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Graham M. Simons
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Boeing B-17: The Fifteen Ton Flying Fortress Kindle Edition

by Graham M. Simons (Author), Harry Friedman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 180 ratings
“Fascinating insight into the early development of the B-17 Flying Fortress . . . undoubtedly outshines other books on this significant WWII aircraft.” —Air Mail
 
The Boeing B-17 was the first American heavy bomber to see action in World War II when it was supplied to the RAF. The design originated in 1934 when the US Air Corps was looking for a heavy bomber to reinforce air forces in Hawaii, Panama and Alaska. For its time, the design included many advanced features, and Boeing continued to develop the aircraft as experience of the demands of long-distance flying at high altitude was gained.
 
When the United States entered WWII, production of the aircraft was rapidly increased and it became the backbone of the USAAF in all theaters of war. This book describes how it was built and utilizes many hitherto unpublished photographs from the design studio and production lines. It illustrates and explains the many different roles that the aircraft took as the war progressed. Heavy bomber, reconnaissance, antisubmarine, and air-sea rescue operations; there were few roles that this solid design could not adopt.
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  1. Print length
    559 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Aviation
  4. Publication date
    December 1, 2011
  5. File size
    13.9 MB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a fascinating recap of the research and development of the bomber and all its subsystems and variants."
Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

About the Author

English professional aviation writer, publisher and historian Graham M Simons is one of the founders of the world famous aviation museum at Duxford near Cambridge where his interest was piqued watching the making of the ‘Battle of Britain’ film there in the late 1960’s and from the days when you could go ‘aircraft spotting’ at London Heathrow and other airports.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00E8HPKQ0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Aviation (December 1, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 1, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 13.9 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 559 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 180 ratings

About the author

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Graham M. Simons

Graham M. Simons

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GRAHAM M. SIMONS was one of the founders of the world-famous aviation museum at Duxford near Cambridge where his interest was piqued watching the making of the film Battle of Britain there in the late 1960s. From this, and with an engineering background, he progressed to membership of a number of aviation societies, including sitting on the British Aviation Preservation Council, eventually taking the position of Engineering Director with one group. There he was responsible for overseeing the restoration of a de Havilland DH89 Dragon Rapide airliner to flying condition and placing this aircraft – with official approval – in the colours and markings of the first aircraft of what was then the King’s Flight. Graham combines his love of writing with his skills in production to create and publish aviation histories focused on a variety of subjects.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
180 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides excellent technical details and a comprehensive history of the B-17's development. They appreciate its readability, with one customer noting it's highly recommended for aviation enthusiasts.

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15 customers mention "Information quality"15 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's technical overview and myriad details, with one customer noting how it explains the progress of the B-17's original development.

"Very thorough about all aspects of the history of the aircraft including the challenges of incorporating the various improvements made to the basic..." Read more

"...latter and was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is a technical overview...." Read more

"...Filled with technical details about the development of the airframe, engines and fighting systems, the book is a treasure trove of information...." Read more

"Great book. Highly informative. A lot of history and facts. Highly recommended for an aviation buff." Read more

10 customers mention "History"8 positive2 negative

Customers appreciate the book's comprehensive coverage of the aircraft's history, including many little-known facts.

"Great book. Highly informative. A lot of history and facts. Highly recommended for an aviation buff." Read more

"This book gives a fairly complete history of the development and deployment of the B-17 both in the Pacific and in Europe...." Read more

"...development and improvement of the fabled B-17 is an excellent account of the plane's history...." Read more

"...Stuff that may fascinate an engineer, but stuff to a history buff is very dry and not so interesting. Adding a chin turret - interesting to me...." Read more

10 customers mention "Readability"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very readable, with one customer noting that the authors do a good job.

"...The authors do a good job of looking at all the modifications and sub-variants of the B-17 and found some photos that I had never seen in my..." Read more

"Great book. Highly informative. A lot of history and facts. Highly recommended for an aviation buff." Read more

"...from incorrectly scanned text (strange or misspelled words) but is quite readable...." Read more

"...Quite readable, and fascinating for airplane enthusiasts." Read more

5 customers mention "Aviation history"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's coverage of aviation history, with one customer highlighting the remarkable people who flew this great aircraft and another noting its interesting comparisons with other bombers.

"...Highly informative. A lot of history and facts. Highly recommended for an aviation buff." Read more

"...The comparison with other bombers is interesting as it highlights the design shortcomings of the B-17 as well as highlighted its many outstanding..." Read more

"...From its inception through World War II and the remarkable people who flew this great aircraft." Read more

"Interesting detail about a great famous aircraft..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Robert L. Champoux
    5.0 out of 5 stars great insights into the B-17
    Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Very thorough about all aspects of the history of the aircraft including the challenges of incorporating the various improvements made to the basic aircraft
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  • JJ Cooper
    4.0 out of 5 stars Solid technical look at the B-17
    Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    With books about individual aircraft they are usually either a collection of "I was there stories" or a technical look at the aircraft, its development and its service history. I prefer the latter and was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is a technical overview. The authors do a good job of looking at all the modifications and sub-variants of the B-17 and found some photos that I had never seen in my extensive reading on the subject.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Erl Gould Purnell
    3.0 out of 5 stars A Lot of Tecnical Detail
    Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Want to know more about the B-17? Well this book will tell you everything you ever wanted to know and more. Filled with technical details about the development of the airframe, engines and fighting systems, the book is a treasure trove of information. Particularly interesting are the myriad details about everything from communications to weapons to drone applications. Moreover, there are plenty of excellent pictures of the B-17 in all of its various incarnations. I was curious about learning the intricacies of the B-17 and this book certainly filled that void.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • dcbod
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great B-17 book.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Great book. Highly informative. A lot of history and facts. Highly recommended for an aviation buff.
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  • B. Peterson
    4.0 out of 5 stars This book gives a fairly complete history of the development ...
    Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This book gives a fairly complete history of the development and deployment of the B-17 both in the Pacific and in Europe. The Kindle version suffers from the typical problems that apparently come from incorrectly scanned text (strange or misspelled words) but is quite readable. The information on the modifications with each model and which serial numbers received those changes is helpful.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Brian Campbell
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Flying Fortress is real
    Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This sometimes overly detailed work on the development and improvement of the fabled B-17 is an excellent account of the plane's history. From initial stages of a proposed coastal defense role to the strategic bomber it became is throughly discussed in the book along with many excellent photographs, many I have never seen prior. The comparison with other bombers is interesting as it highlights the design shortcomings of the B-17 as well as highlighted its many outstanding features as a high altitude precision bomber. I was not aware of the controversy on the bomb site between Sperry and Norden and the conversion of the bombers to drone explosive laden remote controlled bombs themselves. I am always intrigued by the dedication of the aircrews that took this fifteen ton airplane and flew it into hell and back day after day. They are truly "the Greatest Generation".
    3 people found this helpful
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  • John F. Bell
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I expect.that I have read nearly all of the b 17 books.that there are, this one is different, there are.only facts here, no embellishment. none.is.necessary. I have flown the plane,. back when I was just a kid and fell in love, this book told me.why I fell.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer Kathy Kingsbury Roessler
    5.0 out of 5 stars Its not perfect and has many uncaught editing errors
    Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Its not perfect and has many uncaught editing errors. Having said that I have not found another book with so many details about the development of the B-17. It is not an "exciting" book for the most part a flat enumeration of facts. But nowhere else together are these facts to be found. If you want to comprehend the common aircraft that grew to become the legend this is the book for you.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Ayrshire Davie
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Story of a Legendary Bomber
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I found this book a fascinating tale of the design,development and deployment of the "Fort". Suitable for Military Aviation enthusiasts.
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  • T. Joyce
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good history, but more detail would have been nice.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    A very interesting read, quite a bit I was familiar with already but with plenty of new material. Descriptions of the various versions of the B-17, complete with lists of block numbers & in-service modifications. Well illustrated with photographs - although I would have liked to have seen some diagrams/drawings too. There are other books for that I suppose. Slighty let down by poor proofreading in parts - although not enough to mar the book repeated mistakes along the lines of "In service the B-17 . . . in service." do stick out like sore thumbs. A nice extra was the description of the work of the ground crews - often forgotten in histories of this type but vital in keeping the planes flying.
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  • tenpin
    3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Boring
    Report
  • Dogface
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    superb book. Everything you'd want to know about the B17
    Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    fascinating detail for all plane nuts
    Report

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