The authoritative account of the B-17 Flying Fortress, the most formidable heavy bomber of World War II, with 32 pages of photographs.
There is no such thunder in history—nor ever will be again—as the deep-throated roar of the mighty four-engined B-17’s that streamed across the skies in World War II. The long runways are silent now, the men and planes are gone.
But out of the massive files of records, the debriefing reports, mission evaluations, tonnage statistics—and most of all from the memories of the men who flew—Martin Caidin has created this dramatic and authoritative portrait of the Flying Forts.
Of course the technical data is here—complete and authoritative—on bomb loadings, model changes, armaments, crew assignments. But more than that, Flying Forts recreates a vanished era and a great and gallant plane.
A plane that could absorb three thousand enemy bullets, fly with no rudder, and complete its mission on two engines.
A plane that American pilots flew at Pearl Harbor, Tunis, Midway, Palermo, Schweinfurt, Regensberg, Normandy, Berlin... in thousands of missions and through hundreds of thousands of miles of flak-filled skies.
A plane that proved itself in every combat theatre as the greatest heavy bomber of
World War II.
If ever there is a Hall of Fame for great airplanes, the B-17 will surely occupy a place of special honor. As pilots say, “This was an airplane you could trust.”