The B-17 Flying Fortress

The Boeing B-17's Norden Bombsight Changes the Scope of the War

Jul 28, 2008

The durability and versatility of the B-17 altered the outcome of the War with a long-range bomber capable of daring daytime assaults and a New Type of Precision Bombing

British Air Commanders were not initially impressed with the B-17 bombers. They had received a few early models and were not convinced of their worth. But American pilots would instruct their British counterparts in the proper way to fly "Fortresses" in large formations to maximize their firepower.

The United States Eighth Air Force stationed in England planned to launch daytime raids with their B-17's flying in large columns and relying on precision bombing instead of night time raids using area bombing methods which was the technique used by the RAF.

The 10 man American crews of these four-engine "Flying Fortresses" were convinced that their way was superior to the British bombing effort and were ready to prove it with the huge behemoths being built by Boeing back in the U.S.

The flight crew of the B-17 consisted of the Pilot and Co-pilot, the Bombardier or Nose Gunner, Navigator who was also a Nose Gunner, a Radio Operator who also served as a Gunner, a Flight Engineer who operated the Upper-Turret Gun, a Ball-Turret Gunner, two Waist Gunners, and last but not least was the Tail Gunner who protected the rear of the plane.

The B-17's were very durable and hard to bring down, not to mention very able to defend itself from attack. They earned their reputation the hard way by returning all shot up and able to land even though they had taken extreme damage. Sometimes even belly landing with their landing gear damaged by enemy fighters.

THE NORDEN BOMBSIGHT

The B-17's were much better armored then British bombers, normally carrying up to ten.50-caliber machine guns. But they were also equipped with the new Norden Bombsight which was a device that allowed for extreme accuracy as compared to other allied bombers which relied upon area bombing techniques.

The Norden Bombsight was an extension of American pride in marksmanship stemming from the old frontier mentality. The device consisted of a telescopic sight and a mechanical calculator that computed bomb trajectories.

The Norden allowed for the planes speed, altitude, and drift. The sight was linked to the planes automatic pilot and as the Bombardier operated the sight, the sight flew the plane. The Norden Bombsight allowed for uncanny accuracy and precision.

THE FLYING FORTRESS PROVED IT'S WORTH

American pilots were able to prove the worth of the B-17's by trial and fire. The Fortress was a potent high-flying, long-range bomber capable of unleashing daytime devastation.

The Flying Fortress dropped more bombs than any other U.S. aircraft in World War II. Of the 1.5 million tons of bombs dropped on Germany by U.S. aircraft, 500,000 were dropped from B-17s.

The B-17's were used to completely destroy Germany's ability to wage war by demolishing factories, military installations, ship yards, rail ways, and sadly in an attempt to break the spirits of the German people by the end of the war the B-17's were even used to launch attacks on civilian targets as well.

The copyright of the article The B-17 Flying Fortress in WW II History is owned by Jim Osborn. Permission to republish The B-17 Flying Fortress in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.