Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Overview

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was probably the most famous of all the American heavy bombers of the Second World War. Introduced into the U.S. Army Air Corps prior to the war, the Flying Fortress was subsequently flown on U.S. operations in all theatres of the war. In some theatres, war-weary B-17 bombers were converted to unarmed transport aircraft. It was in this latter, less glamorous role that RCAF Flying Fortresses were employed. The RCAF acquired six used B-17E and F aircraft from the United States in 1943. Stripped of all armament and armour, the aircraft were employed by the RCAF’s No. 168 Squadron on a trans-Atlantic mail service vital to the morale of overseas forces. The aircraft were progressively modified and improved for service in this transport role, and some aircraft were subsequently stripped of paint and appeared in a polished, bare metal finish. No. 168 Squadron delivered more than two million pounds of mail between December 1943 and March 1946.

Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft: A Military Compendium by T.F.J. Leversedge © 2007. Translated and reproduced with permission of the author.

Technical specifications

Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft: A Military Compendium by T.F.J. Leversedge © 2007. Translated and reproduced with permission of the author.