Airfix Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Part 15

The Boeing B-17 boasts a remarkable legacy as both a strategic weapon and an enduring symbol of American air power during the Second World War. Designed as a large multi-engine bomber with substantial defensive armament, the B-17 was introduced in 1938.
First seeing combat with the RAF in 1941, where it was used to carry out bombing raids in France, its poor performance suggested that improved defences and greater bombing accuracy were needed if the B-17 was ever to be relied upon as a heavy bomber. Later variants like the B-17G proved more effective and it gradually became a potent strategic weapon, capable of carrying out high-altitude, long-range attacks.
Despite heavy defensive armament, B-17s still suffered at the hands of enemy fighters and it was only with the advent of long-range escort fighters that the losses became acceptable.
In the Pacific, the B-17 established itself as a resilient fighting force, faring well under fierce Japanese attack from Pearl Harbour to the Philippines. In Europe, as part of the Eighth Air Force, the B-17 also played a crucial role in the 'Combined Bomber Offensive', a joint USAAF-RAF strategic bombing operation against industrial and Luftwaffe targets throughout Germany from 1943-1945. Of the 1.5 million tonnes of bombs dropped on German targets by USAAF aircraft, the B-17 alone was responsible for nearly 700,000.
Specifications:
Maximum Speed: 287mph
Range: 2,000 miles
Wingspan: 103ft 9in
Length: 74ft 9in
Armament: 13 x .50in Browning machine guns (2 in the chin turret, 2 on the nose cheeks, 2 staggered waist guns, 2 in the upper Sperry turret, 2 in the ball turret, 2 in the tail and 1 in the radio compartment), 8,000lbs of bombs.