nd-hand AAF B-17F bombers were acquired in 1944.

The AAF also benefited from RAF radar progress when the H2X (APS-15 Mickey) radar navigation and bombing set became available to find targets at night or in bad weather. Over 260 AAF B-17Gs, fitted with H2X scanners in radomes that replaced the belly turrets, became squadron leaders bombing through overcast (BTO).

Total B-17 production was 12,276 and the peak AAF inventory was 4,574 in August 1944, with 27 combat groups in the Eighth Air Force in England and six groups with the Fifteenth Air Force in Italy. Their combat record is summarized in Table 5, which compares the work of AAF bombers in the air offensive against Germany and her European Allies.

How the bomber crews found the courage to meet the violence, pain and death to complete their missions has been dramatized in story and film, like “Twelve O’clock High.” Until friendly long-range fighters dominated the sky, failure always threatened the bomber offensive. One group’s history illustrates the experience; flying 340 missions, averaging 28 group planes on each, from November 7, 1942, to April 25, 1945, the 91st Bomb Group lost 197 B-17s missing in action and claimed 420 enemy fighters downed.

Besides the bombing missions, B-17s filled other roles. None were more dramatic than the BQ-7, which was a radio-controlled drone loaded with 20,000 pounds of explosives (Torpex). The secret project gave the code craft in distress.

The first drones were launched against V-l flying bomb sites on August 4. Their effect was less than expected, for essentially this was a light-case weapon with no penetrating power, and was limited to a 30-degree slant descent. The program was soon canceled. BOEING B-17G-30-DL

Non-combat conversions of the B-17 were many, but are outside of this book’s scope. The most numerous were 41 F-9, F-9A and F-9B trimetragon camera ships converted from B-17Fs, while in 1945, modified B-17Gs became the F-9C. Renamed RB-17G in 1948, about 28 served the 5th Reconnaissance Group’s photographic mapping missions until 1950.

Some 130 late-model B-17Gs, no longer needed as bombing in Europe ended, were modified in 1945 to B-17H (later SB-17G) rescue planes carrying a lifeboat and SCR-717 radar, including 16 that became PB-lG Coast Guard aircraft. Gun provisions were retained, although not usually installed in peacetime until the Korean War.

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