Wingleader Photo Archive 48 - B-17 Fortress in RAF Service

Before America declared war, Churchill was keen to get US aircraft into the RAF, if only for propaganda. In the autumn of 1940 the British tried to buy some B-17s, but were told that the few B-17s available were all earmarked for the USAAC. However, they were persuaded to part with 20 B-17s for operational trials, the results of which would be reported on by American ‘Observers’ based with the squadron. The B-17Cs were used by 90 Squadron to trial high-altitude bombing, but were not a success.

The B-17 was next tried with RAF Coastal Command as a long range maritime patrol aircraft. By this time the more advanced Mk.II was available (Based on the B-17E and F), with the distinctive dorsal fin fillet and redesigned armament. Again, the B-17 didn’t suit this role very well, but it saw more widespread service than in the bomber role.

The final RAF use of the B-17 was with 100 Group in the Radio Counter-Measures role. This time the airframes were mainly based on the B-17G and known as the Fortress Mk.III. Their task was to fly above the bomber stream over the target area and disrupt the enemy radio communications via a wide array of electronic devices. This they did very well from spring 1944 right up until the end of WW2.

Our two authors along with the editor and our Bomber Command specialist Peter Allam, have all spent a lot of time digging through the archives to find the true story of the B-17 in RAF service which was often hidden by wartime propaganda. The same goes for the multitude of aerials which were often removed by censors. Here for the first time you can see them in all their glory and more importantly, find out what they were!

There are the usual, ‘I never knew that’ moments, especially with the 100 Group aircraft where we rewrite a lot of accepted knowledge on the subject and show that pretty much every 100 Group B-17 model displayed on the internet is inaccurate.