B-17

American  

[bee-sev-uhn-teen] / ˈbiˌsɛv ənˈtin /

noun

U.S. Military.

plural

B-17's

1. a heavy bomber with four radial piston engines, widely used over Europe and the Mediterranean by the U.S. Air Force in World War II.

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Etymology

Origin of B-17

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Initially used by RAF Bomber Command, it was handed to US Army Air Force later that year and B-17 bomber crews trained there.

From BBC

“The journey they had to go through for the greater good, putting them in the most vulnerable atmosphere ever known to mankind,” he says, noting that the skin on the B-17 bomber was about as thick as a Coke can.

From Los Angeles Times

One B-17 survives Luftwaffe attacks and crash-lands in Northern Africa.

From Los Angeles Times

Eighth Air Force and served as a radio gunner on a B-17, the massive bomber known as the Flying Fortress.

From New York Times

“We weren’t doing it for honors and awards. We were doing it to save our country. And we ended up helping save the world,” said 98-year-old Anna Mae Krier, who worked as a riveter building B-17 and B-29 bombers.

From Seattle Times