2nd Bomb Group B-17B

With all four motors turning, this B-17B Flying Fortress of the 2nd Bomb Group readies to taxi at Langley Field in the late 1930’s.

The story goes that when reporters saw the machine guns bristling from an early B-17, they dubbed it a veritable “Flying Fortress.”  I have often questioned that tale, and here’s why: The four machine guns of an early B-17 did not represent a quantum leap in quantity when compared to the other bombers of the era. (The Martin B-10 carried 3)  One man’s opinion, but I have always felt the Flying Fortress name derived less from its armament and more from its size and its ability to defend neutrally-minded America. Or, it was just a good sounding name.