Life Inside The B-17 Flying Fortress (Cross Section)

During the Second World War, the skies were a battlefield that was just as deadly as any foxhole. One of the key components of the American strategy was a strategic bombing campaign, which was designed to cripple the Axis’ industrial capacity. The backbone of this effort was the venerable B-17 Flying Fortress #mastersoftheair

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Credit:
Show Created by Daniel Turner (B.A. (Hons) in History, University College London)
Script: Robert de Graaf
Narrator: Chris Kane

Intro: (00:00)
Origins: (00:09)
Variants and Numbers: (00:53)
Dimensions: (02:03)
Performance: (04:26)
Armament: (05:04)
Crew: (06:10)
The Norden Bombsight: (07:01)
Names and Artwork: (08:31)
The B-17 In Combat: (09:00)
After The War: (10:37)
Outro: (11:03)

[TheIncinerator]

On the topic of returning after ridiculous damage taken, Ye Olde Pub was a B-17 that lost all but 3 feet of its left tail elevator, had 1 engine down, 1 engine at half power, and a third engine that would occasionally turbocharge itself and nearly rip itself of the wing. It also had lost the tail gunner and had all but 1 of its MGs either freeze or run out of ammo. It actually did return home due to a German fighter pilot (Franz Stigler) that saw the state of the bomber and decided he couldn't shoot it down, and escorted it over the Atlantic Wall. True story, it's in the book A Higher Call

[bomerdoomer]

Can you do a video about the history of the pistol and its evolution from flintlock to the 20 bullet mag full auto glock?

It would be really cool to see all the weird designs between the ages

[juanindojorgijanad]

Good job from Simple History for making another B-17 Flying Fortress video.

[vipergtsmre]

This aircraft is literally why I'm alive. Gramps somehow survived ww2. 8th/12th/15th AAC, 301St Bombers, 419th sq. Msgt, 2 BS. He worked for Sperry after his service.

[sylviaward]

I’m seeing one fly next week, Sally B a truly magnificent B-17 used in the film Memphis Belle

[Gocever]

Well done Simple History, well done. I really liked this cross section of the B-17 Flying Fortress, one of the most legendary aircraft of the Second World War. Despite the heavy losses it still remained a well-regarded bomber.

[KyleShiflet]

I love the look of the B-17b. It just looks so sleek

[russellconn]

I love the fact that your sponsor is relevant to your content, so few channels have that.

[andrewmontgomery]

One of my favourite aircraft along with the Spitfire.
PS: A B-17 actally starred in the James Bond movie Thunderball with the Fulton man recovery system.

[brianmoyachiuz]

Those ball turrets really remind me of Attack of the Clones

[Backroad_Junkie]

Does anyone remember the series, "Amazing Stories" from the mid-80's?

There was one episode about a ball turret that got stuck, with the landing gear destroyed, which means if the plane landed, the belly gunner would become paste on the runway.

So he draws a picture of the plane, with wheels, goes into a trance, and...

It was one of the episodes I remember pretty clearly. That was a great show...

[matthewwilson]

Love it! another awesome piece of history made "simple". Keep pressing on!

[swithinbarclay]

From the 1950's-'70's, Seventeens were used as Retardant Tankers by American Natural Resources Agencies to fight wildfires. As a firefighter on the Sequoia National Forest in 1976, I had the treat to see one of these very nimble ships in action. Our crew was straddling a ridge, trying to keep the fire--thankfully not a terribly aggressive one, but aggressive enough to require the Seventeen's hammer blow. This ridgeline was very exposed, steep, with a significant crag looming up on the outboard and downhill edge. The Seventeen had to make its salvo strike just so, to get a symmetrical spread on the ridge's apex. She came down very low, no more than 150' above, flying downhill at a very steep angle, and her drop really did HAMMER that ridge. She came close ENOUGH to that crag/pinnacle, and in a split second, shot upnose on a dime, veering in a bank so tight, it almost looked beam-ends, and was probably safely 500' or more above the ambient terrain, in a few short seconds, to return to base for another load. Thanks to this Seventeen, this fire now had NOWHERE to go. She was flying like a small airplane a quarter of her size! I believe that by 1980, the Seventeens were retired by the fire services.

[maestromike]

Hello, my friend. I’m military and have been for 32 years and counting. I entered through ROTC. I started Second Lieutenant. I went off to the first Gulf war after two months in. I’m one of a small group of men who did not get PTSD from it. It was a pretty easy war. I became a Ranger and went to Africa in the Black Hawk Down attacks . I got a Purple Heart and another on on another tour in Africa propelling from Black hawks. I have seen a lot, but any solider who have been through one tour has. I am now a high ranking officer. Starting Will it turn it being in her over three decades will do that.

[Anonymous-bsit]

The best B-17 animation video on YT with top notch graphics and data!

[TheCombatCorporal]

Dang, the B-17 could be a very cool lego set!

[Armada-]

War Thunder… 2 years of gameplay and still suffering at 5.0…something about the game keeps me going though, possibly that big juicy “Target destroyed” notification…god ain’t that satisfying

[DasZaku]

My grandfather was a gunner for the B-17 near the end of the war. He never really talked about it but would say he was very thankful when it ended.

[frenchfan]

Watching this video brought back flashbacks from the recent mini series "Masters of the Air." Yes, the series was far from perfect but it did give us a good glimpse into what flying was like in these super fortresses.

[NormanconEVE]

They haven't been completely grounded. It was due to an air to air crash at an airshow I believe and since I know of and have been lucky enough to see one flying after extensive inspections