how many b17s were shot down during ww2

Footage from Twelve O' Clock High was also used, along with three restored B-17s, in the 1962 film The War Lover. Dozens more are in storage or on static display. 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. [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. 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. Operational History. Top Image:Close-up of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber in flight, 1944-45. 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. ", Frisbee, John L. "Valor: One Turning and One Burning. These turbo-superchargers were incorporated into the B-17B. Gift of Peggy Wallace, 2010.308.044, Group of B-17 bombers over Europe with vapor trail flowing behind them, 1944-45. Unlike the fighter pilots, individual bomber gunners did not receive official credit for any of their shootdowns. No traces of the 3 captured Flying Fortresses were ever found in Japan by Allied occupation forces. 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. Linn joined The National WWII Museum staff in 2014 andservedas a Curator until 2020. The command pilot was Major Ployer Peter Hill, Wright Field Material Division Chief of the Flying Branch, his first flight in the Model 299. The British had been bombing from the air, but heavy losses forced them to switch to nighttime area bombing, greatly reducing its effectiveness. The four-engine plane typically carried a crew of 10, several of whom. Life and Death Aboard a B-17, 1944. Photo-recon analysts never made the connection to it being a captured B-17 until after the war. It should have been a peaceful Sunday morning in Hawaii. [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. The B-17 finally had a fighter which could escort them in and out of Germany, and began to overwhelm German defenses and industry. While models A through D of the B-17 were designed defensively, the large-tailed B-17E was the first model primarily focused on offensive warfare. [110] The escort fighters reduced the loss rate to below 7%, with a total of 247 B-17s lost in 3,500 sorties while taking part in the Big Week raids. [79][80] On 24 July three B-17s of 90 Squadron took part in a raid on the German capital ship Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen anchored in Brest from 30,000ft (9,100 m), with the objective of drawing German fighters away from 18 Handley Page Hampdens attacking at lower altitudes, and in time for 79 Vickers Wellingtons to attack later with the German fighters refuelling. The B-17 Flying Fortress became symbolic of the United States of America's air power. info@nationalww2museum.org [note 1] Boeing also claimed in some of the early press releases that Model 299 was the first combat aircraft that could continue its mission if one of its four engines failed. One B-17 broke up in the air, and its crew was forced to take to their parachutes. [92] On 17 August 1942, 12 B-17Es of the 97th, with the lead aircraft piloted by Major Paul Tibbets and carrying Brigadier General Ira Eaker as an observer, were close escorted by four squadrons of RAF Spitfire IXs (and a further five squadrons of Spitfire Vs to cover the withdrawal) on the first USAAF heavy bomber raid over Europe, against the large railroad marshalling yards at Rouen-Sotteville in France, while a further six aircraft flew a diversionary raid along the French coast. ", "B-17 Flying Fortress to join CF - the Collings Foundation", "414th Squadron Planes and Crews circa 1943", "Memphis Belle bomber newly restored and unveiled at US Air Force museum", "Going from lucky in love to lucky to be alive in 1943", "The Swoose comes home to roost at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force", "A Higher Call: autographed by JG 27 Bf-109 ace Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown of the B-17 "Ye Olde Pub", "Airpower Classics: B-17 Flying Fortress. Losses were relatively low - below the 5% threshold that was the. [155], Official Swiss records identify 6,501 airspace violations during the course of the war, with 198 foreign aircraft landing on Swiss territory and 56 aircraft crashing there. In contrast, of the nearly 1,100 Cobras delivered to the Army, 300 were lost. As the war intensified, Boeing used feedback from aircrews to improve each new variant with increased armament and armor. Meantime 60 B-17's were lost to all causes (including flak). 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. Swiss aircraft attempted to intercept and force individual aircraft to land, interning their crews; one Swiss pilot was killed, shot down by a U.S. bomber crew in September 1944. One of the worst days of the war for the B-17 and its crewmen was the second raid on German ball bearing production in Schweinfurt, Germany on October 14, 1943. Additionally, 122 bombers were damaged and needed repairs before their next flights. More than 250 aircraft crashed or made emergency landings in Switzerland during the Second World War. On 8 August 1934, the USAAC tendered a proposal for a multiengine bomber to replace the Martin B-10. [136][137] Luftwaffe fighter pilots likened attacking a B-17 combat box formation to encountering a fliegendes Stachelschwein, "flying porcupine", with dozens of machine guns in a combat box aimed at them from almost every direction. 2012-03-07 01:27:07. Of the surviving aircraft, 17 were so badly damaged that they were scrapped. How many b17s were shot down? About 130 B-17s were converted to the air-sea rescue role, at first designated B-17H and later SB-17G. That aircraft was the Boeing B-17, better known as the Flying Fortress. The Germans shot down 36 aircraft with the loss of 200 men, and coupled with a raid earlier in the day against Regensburg, a total of 60 B-17s were lost that day. Create. [62][63], The YB-40 was a heavily armed modification of the standard B-17 used before the North American P-51 Mustang, an effective long-range fighter, became available to act as escort. They were brave. "Boeing Model 299 (B-17 Flying Fortress).". [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. [131] These aircraft were nicknamed Dumbos, and remained in service for many years after the end of World War II.[132]. [citation needed], The B-17 was noted for its ability to absorb battle damage, still reach its target and bring its crew home safely. [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. Moreover, German fighter aircraft later developed the tactic of high-speed strafing passes rather than engaging with individual aircraft to inflict damage with minimum risk. Ramsey, Winston G. "The V-Weapons". Japanese activity forced them to divert from Hickam Field to Bellows Field. Memphis Belle (aircraft) - Wikipedia B-17 Flying Fortresses The B-17 Flying Fortress became a symbol of the power of the United States and its air force. coast. By the end of the war, the B-17 was an obsolete aircraft which had been surpassed by another Boeing bomber, the B-29 Superfortress. Sakai, Saburo with Martin Caidin and Fred Saito. [168], Thirty-two B-17Gs[169] were used by the Navy under the designation PB-1W, the suffix -W indicating an airborne early warning role. In theory, in the words of British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin,the bomber will always get through. The Americans believed the B-17, with the Norden bomb sight, could be that bomber. The idea of a pilot's checklist spread to other crew members, other air corps aircraft types, and eventually throughout the aviation world. The prototype B-17 Bomber was built at the company's own expense and was a fusion of the features of Boeing XB-15 and Boeing 247 Transport Aircraft. [103] However, due to the slow 715mph velocity and characteristic ballistic drop of the fired rocket (despite the usual mounting of the launcher at about 15 upward orientation), and the small number of fighters fitted with the weapons, the Wfr. ", 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. Losses to flak continued to take a high toll of heavy bombers through 1944, but the war in Europe was being won by the Allies. [140] Making it back to base on numerous occasions, despite extensive battle damage, the B-17's durability became legendary;[138][139] stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage were widely circulated during the war. ", "Why Use Colourful Camouflage in World War 2? [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. Gr. Most of the escorts turned back or missed the rendezvous, and as a result, 60 B-17s were destroyed. [123] The allied fighter pilots claimed 15 Zeros destroyed, while the B-17 crews claimed five more. The Combined Bomber Offensive was effectively complete. Craven, Wesley Frank, James Lea Cate and Richard L. Watson, eds. [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]. By the time the B-17s and escorting Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters were about to get airborne, they were destroyed by Japanese bombers of the 11th Air Fleet. London: Arakaki and Kuborn 1991, pp. [7] Attacks began in April 1943 on heavily fortified key industrial plants in Bremen and Recklinghausen. [100], A second attempt on Schweinfurt on 14 October 1943 later came to be known as "Black Thursday". [16] On 20 August 1935, the prototype flew from Seattle to Wright Field in nine hours and three minutes with an average cruising speed of 252 miles per hour (406km/h), much faster than the competition. Quote: "At the peak of production, Boeing was rolling out as many as 363 B-17s a month, averaging between 14 and 16 Forts a day, the most incredible production rate for large aircraft in aviation history." Blast damage was caused over a radius of 5 miles (8.0km). [87], The air corps renamed United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on 20 June 1941 used the B-17 and other bombers to bomb from high altitudes with the aid of the then-secret Norden bombsight, known as the "Blue Ox",[88][89] which was an optical electromechanical gyrostabilized analog computer. Copy. B-17 pilot flew unexpectedly into the middle of Japanese attack on [76] The British heavy bombers, the Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax, dropped 608,612 long tons (681,645 short tons) and 224,207 long tons (251,112 short tons)[77] respectively. The experience showed both the RAF and USAAF that the B-17C was not ready for combat, and that improved defenses, larger bomb loads and more accurate bombing methods were required. Frisbee, John L. "Valor: Battle Over Bougainville". A merica joined Britain's strategic air campaign designed to destroy Nazi Germany's industrial capacity soon after her entrance into World War Two. [18] His opinions were shared by the air corps procurement officers, and even before the competition had finished, they suggested buying 65 B-17s. The largest of the ghettos where Eastern European Jews were first confined and, later, deported to extermination camps by the Nazis was set up in Warsaw, Poland. It was a relatively fast, high-flying, long-range bomber with heavy defensive armament at the expense of bombload. How many b-17 bombers were shot down during World War 2? In years following World War I, the United States was heavily influenced by Italian air-power theorist Giulio Douhet who called for heavy investment in a force of bombers to fly over the front-lines, destroy an enemys infrastructure, and break their will to fight. 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. [149] Others, with the cover designations Dornier Do 200 and Do 288, were used as long-range transports by the Kampfgeschwader 200 special duties unit, carrying out agent drops and supplying secret airstrips in the Middle East and North Africa. 21) rocket mortar by the Luftwaffe in mid-August 1943 promised the introduction of a major "stand-off" style of offensive weapon one strut-mounted tubular launcher was fixed under each wing panel on the Luftwaffe's single-engine fighters, and two under each wing panel of a few twin-engine Bf 110 daylight Zerstrer aircraft. 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. [11] It combined features of the company's experimental XB-15 bomber and 247 transport. List of surviving Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses - Wikipedia Water spouts just offshore . A Fortress IIA from No. The ammunition load was over 11,000 rounds. World War II: America's Heavy Hitter - Delaware In 1964, the latter film was made into a television show of the same name and ran for three years on ABC TV. 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. 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. To enhance performance at slower speeds, the B-17B was altered to include larger rudders and flaps. [175] Six bombers of the 2nd Bombardment Group took off from Langley Field on 15 February 1938 as part of a goodwill flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Of those servicepeople, 2,382 were killed while serving aboard UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the ubiquitous "Huey." 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. How many B 52 bombers were shot down in Vietnam? - 2023 This aircraft, now restored to its original B-17G configuration, was on display in the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon until it was sold to the Collings Foundation in 2015. [125][126] The remaining seven transports and three of the eight destroyers were then sunk by a combination of low level strafing runs by Royal Australian Air Force Beaufighters, and skip bombing by USAAF North American B-25 Mitchells at 100ft (30m), while B-17s claimed five hits from higher altitudes. [28], A total of 155 B-17s of all variants were delivered between 11 January 1937 and 30 November 1941, but production quickly accelerated, with the B-17 once holding the record for the highest production rate for any large aircraft. The bombers were assumed either lost by various means or scrapped late in the war for their vital war materials. Trescott, Jacqueline. [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. On landing, the aircraft overran the runway and ran into a ditch, where it was then strafed. Army Air Forces. An overwhelming majority of them were women and children. While the US Fifteenth Air Force also had B-17s, the most famous group to fly them during the war was the US Eighth Air Force based out of England. When bombers crashed in Switzerland. [173], The B-17, a versatile aircraft, served in dozens of USAAF units in theaters of combat throughout World WarII, and in other roles for the RAF. [17], At the fly-off, the four-engined Boeing's performance was superior to those of the twin-engined DB-1 and Model 146. Gift of Peggy Wallace, 2010.308.040. Next worst were the P-39 at 245, the P-40 at 188, and the P-38 at 139. One of the most significant weapons of World War II would be ready, but only by a hair. 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 As many as half a million civilians remained in Stalingrad when the Germans approached in the late summer of 1942. With its usual nose-mounted armament of four MK 108 cannons, and with some examples later equipped with the R4M rocket, launched from underwing racks, it could fire from outside the range of the bombers' .50in (12.7mm) defensive guns and bring an aircraft down with one hit,[147] as both the MK 108's shells and the R4M's warheads were filled with the "shattering" force of the strongly brisant Hexogen military explosive. . [citation needed] As a result, the B-17s' loss rate was up to 25% on some early missions. The B-17's armament consisted of five .30 caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns, with a payload up to 4,800 lb (2,200 kg) of bombs on two racks in the bomb bay behind the cockpit. [21] Doyle notes, "The loss of Hill and Tower, and the Model 299, was directly responsible for the creation of the modern written checklist used by pilots to this day. His views were supported by Eighth Air Force statisticians, whose mission studies showed that the Flying Fortress's utility and survivability was much greater than those of the B-24 Liberator. Study now. Later versions carried four or even six MG 151/20 cannon and twin 13mm machine guns. 2. Later on footage shows German paratroopers and American P-51 mustangs. Frisbee, John L. "Valor: Gauntlet of Fire". [122][124] Actual Japanese fighter losses for the day were seven destroyed and three damaged. [103] Additionally, 122 bombers were damaged and needed repairs before their next flights. "The Battle of the Bismarck Sea", pp. Though many were shot down, many more severely damaged aircraft were able to return their crews safely to base. During World War II, the B-17 equipped 32 overseas combat groups, inventory peaking in August 1944 at 4,574 USAAF aircraft worldwide.