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
38th Flying Training Wing (World War II) 38th Flying Training Wing (World War II) The 38th Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Western Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 16 June 1946 at Williams Field, Arizona. There is no lineage between the United States Air Force 38th Combat Support Wing, established on 10 August 1948 at Itami Airfield, Japan, and this organization. The wing was a World War II Command and Control organization which supported Training Command Flight Schools in the southwestern United States, primarily in New Mexico. The wing controlled fight schools primarily instructing