B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was a four
engine heavy bomber. It was the workhorse, along with the B-24,
of America's strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. The
Army Air Forces (AAF) considered the B-17 the perfect embodiment
of its strategic bombing doctrine because of its long-range, its
ability to defend itself, and its highly accurate Norden bomb-
sight. The Boeing corporation built 6,981 B-17s in various
models, and another 5,745 were built under contract by Douglas
and Lockheed (Vega). They were mainly deployed in Europe, flying
with the 8th Air Force in England and the 15th Air Force in the
Mediterranean. Their mission was strategic bombing. Some B-17's
were used against Japan. It was replaced as the major American
heavy bomber by the B-29 and, later, the B-52. Although
originally designed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC)
in 1934, it was ahead of its time and proved a highly effective
heavy bomber. A policy of continuous improvements added power
gun turrets, bul