The B-17 in World War 2: Flying Forts by Martin Caidin (1970-08-01)

Like another reviewer, I read this book when I was a kid and just reread it. I remember being enthralled by it as a teenager; as an adult, I enjoyed re-reading it, but I wouldn't say I was quite as enthralled the second time around. As history books go, Flying Forts is the equivalent of a good beach read, and that's not a bad thing. It's a fun, easy read (with its share of pot-boiler prose, I have to say). You'll need to look elsewhere for a strategic analysis of the Allied bombing campaigns and their effectiveness. But if you want to know what it was like to swing a .50 caliber machine gun at the open window of the waist position of a B-17 in 40 degree-below weather, fighting for your life and the lives of your crew mates, this is your book.

I first read this book 39 years ago, and reread it recently. It is the full story of the B-17 Flying Fortress, from the conception of the Model 299 prototype to the handful of Forts that flew on in various roles after World War II. There is considerable detail on many topics, while others are unavoidably summarized due to space considerations. Caidin was an excellent writer, and the book is extremely readable. Strengths are the excellent coverage of little-known material such as the development of the B-17 and the careers of the early models before the B-17E (especially in the Pacific and in Royal Air Force service). Many individual experiences are singled out for detailed coverage, my favorite being the gunner who had to be summoned from KP duty to receive his Medal of Honor! Weaknesses are that the Combined Bomber Offensive (the huge daylight raids on Germany), which is probably what drew most readers to this topic, gets only about 100 pages, about 20% of the total book, and that relevant topics that aren't directly B-17 related are either not covered at all, or barely glanced at. Don't expect much of the German or Japanese viewpoint, this book focuses on the Forts and the men who fought and died in them. I highly recommend the book.

Martin Caidin's "Flying Forts" is an engrossing tale of the history of one of the great flying machines of World War II. Caidin traces the history of the Fort from its original design and construction through its many modifications. If you are interested in the history of research, development and production of an aircraft, then this book is up your alley. The story of the Flying Fortress in WWII doesn't start till page 163. Caidin follows the plane through the war years, and ends by taking us on a ride in a vintage fortress. This is a good book, but has several drawbacks that could be remedied if the book ever goes into print again. First, it needs an index. There is no way to find specific information without one. Second, addition of a small selection of photographs would be nice, although perhaps not feasible from a cost standpoint. The edition I have is filled with pen drawings that depict all the major aircraft of the war, which is a plus. This book is hard to find. I picked mine up at a thrift store for a dime. But it is worth the search and I recommend it to die-hard Flying Fortress fans.

Cadin takes the B-17 from the design of Model 2 to the use of the surviving bombers after World War II. He is an anthor who writes comfortably of the technical and the military aspects of the plane. He takes the reader through the pain of a crash of a prototype and the pain of men struggling to bring home a wounded bird carrying wounded comrads. He is the master of aviation writers, and displays it in this book.

From the drawing board to the bomber graveyard, the detail of the book is amazing. Technical stuff and anecdotes from the men who lived and died with these aircraft, it gets you inside an important aspect of WWII. It deeply inspired my interest in the history. Actually I read it 25 years ago and I still remember much of it as if I'd read a month ago!