~~ Without a question, the rugged B-17 "Flying Fortress" became a symbol of the Second World War. Tasked with the mission of long range strategic bombing, Eighth Air Force crews found the daily missions to be dangerous and deadly. Flying in tight formations, the lumbering B-17s proved to be easy targets for the attacking Luftwaffe fighters. Even though the Flying Fortresses achieved their name by being armed with 11 machine guns in flexible mounts and rotating turrets, the big bombers were vulnerable to frontal attack. Swarms of FW-190 and ME-109 Luftwaffe fighters exploited this deficiency with the resultant loss of countless crews and aircraft. Many bomb groups fitted additional firepower in the clear nose fairing, and the need for added armament led to the development of the chin turret that was fitted to late "F" models and all "G" models of the B-17. This variant included many improvements over the B-17E including a one-piece, clear nose, uprated engines, and new propellers. The gross weight of the aircraft totaled 72,000 pounds, and the broad wings spanned a distance of 103 feet, 9 inches. The famed B-17F was produced from May of 1942 through September of 1943 with a total of 3,405 aircraft built. It was powered by four Curtiss-Wright R-1820 radial engines that produced in excess of 1,200 horsepower each. The aircraft was capable of a maximum speed of 288 miles per hour and it could deliver a 4,000 pound payload over a range of 2,000 miles.