The Name, The Legend, The Flying Fortress

In 1935, just southeast of Seattle in Washington State, Boeing, a beacon of progress in the challenging realm of post-depression airplane design, was quietly crafting a masterpiece. In response to the US Army Air Corps' call for a new multi-engined bomber, a group of forward-thinking engineers at the Boeing Airplane Company dared to redefine the term "multi-engined." While conventional wisdom interpreted it as having two engines, these engineers, driven by foresight, saw an opportunity for innovation and envisioned four engines. Their endeavor remained shrouded in secrecy, as they toiled on the prototype of an advanced bomber, a machine that would become a legend in aviation history.

Their primary goal was to attain greater altitude over the target, yet this audacious decision had a profound impact, setting the Boeing Model 299 apart from its competitors by making it significantly larger. This bold interpretation not only aimed for strategic advantages but also marked the inception of the era of strategic bombing.

The culmination of their efforts unfolded in a hangar at Boeing Field, just southeast of Seattle. On the momentous afternoon of July 16, the veil was lifted, revealing the Boeing Model 299, a beautiful four engine marvel, to the eager public.

Capturing this historic event, a press photographer's lens immortalized the aircraft; presenting the details to Richard L. Williams, a member of the editorial staff. In describing the scene, Williams penned, 'Ropes kept a throng of spectators from closely inspecting the fifteen-ton flying fortress, which made its first public appearance yesterday afternoon when it was rolled out of its hangar and its motors tested.'

Notably, Williams emphasized the novel and numerous machine gun turrets, coining the evocative title: "15-TON FLYING FORTRESS."

The Model 299 rollout

This title resonated with Boeing's leadership and in a historic move, "Flying Fortress" was registered as the official Company name for their Model 299. This designation, while emphasizing the defensive stance of the nation during an era of isolationism, belied the aircraft's true potential as a flying gunship.

Initially conceived for long-range ocean patrol to safeguard America's coastline, the Flying Fortress harbored latent offensive capabilities that would come to be recognized by the Air Corps. However, the Army Air Corps, torn between preferences for the more advanced B-17 and budget constraints, invested in buying more of its cheaper twin-engined competitors.

Nonetheless, thirteen Flying Fortresses were acquired for trials, swiftly becoming the pride of the Air Corps and instrumental in advancing the strategic bombing concept and practice. The YB-17s, designated for the test models, entered service in 1937, proving to be as fast as contemporary Air Corps fighters. With turbo-superchargers enabling sub-stratospheric flight, the experimental Flying Fortress achieved an extraordinary speed of 300mph at 25,000 feet—a feat unparalleled for its size at the time.

This remarkable performance hinted at the Flying Fortress's ability to elude interception and outdistance anti-aircraft artillery. Equipped with a sophisticated bomb sight, the aircraft pioneered a revolutionary technique for daylight precision bombing, forever altering the landscape of air warfare.

The journey of Boeing's Flying Fortress, from clandestine beginnings to soaring capabilities, became an enduring legend etched in the annals of aviation history. Amidst political opposition, the Roosevelt administration grappled with a growing concern—Japan's imperialistic ambitions in the Pacific and the Nazi domination in Europe. The resistance to a formidable force of bombers was softened as the shadows of global conflict loomed large. It wasn't until late 1939, over four years after the prototype's debut, that the first true production versions of the Flying Fortress, the B-17B, found their way into the hands of the Air Corps. To be exact, this momentous acquisition occurred just 50 days after the eruption of World War II in Europe. The stage was set, and it would be in the unforgiving skies over Adolf Hitler's Third Reich in Europe that the Flying Fortress would carve its place in legend.

In the United States, the official designation B-17 was commonly used for the aircraft, though the Allies officially approved and widely adopted the abbreviated name "Fortress" – especially the British.

During the war years the vivid storytelling of the Allied news media transformed the Flying Fortress into more than a machine. Post war, the facts of the airplane’s service exploits, durability and war winning capability ensured that it became legend - the very embodiment of the American aerial bombardment effort.