Masters of the Air has just been released, but it was the British who used the Flying Fortress first, a year before the US Army Air Corps arrived on British shores. How did they get on and what did they think of the B-17?
In 1941, the British received 20 B-17Cs for evaluation and to supplement their own supply of bombers, which were given the service name Fortress I. The Royal Air Force Bomber Command was hoping that the bombers could operate from 35,000 feet, making them far less vulnerable to German air defences. Unfortunately, it was not only the plane that was limited to 30,000 feet, but the crews as well. At lower altitudes, the lack of armament made the aircraft vulnerable to fighters. None of the guns that came on the C model were fitted in pairs or in power-driven turrets. A lack of spare parts and battle damage often kept as many as half the force grounded. Ultimately, the miniscule number of B-17s being used by the RAF, together with Bomber Command’s chosen tactic of night saturation missions, rendered the Flying Fortresses ineffective as combat assets.

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