The B-17 Flying Fortress Story: Design-Production-History Review

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(More customer reviews)Anyone familiar with the history of the B-17 and, in particular, the Eighth Air Force, knows the name of Roger Freeman. Author of the reknowned series beginning with "The Mighty Eighth", Freeman and co-author David Osborne assembled a new volume entitled "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story." This new book fills a gap in the literature about the Flying Fortress. The first quarter of the book covers the type in general, from initial design through production and modifications. Included here are excerpts from technical orders and operating manuals. Also included are a selection of somewhat rare photos and a special section on the Wright R-1820 engine. Of greater significance to the student of the B-17, however, are the last three quarters of the book. This section provides individual aircraft histories for each of the 12,700-odd B-17s produced by the consortium of Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed between 1935 and 1945. This massive undertaking was apparently performed by Osborne reviewing each of the individual military record cards available and tying that information to other available sources. Thus, having the military serial of a particular B-17 (say, for example, from a photograph) enables a reader to see where that aircraft came from and its eventual disposition. The information is, by necessity, brief but usually contains specifics on an aircraft if it was lost in action. There are a few noted errors, surpisingly, for those B-17s which survived to enjoy civil service as that information is available elswhere in detailed form. Other editing errors (i.e. the book refers to the `Reclamation Finance Centre' (RFC) vs. the actual `Reconstruction Finance Corporation') may appear but such minor things can be overlooked in such a gigantic effort.

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Containing an abbreviated operational history for each of the 12,731 B-17s that flew in World War II, this is a volume devoted to the Flying Fortress. The text also contains information on the evolution and testing of the plane and its powerplant and performance.

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Fw 190 Sturmbocke vs B-17 Flying Fortress: Europe 1944-45 (Duel) Review

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(More customer reviews)My discounted copy of this new 'Duel' title arrived today - at this price these titles are worth getting. The Osprey 'preview' image from this volume depicting JG 300 pilots Loos & Dahl boring in on the 303rd BG over Bitburg, 15 Aug 44 appaeared on a number of web-sites pre-publication and my 11-year old thinks its pretty decent - I have to agree this type of computer-art beats the usual dreary battle scene 'painting' in these titles even if the Fw 190's are too close together and the rear B-17 gunner wouldn't be firing a stream of tracer. Whether I can actually persuade my son to read any of the text will be another matter altogether. There seems to be rather more words here than in previous 'Duel' titles starting with a chronology that curiously ends on 2 December 1944. The themes of FW 190 as 'bomber killer' over Germany are explored and there are chapters on the design and devlopment of both types with technical specifications and cutaway artworks, before the author moves on to outline the strategic situation in the European air war. Again. This is a 'Duel' volume - author & publisher should have looked at presenting a couple of the larger air battles over Germany in detail - rather than devoting pages to a strategic overview. There is no chronological account - there isn't the space in this book's 80 pages for anything more than a cursory overview. I particularly liked the B-17 artwork illustrating the various fighting compartments and there are some personal accounts of coming under fire from German fighters. There is a full page colour artwork of the FW 190 cockpit and more artwork depicting the Sturm fighter closing on a bomber Pulk from astern. Photos are small and a little dark and have all been published elsewhere, which is disappointing. Bizarrely the text goes on to discuss the Sonderkommando Elbe ramming Bf 109s of April 1945. There is no detail at all on the huge bomber battles that took place over Germany during late December 1944 and early January 1945.
Some of the text I've read seems curiously to focus on Walther Dahl of JG 300 - there are several pictures of him and his Fw 190s and a full page profile. While acknowledging that his autobiography "Rammjäger" was 'colourful' the book repeats all the old chestnuts regarding his supposed 128 victories and his huge accumulation of bomber kills - for which the authors of the two volume JG 300 history quoted in this book's bibliography found little or no evidence of course. There is a full page given over to a listing of leading Luftwaffe B-17 'killers'. There are two pages devoted to a bibliography entitled 'Further Reading' which includes German-language titles that I somehow doubt will be of interest to the average Duel -series purchaser.
As for the timeline ending on 2 December as already mentioned, that has to be a typo, and should read 24 December, which was the date of IV.(Sturm)/JG3's last big success in the West. Otherwise the book itself is a very selective look at various aspects of the daylight bombing campaign focusing on training, the machines, the men. Nothing to do with the author I doubt, but this is a title assembled to fit a tightly outlined format and as such doesn't work very well at all for me.


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For the first time in the best-selling Duel series, Osprey Publishing presents the horrifying aerial clash between a fighter and a bomber. The Fw 190 was one of the best air superiority aircraft of World War II. When it first appeared over the Channel in 1941 it sent shockwaves through the Allied air commands. By 1944, these fighters had been up-gunned to serve as the front line of defence against the Allied bombing campaign. Although the Fw 190s were responsible for shooting down hundreds of Allied bombers, they met their match against the United States Air-Force B-17 'Flying Fortress.' Capable of carry 4,000 lbs of bombs and bristling with .50-cal machine guns, the B-17 could sow death in every direction.Using brand-new artwork and first-hand accounts, this book recreates the deadly drama in the skies above Germany in 1944.

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The Lady: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (Living history: World War II) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a good look into the inside of a B17. If you have never been inside a B17, you could find your way around after looking at this book. The use of re-enactors in authentic uniforms help you understand what it might have been like to fly into combat during WWII. The accompanying pictures from WWII support the contemporary pictures well. The text provides enough useful information to understand and appreciate the B17 and the air war of the 40's.

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The first volume in the "Living History" series on WWIIaircraft and the individuals who flew them, THE LADY illustratesspecific crew positions, the equipment they used, and what they sawinside and outside the legendary Flying Fortress.58 color photos, 47b&w photos.

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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Info Guide (Plane Essentials) Review

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(More customer reviews)It promises a great deal of technical information but it is a sad disappointment. Cost and shipping are way beyond the value of this "pamphlet."

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