B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the MTO (Combat Aircraft) [Paperback]

William Hess (Author), Mark Styling (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Combat Aircraft | Publication Date: January 25, 2003

Osprey's study of the B-17 Flying Fortress Units of World War II (1939-1945). Although the Fifteenth Air Force was dismissed as 'minor leaguers' by the Eighth Air Force, strategic bombers from this outfit had done a 'major league' job on Axis targets in southern Europe following its formation in Italy in November 1943. And the heavy bombers employed by the Fifteenth were of course the venerable B-17 and B-24. At its peak strength, the Fifteenth's B-17 force comprised six groups of four squadrons each, all controlled by the 5th Bomb Wing. Having been a part of the Fifteenth Air Force in 1944, author Bill Hess has long been waiting to write a definitive account on 'his air force'.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Osprey's Combat series combines the best archival photography available with specially commissioned artworks and first hand accounts, making these books favourites amongst historians, modellers and aviation enthusiasts everywhere.

About the Author

William Hess is the official historian for the American Fighter Aces Association, and is one of the most highly respected aviation writers of his generation. A B-17 crewman during World War 2, Hess has written over 40 books during his long and distinguished career. This is his third title for Osprey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (January 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841765805
• ISBN-13: 978-1841765808
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,180,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 99th BG 15th AF Foggia, October 19, 2009

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99th BG "99th BG" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the MTO (Combat Aircraft) (Paperback)

Well worth the cost. A nice addition to my collection of books on the subject mainly for the photographs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flying Forts in MTO Action!, August 29, 2008

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Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the MTO (Combat Aircraft) (Paperback)

Though dismissed as the 'minor league' by their 8th AF counterparts, the six B-17 groups assigned to the 15th Air Force flew their share of tough missions. Established in October 1943, the 15th AF's 5th Bomb Wing eventually included the 2nd, 97th, 99th, 301st, 463rd and 483rd Bomb Groups. The missions they flew - to Ploesti, Budapest, Rome, Vienna and Berlin - and the history they made is the subject of Bill Hess' 2003 Osprey book, #38 in their 'Combat Aircraft' series.

The 15th's initial B-17 units were drawn from the 12th AF; subsequent BGs reporting straight from the States. In time, North African targets were replaced by Italian targets and, in turn, targets in the Balkans, Germany and France just as the B-17Fs intially flown gave way to B-17Gs. Fifth BW B-17s nicknamed 'Patches,' 'Bad Penny,' 'Glittering Gal,' 'El Diablo,' 'Bad Penny,' and 'Rigor-Mortis' fought their way through the flak- and fighter-filled skies over Ploesti, Werner-Neustadt, Regensburg, Anzio and countless targets, sometimes with heavy losses. By war's end, a number of 5th BW B-17 units had won DUCs.

With such a large canvas, Hess does a good job summarizing 5th BW missions, including a number of exciting first-person narratives. The book includes over 80 photographs, 13 pages of color profiles and three pages of nose-art close-ups. The photos include three classic battle damage shots: 'All American' (97th BG) almost cut in half by a mid-air with a Bf 109; the mangled - and almost severed - waist section of the 2nd BG's 'Sweet Pea' and the 483rd BG B-17G staggering through the sky with its nose completely shot away. The 15th AF had its share of tough missions!

Recommended.