how many b17s were shot down during ww2

The adoption of the 21 cm Nebelwerfer-derived Werfer-Granate 21 (Wfr. Additional armament included an additional dorsal turret in the radio room, a remotely operated and fired Bendix-built "chin turret" directly below the bombardier's accommodation, and twin .50in (12.7mm) guns in each of the waist positions. B-17 Flying Fortresses The B-17 Flying Fortress became a symbol of the power of the United States and its air force. It was a very effective weapons system, dropping more bombs during the . The Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) in the European Theater was one of Americas bloodiest campaigns. They also desired, but did not require, a range of 2,000mi (3,200km) and a speed of 250mph (400km/h). Instead of building models based on experimental engineering, Boeing had been hard at work developing their bomber and now had versions ready for production far better than would have been possible otherwise. It is the third-most produced bomber of all time, behind the four-engined Consolidated B-24 Liberator and the multirole, twin-engined Junkers Ju 88. Serial number 44-85784 is the last airworthy B-17 in the United Kingdom and is based at the Imperial War Museum Duxford. Frisbee, John L. "Valor: Colin Kelly (He was a Hero in Legend and in Fact). However, the use of this rigid formation meant that individual aircraft could not engage in evasive maneuvers: they had to fly constantly in a straight line, which made them vulnerable to German flak. B-17 | Crew, Range, & Bomb Load | Britannica "[141] Martin Caidin reported one instance in which a B-17 suffered a midair collision with a Focke-Wulf Fw 190, losing an engine and suffering serious damage to both the starboard horizontal stabilizer and the vertical stabilizer, and being knocked out of formation by the impact. [103] Pilots of average ability hit the bombers with only about two percent of the rounds they fired, so to obtain 20 hits, the average pilot had to fire one thousand 20mm (0.79in) rounds at a bomber. B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 398th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, taking fire from flak over Germany, 1944-45. [40] The Y1B-17A had a maximum speed of 311 miles per hour (501km/h), at its best operational altitude, compared to 239 miles per hour (385km/h) for the Y1B-17. The XB-38 was an engine testbed for Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled engines, should the Wright engines normally used on the B-17 become unavailable. 60 Of the 291 attacking Fortresses, 60 were shot down over Germany, five crashed on approach to Britain, and 12 more were scrapped due to damage - a loss of 77 B-17s. [152] According to these allegations, the practice was initially successful, but Army Air Force combat aircrews quickly developed and established standard procedures to first warn off, and then fire upon any "stranger" trying to join a group's formation. Their first operation, against Wilhelmshaven on 8 July 1941 was unsuccessful. [71], Late in World WarII, at least 25 B-17s were fitted with radio controls and television cameras, loaded with 20,000lb (9,100kg) of high explosives and dubbed BQ-7 "Aphrodite missiles" for Operation Aphrodite. [225][226], "B-17" redirects here. "Operation Pointblank: Evolution of Allied Air Doctrine During World WarII". Of the 291 attacking Fortresses, 60 were shot down over Germany, five crashed on approach to Britain, and 12 more were scrapped due to damage - a loss of 77 B-17s. Arriving over the target, LeMay's bombers encountered little flak and were able to place approximately 300 tons . [156] The three bombers, which still contained their top secret Norden bombsights, were ferried to Japan where they underwent extensive technical evaluation by the Giken, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force's Air Technical Research Institute (Koku Gijutsu Kenkyujo) at Tachikawa's air field. Many B-17s survive today in museums, and there are some that still fly. [105] The 8th Air Force alone lost 176 bombers in October 1943,[106] and was to suffer similar casualties on 11 January 1944 on missions to Oschersleben, Halberstadt, and Brunswick. World War II: America's Heavy Hitter - Delaware However, B-17s were operating at heights too great for most A6M Zero fighters to reach. [14] The most distinct mount was in the nose, which allowed the single machine gun to be fired toward nearly all frontal angles. The bombardier essentially took over flight control of the aircraft during the bomb run, maintaining a level altitude during the final moments before release. Though initially surviving the impact, Hill died within a few hours, and Tower on 19 November. And by 27 April 1945, 2 days after the last heavy bombing mission in Europe, the rate of aircraft loss was so low that replacement aircraft were no longer arriving and the number of bombers per bomb group was reduced. They also believed they had an aircraft which could fight its way in and out of the target area, unescorted, and return home safely. It carried Swiss national white cross insignia in red squares on both sides of its rudder, fuselage sides, and on the topside and underside wings. Gift of Austin Loree, 2011.160.029, Flying Fortresses dropping bombs and smoke markers over Goppingen, Germany in 1945. the Germans broke off to refuel having shot down 15 B-17s. Sakai, Saburo with Martin Caidin and Fred Saito. Fewer than 10 are airworthy . But because the bombers could not maneuver when attacked by fighters and needed to be flown straight and level during their final bomb run, individual aircraft struggled to fend off a direct attack. The Unknown Aces of the Eighth - National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Clearly, something had to be done because the bomber was not getting through. Almost all of the other bombers suffered some level of damage. "The Battle of the Bismarck Sea", pp. Frisbee, John L. "Valor: The Right Touch". Log in. [130], B-17s were still used in the Pacific later in the war, however, mainly in the combat search and rescue role. [178] During the war, the largest offensive bombing force, the Eighth Air Force, had an open preference for the B-17. [7] The USAAF bombers attacked by day, with British operations chiefly against industrial cities by night. Although the prototype was company-owned and never received a military serial (the B-17 designation itself did not appear officially until January 1936, nearly three months after the prototype crashed),[29] the term "XB-17" was retroactively applied to the NX13372's airframe and has entered the lexicon to describe the first Flying Fortress. [90] The device was able to determine, from variables put in by the bombardier, the point at which the aircraft's bombs should be released to hit the target. Bigger WWII bombers like e.g. See answer . Work on using B-17s to carry airborne lifeboats had begun in 1943, but they entered service in the European theater only in February 1945. The B-17G was the final version of the Flying Fortress, incorporating all changes made to its predecessor, the B-17F,[57] and in total, 8,680 were built,[68] the last (by Lockheed) on 28 July 1945. The RAF's No. Gift of Peggy Wallace, 2010.308.044, Group of B-17 bombers over Europe with vapor trail flowing behind them, 1944-45. How many B-17 Crews died? Later versions carried four or even six MG 151/20 cannon and twin 13mm machine guns. Gift of Peggy Wallace, 2010.308.082. Memphis Belle (aircraft) - Wikipedia [177][note 5], Many pilots who flew both the B-17 and the B-24 preferred the B-17 for its greater stability and ease in formation flying. For this reason, he wanted B-17 bombers and P-51 fighters for the Eighth. British authorities were anxious that no similar accidents should again occur, and the Aphrodite project was scrapped in early 1945. Given German Balkenkreuz national markings on their wings and fuselage sides, and "Hakenkreuz" swastika tail fin-flashes, the captured B-17s were used to determine the B-17's vulnerabilities and to train German interceptor pilots in attack tactics. Who manufactured the Norden bombsight? - TimesMojo Mayday! Ten of the 12 Fortresses survived the attack. [34][35] The 13th Y1B-17 was delivered to the Material Division at Wright Field, Ohio, to be used for flight testing. Still, the Air Corps ordered 13 more B-17s for further evaluation, then introduced it into service in 1938. 12962; History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons: Volume 2: The History of VP, VPB, VP(HL) and VP(AM) Squadrons, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boeing_B-17_Flying_Fortress&oldid=1141348576. ", "Durable B-17s hard for pilots to forget: Love for plane outweighs bitter memories of war", "World War II War Production Why Were the B-17 and B-24 Produced in Parallel? [127] On the morning of 4 March 1943, a B-17 sank the destroyer Asashio with a 500lb (230kg) bomb while she was picking up survivors from Arashio. These included B-17G 44-85531, registered as N809Z. [150][151] One B-17 of KG200, bearing the Luftwaffe's KG 200 Geschwaderkennung (combat wing code) markings A3+FB, was interned by Spain when it landed at Valencia airfield, 27 June 1944, remaining there for the rest of the war. [81][82][83], By September, the RAF had lost eight B-17Cs in combat and had experienced numerous mechanical problems, and Bomber Command abandoned daylight bombing raids using the Fortress I because of the aircraft's poor performance. coast. Originally, the B-17 was also chosen because of its heavy defensive armament, but this was later removed. [104], Such high losses of aircrews could not be sustained, and the USAAF, recognizing the vulnerability of heavy bombers to interceptors when operating alone, suspended daylight bomber raids deep into Germany until the development of an escort fighter that could protect the bombers all the way from the United Kingdom to Germany and back. ", Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 16:26, "intercept" and photograph the Italian ocean liner, List of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress variants, a gunner's position was added in the new tail, the campaign against German aircraft forces, raid on the German capital ship Gneisenau, National Museum of the United States Air Force, List of surviving Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Aircraft in fiction B-17 Flying Fortress, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces, Accidents and incidents involving the B-17 Flying Fortress, List of military aircraft of the United States, "Army's Biggest Bomber Has Rotating Nose. That aircraft was the Boeing B-17, better known as the Flying Fortress. And of those 276,000 planes, 68,000 were lost. [103] Additionally, 122 bombers were damaged and needed repairs before their next flights. Browne, Robert W. "The Rugged Fortress: Life-Saving B-17 Remembered.". 2. These aircraft were painted dark blue, the standard Navy paint scheme which had been adopted in late 1944. The B-17 Flying Fortress became symbolic of the United States of America's air power. Four B-17s were shot down in these operations.[171]. [118] The Allied victory against the Axis was a long journeyone that actually took much longer than the war itself. Photo-recon analysts never made the connection to it being a captured B-17 until after the war. [222], The Flying Fortress has also been featured in artistic works expressing the physical and psychological stress of the combat conditions and the high casualty rates that crews suffered. 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. German Me 262s Gun Down B-17s | Military.com The first bomber to hit Japan after Pearl Harbor, the B-25 Mitchell was found in every theater of the war and was a rugged, multipurpose bomber beloved by her aircrew for its survivability and ease to fly. Operational History. ", "890th Bryanskiy Bomber Aviation Regiment", "The Surprising Story of Japan's B-17 Fleet", "Warbird Registry Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress", "US Coast Guard Aviation History: Boeing PB-1G 'Flying Fortress'. [clarification needed] Stories circulated of B-17s returning to base with tails shredded, engines destroyed and large portions of their wings destroyed by flak. As each of these wounded airplanes returned, the legend of the B-17 grew. (06/2. Gr. [101] While the attack was successful at disrupting the entire works, severely curtailing work there for the remainder of the war, it was at an extreme cost. Shores, Christopher, Brian Cull and Yasuho Izawa. [15], Boeing was quick to see the value of the name and had it trademarked for use. info@nationalww2museum.org The B-17's greatest success in the Pacific was in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, in which aircraft of this type were responsible for damaging and sinking several Japanese transport ships. ", "Langley B-17s paved way for independent Air Force", "World War II General Electric Turbosupercharges", "Flying Fortress (B-17G): A Survey of the Hard-hitting American Heavy Weight. Of the 291 B-17s in the attack force, 60 were lost, 17 were heavily damaged and most of the others incurred some damage, but were repairable. [39] Once service testing was complete, the Y1B-17s and Y1B-17A were redesignated B-17 and B-17A, respectively, to signify the change to operational status. In fact, he wasn't a pilot at all . [91], The USAAF began building up its air forces in Europe using B-17Es soon after entering the war. Of the 291 attacking Fortresses, 60 were shot down over Germany, five crashed on approach to Britain, . Date: American aircraft struck targets in Schweinfurt and Regensburg on August 17, 1943. . Bomber wrecks were fewer but more expensive. [160][163] Coast Guard PB-1Gs were stationed at a number of bases in the U.S. and Newfoundland, with five at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, two at CGAS San Francisco, two at NAS Argentia, Newfoundland, one at CGAS Kodiak, Alaska, and one in Washington state. On 28 May 1962, N809Z, piloted by Connie Seigrist and Douglas Price, flew Major James Smith, USAF and Lieutenant Leonard A. LeSchack, USNR to the abandoned Soviet arctic ice station NP 8, as Operation Coldfeet. There were 12,731 B-17s built between 1936 and 1945. Dozens more are in storage or on static display. These losses amounted to 25 percent of the attacking force. the B-17 Flying Fortress were equipped with lots of machine guns for self-defense against single-seat fighter aircraft. This made a formation of bombers a dangerous target to engage by enemy fighters. Some SB-17s had their defensive guns removed, while others retained their guns to allow use close to combat areas. Frisbee, John L. "Valor: Courage and Conviction". [103], To rectify the Fw 190's shortcomings, the number of cannons fitted was doubled to four, with a corresponding increase in the amount of ammunition carried, creating the Sturmbock bomber destroyer version. ", Frisbee, John L. "Valor: The Quiet Hero.". [165] The last operational mission flown by a USAF Fortress was conducted on 6 August 1959, when a DB-17P, serial 44-83684 , directed a QB-17G, out of Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, as a target for an AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile fired from a McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. As of November 2022, four aircraft remain airworthy, none flown in combat. [223][224] Works such as The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell and Heavy Metal's section "B-17" depict the nature of these missions. [143] This durability, together with the large operational numbers in the Eighth Air Force and the fame achieved by the Memphis Belle, made the B-17 a key bomber aircraft of the war. But he wasn't a fighter pilot. A New Orleans native, James Linn first became involved with the institution then known as The National D-Day Museum in 2001 as an eighth-grade volunteer on weekends and during the summer. Thomas, Geoffrey J., and Ketley, Barry, "KG 200 The Luftwaffe's Most Secret Unit", Hikoku Publications Ltd., Crowborough, East Sussex, UK, 2003, Correll, John T. " Rendezvous With the 'Rex'. Assembly Ships", "Polka Dot Warriors > Vintage Wings of Canada", "Excerpts from B-17 Pilot Training Manual (The Story of the B-17). B-17s were used in early battles of the Pacific with little success, notably the Battle of Coral Sea[120] and Battle of Midway. Frisbee, John L. "Valor: Gauntlet of Fire". Wiki User. [85] These were augmented starting in July 1942 by 45 Fortress Mk IIA (B-17E) followed by 19 Fortress Mk II (B-17F) and three Fortress Mk III (B-17G). Other factors such as combat effectiveness and political issues also contributed to the B-17's success. Gift of Peggy Wallace, 2010.308.041, B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 398th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, in-flight above cloud level in Europe, 1944-45. The B-17 saw early action in the Pacific War, where it conducted raids against Japanese shipping and airfields. 0. Answer (1 of 12): Yes but the kill ratio generally favored attacking fighters. [158][159] Strategic Air Command (SAC), established in 1946, used reconnaissance B-17s (at first called F-9 [F for Fotorecon], later RB-17) until 1949. Ramsey, Winston G. "The V-Weapons". The Coast Guard PB-1Gs served throughout the 1950s, the last example not being withdrawn from service until 14 October 1959. [160] At first, these aircraft operated under their original USAAF designations, but on 31 July 1945 they were assigned the naval aircraft designation PB-1, a designation which had originally been used in 1925 for the Boeing Model 50 experimental flying boat. A retirement ceremony was held several days later at Holloman AFB, after which 44-83684 was retired. 'Black Thursday': The bleakest day for U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II Gift of Peggy Wallace, 2010.308.040. The Combined Bomber Offensive was effectively complete. Best Answer. Before the advent of long-range fighter escorts, B-17s had only their .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns to rely on for defense during the bombing runs over Europe. How effective was WWII bombers self defense anti-air armament? Smith and LeSchack parachuted from the B-17 and searched the station for several days. Two experimental versions of the B-17 were flown under different designations, the XB-38 Flying Fortress and the YB-40 Flying Fortress. In 1957 the surviving B-17s had been stripped of all weapons and painted black. [78] While the Short Stirling and Handley Page Halifax became its primary bombers by 1941, in early 1940, the RAF entered into an agreement with the U.S. Army Air Corps to acquire 20 B-17Cs, which were given the service name Fortress I. The two "E"s were used to develop B-17 air combat counter-tactics and also used as enemy aircraft in pilot and crew training films. Its main use was in Europe, where its shorter range and smaller bombload relative to other aircraft did not hamper it as much as in the Pacific Theater. These modifications resulted in a 20% increase in aircraft weight. The aircraft was turned over to the Swiss Air Force, who then flew the bomber until the end of the war, using other interned but non-airworthy B-17s for spare parts. Regardless, the USAAC had been impressed by the prototype's performance, and on 17 January 1936, through a legal loophole,[27][28] the Air Corps ordered 13 YB-17s (designated Y1B-17 after November 1936 to denote its special F-1 funding) for service testing. A 1943 survey by the USAAF found that over half the bombers shot down by the Germans had left the protection of the main formation. Top Image:Close-up of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber in flight, 1944-45. She was featured in a USAAF documentary, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress. Mayday! When bombers crashed in Switzerland - SWI swissinfo.ch A number of B-17Gs, redesignated B-17Hs and later SB-17Gs, were used in the Pacific during the final year of the war to carry and drop lifeboats to stranded bomber crews who had been shot down or crashed at sea. When bombers crashed in Switzerland. The idea of a pilot's checklist spread to other crew members, other air corps aircraft types, and eventually throughout the aviation world. There are very few films left in existence showing the Me 262 in action, especially shooting down allied bombers with P-51 escorts. They were chosen specifically for these missions as being more suitable for this role than other available German aircraft; they never attempted to deceive the Allies and always wore full Luftwaffe markings. As the production line developed, Boeing engineers continued to improve upon the basic design. B-17 Flying Fortress - Top Facts About the WWII American Bomber An overwhelming majority of them were women and children. An early model YB-17 also appeared in the 1938 film Test Pilot with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy, and later with Clark Gable in Command Decision in 1948, in Tora! Life and Death Aboard a B-17, 1944 - EyeWitness to History Study now. Also, the Y1B-17A's new service ceiling was more than 2 miles (3.2km) higher at 38,000 feet (12,000m), compared to the Y1B-17's 27,800 feet (8,500m). 2012-04-07 03:53:31. 21 never had a major effect on the combat box formations of Fortresses. About 130 B-17s were converted to the air-sea rescue role, at first designated B-17H and later SB-17G. [135] In order to more quickly form these formations, assembly ships, planes with distinctive paint schemes, were utilized to guide bombers into formation, saving assembly time. In 1942, when Eighth Air Force heavy bombers based in Britain first went operational in Europe, they mostly flew what were termed "milk runs" over France, accompanied by fighter escorts. Of the surviving aircraft, 17 were so badly damaged that they were scrapped. Gr. ", "Second-Generation Norden Bombsight Vault", "Aviation Photography: B-17 Flying Fortress. [ Via] B17f-42-30336 landed in a field at Norholm Estate near Varde Denmark on 9.10.1943 after developing engine trouble, the crew baled out and the pilot landed the plane . Eighty years ago, the Red Army managed to stop, contain, and ultimately defeat the largest German army on the Eastern Front. Did any American B-17 crewman ever shoot down a German fighter plane while flying over Germany during World War II? It was not until the advent of long-range fighter escorts (particularly the North American P-51 Mustang) and the resulting degradation of the Luftwaffe as an effective interceptor force between February and June 1944, that the B-17 became strategically potent. [12] the B-17 was a fourengine heavy bomber aircraft used by the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. The "D" model, later deemed an obsolescent design, was used in Japanese training and propaganda films. But help soon arrived when the North American P-51 Mustang began to reach the beleaguered Eighth Air Force in large enough numbers to make a difference. Losses were relatively low - below the 5% threshold that was the. [160][170], B-17s were used by the CIA front companies Civil Air Transport, Air America and Intermountain Aviation for special missions. Many historians have written about the famous Buffalo Soldiers of the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division, who fought with distinction during World War II. ", Frisbee, John L. "Valor: A Point of Honor. As he maneuvered his unarmed B-17 bomber over the island of Oahu, U.S. Army Lt. Robert Thacker was puzzled. On 2 March 1943, six B-17s of the 64th Squadron flying at 10,000ft (3,000m) attacked a major Japanese troop convoy off New Guinea, using skip bombing to sink Kyokusei Maru, which carried 1,200 army troops, and damage two other transports, Teiyo Maru and Nojima. Captured B-17 Bombers in World War II - warhistoryonline The YB-40s with their numerous heavy modifications had trouble keeping up with the lighter bombers once they had dropped their bombs, so the project was abandoned and finally phased out in July 1943. [103] The Luftwaffe also fitted heavy-caliber Bordkanone-series 37, 50 and even 75mm (2.95in) cannon as anti-bomber weapons on twin-engine aircraft such as the special Ju 88P fighters, as well as one model of the Me 410 Hornisse but these measures did not have much effect on the American strategic bomber offensive. [140], After the first Y1B-17s were delivered to the Army Air Corps 2nd Bombardment Group, they were used on flights to promote their long range and navigational capabilities. how many b17s were shot down during ww2 - bagtical.com ", "Giant Bomber Flies Four Miles Per Minute. Wixley, Ken. Half of the group's B-17s were wiped out on 8 December 1941 when they were caught on the ground during refueling and rearming for a planned attack on Japanese airfields on Formosa. [41], Opposition to the air corps' ambitions for the acquisition of more B-17s faded, and in late 1937, 10 more aircraft designated B-17B were ordered to equip two bombardment groups, one on each U.S. Nonetheless, this deed made him a celebrated war hero. In January 1938, group commander Colonel Robert Olds flew a Y1B-17 from the U.S. east coast to the west coast, setting a transcontinental record of 13 hours 27 minutes. It was a four engine, heavy bomber which first flew on July 28, 1935. All of these modifications made the YB-40 well over 10,000lb (4,500kg) heavier than a fully loaded B-17F. The resulting "Combined Bomber Offensive" weakened the Wehrmacht, destroyed German morale, and established air superiority through Operation Pointblank's destruction of German fighter strength in preparation for a ground offensive. Borth 1945, pp. 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. [25] Army Chief of Staff Malin Craig cancelled the order for 65 YB-17s, and ordered 133 of the twin-engined Douglas B-18 Bolo, instead.[19][20]. It is part of the USAAC World War II Memorial Flight and makes dozens of appearances across the United Kingdom and Northern Europe. Over 5,000 B-17 bombers were lost in combat missions in world war II. [128], At their peak, 168 B-17 bombers were in the Pacific theater in September 1942, but already in mid-1942 Gen. Arnold had decided that the B-17 was unsuitable for the kind of operations required in the Pacific and made plans to replace all of the B-17s in the theater with B-24s (and later, B-29s) as soon as they became available. More than 250 aircraft crashed or made emergency landings in Switzerland during the Second World War. Only 33 bombers landed without damage. Lieutenant General James Doolittle, commander of the 8th, had ordered the second Schweinfurt mission to be cancelled as the weather deteriorated, but the lead units had already entered hostile air space and continued with the mission. It was a relatively fast, high-flying, long-range bomber with heavy defensive armament at the expense of bombload. [20] While the air corps was still enthusiastic about the aircraft's potential, army officials were daunted by its cost;[24] Douglas quoted a unit price of $58,200 (equivalent to $916,000 in 2021) based on a production order of 220 aircraft, compared with $99,620 (equivalent to $1,568,000 in 2021 ) from Boeing.

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