Claims to Fame: The B-17 Flying Fortress

by Steve Birdsall, Roger A. Freeman

The B-17 Flying Fortress was the most successful bomber in World War II, and was held in great affection by its crews. The claims to fame of this aircraft include the most missions flown, the shortest operational life, famous crew members, and the most damaged aircraft. Full service details and aircraft specifications as well as illustrations.

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

About the author

Steve Birdsall (born 1944) of Sydney, Australia, is an aviation writer who has authored many articles and books since the 1960s. He has been published by Air Classics, Flying Review International, Airpower Historian, and the American Aviation Historical Society Journal.
Birdsall toured briefly in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, as a correspondent for an Australian magazine. He flew several airborne missions including one in the A-1 Skyraider, about which he later wrote an illustrated history.
He should not be confused with American travel writer Stephen S. Birdsall.

Reviews

[Sandra D]

In honor of my dad, who was an 18-year-old ball turret gunner on a B-17 crew in the spring of 1945. He never talked to us about his experiences, so I read books like this trying to get a sense of what he went through during the war.

The authors used a different approach than most, presenting "biographies" of individual B-17s rather than their crews, so the book had an episodic structure rather than a sustained narrative and gave only brief glimpses of the human stories I'm looking for. Written by and for hardcore warbird enthusiasts, it may not be as interesting to the more casual reader.