ILLUSTRATIONS BY GREGORY PROCH Tools of the Trade Three bombers – the B-17, the Avro Lancaster and the B-29 – were the principal aircraft that airmen under Harris, Spaatz and LeMay flew to prosecute World War II’s strategic bombing campaigns. LENGTH: 74 ft 4 in HEIGHT: GUNS: 13x M-2 Browning .50-caliber 19 ft 1 in machine guns in twin turrets WINGSPAN: 103 ft 9 in ENGINES: 4x Wright R-1820-97 Cyclone turbo-supercharged radial engines, 1,200 hp each CHARACTERISTICS PERFORMANCE Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress CREW: 10 (pilot, co-pilot, naviga- MAXIMUM SPEED: 287 mph tor, bombardier/nose-gunner, CRUISE SPEED: 182 mph flight engineer/top turret-gunner, RANGE: 2,000 mi with 6,000 lb The war’s most iconic heavy bomber, the B-17 first flew on July 28, 1935. Reporters quickly dubbed it the “Flying radio operator, two waist- bomb load Fortress” because of its heavy defensive armament. The most famous B-17 of World War II was the Memphis Belle. gunners, ball turret-gunner, SERVICE CEILING: 35,600 ft tail-gunner) ARMAMENT LENGTH: 74 ft 4 in GUNS: 13x M-2 Browning .50- WINGSPAN: 103 ft 9 in caliber machine guns in twin HEIGHT: 19 ft 1 in turrets, plus single dorsal, fore EMPTY WEIGHT: 36,135 lb and aft beam positions (with LOADED WEIGHT: 54,000 lb optional extra nose armament) ENGINES: 4x Wright R-1820-97 BOMB LOAD: Short-range (<400 Cyclone turbo-supercharged mi) – 8,000 lb; long-range (800 radial engines, 1,200 hp each mi) – 4,500 lb ILLUSTRATIONS BY GREGORY PROCH LENGTH: GUNS: 18x .303-in machine 69 ft 5 in guns in three turrets HEIGHT: 19 ft 7 in ENGINES: 4x Rolls-Royce Merlin XX V12 engines, 1,280 hp each WINGSPAN: 102 ft CHARACTERISTICS PERFORMANCE Avro Lancaster CREW: 8 (pilot, flight engineer, MAXIMUM SPEED: 280 mph at navigator, bomb aimer, wireless 15,000 ft operator, mid-gunner, upper- RANGE: 3,000 mi with minimum The most famous and successful of Bomber Command’s night bombers, the “Lanc” delivered 608,612 tons of bombs in gunner, rear-gunner) bomb load 156,000 sorties during the war. It was also used for daylight bombing and gained renown as the “Dam Buster” bomber in the LENGTH: 69 ft 5 in SERVICE CEILING: 23,500 ft 1943 raids on Germany’s Ruhr Valley dams. WINGSPAN: 102 ft ARMAMENT HEIGHT: 19 ft 7 in GUNS: 18x .303-in machine guns EMPTY WEIGHT: 36,828 lb in three turrets LOADED WEIGHT: 63,000 lb BOMB LOAD: Maximum – 22,000 ENGINES: 4x Rolls-Royce lbs; Typical – 14,000 lbs Merlin XX V12 engines, 1,280 hp each ILLUSTRATIONS BY GREGORY PROCH LENGTH: 99 ft HEIGHT: GUNS: 12x .50-cal M-2 Browning 29 ft 7 in machine guns in remote-controlled turrets; 1x 20 mm M-2 cannon in tail WINGSPAN: 141 ft 3 in ENGINES: 4x Wright R-3350-23 turbo-supercharged radial engines, 2,200 hp each CHARACTERISTICS PERFORMANCE Boeing B-29 Superfortress CREW: 11 (aircraft MAXIMUM SPEED: 357 mph commander/pilot, co-pilot, flight CRUISE SPEED: 220 mph engineer, bombardier, navigator, COMBAT RADIUS: 3,250 mi The product of the U.S. Army Air Forces long-range bomber program, the B-29 was the most advanced bomber and one of radio operator, radar observer, RANGE: 5,600 mi the largest aircraft of World War II. It had a pressurized cabin, a centralized fire-control system, and remote-controlled two blister-gunners, CFC upper- SERVICE CEILING: 33,600 ft gunner, tail-gunner) ARMAMENT machine-gun turrets. The most famous B-29, the Enola Gay, dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, August 6, 1945. LENGTH: 99 ft GUNS: 12x .50-cal M-2 Browning WINGSPAN: 141 ft 3 in machine guns in remote-con- HEIGHT: 29 ft 7 in trolled turrets; 1x 20 mm M-2 EMPTY WEIGHT: 74,500 lb cannon in tail LOADED WEIGHT: 138,000 lb BOMB LOAD: 20,000 lb (high (max) explosive and/or incendiary) ENGINES: 4x Wright R-3350-23 turbo-supercharged radial engines, 2,200 hp each.