Publisher's Synopsis
Icon of the Eight Air Force, Boeing's B-17 was the USAAF's primary heavy bomber for the first three years of war across the globe. A pre-war design built as a private venture by the Seattle-based company, the prototype Model 299 flew as early as July 1935.;By the time America was plunged into war following the Pearl Harbour raid, the bomber had matured into the combat ready B-17. Aside from its daylight raids across Europe between 1942 and 45, the B-17 also found employment in the Mediterranean and the Pacific theatres.;This volume illustrates many of its varied operations through a selection of professional black-and-white images taken during the war years. From the vast production lines at the Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed Vega plants, to the war torn skies over Germany and the Pacific islands, the B-17 is seen in all its metallic glory.;An eight-page colour section provides a slice of period colour through the reproduction of company advertisements that have not been seen in print since the war. The appendices includes comprehensive production batch lists of aircraft constructed during the war years, scale drawings illustrating all major types and a cutaway run over a double page spread.
