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A new plane
The U.S. Military first proposed the need for a new high altitude bomber to replace the Martin B-10, and the idea for the B-17 was convieved. -
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B-17 Lifespan
The B-17 was a high altitude bomber that made a large impact on WWII -
The first flight
This was the day that the first prototype, the Model 299, took it's first test flight. -
Enlisted at Last
The Army Air Corps decided to designate the YB-17 prototype for service testing, putting the B-17 one step closer to action. -
First Action
The first full B-17 bomber raid against the Germans, flying in a wedge formation. -
Operation Aphrodite
Operation Aphrodite was an Army Air Corps operation that was meant to put explosives into retired B-17s and fly them by radio into enemy fortifications. It was put into action in late 1943, and failed miserably. -
The victorious Memphis Belle
The Memphis Belle was one of the two B-17s that completed all 25 of their missions.Their bombing mission was to Kiehl, a German Military Base -
A critical blow
A B-17 Squadron attacked a ball-bearing factory in Schweinfurt, Germany. The factories there made 53% of all the ball-bearings production in Germany. -
The death of the Luftwaffe
3500 B-17s were involved in the bombing of German Luftwaffe bases, destroying many factories and leaving Berlin wide open. -
The final Mission
This was the last B-17 mission flown by the USAF. They had the B-17s flown by radio control and had modern planes using Air to Air Missiles and had the missiles tested on the B-17s -
A B-17 Crash, even after the War
A vintage B-17 carrying 7 passengers, who paid $300 each to get a seat, burst into flames while in flight and emergency landed in a wheat field.
