The heavily armed, four-engined mainstay of the US Eighth Air Force's daylight precision bombing campaign against Germany, flown in tight defensive 'combat box' formations. Its ability to absorb battle damage and still bring its crew home gave the aircraft its name and its reputation.
B-17 - Chino Airshow 2014Airwolfhound · CC BY-SA 2.0 · sourceFrom the source: "Boeing B-17F Boeing B-17F-5-BO (S/N 41-24406) "All American III" of the 97th Bomb Group, 414th Bomb Squadron, in flight after a collision with an Me-109. The aircraft was able to land safely. (U.S. Air Related image indicates photographer was Airman aboard the B-17 “The Flying Flit Gun”, Lt. Charles 'Cliff' Cutforth. · Public domain · source95.BG "Sarkcsillag" nevű B-17F Flying Fortress bombázógép.FOTO:Fortepan — ID 15948: Adományozó/Donor: National Archives. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source