Sponsored by Lee & Willa Seemann
Aircraft Type: B-17P(DB), S/N 44-83559, Flying Fortress, Boeing (Douglas)
Mission: Heavy Bomber
Number Built : A total of 12,731 Flying Fortresses were produced in the period 1935-1945. Of this total, Boeing built 6981, Douglas Aircraft built 3000 and Vega (Lockheed) built 2,750. The break down of models is as follows. 1 Boeing model 299, 13 Y1B-17s, 1 Y1B-17A, 3 9 B-17Bs, 38 B-17Cs, 42 B-17Ds, 512 B-17Es, 3,405 B-17Fs (2,300 Boeing, 605 Douglas and 500 Vega), 6,430 B-17Gs (4,035 Boeing, 2395 Douglas and 2250 Vega). 730 B-17Gs were canceled at the end of the war (600 Douglas and 130 Vega). Approximately 4,750 B-17s were lost on combat missions.
Powerplant: Wright R-1820-97 Cyclone, 9-cylinder radial, air-cooled engines, 1,200 horsepower each.
Weight: 36,135 lbs. empty, 55,000 lbs. loaded, Maximum takeoff weight 72,100 lbs.
Dimensions: Wingspan 103′9″, Length 74′4″, Height 19′1″.
Performance: Maximum speed 287 MPH at 25,000 feet, Cruising speed 182 MPH, Range 3,400 miles.
Significance of Type : The B-17 Flying Fortress began on 26 September 1934, as Boeing Project 299, a $275,000 allocation for the design and construction of a four engine bomber. The first flight took place eight months later on 25 July 1935. On August 25th of that year Model 299 was flown to Wright Field, Ohio, covering over 2,000 miles in nine hours at an average speed of 233 miles per hour. The Army Air Corps officers called the plane “Boeing’s Aerial Battlecruiser.” Later, it was officially designated the XB-17. The B-17 Flying Fortress made its presence felt by the enemy in all theaters of operation. It was used by the American forces and by the Royal Air Force as well. The German Luftwaffe used a number of captured B-17s to drop spies into Britain. After World War II, a number of B-17s were turned over to South American nations, Israel, and Sweden. Other B-17s were retained by the USAF for use as remote controlled drone target planes, for weather and reconnaissance, and for air-sea rescue service.
About our B-17P(DB), S/N 44-83559 : The Museum’s B-17P, S/N 44-83559 was manufactured by Douglas at Long Beach, California, and received by the USAAF on April 5, 1945. Below are the unit assignments of this aircraft:
April 6, 1945- To Topeka, Kansas, Air Transport Command (ATC)
April 8, 1945- To 4100th Army Air Force Base Unit (AAFBU), (ATC), Patterson Field, Ohio
October 15, 1945- Declared excess to USAAF needs
November 7, 1945- Returned to military use
November 11, 1945- To 4168th AAFBU (TAC), Lubbock, Texas
June 16, 1945- To 4141st AAFBU Air Material Command (AMC), Pyote, Texas
February 17, 1950- To 2753rd Aircraft Storage Squadron (AMC), Pyote, Texas
March 7, 1950- To Olmstead Field (AMC), Middletown Depot, Pennsylvania for modification to become a DB-17 aircraft
June 22, 1950- To 3200rd Drone Squadron, Air Proving Grounds (APG), Eglin AFB, Florida
February 28, 1951- To Eniwetok Atoll, 3200th Drone Squadron (APG), Marshall Island Group, Pacific
May 31, 1951- To 3200th Drone Squadron, Eglin AFB, Florida
October 13, 1952- To 3205th Drone Squadron (APG), Holloman AFB, New Mexico
October 16, 1952- To Eglin AFB, Florida same unit
July 8, 1953- To 3310th Technical Training Wing (APG), Scott AFB, Illinois
July 26, 1953- To 3205th Drone Group (APG), Eglin AFB, Florida
September 10, 1953- To Holloman AFB, New Mexico (APG), same unit
May 1958- Dropped from USAF inventory, airframe issued as a museum piece, Patrick AFB, Florida
The Air Force relegated S/N 44-83559 to the Strategic Air & Space Museum at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. The Fortress was flown to the Museum in May 1959 and has been on continuous display ever since. It is currently finished with camouflage colors and painted in the colors of “King Bee”, an Eighth Air Force B-17F-65-DL from the 100th Bomb Group. The original “King Bee” had been commanded by the first director of the Strategic Air & Space Museum, and 44-83559 has been refinished down to the application of the “King Bee” serial number, 42-3474.
