B-17 Flying Fortress: The Symbol of Second World War Air Power

Frederick A. Johnsen is one of the world's foremost authorities on U.S. military aviation history and the author of more than 15 books on the subject. An Air Force historian since 1981, he was formerly a consulting curator for an aerospace museum, and editor of Western Flyer. His books include B-24 Liberator: Rugged but Right, P-47 Thunderbolt, A-26 Invader, F4U Corsair and Douglas A-1 Skyraider. He has contributed to many aviation and general interest periodicals, including Aviation Week and Space Technology , FlyPast, and the Seattle Times. Assigned to the Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, he has been a collector of flight memorabilia since the age of 5 in 1956.

Chapter 1: Staking a Claim to the Sky: The Air Corps and Strategic Bombardment. Chapter 2: By Design: Evolution of the Flying Fortress. Chapter 3: Bombs Away! Chapter 4: The Human Element: People Animated the B-17. Chapter 5: By Example: Arming the Flying Fortress. Chapter 6: Other Lands: Foreign Countries Also Flew the Fortress. Chapter 7: After Victory: B-17s in Postwar Use. Appendix: Representative Flying Fortress Specifications.