B17 on Flypast's cover.

And another, but I think this one is well known

Previously unpublished pics, hope they’re of interest

That’s the root of my thinking. The 8th AF effort is (rightly) well represented but it’d be nice to see some lesser parts of the war effort given more prominence

I’m a big fan of the USAAF brightly coloured group markings, but I think the Fort would look great in green/brown/black with appropriate aerials, flame dampers etc. Hendon is the RAF museum after all, and the country already has an American Air Museum. 100 Group’s ECM duties were a small but important part of the overall conflict, and that technology has only become more important as time has gone on. The Hendon Fort has been in USAAF natural metal for 30 years; I’d be quite happy to see it repainted into RAF colours to tell this part of the technological war in the air. It’s nice to see the cover picture an adjusted photo rather than just an illustration to show a B-17 in RAF colours.

Absolutely, it’s quite right that the B17 represents the daylight offensive….but still, it’s another 8th AF B17 in a world full of 8th AF B17s. We have 3 B17 in this country, all painted as such. I’m not a big fan of “split paint schemes”, but in this case I think it would be a fantastic idea. It could represent many things – the split in the effort between night and day (assuming a night bomber scheme), the split between USAAF and RAF, the lend/lease scheme, the contribution to RAF inventory by US industry…

IMHO

Local lad was navigator on a Coastal Command fortress flying from the azores with 220 Sqdn. – U-boat hunting. Got a medal for finding and sinking the U707 ( and probably for getting back home).

If you look at the location of the U707 sinking on the map – it is a speck of water in the middle of nowhere. I assume Bletchley was involved ?
http://www.uboat.net/boats/u707.htm
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/220_wwII.html

So RAF Coastal Command Fortress 1 – would be nice to see at some time.

But I have a section of wing from a USAAF B17G in my store and those chaps deserve an awful lot of recognition.

Well it’s better than the one used on the current Britain at War, that is tenuous at its best in reflecting the content of the magazine.

Much as it would indeed be good to see an RAF schemed B-17, can I stick up for the Fortress as it is? It shows the combined bomber offensive and the daylight raids as a complement to the night ones. It acknowledges the huge effort and sacrifice there. A Coastal Command Fortress would be a bit out of place in that hall and 100 Group was a very specialized unit that could be covered by a display. There are other airframes nearby that are more in need of a rethink (in my opinion).

Perhaps paint one side in RAF colours – I am not entirely joking actually.

The RAN Sea fury wore Dutch colours on one side, I think, so there is a precedent.

85 fortress III used by coastal and 100 group so while not extensive, it’s not that tiny. I’m not convinced it should be there to tell the story of WW2 and it’s not as if that story isn’t covered elsewhere. I’ve no issue with RAFM displaying non RAF marked machines, I’d just like to see a B17 in something other than 8th AF colours and where better?

Ive thought for a long time that the Hendon B17 really should be put into RAF markings

Wrong Mark (G/Fortress III) for most of them. Besides, the limited use of Fortress IIIs by the RAF means if you’re trying to tell the story of WWII, it means more historically if it’s in USAAF colours.
And there are other AC in the RAF museum in USAAF markings.

Contents Page: Front cover. An artist’s rendition of RAF Boeing B-17 Fortress III KH999 ‘BU-W’ of 214 Squadron. Adam Tooby FINESTHOURART.COM

B&W photograph on page 53.

Here’s the B17 without the Flypast cover Branding: Finest Hour Facebook

The book I mentioned, Robert M. Stitt’s, “Boeing B-17 Fortress in RAF Coastal Command Service”, has a thorough 15-page section on the history of B-17E 41-9234, seen in post #4. It had been fully modified at the Cheyenne Modification Center (Wyoming) to Fortress IIA specifications and was painted in Coastal Command colors, with serial number FL461 appearing on the fuselage. It seems a delivery flight from Cheyenne to the RAF at Dorval (Montreal) was imminent when the US decided to retain the aircraft, modify it for US Army Air Force service, and send it off to fight the Japanese. It still rests where it crash landed at Black Cat Pass in Papua New Guinea.

I see the report makes the all too common mistake of saying the aircraft crashed in Papua New Guinea; but there was no such place in 1943; Papua New Guinea only came into existence in 1975 when the former Territory of Papua and New Guinea gained Independence from Australia. In 1943 the Western part of the island of New Guinea was Dutch New Guinea and the Eastern part was composed of two territories: New Guinea in the North and Papua in the South, the latter two administered by Australia (and, in part, by the Japanese!)
Jim.

Is that a real B17 in RAF colours, If so which one?
Now that’s an aircraft I would love to see.

Contents Page: Front cover. An artist’s rendition of RAF Boeing B-17 Fortress III KH999 ‘BU-W’ of 214 Squadron. Adam Tooby FINESTHOURART.COM

B&W photograph on page 53.

Ive thought for a long time that the Hendon B17 really should be put into RAF markings

When purchasing my copy had to check twice that I was not buying PC pilot :highly_amused:

That’s one disappointing cover! I hope it’s not a trend.

Robert M. Stitt’s excellent 2010 book, “Boeing B-17 Fortress in RAF Coastal Command Service” has two or three color photos of RAF Fortresses, plus a ten-page color artwork section (mostly side-view renditions). Highly recommended.

About four or five years ago I found these photos of a remote control Fortress under construction, in 90 Sqn colors:

http://www.cdscaledesigns.com/Images%20B-17C/Prototype/PICT0044.JPG
http://www.cdscaledesigns.com/Images%20B-17C/Prototype/PICT0049.JPG

The main website seems to be down, but I can still access these two photos. Copied below, too.

I think it’s AN 529, which I know was aircraft “C” when it force-landed in the Libyan desert on 8 Nov 1941 while on an ME detachment. 90 Sqn was the first unit to take the Fortress into combat. Many valuable lessons were learned the hard way!

Not only did Coastal Command use B-17’s but I think 213 Squadron used them for ECM sorties later in WW2. The radar housing replaced the chin turret and they were painted in standered Bomber Command camouflage colours.

Think it was returned to you, old boy. You point one finger, three more point back at you…;o)