Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress The Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress was a modification for operational testing purposes of the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber aircraft, converted to act as a heavily armed gunship for other bombers during World War II. At the time of its development, long-range fighter aircraft such as the North American P-51 Mustang were just entering quantity production, and thus were not yet available to accompany bombers all the way from England to Germany and back. Work on the prototype, Project V-139, began in September 1942 by converting the second production B-17F-1-BO (serial number 41-24341) built. Conversion work was
The Centaur Company had the company represented by Barnum's famous circus star Jumbo, the giant elephant. Another ad featured the legendary boxer Joe Louis. In the 1920s, Centaur was one of the earliest advertisers targeting women directly. "Their advertising prior to that had targeted both men and women, but here [in the 1920s] they began to advertise additionally in the new publications specifically targeted to women." There were three "Fletcher's Castoria" B-17 Flying Fortress bombers during World War II, part of the 100th Bomber Group. The first was lost, but the crew survived. The second survived the war. Its pilot was William H.