Gallery 2 - Heavy Bombers: B-17, B-24, B-29, and more

Photos from Army Air Forces in World War II, "Men and Planes"

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The Planes

Historical Aviation Pictures

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B-17H in flight, overhead view

B-17H

B-17F in flight, ventral view

B-17F Tail #124523. Note 1942-43 USAAC simple roundel. This airplane, "Li'l Audrey/Snooks," of the 91st Bomb Group, collided with another B-17 over the English Channel on Aug 31 1943. MACR 563. 10 KIA.

More at 323rd website.

B-17 Flying Fortress, tail number 238091

B-17G Flying Fortress Tail #238091 flying over water; Note 1943 red-border USAAF roundel on left wing.

This airpane, serial #42-38091, was built by Douglas at Long Beach, California, block B-17G-30-DL.
B-17s with contrails

B-17s Join Group

B-17 flying over town and farmland

B-17 in flight over town and farmland. Note unusual white-bordered (or possibly yellow-bordered) roundel.

B-17 ground crew changing engines

B-17 Engine Change Six engines being serviced in foreground. The L-triangle tail marking identifies the 381st Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force. The 381st was based at Ridgewell Airfield in Essex.

Jeep towing two bombs up to B-17

Loading B-17

B-17, 384th BG, all-metal finish, in flight

B-17G of the 384th BG 546th Squadron, indicated by the Triangle-P tail marking and BKJ fuselage marking. Serial #44-6882, "Boomerang."

More at the 384th BG site.

B-17  silhouetted against contrails

B-17 silhouetted against contrails

Boeing B-17 flying over airfield

Boeing B-17F flying over airfield. Tail #1-24639, "Careful Virgin" of the 323rd Bomb Group, 91st BG.

Later used in Aphrodite mission. Launched against V-1 site at Pas-de-Calais, but impacted short of target.

B-17E, Alabama Exterminator II on ground, clouds behind

B-17E , Alabama Exterminator II, on ground, clouds behind. Tail #1-9022. Assigned to 97th BG, crashed in Greenland Jun 27, 1942.

B-17 in the clouds

B-17 In Flight

overhead view of B-24 Liberator in flight

B-24E Liberator. Tail #1-28411 identifies this as a Douglas-Tulsa aircraft, Block B-24E-1-DT.

B-24 Liberator on concrete runway, people looking

B-24 Liberator

Laredo groundcrew servicing B-24 engines

B-24 Maintenance at Laredo airfield, Texas, 1944.

Consolidated B-24 on concrete runway

Consolidated B-24

B-29 Superfortress flying over lake

B-29 Superfortress Tail #2-24638 identifies this as a Block B-29-40-BW, probably assigned to 497th, 498th, or 497th BG.

XB-15 Super Flying Fortress on runway

XB-15 Super Flying Fortress

two B-29s In Flight over desert

B-29s in flight over desert

B-29 Superfortress

group of people by B-29 Superfortress, mountains in background

XB-36 Compared to B-29

XB-36 Compared to B-29

B-36 Consolidated Vultee in flight

Consolidated Vulteee XB-36. Serial #42-13570 identifies this aircraft, as it was the first (and only) XB-36; it was completed at the Consolidated Fort Worth factory in late 1945. The airframe was converted to YB-36A in 1948.

B-36, crew, and vehicles lined up for inspection

B-36, crews, and vehicles lined up for inspection.

First Photo of Douglas B-19

First Photo of Douglas B-19

B-32 Dominator flying over American farmland

B-32 Dominator

XB-15 with red dot roundels, in flight

XB-15

Super Flying Fortress over Wright Memorial

Super Flying Fortress

B-15 Lands in Panama

B-15 Lands in Panama

B-19 Landing

B-19 Landing

XB-19 Soars over the Clouds

XB-19 Soars over the Clouds

All images courtesy of Air Force Historical Research Agency