B-17 In Blue: The Flying Fortress in U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard Service

The B-17 Flying Fortress remains one of the best known aircraft in the history of American aviation. This volume effectively tells, for the first time, the little known history of the B-17 in both Navy and Coast Guard service from the mid-194 0s through the late 1950s. Operating as the PB-1W, the Navy Fortresses pioneered the development of radar for airborne early warning and the modern AWACs airplanes. The Coast Guard PB-1Gs, equipped with either wooden or inflatable lifeboats, providing air -sea rescue capability and international iceberg patrol for over a decade of service. Here is the complete story, in both words and never-before-seen photos, of the famous B-17 in this little known but important service. Complete individual histories of a ll the B-17s operated by the Navy and Coast Guard, including those that survive today in various museums. A must for any B-17 library.