B-17 Bomber Flying Over My House
Wednesday, May 06, 2009 Posted by Michael
There's a World War II era B-17 bomber flying over Hamburg . . . Michigan! It's the "Yankee Lady," owned & operated by the Yankee Air Force located at Willow Run Airport, Ypsilanti, MI.The "Yankee Lady" is a refurbished B-17G Flying Fortress heavy bomber, one of only 11 B-17's that are in flyable condition today. The "Yankee Lady" was manufactured in mid-1945 near the end of the war, too late to see any combat service. The "Yankee Lady" was used in the 1969 filming of the movie Tora Tora Tora!
The B-17 was primarily used to bomb German industrial, civilian, and military targets from bases in England during WWII. The Flying Fortress was noted for it's ability to absorb battle damage and bring it's crew home safely. The B-17 was an icon of American power and a symbol of the Air Force.
The "Yankee Lady" flys by my home often, and I can easily recognize the deep throaty roar of those four engines from a long distance, even while inside the house. It's great to see a piece of history still in action, just like what people saw over the Engish countryside 65 years ago.
Picture by Jimmy Olson, Flickr Creative Commons
For more information on the B-17G Flying Fortress "Yankee Lady," see this link:
http://www.yankeeairmuseum.org/
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