Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is an excellent reference source on the B-17., November 11, 1998
Anyone familiar with the history of the B-17 and, in particular, the Eighth Air Force, knows the name of Roger Freeman. Author of the reknowned series beginning with "The Mighty Eighth", Freeman and co-author David Osborne assembled a new volume entitled "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story." This new book fills a gap in the literature about the Flying Fortress. The first quarter of the book covers the type in general, from initial design through production and modifications. Included here are excerpts from technical orders and operating manuals. Also included are a selection of somewhat rare photos and a special section on the Wright R-1820 engine. Of greater significance to the student of the B-17, however, are the last three quarters of the book. This section provides individual aircraft histories for each of the 12,700-odd B-17s produced by the consortium of Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed between 1935 and 1945. This massive undertaking was apparently performed by Osborne reviewing each of the individual military record cards available and tying that information to other available sources. Thus, having the military serial of a particular B-17 (say, for example, from a photograph) enables a reader to see where that aircraft came from and its eventual disposition. The information is, by necessity, brief but usually contains specifics on an aircraft if it was lost in action. There are a few noted errors, surpisingly, for those B-17s which survived to enjoy civil service as that information is available elswhere in detailed form. Other editing errors (i.e. the book refers to the `Reclamation Finance Centre' (RFC) vs. the actual `Reconstruction Finance Corporation') may appear but such minor things can be overlooked in such a gigantic effort.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Book title misleading, May 31, 2001
By A Customer
When I first saw this book in hardcover, I jumped on it. After seeing the hardcover price, however, and what was "inside" I found I could leave it on the shelf. This book is basically the aircraft history of every single B-17 ever built. Now, if that's what you're looking for - then this book is for you. If, however, you're looking for the comprehensive narrative history of the B-17 Flying Fortress that you "thought" this book was going to give you -- keep looking. That's not what this is. Now that it's in paperback, I MIGHT consider purchasing it. As someone has said, this is like the "B-17 telephone book". It's an awesome reference work on each individual aircraft just like they maintain at the USAF Historical Research Agency in Montgomery, Alabama. For many, this book is ideal. For most of us, that's probably way too much detailed airframe information than we care for.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The B-17 Flying Fortress Story, November 23, 2000
By A Customer
I was rather disappointed with the content of the book. Over 70% of it has little to do with "story" as the title promises. The majority of the book is more like a telephone book, with a 250-page (out of the total 319 pages) listing of 12,731 B-17s. Each of the entries starts with a US Army serial number assinged to the aircraft, followed by a series of dates and proper names (i.e., the aircraft's base assignments while in the U.S.). The length of the entries can be anywhere between 2 to 10 lines. The book is a valuable companion for B-17 experts or for people who has a passion for certain recorded facts about those 12,731 B-17s listed. And the 250-page listing is obviously an admirable outcome of strenuous work. But I would not recommend this book to people who want to read touching and exciting stories of or about the Flying Fortress. I have a feeling that I was misled by the book's title.
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