B-17 Production Question

[jdvoss]

During WWII there were 12,731 B-17's produced as follows: Lockheed-Vega (Burbank)- 3,000 ; Douglas (Long Beach) - 3,000 and Boeing (Seattle) - 6,731. I am curious as to when the B-17 production was terminated for each of the plant sites ( i.e.month and hopefully day).

Does any one have access to such information ?

Thanking you in advance,

JDV
http://www.fuselagecodes.com

[aerovin]

Aircraft record cards show the last Douglas built B-17G accepted by the AAF was 44-83882 on July 31, 1945. The last serialed Douglas B-17G was 44-83885 that was accepted on June 28, 1945. There were also a bunch of 45-xxxx serialed B-17Gs built by Douglas but never accepted and scrapped on site at Long Beach.

For Vega, the last B-17G was the last serialed aircraft, 44-85841, and it was shown as accepted on July 31, 1945.

Boeing production ended in April 1945....I don't have details in front of me for that production.

[Randy Wilson]

From "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story" by Roger A. Freeman, page 27. Note that the production numbers are just for the last model (B-17G) from each plant:

"... Boeing delivering its 4,035th and last B-17G on 13 April 1945. The final B-17G from Long Beach, the 2,395th, was rolled out in July 1945 and the Lockheed Vega line was the last to close with its 2,250th aircraft delivered on 4 August 1945."

Hope that helps. Randy

[jdvoss]

Scott and Randy,

Thank you so much for your prompt feedback on the termination dates for B-17 production. I have since researched that Boeing completed its final B-17 on April 13, 1945. As the B-17's were assigned exclusively to the ETO and MTO theaters of operation (post 1943) I find it quite interesting that the final B-17's produced were within 10 days or so of the atom bombings of Japan. So the question arises what was the USAAF doing with all these factory fresh aircraft post V-E day? There must have been several hundred apparently parked somewhere. I have noted that the majority of USN and USCG B-17's (aka PB-1) that were used post-war were primarily Douglas and Vega produced A/C. So presumably these aircraft may well have come from these excess stocks.

I am curious as to where all these A/C may have been stored. They must have been retained in a strategic location for eventual usage. After all, prior to the A-bombing military planners had forecasted that the war would continue until 1947...possibly 1950.

Anyone have further input???

JDV
www.fuselagecodes.com

[aerovin]

The postwar use of the B-17 was the subject of the book Final Cut. It is currently out of print but there are copies around, the 4th edition being the most current. I'm working on the 5th edition now but no timeline yet on when it will be available. Interesting subject.

http://www.aerovintage.com/final.htm

And yes, twenty of the USN PB-1Ws came from the last batch of Douglas prodiction, and the sixteen USCG PB-1Gs came from the last of the Vega production. Several hundred new B-17s were placed into storage by the AAF and many of these were pulled out for use for a variety of puposes by the USAF in the subsequent decade

[jdvoss]

Scott,

Thank you so much for your valued information!

JDV
www.fuselagecodes.com

[JohnB]

I'm not sure the USAAF had a plan for the new B-17s.
The RAF was going to send modified Lancasters to the Pacific for their "Tiger Force" because it was the best thing they had. The last thing the 20st AF needed were B-17s.

I've never heard that the USAAF planned on sending 17s (either new surplus or some of the better/newer ones brought back from Europe) to the Pacific...Anyone know anything different?

[Todd Hackbarth]

According to the 1988 book: "Superfortress - The B-29 and American Air Power" by General Curtis E. Lemay and Bill Yenne, B-17s were indeed scheduled to be based on Okinawa in order to bomb targets in Japan.

"At this time, (July 16, 1945), there were 3692 B-17s in the USAAF, most of which had been assigned to the USSAFE and which would now be deployed to Okinawa via the Eighth Air Force. There were also 4986 B-24s in the USAAF. ... General Hap Arnold had been to Okinawa in June and now was impatient to see a thousand B-17s there as soon as possible!"

My late father, Marvin W. Hackbarth, was in the USAAF 8th Air Force and assigned to the 4th Aircraft Repair Unit (Floating). His Liberty ship, Brigadier General Asa N. Duncan, was anchored off Okinawa, ready to support the B-17s when the war ended. General Doolittle landed on the Duncan in a Sikorsky R-4 helicopter for a unit inspection and lunch! Google Project Ivory Soap.

Todd

[StangStung]

Thanks for the Ivory Soap reference. Pretty cool story I'd not heard of before.

[Left Seat]

I'm working on the 5th edition now...

http://www.aerovintage.com/final.htm

[JohnB]

My father was a B-17 pilot with the 15th AF, he told me his unit, the 463th BG...or at least him...was set for B-29 conversion training. One might imagine if they were sending 3000 B-17s to the Pacific, they would have kept a B-17 unit a B-17 unit.

With all due respect to LeMay (who certainly would have known) and Yenne (I have issues with several if his books, so anything he writes is a bit suspect in my eyes) I wonder if the B-17 deployment was really going to happen or if it was something the War Dept. was telling the politicians?

Anyone know if there was a real effort to redeploy B-17 units, personnel, and aircraft between VE and VJ day? With the invasion of Japan set for the summer of '46, that didn't leave a lot of time to relocate units halfway across the world, get trained and establish bases.

[Kyleb]

My father was a B-17 pilot with the 15th AF, he told me his unit, the 463th BG...or at least him...was set for B-29 conversion training. One might imagine if they were sending 3000 B-17s to the Pacific, they would have kept a B-17 unit a B-17 unit.

With all due respect to LeMay (who certainly would have known) and Yenne (I have issues with several if his books, so anything he writes is a bit suspect in my eyes) I wonder if the B-17 deployment was really going to happen or if it was something the War Dept. was telling the politicians?

Anyone know if there was a real effort to redeploy B-17 units, personnel, and aircraft between VE and VJ day? With the invasion of Japan set for the summer of '46, that didn't leave a lot of time to relocate units halfway across the world, get trained and establish bases.

The interesting question would be "What do you do with a thousand B-17's in the Japanese theater?" By that time, it seems to me that tactical bombing and air support would have been the name of the game, (meaning a bunch of fighters and attack types) with B-29's filling any roles requiring larger aircraft/bombloads.

[Pathfinder]

You can pack a lot more "stuff" into a B-17 than a C-46 or C-47...so simple transport would seem a reasonable use rather than long range bombing.
USCG and USAF also used B-17(H?) as a load bearer for the air-launched life boat.