Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 bombers, the Boeing entry (prototype Model 299/XB-17) outperformed both competitors and exceeded the air corps' performance specifications. Although Boeing lost the contract (to the Douglas B-18 Bolo) because the prototype crashed, the air corps ordered 13 more B-17s for further evaluation. From its introduction in 1938, the B-17 Flying Fortress evolved through numerous design advances, becoming the third-most produced bomber of all time,
34th Flying Training Wing (World War II) 34th Flying Training Wing (World War II) The 34th Flying Training Wing was a wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was last assigned to the Central Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 16 June 1946 at Midland Army Airfield, Texas. There is no lineage between the United States Air Force 34th Training Wing, established on 20 November 1940 as the 34th Bombardment Group (Heavy) at Langley Field, Virginia, and this organization. The wing supervised Training Command Flight Schools in Central and Northern Texas and Oklahoma. The assigned schools provided specialized training for bombardiers, and the wing