B17 Fortress at War

More words have probably been written about the Boeing B-17, the famed 'Flying Fortress', than any other product of the United States aircraft industry. This book is not just another, reiterating what has previously been recorded. The author covers aspects that have hitherto received scant attention, presenting the aircraft as it was seen by those operating and maintaining it, exploring its combat attributes and deficiencies and showing why it became a legend. The development and specification of the B-17, detailed in many earlier books, is only touched upon here where relevant to the Fortress at war. The research involved in seeking details of events rarely recorded in official records entailed the help of a hundred persons, including nationals of ten different countries. Several veterans have contributed first-person accounts and there is one for every crew station on a Fortress, telling what it was like to fly and fight in that position.
Fortress at War reveals, for the first time, how the famous name evolved; the politics surrounding the B-17's early employment by the RAF and why this venture failed. It establishes the first-ever Fortress air combat and gives the surprising outcome and tells why the Japanese found it so difficult to shoot down the early B-17s. The operational difficulties that beset the US Air Forces in using the Fortress in different environments are also disclosed as are its clandestine operations with the Luftwaffe, together with its last major combat use in the Middle East conflicts of the late 'forties and 'fifties There is also a detailed study of the original crews and aircraft of a typical B-17 squadron and their eventual fates.
Illustrated by over 250 photographs, the majority published for the first time and including several in colour, Fortress at War has been compiled by Roger A. Freeman, one of the leading authorities on American military aircraft and operations, who is well known for his original research.


by R. Freeman
Published by Ian Allan 1977 1st edition reprint. 191pp some wear to extremities, otherwise good, including d/j.





Note:
"Long" descriptions, where shown, may have been taken from the book's dust jacket notes, and as such are relevant to the date of publication (e.g. any references to "new edition" "previously unpublished photographs" etc.) and not the present.

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