fbpx

Through the Ages B-17, Keep ‘Em Flying

Through the Ages B-17, Keep ‘Em Flying vintage style poster art.

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). From its introduction in 1938, the B-17 Flying Fortress evolved through numerous design advances.

The B-17 was primarily employed by the USAAF in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial and military targets. The United States Eighth Air Force, based at many airfields in central and southern England, and the Fifteenth Air Force, based in Italy, complemented the RAF Bomber Command’s nighttime area bombing in the Combined Bomber Offensive to help secure air superiority over the cities, factories and battlefields of Western Europe in preparation for the invasion of France in 1944. 

The B-17 also participated to a lesser extent in the War in the Pacific, early in World War II, where it conducted raids against Japanese shipping and airfields. In addition to its role as a bomber, the B-17 was also employed as a transport, antisubmarine warfare platform, drone controller, and search-and-rescue aircraft. As of May 2015, ten aircraft remain airworthy, a few dozen more are in storage or on static display. The oldest B-17 is a D-series combat veteran with service in the Pacific and the Caribbean.

mikerossbiopic
micael-signature-2

Design by Michael Ross

Location: New Orleans, LA
Michael spent his childhood reading such literary classics as “Sgt. Rock” and “Enemy Ace”, spending hours copying the illustrations. He later received a B.A. in Art and still uses his comic book influence along with his love of history and aviation in his work.

Browse Michael's Portfolio