Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Airfields In The Mediterranean Theater Of Operations
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Units in the
Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army forc ...
(MTO) were the second-largest user of the
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). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. There were a total of six combat groups (twenty-four squadrons) equipped with the bomber assigned to the Theater.


Overview

Initially equipped with the B-17F Flying Fortress, the 97th and 301st Bombardment Groups were flown from airfields in England to Algiers and Oran, Algeria in November 1942 after the
Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
landings. They were assigned to the 5th Bombardment Wing,
XII Bomber Command XII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces formation. Its last assignment was with the Twelfth Air Force, based in Corsica, France. It was constituted on 26 February 1942, activated on 13 March 1942, and inactivated on 10 J ...
,
Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...
. These initial two groups were joined in February 1943 by the 99th and in April 1943 by the 2d Bombardment Group, which arrived from the United States. These heavy bomber units supported the
American Fifth Army The United States Army North (ARNORTH) is a formation of the United States Army. An Army Service Component Command (ASCC) subordinate to United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM), ARNORTH is the joint force land component of NORTHCOM.
as it drove west into
Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...
during the North African Campaign. Initial targets were enemy positions in Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, and islands in the Mediterranean Sea. On 1 November 1943, the Twelfth Air Force became a tactical organization of fighters and medium bombers. Its heavy bombardment units (B-17 and B-24) were joined with those of
Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...
which had been based in Libya and which was moving without personnel or equipment to be re-established as a tactical organization in England. The combined heavy bomber forces in the Mediterranean were then designated as the
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
, with all B-17 groups remaining assigned to the 5th Bombardment Wing. Fifteenth Air Force's mission was to carry out long distance bombardment missions against enemy targets in Southern and Central Europe. The groups also received the B-17G Flying Fortress in late 1943, and were moved to newly captured airfields in the
Foggia Foggia (, , ; nap, label= Foggiano, Fògge ) is a city and former ''comune'' of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known ...
area of Southern
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. In Italy two new B-17 groups, the 463d and 483d Bombardment Groups arrived from
Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in E ...
training airfields in the Southeastern United States in the spring of 1944 to reinforce the command. From their bases in Southern Italy, the Fortresses engaged in long-range strategic bombardment attacks against the enemy in the Balkans, Occupied Italy, Austria, Germany and France. Additionally, Fifteenth Air Force B-17s joined with
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
B-17s as part of
Operation Frantic Operation Frantic was a series of seven shuttle bombing operations during World War II conducted by American aircraft based in Great Britain and southern Italy which then landed at three Soviet airfields in Ukraine. The aircraft in Ukraine then ...
, shuttle bombing raids against targets on the Eastern Front, landing at Poltava Airfield (AAF-559) in the Soviet Union during the spring of 1944. Fifteenth Air Force, along with its B-17 units were inactivated after the German capitulation in May 1945.


Airfields

B-17 units in the
Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army forc ...
operated from the following Airfields: ;; Algeria (Twelfth Air Force) : Ain M'lila Airfield (2d, 301st Bombardment Groups, Jan–Jul 1943) : (Approximate) :
Biskra Airfield Mohamed Khider Airport or Biskra Ouakda Airport is an airport in Algeria, located approximately 12 km north-northeast of Oumache; about 200 km south-southwest of Constantine. History During World War II, the airport was known as "Bi ...
(97th, 301st Bombardment Groups, Dec 1942 – Feb 1943) : :
Chateau-dun-du-Rhumel Airfield Chateaudun-du-Rhumel (Chateaudun Du Rhumel) Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Algeria, located about 6 km north-northwest of Chelghoum el Aid, in Mila province, about 47 km southwest of Constantine. Overview During World ...
(2d, 97th Bombardment Groups, Feb–Aug 1943) : (Approximate) :
Maison Blanche Airport Houari Boumediene International Airport ( ar, مطار هواري بومدين الدولي, Maṭār Hawwārī Būmadyan al-Duwaliyy) , also known as Algiers Airport or Algiers International Airport, is the main international airport serving A ...
, Algiers, (97th Bombardment Group, Nov 1942) : :
Navarin Airfield Navarin Airfield is a World War II military airfield in Algeria, located approximately 10 km from El Eulma in Sétif Province. It was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force during the North African Campaign for heavy ...
(2d 99th Bombardment Groups, Feb–Apr 1943) : (Approximate) :
Oran Tafaraoui Airport Oran Tafaraoui Airport is a joint civil/military airport in Oran Province, Algeria . History During World War II, it was a primary mission objective of the United States Army 34th Infantry Division during the Allied Operation Torch landings on 8 ...
(97th, 301st Bombardment Group, Nov–Dec 1942) : :
Saint-Donat Airfield Saint-Donat Airfield was a World War II military airfield in Algeria, located near Tadjenanet in Mila Province; approximately 63 km southwest of Constantine, Algeria, Constantine. It was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air ...
(301st Bombardment Group, Mar–Aug 1943) : (Approximate) ;; Tunisia (Twelfth/Fifteenth Air Force) :
Bizerte Airfield Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed Air Base is a Tunisian Air Force base located approximately 7 km west of Menzel Abderhaman, and 9 km west-southwest of Bizerte. Units stationed at the base are: * No. 11 Squadron : Jet trainer squadron, Aermacchi M ...
(2d Bombardment Group, Dec 1943) : :
Depienne Airfield Depienne Airfield is a World War II airfield in Tunisia, located approximately 12 km northeast of El Fahs, and 53 km southwest of Tunis. The airfield was first used by the German Luftwaffe in 1941 and 1942, and was captured by the Brit ...
(97th Bombardment Group, Aug–Dec 1943) : :
Massicault Airfield Borj El Amri Airport is a small airport near Borj El Amri, a city in the Manouba Governorate of Tunisia. The airport is located southwest of Tunis and has a functional asphalt runway. The airport is used as a training site of the ''Aviation Scho ...
(2d Bombardment Group, Jul–Dec 1943) : :
Oudna Airfield Oudna Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, which was located approximately southwest of La Mohammedia, south-southwest of Tunis It was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force during the North Af ...
(99th, 301st Bombardment Groups, Aug–Dec 1943) : :
Pont du Fahs Airfield Pont du Fahs Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Tunisia, which was located approximately 6 km west-southwest of El Fahs, and 55 km southwest of Tunis. A Luftwaffe-held airfield prior to the Operation Torch landings, it w ...
(97th Bombardment Group, Mar–Aug 1943) : ;; Italy (Fifteenth Air Force) :
Amendola Airfield Amendola Air Base (ICAO: LIBA) is a military airfield of the Italian Air Force ( Aeronautica Militare). It is the home of 32nd Wing. Overview Amendola Air Base was primarily a training base for pilots of the AMX International AMX ground atta ...
(2d, 97th Bombardment Group, Dec 1943 – May 1945) : : Celone Airfield (463d Bombardment Group, Mar 1944 – May 1945) : (Approximate) :
Lucera Airfield Lucera Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy. It was located 7.9 kilometers east of Lucera, in the Province of Foggia. The airfield was abandoned and dismantled after the end of the war in 1945. History Lucera Airfield a ...
(301st Bombardment Group, Feb 1944 – May 1945) : : Tortorella Airfield (99th, 483d Bombardment Groups, Dec 1943 – May 1945) : : Sterparone Airfield (483d Bombardment Group, Apr 1944 – May 1945) : *
Foggia Airfield The Foggia Airfield Complex was a series of World War II military airfields located within a radius of Foggia, in the Province of Foggia, Italy. The airfields were used by the United States Army Air Force Fifteenth Air Force as part of the str ...
(2d Bombardment Group, Postwar use, unit inactivation and aircraft storage area) : *
Marcianise Airfield Marcianise Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in southeast Italy, which is located approximately 10 km north-northwest of Marcianise in the province of Caserta, Campania; about 32 km north-northwest of Naples. ...
(97th, 99th Bombardment Groups) (Postwar use, unit inactivation and aircraft storage site) : *
Pisa Airport Pisa International Airport ( it, Aeroporto Internazionale di Pisa) , also named Galileo Galilei Airport is an airport located in Pisa, Italy. It is the main airport in Tuscany and the 10th in Italy in terms of passengers. It is named after Galil ...
(483d Bombardment Group) (Postwar use by Air Transport Command) : Most combat airfields were temporary wartime facilities quickly constructed with pierced-steel planking runways and parking areas, with tents used for personnel quarters and a few wooden buildings used for operations. In Tunisia and Italy, some captured German
Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
or Italian Air Force (
Regia Aeronautica The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolis ...
) airfields were repaired and placed into service. Today, most show little evidence of their existence other than some faint outlines in agricultural fields.


Units

* US Army, Middle East Air Force (USAMEAF) : 2 July – 18 December 1942 : 1st Provisional Bombardment Group; Later: 376th Bombardment Group (No Tail Code) : Provisional organization formed at
RAF Lydda The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
, British Palestine on 1 July 1942. It had nine B-17E Flying Fortresses transferred from the 7th Bombardment Group,
Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organiza ...
in Australia that had escaped from the Philippines or were sent from the United States in January 1942. The B-17s attacked the harbor at
Tobruk, Libya Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near th ...
seven times with day and night raids throughout July. Withdrawn for depot-level maintenance then returned for several more raids against enemy targets in Libya, Crete and Greece during October–December 1942. Last operational use made on 18 December 1942 when they attacked harbor facilities at
Sousse Sousse or Soussa ( ar, سوسة, ; Berber:''Susa'') is a city in Tunisia, capital of the Sousse Governorate. Located south of the capital Tunis, the city has 271,428 inhabitants (2014). Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf ...
, Tunisia. Transferred to non-combat duties with
Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...
. *
2d Bombardment Group 002, 0O2, O02, OO2, or 002 may refer to: Airports *0O2, Baker Airport *O02, Nervino Airport Astronomy *1996 OO2, the minor planet 7499 L'Aquila *1990 OO2, the asteroid 9175 Graun Fiction *002, fictional British 00 Agent *'' 002 Operazione Luna' ...
Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ., pp25-26 : 25 April 1943 – 1 July 1945Maurer, Units, 2d Bombardment Group pp25-26 : Entered Combat: 28 April 1943 :
20th Bombardment Squadron 020 is the national dialling code for London in the United Kingdom. All subscriber numbers within the area code consist of eight digits and it has capacity for approaching 100 million telephone numbers. The code is used at 170 telephone exch ...
(Circle-Y)]Hess and Styling (2003), B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the MTO (Combat Aircraft) Osprey Publishing, : 49th Bombardment Squadron (Circle-Y V)Maurer, Squadrons, 49th Bombardment Squadron : 96th Bombardment Squadron (Circle-Y T) Maurer, Squadrons, 96th Bombardment Squadron : 429th Bombardment Squadron (Circle-Y Half-Arrow) Maurer, Squadrons, 429th Bombardment Squadron : Deployed from
Great Falls Army Air Base Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...
, Montana to Camp Don B. Passage (Casablanca), French Morocco, 12 April 1943; Air echelon arrived at
Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
, French Morocco, 16 April 1943; Operations began from Navarin Airfield, Algeria, 22 April 1943 Inactivated at Foggia Airfield, Italy, 28 February 1946 * 97th Bombardment GroupMaurer, Units, 97th Bombardment Group pp338-339 : 13 November 1942 – 29 October 1945 : Entered Combat: 16 November 1942 : 340th Bombardment Squadron (Triangle-Y O Red Diagonal Stripe Tail Rudder) Maurer, Squadrons, 340th Bombardment Squadron :
341st Bombardment Squadron The 341st Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4038th Strategic Wing. It was last stationed at Dow Air Force Base, Maine, where it was inactivated on 1 February 1963. The squadron was f ...
(Triangle-Y 1 Red Diagonal Stripe Tail Rudder) Maurer, Squadrons, 341st Bombardment Squadron :
342d Bombardment Squadron The 342d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4137th Strategic Wing. It was last stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia and was inactivated on 1 February 1963. During World War I ...
(Triangle-Y 2 Red Diagonal Stripe Tail Rudder) Maurer, Squadrons, 342d Bombardment Squadron : 414th Bombardment Squadron (Triangle-Y 3 Red Diagonal Stripe Tail Rudder) Maurer, Squadrons, 414th Bombardment Squadron : Transferred from
VIII Bomber Command 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
, 13 November 1942; Arrived Maison Blanche Airport, Algiers, Algeria, 13 November 1942; The first combat heavy bomber mission of Twelfth Air Force was flown from Maison Blanche Airport on 16 November 1942 when six B-17s of the 340th Bombardment Squadron attacked Sidi Ahmed Airfield at Bizerte, Tunisia. Inactivated at Marcianise Airfield, Italy on 29 October 1945 *
99th Bombardment Group The 99th Infantry Division was formed in 1942 and deployed overseas in 1944. The "Checkerboard" or "Battle Babies" division landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the ...
Maurer, Units, 99th Bombardment Group pp170-171 : 22 February 1943 – 8 November 1945 : Entered Combat: 16 March 1943COMBAT CHRONOLOGY US ARMY AIR FORCES MEDITERRANEAN – 1943, PART 1
/ref> : 346th Bombardment Squadron (Diamond-Y I) Maurer, Squadrons, 346th Bombardment Squadron : 347th Bombardment Squadron (Diamond-Y II) Maurer, Squadrons, 347th Bombardment Squadron : 348th Bombardment Squadron (Diamond-Y III) Maurer, Squadrons, 348th Bombardment Squadron : 416th Bombardment Squadron (Diamond-Y IV) Maurer, Squadrons, 416th Bombardment Squadron : Deployed from
Sioux City Army Air Base Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
, Iowa, 22 February 1943; Operations began from Navarin Airfield, Algeria 22 February 1943. Inactivated at Marcianise Airfield, Italy, 8 November 1945 * 301st Bombardment GroupMaurer, Units, 301st Bombardment Group pp173-174 : 26 November 1942 – 28 July 1945 : Entered Combat: 28 November 1942 : 32d Bombardment Squadron (Square-Y Green Tail Rudder A/1) Maurer, Squadrons, 32d Bombardment Squadron : 352d Bombardment Squadron (Square-Y Green Tail Rudder B/2) Maurer, Squadrons, 352d Bombardment Squadron :
353d Bombardment Squadron The 353d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It last was assigned to the 301st Bombardment Wing, stationed at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio. It was inactivated on 8 June 1964. During World War II, the 353d Bombard ...
(Square-Y Green Tail Rudder C/3) :
419th Bombardment Squadron 419th may refer to: *419th Fighter Wing, United States Air Force Reserve unit active with Tenth Air Force, based at Hill Air Force Base, Utah *419th Flight Test Squadron (419 FLTS), part of the 412th Test Wing based at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif ...
(Square-Y Green Tail Rudder D/4) Maurer, Squadrons, 419th Bombardment Squadron : Transferred from VIII Bomber Command, 26 November 1942; Arrived at Tafaraoui Airport, Oran, Algeria on 24 November 1942, mounted first combat mission on 28 November, attacking Bizerte Airfield and dock area in Tunisia. Moved to Biskra Airfield, Algeria, 16 December 1942. Returned to
Sioux Falls Army Air Field Sioux Falls Regional Airport , also known as Joe Foss Field, is a public and military use airport three miles northwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. It is named in honor of aviator and Sioux Falls native Joe Foss, who later served a ...
, South Dakota, 28 July 1945 * 463d Bombardment GroupMaurer, Units, 463d Bombardment Group pp338-339 : 9 March 1944 – 25 September 1945 : Entered Combat: 30 March 1944 : 772d Bombardment Squadron (Wedge-Y Orange Tail Rudder) Maurer, Squadrons, 772d Bombardment Squadron : 773d Bombardment Squadron (Wedge-Y Orange Tail Rudder) Maurer, Squadrons, 773d Bombardment Squadron : 774th Bombardment Squadron (Wedge-Y Orange Tail Rudder) Maurer, Squadrons, 774th Bombardment Squadron : 775th Bombardment Squadron (Wedge-Y Orange Tail Rudder) Maurer, Squadrons, 775th Bombardment Squadron : Deployed from
Lakeland Army Airfield Lakeland Army Airfield, was a World War II United States Army Air Force located 5.3 miles southwest of Lakeland, Florida. From 1960 to 2017 it was Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. In 2017 it was renamed Lakeland Linder International Airport. ...
, Florida, 9 March 1944; Operated from Celone Airfield, Italy 9 March 1944 – 25 September 1945 Inactivated in Italy * 483d Bombardment GroupMaurer, Units, 483d Bombardment Group pp338-339 : 9 March 1944 – 25 September 1945 : Entered Combat: 1 April 1944Rickard, J (24 April 2014), 483rd Bombardment Group, http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/USAAF/483rd_Bombardment_Group.html : 815th Bombardment Squadron (Y-Star Red Tail Rudder I) Maurer, Squadrons, 815th Bombardment Squadron : 816th Bombardment Squadron (Y-Star Red Tail Rudder II) Maurer, Squadrons, 816th Bombardment Squadron : 817th Bombardment Squadron (Y-Star Red Tail Rudder III) Maurer, Squadrons, 817th Bombardment Squadron : 840th Bombardment Squadron (Y-Star Red Tail Rudder IV) Maurer, Squadrons, 840th Bombardment Squadron : Deployed from
MacDill Army Airfield MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...
, Florida, 30 March 1944; Operated from Sterparone Airfield, Italy, 9 April 1944 – 15 May 1945 : After war ended, the group was reassigned to
Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...
and moved to
Pisa Airport Pisa International Airport ( it, Aeroporto Internazionale di Pisa) , also named Galileo Galilei Airport is an airport located in Pisa, Italy. It is the main airport in Tuscany and the 10th in Italy in terms of passengers. It is named after Galil ...
, Italy, on 15 May 1943. B-17s converted to transport configuration and used to transport personnel to
Port Lyautey Airfield Naval Air Station Port Lyautey is a former United States Navy Naval Air Station in Morocco, about north-northwest of Kenitra and about northeast of Casablanca. The Naval Air Station was turned over to the Royal Moroccan Air Force and the last ...
, French Morocco where ATC transports moved them across the Atlantic. Inactivated in Italy on 25 September 1945


References

{{B-17 family World War II strategic bombing units Mediterranean theatre of World War II Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress