{"product_id":"the-b-17-flying-fortress-famous-aircraft-series","title":"THE B-17 FLYING FORTRESS — Famous Aircraft Series —","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left; background-color: #f7f8f9; padding: 20px; border-left: 4px solid #647382;\"\u003eA detailed account of the B-17F \"Vicious Virgin\" of the 427th Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, featuring its combat history from February 1944 and subsequent transformation into a formation assembly ship with distinctive red and white markings.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"margin-bottom: 13px;\"\u003eCharacteristics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable class=\"table table-striped\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 187px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBook cover finish(es)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 331px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eStapled\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 187px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCondition\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 331px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGood\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 187px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAuthor(s)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 331px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSteve Birdsall\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 187px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 331px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArco Publishing Company, Inc.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 187px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of pages\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 331px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e56\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 187px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublished date\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 331px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1965\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 187px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLanguage(s)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 331px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEnglish\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 187px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCollection \/ Series\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 331px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFamous Aircraft Series\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 187px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSize\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 331px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e21 x 28  cm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 187px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCategorie(s)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 331px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e• AVIATION MILITAIRE\u003cbr\u003e• APPAREILS - CONSTRUCTEURS\u003cbr\u003e• SECONDE GUERRE MONDIALE\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"margin-bottom: 13px;\"\u003eDescription\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCOVER DRAWING\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Vicious Virgin\", a B-17F-45-BO of the 427th Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, shown in the combat markings she carried in February, 1944. This aircraft, after flying many of the Eighth Air Force's roughest missions, was turned over to the 444th Sub Depot, and rebuilt as a formation assembly ship. All excessive weight—guns, armor plating, etc.—was removed, and alternating red and white stripes, each ten feet wide, were painted on from nose to tail and from wing tip to wing tip. Approximately 24 high intensity red flashing lights were installed in various positions on the wing, body and empennage of the aircraft. The lights were designed to blink a code letter \"C\" about five times a minute. The \"Virgin\" served in this role for about one year until the early spring of 1945 when the aircraft was landed with wheels up upon returning from a local ferry flight. She was last seen on a dump at Cambridge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eThe long and eventful day of the B-17 is Coming to an end. From its dawning in the mid-thirties, through the high noon of World War II and into its twilight in the jet age, the old Flying Fortress has carved for itself an ever-deepening niche in the history of military aviation. The many roles played by the Flying Fortress over the past twenty-nine years may never be completely recorded. The job can certainly not be done in these few pages. Every man of the thousands who flew the B-17, every man of the handful who still do, holds something of her great story in his memories. Most of them did not fly the B-17 for pleasure, nor as their chosen vocation; the Fort was their transportation to places they had never dreamed of seeing, let alone destroying. The Flying Fortress was a heavy bomber, \u003cspan data-word=\"...\" title=\"Consider using the typographical ellipsis character here instead.\" data-rule=\"ELLIPSIS\" data-suggestions='[{\"value\":\"…\"}]' data-type=\"grammar\" class=\"grammar correction\"\u003e…\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003eThe Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 bombers, the Boeing entry outperformed both competitors and exceeded the Air Corps' expectations.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eAlthough Boeing lost the contract because the prototype crashed, the Air Corps was so impressed with Boeing's design that they ordered 13 more B-17s for further evaluation. From its introduction in 1938, the B-17 Flying Fortress evolved through numerous design advances. The B-17 was primarily employed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial and military targets. The United States Eighth Air Force, based at many airfields in southern England, and the Fifteenth Air Force, based in Italy, complemented the RAF Bomber Command's nighttime area bombing in the Combined Bomber Offensive to help secure air superiority over the cities, factories and battlefields of Western Europe in preparation for the invasion of France in 1944. The B-17 also participated to a lesser extent in the War in the Pacific, early in World War II, where it conducted raids against Japanese shipping and airfields.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEditorial Reviews (amazon)\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Steve Birdsall","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53049522291034,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0270\/3015\/9446\/files\/IMG_6070_229b83c5-5e92-4f8c-8bfa-2762a908fa1b.jpg?v=1765371250","url":"https:\/\/aviation.brussels\/products\/the-b-17-flying-fortress-famous-aircraft-series","provider":"aviation.brussels","version":"1.0","type":"link"}