B-17

[ bee-sev-uhn-teen ]

noun,plural B-17's.U.S. Military.

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.

Origin of B-17

First recorded in 1940–45

Also called B-17 Fly·ing For·tress, Fly·ing For·tress [flahy-ing fawr-tris] /ˈflaɪ ɪŋ ˈfɔr trɪs/ .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Last Sunday’s column about the rough landing of a radio-controlled B-17 during a 1948 air show at the District’s Bolling Air Force Base raised a few questions, one in particular.
More on the Flying Fortress that had trouble landing at a 1948 air show | John Kelly | September 25, 2021 | Washington Post
They calmed down when Cronkite informed them his ass had been over the Channel and back in a B-17.
The Story of the American Journalists Who Landed on D-Day | Timothy M. Gay | June 6, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The B-17 bombers, however, were heavily armed and could defend themselves fairly well.
The Biography of a Rabbit | Roy Benson
Freddy snorted, and glanced out the port at the broad expanse of sun-flooded Indian Ocean beneath the wings of the B-17.
Dave Dawson on Guadalcanal | Robert Sydney Bowen
Of course, the B-36 is much more complicated to build than the B-17, and far more expensive.
State of the Union Addresses of Harry S. Truman | Harry S. Truman

We used to think that the B-17 was a huge plane, and the blockbuster it carried a huge load.
State of the Union Addresses of Harry S. Truman | Harry S. Truman
Alfred Jocque was in the bunk next to me and he was the bombadier on a B-17 that was shot down.
The Biography of a Rabbit | Roy Benson

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