The most Damaged B-17 you'll ever see Flying

No other plane can sustain this amount of damage and keep flying, an amazing feat of engineering by Boeing on the B-17 flying fortress. It is Often regarded as the most Rugged bomber of WW2

NOTE : The Footage and Thumbnail of this video is the best closest representation to what happened. It is not the actual footage.

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Background history on the Bomber

B-17, also called Flying Fortress, U.S. heavy bomber used during World War II. The B-17 was designed by the Boeing Aircraft Company in response to a 1934 Army Air Corps specification that called for a four-engined bomber at a time when two engines were the norm. The bomber was intended from the outset to attack strategic targets by precision daylight bombing, penetrating deep into enemy territory by flying above the effective range of antiaircraft artillery. Turbo-supercharged radial engines (a uniquely American development) were to give the necessary high-altitude performance, and heavy defensive armament was to provide protection against attacking fighters. Accuracy was to be achieved with the Norden bombsight, developed and fielded in great secrecy during the 1930s. The Norden consisted of a gyroscopically stabilized telescopic sight coupled to an electromechanical computer into which the bombardier fed inputs for altitude, atmospheric conditions, air speed, ground speed, and drift. During the bomb run, the sight was slaved to the automatic pilot to guide the aircraft to the precise release point. In the hands of a skilled bombardier, the Norden was a remarkably accurate sight. The first prototype bomber flew in mid-1935, and the B-17 entered small-scale production in 1937. Early versions proved to be more vulnerable to fighter attack than anticipated, but, by the time the B-17E version began to go into service shortly before the United States entered the war in 1941, the plane was equipped with turrets in the upper fuselage, belly, and tail. All but the last turret were power-operated, and each mounted a pair of 0.50-calibre (12.7-mm) machine guns. This increased firepower made the B-17 a formidable opponent for enemy fighters, particularly when flying in tightly stacked defensive formations for mutual protection. The basic element of a typical formation was a squadron “box” of 9 or 12 aircraft; three squadron boxes staggered vertically and horizontally formed a group, and three groups in trail formed a combat wing. In the event, the need to keep such tight defensive formations over Europe compromised the accuracy of the Norden bombsight, since individual bomb runs were not possible without breaking the formation. Whole bomb formations had to drop their loads on the lead bombardier’s command, and the inevitable small differences in timing and heading led to dispersed bomb patterns.

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Consolidated B-24 were the United States' two standard heavy bombers until the arrival of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress in 1944. The B-17 served in almost every theater of World War II, but it was used mostly by the US Eighth Air Force, based in the UK, to bombard German targets. The first missions were in daylight hours to improve accuracy, but this strategy plus a lack of adequate fighter coverage, resulted in very heavy losses of aircraft and crew. Its first bombing mission was with the RAF as Fortress Is, but it was hardly ready for war. As refinements progressed, along with better pilot training and tactics, it became a formidable weapon in the Allied war against Germany.

The Flying Fortress was designed in response to a USAAC competition, announced on August 6, 1934, to find a modern replacement for the assorted twin-engine Keystone biplane bombers and greater performance than the Martin B-10. While the performance of the B-10 was considered adequate at the time, the Keystones lumbered along at about 115 mph (185 km/h), were very unmaneuverable, lightly armed and carried only a limited bomb load.1 The requirement was for a multi-engine bomber to be used for coastal-defense.

Specifications required were:

Range of at least 1,020 miles (1,640 km).
Speed of 200 to 250 mph (322 to 402 km/h).
Bomb load of 2,000 lb (907 kg).
A Boeing design team began work on the Model 299 prototype in June 1934 and construction began in August of the same year. The most significant rival to the Model 299 was the Douglas DB-1, which was based on the Douglas DC-2. The third competitor was the Martin 146.

[johnfrancis]

I was at a pub in Oxford England in 1994. I was on holiday in the Cotswolds and had decided to have a pub lunch, I noticed a man probably in his late 60s early 70s stood at the bar with his wife, as I approached him I could see he wore a leather jacket with a very ornate insignia on the back, when they came to the table next to me and the wife, i asked him if it was an American squadron insignia, he told me it was and he was a Bombardier in a flying fort, we started a good conversation, he was here in the UK for a squadron reunion he told me I tried to buy them a drink but he declined as he said they weren't big drinkers, as he got up to leave i said to him may I thank you and you're mates for fighting by our side, do you know he said You're the first Brit said that to me and we laughed, but inside I was really happy that the extremely rare opportunity had come my way to thank an American serviceman

[CashMacGregor]

my mom was a riveter making b-17's from 1939-45. she was 17 and it was her first job. she died jan 1st, 2024. she was 101 years old.

[oldcorpsl]

My grandfather piloted one of these. Signed up well before the war. In artillery (Corporal) just like his dad in WW1. Army did massive service wide tests for potential pilots. Old boy got his 25 missions in over Germany. No escorts. Never had much to say about it. Spent more than 40 years in Army/Air Corps/Air Force. Retired in '81. Truly the greatest generation. Endured his father serving in WWI, the Great Depression, WW2, Korean War, his kids in Vietnam, grandkids in Gulf War and other hot spots. Died at 88 years old in 2001 just before 911 attacks. I'm grateful he didn't have to witness more turmoil. Sure miss him.

[OkieSketcher]

A family friend was a Bombardier/Navigator on a B-17 in the later years of the war. He told us his pilot taught every man on his crew how to fly it. Not how to land or take off, but to at least keep it in the air for as long as possible. The idea was to get the plane back over friendly lines before bailing out. The idea was if they had seriously wounded they would patch them up as best they could and made sure they would clear the plane under a canopy. One other thing he would do was show them on a map all air strips in Western Europe that were in friendly hands in case they needed, and were able, to land before getting back to base. On one mission they were shot up pretty badly. The pilot and co-pilot were killed and several crewmen badly wounded. His wounds were not as bad as most on board. He took the pilot’s seat and headed home, but the plane was too shot up to make it. He thus headed for an air strip that was in German hands when they left but they knew GI’s were heading that way. Hopefully, the air strip would be in friendly hands when they got there. When he got close to the strip and lined up to the runway he tried to lower the wheels. They didn’t go down. So they prepped for a belly landing. Just before landing he noticed tracers going both east and west down the runway. The Germans were on the east side. The Americans on the west. As soon as he was in range all parties stopped shooting. As he passed over German lines he could see several men look up at him. No one fired. He belly whopped and slide to the far end of the runway and off into the grass. Guys came out to get everyone out of the plane. As soon as the last man was cleared everyone went back to shooting at each other. It was his last mission. Strange things happen in war sometimes.

[iamhudsdent]

My father was a B-17 pilot out of southern England. He flew 36 combat missions mostly over Germany, with the 8th Air Force, in a bomb group called The Fightin' Bitin'. I can't remember if it was his plane, or another, but he said after returning home from a mission they counted the holes the "B one seven" had sustained from flak (anti aircraft shrapnel), and maybe machine gun fire from German fighter planes. The total: some 200 holes of various size in a single plane. Maybe that was more than usual, or normal, I don't know, because my dad never talked about combat. But he did describe once how chunks of shrapnel from the flak would shoot through the plane, in one side, out the other (the size of a silver dollar or a softball, he said, when I asked), and how it pinned the bombardier's map to the top of the plane. God knows what else, or who else, it ripped through that he wouldn't talk about. From reactions my dad had later in life to blood, I could read between the lines. Airmen got torn to shreds in those B-17s by flak, machine gun fire, and nose canons from the ME-109s. The surviving crew then had to fly home for several hours with the dead and wounded close to them, as it was fairly tight in those planes. There had to be a lot of blood, and fellow airmen, buddies even, with their insides spilling out. It had to be awful. And Hitler had reportedly placed 6, 000 big anti aircraft guns around Berlin hurling continuous volleys of flak into the B-17 raids. My uncle, a waist gunner, said it was absolutely terrifying, especially if you were the pilot or co pilot, because they could see straight-on the whole hellish mess they were flying into, and maybe not coming out of. Undoubtedly, an unfolding nightmare. Imagine three dozens such missions, and something like 39% of the planes lost— but we can't, because we didn't go through that. Right after his tour, my dad went someplace in Florida where apparently they sent airmen for r&r. I only know that because there was a photo of him with palm trees, and I asked my mother. Maybe it was normal for airmen to be sent there, I still don't know. I think it was only for a week or two, a place to collect yourself and rest. PTSD wasn't heard of back then, if that's what that was about, but I have thought maybe it was. My dad was awarded several medals, like most of those guys, he said. He never even took possession of them until two years before he passed away in 2002, asking me if I wanted them. He kind of rejected the very thought of those medals, because, he said, he only did what everybody else did. One of those medals was the Distinguished Flying Cross, with a descriptive citation of an ordeal he flew through getting his crew back home, limping along on one engine, or something, I forget, landing in a farmer's field. He dismissed that event, and the medal, saying that mission didn't even compare to various other snafu's they flew through, and survived, but that nobody knew about except he and his crew. After the war, I should add, my father had no desire to fly a plane. He never flew again.
(These men fought for our freedom. Four hundred thousand of them fought and died in WW ll alone. Now, more than ever, it is we who must fight to preserve that freedom, as America faces being destroyed from within.)

[commknightj]

My dad was a radio man on a B-17 in 1943 in the 8th AF. Flew 7 missions before flak shrapnel took his right eye. Finished as a Sgt, training other radio men in the USA.
Went on to get engineering degree(GI Bill) and worked for NASA.
They were the Greatest Generation.

[marinegunny]

My uncle commanded a B-17 named pee wee, after his wife, early in the bombing campaign. This was before long range escorts. On one occasion, his plane was so badly damaged, he crash landed in France and he and his crew were helped by the French underground to get back to Britain.
By the time his wife was informed of him being missing in action, he and his crew were already flying missions in a new ship

[jcr]

Jim Purdy, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bill Fischer, Ball turret gunner: Lou Carusello, Waist gunner: George Johnson, Tail gunner: Ray Rybarski (5 Killed in Action); Co-pilot: John Garfield, Navigator: Paul Bunchuk, Bombardier: John Welch, Radio Operator: Emile Bianchi, Waist gunner: Don Itschner (5 Prisoner of War).

[ffjsb]

There's a small military museum in Urbana Ohio that is building a BRAND NEW B-17 from the ground up. They have all the original blueprints for it. Some things like engines and landing gear might be found in surplus, but the bulk of the airframe is being made new.

[para]

Wow! Amazing anyone got out alive. Respect sent for those who died and survived. Tough machines and men. Hand salute 🇺🇸

[julianblea]

My dad was a rear gunner on a B-17, Mel's Mess, WWII.
He survived two crash landings, got credit for 2 German kills, and got his seat shot from under him. He mentioned his unit was assigned to bombing Rommel. Later in Hayward, Ca. He met Dr. LEVINE who was one of the crew members!

[greybone]

These aircraft were still being used as fire retardant bombers in Washington state until the early 80s. I saw one in action on a fire near Ellensburg wa.in 78. I watched it follow a Douglas skyraider on runs near a cliff face, climbing out in a near stall vertical climb. The pilot was impressive as was the unforgettable sound of the plane climbing. Impressive craft 👏

[jimwalshe]

My father was a Bombardier on a B17, aircraft no. 230702, proudly name Miss Ma Nookie, that was shot down over Germany on 2/21/44. On 11/5/43, he was wounded in the right thigh by shrapnel, and resumed flying 10 days later. On his last entry in his flight log, he posted the following: 'they came, they saw, they shot the hell out of us'. Dad jumped and survived his only parachute drop, only to be taken to POW camp near the Baltic Sea. 13 month later, the camp was liberated and he returned home in New Orleans in 1945. 2 years later, he met and married my mother, 3 kids followed with me being #3, born in 1950. Dad retired from Eastern Airlines and passed away in 1992. He was proud to fly the 17 and being part of the US Army Air Corps.
As stated by other comments writing about their Dad's experience, my father didn't talk very much about his war experience. One or two comments about POW camp, how he got there, and how he felt when his camp was liberated was all he shared. Vietnam vets I have met and work with, for the most part, didn't share much as well. I was in the AF from 1970-1974 and spent all my active duty at one installation, supporting our main role, until my early out in '74.

[barrymacochener]

I had the very good fortune to have been a passenger onboard a B-17 named " Sentimental Journey " during the summer of 2014, what an absolute thrill and adrenaline rush it was . The fumes from the burning oil and fuel was very prominent throughout the 30 minute flight . We hit a little turbulence which sort of gave you a simulated feeling of flak bursts . I liken it to flying inside a well constructed tin can . Total respect for the courageous young men that flew these suicide missions early on, in the European theater of operations before escort fighters could accompany the heavies all the way to the target and back . I comprehend why the B-17 crews were so fond of the flying fortress .

[Tankdestryer]

Someone send this to War Thunder so they learn, but on a serious note, this is incredible and I highly respect the men who crew them.

[richardrogerson]

The B-17 earned the nickname flying fortress for a reason. It was built to take extreme punishment.
I once worked for a company whose owners father was a B-17 pilot. He walk in, pull me aside and talk to me for hours and hours about WWIIand his exploits.
I apologised to my boss for not getting my work done. His reply was don't worry the work will get done by someone else. When my father wants to talk to you drop everything and let him talk. There's a reason they were dubbed the greatest generation.
It was an engineering milestone in flight. It was engineered to take a physical beating. All the 50 cal. AA could hold off dozens of enemy fighters.

[tfodthogtmfof]

My uncle worked repair on bombers returning from daylight bombing raids over Germany. He had a bunch of photos of planes that made it back that you would never believe could have flown. The two I remember most was a B17 that took a flak round through the nose and caused all the outer sheet metal to peel back to the bulkhead behind the cockpit. There was a floor two yokes and seats for pilot and copilot all exposed to the open air. The nose, bombardier, windscreens, and all the gauges gone but they brought the rest of the plane and crew home. The second was a mosquito that bounced off the landing runway and pancaked into a big muddy ditch. The whole plane splintered and shattered leaving a plane shaped outline visible in the mud with all the major metal components (engines, seats, guns, etc) just stuck in the mud surrounded by what in the photo looked like a plane outline made of oversized toothpicks. Uncle Cecil served in WW2, Korea, and Vietnam repairing damaged combat aircraft.

[thomascurran]

My Mother’s neighbor’s son Billy Funk went to Europe to help fight the war in a B-17. One day a gold star appeared in his parents window.
My mother was heartbroken. In 2004 at a local airport the War Birds Group flew in for a show a B17 was among the vintage aircraft Mom wanted to see the inside of the airplane plane so badly. I had to carry her most the way down the fuselage not built for a my 6’2” frame.
When we got out and walked away I asked her what she thought She said she “ said a prayer 1:16 to say goodbye to Billy “

[SirFloofy]

Watch that elevator move, he is putting in overtime on those controls.

[thatguy]

Most people think the crews got a specific plane to fly. My dad was a B17 radio operator and gunner.
They had to change planes all the time because they were shot up so bad.