Mission Accomplished: Story of the Flying Fortress (ca1942)

Video Title :	Mission Accomplished: Story of the Flying Fortress (ca1942)
Description :	Chronicles one of the early (autumn 1942) bombing runs of B-17s over Europe. In response for the Army's request for a large, multiengine bomber, the B-17 (Model 299) prototype, financed entirely by Boeing, went from design board to flight test in less than 12 months. The B-17 was a low-wing monoplane that combined aerodynamic features of the XB-15 giant bomber, still in the design stage, and the Model 247 transport. The B-17 was the first Boeing military aircraft with a flight deck instead of an open cockpit and was armed with bombs and five .30-caliber machine guns mounted in clear "blisters." The first B-17s saw combat in 1941, when the British Royal Air Force took delivery of several B-17s for high-altitude missions. As World War II intensified, the bombers needed additional armament and armor. The B-17E, the first mass-produced model Flying Fortress, carried nine machine guns and a 4,000-pound bomb load. It was several tons heavier than the prototypes and bristled with armament. It was the first Boeing airplane with the distinctive -- and enormous -- tail for improved control and stability during high-altitude bombing. Each version was more heavily armed. In the Pacific, the planes earned a deadly reputation with the Japanese, who dubbed them "four-engine fighters." The Fortresses were also legendary for their ability to stay in the air after taking brutal poundings. They sometimes limped back to their bases with large chunks of the fuselage shot off.
Views :	2271
Rating :	4.87
Keywords, Tags :	World War II WorldWarII WorldWarTwo WorldWar2 B-17 Flying Fortress USAAF US Army Air Corps
Video Length :	10 : 41

Comments :

Great strategy by the americans, B17 can fly to much high in the air which cannot shoot by flank, and delivery the bomb exactly to their target..

Very cool documentary,those first B 17's in action did there nation proud.

i like the b-17 thanks to all the young men

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