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B-17G Shoo Shoo Baby at
the US Air Force Museum, Dayton OH
USAF Photo |
Few World War II airplanes have captured the imagination like the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.
Springtime means the B-17s are on tour! Several organizations have beautifully restored B-17s that tour the country. For years, I've enjoyed walking through these planes, and last year I had the awesome privilege of flying in the Experimental Aircraft Association's
Aluminum Overcast. You can read about my flight and watch a video
here. If you'd like to see one of these gorgeous planes up close, please see the tour schedule for
The Experimental Aircraft Association and
The Collings Foundation.
This is the
second of a three-part series on the legendary Flying Fortress - a starring side
character in my novels. Last week I talked about the plane and today about the crew.
Crew
Loyalty
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B-17F
All-American
USAF Photo |
Both the B-17
Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator were used by the United States Army Air
Force as long-rage, high-altitude, four-engine heavy bombers. A friendly rivalry
grew between crews of the "Fort" and the "Lib." On paper, the B-24 seems to be
the winner, with a higher speed, larger bomb load, and longer range. But fans of
the B-17 not only liked its graceful lines and the ability to fly at higher
altitudes, but its ruggedness. While the B-24 had a tendency to break up when
ditching at sea, the B-17 was more likely to stay intact, and the survival rate
from ditching was far higher in the B-17.
The Flying Fortress could take
lots of damage and still get the crew home. The photo to the left shows the
All-American, a B-17F almost severed in half by a collision over
Tunisia. The pilot compensated for the lost and damaged controls and brought the
plane home. Miraculously, even the tail gunner survived. Numerous stories like
this brought fierce loyalty from B-17 crews.
Over time, the B-24 became
favored in the Pacific for its range and bomb load, while the B-17 became the
heavy bomber of choice in the European Theater.
The Crew in the Cockpit
This
cutaway view of a B-17G shows the postions of the ten crew members.
The pilot
and copilot sat at position #1 in the cockpit. Both started as lieutenants.
The pilot also served as crew commander, in charge of discipline and morale. The
copilot assisted the pilot in flying the plane and could take control if the
pilot was disabled. During a mission, the copilot took responsibility for
interphone communications with the rest of the crew.
Just behind the
pilots stood the flight engineer/top turret gunner (position #4). A technical
sergeant, this man knew the plane's operating systems extremely well and took
responsibility for repairs in flight. In combat he operated the top turret
gun.
Crew in the Nose
Compartment
The nose compartment was separated from the
cockpit by a narrow crawlway. The navigator, a lieutenant, sat at a desk at
position #3, where he carefully charted the plane's position and course using
dead reckoning, pilotage, radio aids, and even celestial navigation. Although
B-17s flew in large formations, each plane had to be able to find its way to the
target and home if separated from the group. In combat, the navigator was
responsible for the left cheek gun (in the B-17F) and for both cheek guns in
later models of the B-17F and in the B-17G.
The bombardier also served in
the nose compartment (position #2). A lieutenant, the bombardier was responsible
for loading the bombs on the ground, arming the bombs in flight, and most
importantly, for accurately aiming and dropping the bombs. He operated the
Norden bombsight, a complicated piece of machinery that took into account the
plane's speed, wind speed and direction, and drift to more precisely hit the
target. Later in the war, fewer bombardiers were trained, and a "togglier"
served in most planes. The togglier released the bomb on the signal of the lead
aircraft in the formation but did not operate the Norden. The bombardier
operated the right cheek gun in the B-17F, the nose gun in the later B-17F
models, and the chin turret guns in the B-17G.
Crew in the Radio
Compartment
Heading back from the cockpit, we walk
through the bomb bay along a narrow aluminum catwalk. On either side, racks hold
bombs on the way to the target.
Behind the bomb bay sits the radio
compartment, home of the radio operator (position #5), a technical sergeant in
charge of the multiple radio communication and navigation devices on board the
plane. In some models, the radio room contained a machine gun, which fired out
of the roof to the rear. However, vision was limited and most groups did without
the extra weight of this gun.
Gunners in the Waist, Belly, and
Tail
Four staff sergeants manned the guns in the ball or
belly turret (position #6), to the left and right in the waist compartment
(position #7), and in the tail turret (position #8). In addition to constantly
watching for enemy fighter planes, these gunners also monitored the positions
and condition of other planes in the formation. The ball turret was a cramped
location, so the smallest crew member usually took this station.
To see a
gorgeous interactive cutaway of a B-17, including interviews with combat
crewmen, visit the
Experimental Aircraft Association's website.
If you visit one of the B-17 tour stops, you have the amazing opportunity to walk
through the B-17 - or even fly in one! If you do walk through, imagine ten men
at their stations, all wearing heavy high-altitude flight gear, including
parachutes, life vests, and flak vests. Then imagine them at -40 degrees with
flak and fighters in all directions. You'll gain a deep appreciation for what
our veterans did for the sake of freedom.
