B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces 2d Bombardment Group, Langley Field, Virginia on 11 January 1936; the first production B-17B was delivered on 29 March 1939 also to the 2nd Bombardment Group. A total of 12,677 production Fortresses was built before production came to an end. In August 1944, the Boeing B-17 equipped no less than 33 overseas combat groups. The last Boeing-built B-17G was delivered to the USAAF on 13 April 1945. Following the end of World War II, the Flying Fortress was rapidly withdrawn from USAAF service, being replaced by the B-29 Superfortress. Literally thousands of Fortresses used in combat in Europe by Eighth
B-17G "Flying Fortress" No. 44-83690 and in 1961, flown to Grissom Air Force Base (then known as Bunker Hill) for permanent display. The Heritage Museum Foundation, established in 1981 as part of the Air Force Museum Program, maintains 44-83690. In 2015 the aircraft was moved to the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB, Georgia and is currently undergoing a lengthy restoration. B-17G "Flying Fortress" No. 44-83690 is a reasonably intact example of a World War II aircraft type of which only 50 exist in the world. It is also an example of an experimental craft, which participated, in military tests shortly after World War II.