Boeing WWII Bombers During WWII Boeing made two bombers, “B-17 Flying Fortress” and “B-29 Flying Fortress.” During WWII, when the nazi’s started to take over countries around Germany, the allies had an idea to use the B-17 bombers to bomb out the factories that were built throughout Germany. By doing this the nazis became weaker, and it handed the allies a chance to start attacking germany on all sides. After Hitler went down in defeat, Japan sent fighter-bombers over to Hawaii and bombed them out. United States started to produce B-29s with researching the atomic bomb. The B-29s didn’t get produced that much but they did end the war. Near the end America finished researching the atomic bomb, and they put it on a B-29, the bomber flown to Japan and drop the atomic bomb which ended the war between Japan and USA. The B-17 and B-29 were great bombers, but the specs in them is what really what made them famous. …show more content…
This bomber was “Designed for US requirement, a 4 engine bomber capable for long distance travel” (Writer). One the first flight of B-17 bomber, it started a non-stop flight from Seattle to Wright Field in nine hours. After 40 flight-hours “The prototype crashed, because the elevator gust-lock was still engaged” (Dwyer). The B-17 broke long-range records during its time, there are more This made it a good bomber so they can send it across the atlantic ocean. The flying fortress has four engines, that does 1,2000 horsepower each. The top speed is 282 knots (325 Mph), and can carry about 11,5000 lb. Near the end of the war when Germany was weaken by B-17s. The Allies sent these B-17 bombers in to bomb out the factories. Germany started to not produce that many units, and researching has decreased because of it. Then this handed allies a chance to bring Hitler
Because of the tight formations and gutsy flying by the B-17 crews they were able to put thousands of tons of bombs on target with great accuracy. The insight and information of the crews was a vital part in the military to create bigger and better equipment to help the war come to a close. While many of the crews were lost, the steel on target and the information provided saved thousands of lives. The average death toll of a B-17 pilot during World War II was eighty percent. To put that in perspective CPT. Morgan, the pilot of the Memphis Belle, said it like this, “You eat breakfast with 10 of your closest buddies, go on a mission, and only two would be at
Before and during the Second World War people were fascinated with flight, the speed and the idea of flying high in the sky has kept people interested. Bombers and fighters alike both change dramatically in the twenty years after the Great War. From cloth wings to metal wings planes became bigger, faster, agile, and can hold a lot more fire power. The air war has changes significantly since the First World War. During the First World War bombers played a big role in the air war and after it left many questions whether it is the way to win wars. There has been speculation that future wars would be won by bombers and it can crush and the enemies at home and also the soldiers. Both book, Wartime by Fusslle and Why the Allies Won by Overy explain in depth what was the actual outcome of bombers and their roles before and after the war.
The Boeing Company also writes The Fortresses were also legendary for their ability to stay in the air after taking brutal poundings. ”Gen. Carl Spaatz, the American air commander in Europe, said, ‘Without the B-17 we may have lost the war’. “ (Qtd.in. Boeing) (Boeing “B-17”). In B-17 Fortress at War Freeman records a story of the Mary Alice. The Mary Alice was a famous B-17 that flew in the European theatre. The Mary Alice is an example of a B-17 ability to take a beating and still be able to fly back to base no matter how wounded. Freeman writes about the Mary Alice 66th mission on a German synthetic oil refinery which is known to be the most dangerous of mission due to heavy anti-air defenses set up by the Germans (101-102). Freeman writes on page 102 about the heavy damage the Mary Alive sustained,
The Boeing B-17 was this plane. We had only constructed 42 D’s before Pearl Harbor. The F was the first major change in the line of Flying Fortresses. With over 400 modifications on the interior and only a change in the style of bubble top in the cockpit, the Japs and Nazis received a nasty surprise when they were trying to chase these down. With all of these interior changes and only a minor tint change on the outside, you think you’re chasing a B-17E and you end up getting shot down by the B-17F.
During World War II, the aircraft manufacturing industry took-off. According to Dr. Bright (1978), “by the year 1944 it was the largest industry in America” (p. 1). It soon declined in the years following due to material flaws, lack in engine performance, and production manufacturing methods.
With the creation of the creation of the Twentieth Air Force with the sole purpose to employ long-range bombers to land strategic attacks on enemy cities. The bombers that would be employed was the B-29. During the siege on Japan the Air Force obtained airstrips in China and the Mariana Islands to continue attacking the Japanese. Thus finally leading up to us conducting the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With this being such a major event it would prevail our Air Force and our country as a super
Aircraft and the war materials are important to any war. The aircraft in the war was very different for each person. They had many different types of aircraft depending on their way of flying. Also the designed it based on how “dangerous” they felt they were. During the war there were over forty different versions of the very successful aircraft from Germany. They wouldn’t build them based on if they were better for fighting or if they were better for flying. They based them on how the person flying them wanted the aircraft to be. This caused problems for Germany. It is very time consuming for Germany. It took a long time to build each of the planes. Since they were all different they
This large conflict started because of many different heriffic events(John J. McCloy para.7). Bombs were a major threat and killed hundreds of thousands of people in the war. Many organizations were developed so scientists could create bombs and rockets in a new and improved way. Rockets were developed to be lightweight and have the ability to put
The jet engine worked by spinning turbines inside the engine, then igniting it and firing it out the back. When the fire went out the back, the jet was propelled forward. These jet aircraft shot down 542 allied aircraft, more than most other aircraft. This innovation that is still used today wouldn’t be here without the war.
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in total war, deployed with the goal of defeating the enemy, by destroying their morale or their economic ability to produce and transport material to the theatres of military operations. The four areas in which the significance of Allied strategic bombing will be assessed are: economic, diplomacy, morale and the effect it had on the fighting fronts in Europe.
Airplanes have become very popular ever since Charles Lindbergh made the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. Airplanes were used during World War I in dog fights. Dog fights were battles where to fighter planes fought in the air. Dog fights were popular during World War I but not as popular during World War II although they still did occur. Airplanes are always being improved and developed in size, structure, and power. Aircraft strength and power had increased over the years. There are now more powerful bombers, faster fighters, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that this time period is also known as the jet age. Hence the use of jet engines in airplanes. In World War II it was recorded that "aircraft strength went from 1,741 on hand to an authorized level of 15,000” (Lawson and Tillman 13). During World War II there were many improvements made to the
The Atomic Bomb or known Atom Bomb was created by a scientist, which assembled the first bomb. He and General Leslie Graves officially and successfully tested it in New Mexico, July 21, 1945. Despite this, two refugees from Italy and Germany in the early 1940’s, Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard were the first to ever produce a controlled chain reaction. The bomb was created to use during WW2 and end it. This was big for America as president Franklin was notified that Germany was working on a similar weapon to use on America and its Allies. This bomb was needed to win the war and it took approximately 160,000 lives as a result while also having many affects on the people then, the people today, and the environment (Henretta, Edwards, & Self, 2012). The US was the first and only country to this day to drop an atomic bomb on another country, not once, but twice. This did end the war; however, the results were quite devastating to Japan. The environment and lives lost were all greatly impacted however, the world as a whole would be impacted for years to come. It also had its political reasoning behind it to show the global power of America. The devastation caused by the bombs also created deterrence from using them in the future at the time. Furthermore, now as other countries have improved technological
The history on the United States in war is that before the cold war the United States had fought in 24 battles and they won 17 of them. The strength and the courage that the United States has when they go to war are unbelievable. Their win to loss ratio on wars is so incredible and the weapons that they got to use weren’t as accurate as todays weapons are now. The United States and the Soviet Union both liked to make bombs. They both did everything they could to perfect them and to train guys how to use them so they could use them for military purposes.
The most used German bomber of WWII is the Heinkel HE 111 H-3. This plane was originally created in 1935. It was produced as a prototype but later became the most used bomber for the Reich. The Heinkel HE 111 H-3 is a medium bomber with a maximum speed of 270 mph, and a maximum range of 2,640 miles. This monster of the skies was designed to bomb Britain.
Perhaps the most advanced weaponry that can be used in war. The atomic bomb was made using plutonium, plutonium is created when an atom of uranium-238 absorbs a neutron and thus becomes plutonium-239. The atomic bomb had a blast radius of 3km this meant that anything that was in the blast radius would be decimated. The plane that had carried the bomb also known as “little boy” was Boeing B-29 plane also nicknamed “enola gay.” The most expensive thing about World War 2 was not the atomic bomb but the plane that carried it. The B-29 plane made by Boeing was specialized for the atomic bomb because it had a carry load and releasing capability of up to 10,000 pounds of atomic bomb. The United States of America also did a lot of nuclear testing to make sure that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 100% possible. By July 25th 1945 a fully capable nuclear atomic bomb was ready for testing and though the war with Germany was over, the war against Japan was still raging on. On July 16th, America had tested their first and successful atomic bomb trial. The bomb was detonated near Los Alamos research facility. In all the Atomic bomb was one of the most cutting edge pieces of weaponry available, because it allowed to deliver immense force and was able to decimate