Beautiful Bombers
A new book documents the glory of World War II aircraft.
- By John R. Bruning
- AirSpaceMag.com, July 13, 2011
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Inside a Flying Fortress
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Comments (15)
Sometime in the past I have seen this photo with a different caption. As best as I can recall, these B-17s are in temporary storage before assignment to combat units. No unit markings are visible, and if they are lining up for takeoff, shouldn't they be going the same direction?
Posted by Mark Breeding on July 13,2011 | 08:18 PM
Any guesses as to what that device is strapped to the left arm of the Luftwaffe pilot?
Posted by Marion Seckinger on July 16,2011 | 11:05 PM
As a child in the 30s I was always pleased to get a new balsawood glider which I would use carefully and fly the
wings off of ... the profile of the fuselage seems to have
been based on the B 18.
Posted by ron stone on July 19,2011 | 04:50 PM
I agree...these are parked aircraft. There is no action here, no props turning, no odd spaces between aircraft. Static.
Posted by Michael Bludworth on July 20,2011 | 03:23 PM
Thanks for the great photos!
I agree with Mark Breeding that the "B-17's lined up for takeoff" photo seems to reflect airplanes in storage. Hard to imagine that they would be able to taxi while packed so tightly together. And the planes lined up tail to tail don't look right if they were in the process of taxiing.
The photo does raise another question. If this is wartime England, would airplanes be left out in the open and not dispersed?
Posted by Norman Bucknor on July 27,2011 | 07:59 PM
That looks like a "whiz wheel" strapped on the left wrist of the German pilot.
Posted by Steve on July 29,2011 | 11:07 AM
Can anybody tell me exactly how many machine gun placements the E suffix B 17 had, especially those built towards the end of 1943 and in 1944 ? I am aware of the following:
Tail
Waist (2, one on each side)
Mid Upper
Ball turret at the bottom of the fuselage
Front upper- just aft of the cockpit
Cheek (2, one on each side)
Chin, facing forward
Each position has two 50 caliber bandoleer fed machine guns.
Would appreciate verification of the above and any details I have missed out.
This in my opinion is by far and away the best Bomber to have come out of WW II.
Posted by AshokR on August 1,2011 | 02:05 AM
To begin with, only 500 or so E's were procured and those would have been built way before 1943. They certainly did not have a chin turret, which was introduced on the F and became standard equipment on the G. All models, E through G, had for sure 2 guns in the tail, 1 gun per side in the waist, 2 guns in the top turret and 2 guns in the ball turret. Other than that things get rather iffy. The 1 gun in the radio compartment roof may very well have been discontinued early on. The top power turret was more effective and covered the same field of fire. The nose guns' numbers and positions varied according to the desires of the men using them. Field modifications were the rule at first.
I see that you are a "fan" of the B-17. Well, it's certainly a grand old airplane, a joy to go riding in, but the fact is it was obsolete before the US entry into the war. But it was in production. It being a 1935 design, can one say it came out of the war? It's near contemporary, the B-24, had longer range , was faster and 2 bomb bays to the B-17's one. The best bomber of the war? Probably the Lancaster.
Posted by Mike on August 24,2011 | 07:07 PM
Although a great selection of photographs, I am perplexed as to not see at least one of the 99th or 332nd (Tuskegee Airmen), especially when one photo depicts a German fighter pilot.
Posted by Frets on September 21,2011 | 01:03 AM
I think it looks like what used to be called a flight "computer". A basic slide rule that allowed you to guestimate ground speed, heading/track, upper winds, fuel range etc. Still have one from my student pilot days.
Posted by M Weare on November 4,2011 | 01:43 PM
German version of an E6B without the wind calculator. And yes I still have mine also. Used to calculate air speed, fuel, density altitude, radius of action, etc.
Posted by Hank on November 27,2011 | 03:19 AM
The device is a pellarus, used for navigation
Posted by Lee L. Gottwald on April 1,2012 | 02:46 PM
Is it not a German Dreieckrechner Baumuster Plath Model DR2?
Posted by dale nulik on October 30,2012 | 04:28 PM
This looks like a modification centre in Northern Ireland or Northern England. Aircraft flown across the pond but requiring modification prior to Theatre Entry Standard before combat operations. This would account for their pristine condition and lack of unit markings. Still parked prety damned close though!
Posted by Adam on November 20,2012 | 12:49 PM
Yes "Flight Computer" on the German pilot. Believe it or not when I went Loadmaster in the Canadian Air Force in 2007 I was issued one by mistake. Pilots and Navs were still getting it five years ago. I still have it. Its too funny...
Posted by Bill Toth on November 26,2012 | 03:30 PM