The B-17, arguably World War II's most famous heavy bomber, first flew on July 28th, 1935, before a crowd of reporters eager to see Boeing's new bomber take wing. It was dubbed the "Flying Fortress" by the members of the press in attendance because of its (at least for the time) heavy defensive armament. The prototype crashed in October, but because of its impressive speed and handling the US Army Air Corps (USAAC) decided to continue testing anyway. They ordered 13 YB-17s for further evaluation, a decision that would prove momentous in years to come.

The YB-17 had five machine guns, room for 4,800 pounds of bombs and a crew of nine. It had electrically retractable landing gear. After testing the YB-17, an improved prototype, the Y1B-17, was built with Wright Cyclone radial engines. Twelve were delivered to the USAAC's 2nd Bombardment Group for trials. One of these was soon equipped with new Moss/General Electric turbochargers that became standard on all future Flying Fortresses. The first production order was for 39 B-17Bs with turbo-charged engines, and as soon as these were under production another order for the B-17C was placed, with seven machine guns instead of the original five.

The RAF received their first B-17Cs in 1941, and were soon conducting daylight raids over Germany. The defensive armament soon proved inadequate, and the B-17's altitude was little defense against the German fighters. Orders for the B-17D were soon placed with self-sealing fuel tanks and more armor because of lessons learned in bombing missions over Europe. The B-17E and B-17F soon followed with larger tail. The B-17F was the first to serve with the USAAF 8th Air Force. After suffering staggering losses in late 1943, analysis proved head-on attacks by enemy fighters were a distinct problem. The final major version, the B-17G, added a chin turret with dual machineguns. This gave the B-17 a defensive armament of 13 guns.

After the war, several dozen B-17s lived on as fire-bombers and aerial surveyors until the last one was retired in the 1970s. Today, a few B-17s have been restored to their wartime splendor. Ten are currently flying in the United States, one in the UK and another one in France.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a USAAF Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress heavy bomber nicknamed "Swamp Fire", that was attached to the 524th Bombardment Squadron, 379th Bombardment Group, then deployed to Kimbolton, England, from 1944-45. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 17-1/4-inches
Length: 12-1/4-inches

Release Date: November 2019

Historical Account: "Swamp Fire" - "Swamp Fire" was a tough old bird, which set an endurance record of completing 100 missions without turning back (aborting) because of a mechanical failure. It was the first B-17 to accomplish this feat.

The record setting B-17G was assigned to the 524th Bomb Squadron of the 379th Bomb Group at Kimbolton, England, in February of 1944 and flew its first mission on the 21st of that month. "Swamp Fire" completed its 100th mission without a mechanical failure on November 1st, 1944.