B17 taxiing for takeoff

The B17 is the best known bomber from WWII; followed closely by it's direct successor the B29 SuperFortress it symbolizes what bombing was during the war to most. Yet, like many other planes that proved invaluable during the conflict, the B17 was another that barely made it into production. In 1934 the very small Boeing company had a prototype four engined bomber design called the B-299; but it had not been ordered by the US military and had even suffered bad setbacks in it's design competition, having crashed in a fly-off. Boeing gambled everything by continuing work on a plane that wasn't sold; eventually they secured a small 13-plane service test order and the troubled early history of the bomber began.

B17G "Yankee Lady" based at Yankee Air Museum, Belleville MI

Photo b17.1.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 in flight

Photo b17.4.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 taxiing

Photo b17.7.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 tail gun turret

Photo b17.9.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 tail gun turret

Photo b17.23.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 belly gun turret (ball turret)

Photo b17.24.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 artwork

Photo b17.13.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 notice

Photo b17.14.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 interior, waist gun

Photo b17.15.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 interior

Photo b17.16.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 interior

Photo b17.17.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 interior, pilot compartment

Photo b17.18.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 interior, ammunition feed
for belly ball turret

Photo b17.19.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 interior

Photo b17.20.jpg, Hanscom Field, 2002

B17 Fuddy Duddy

Owned and operated by Martin Aviation Inc. Santa Ana, California

Photo 5, Hanscom Field, 1987

B17 Fuddy Duddy

Owned and operated by Martin Aviation Inc. Santa Ana, California

Photo 7, Hanscom Field, 1987

Boeing B-17 flying Fortress

Photo 77, Nov 2018, New Orleans National WWII Museum