u/Early_Royal_1466

I was going through old pics on my phone and came across these and figured someone here might appreciate them. I got to fly on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed “Yankee Lady” back in 2021.

A little history on the plane:

Delivered to the USAAF in July of 1945, she never saw combat action in WWII. Instead, she was transferred over to the US Coast Guard and became a patrol plane. The turrets and guns were removed and an air droppable 27-foot lifeboat was mounted under the fuselage. She then went into private ownership for a few different companies and became an aerial survey plane and later an air tanker to fight forest fires. In 1969, she was one of 5 planes used in Hawaii for the filming of Tora! Tora! Tora!. It was then sold to Yankee Air Museum who then rebuilt it to be as authentic to its former combat configuration as possible. They eventually started giving rides to the public and did so for many years. In 2024 it was again sold to a private owner and has not flown since. I believe the new owner is working on restoring her to (hopefully) take flight again one day.

Enjoy the pics - not many of these flying around anymore!

1st pic: B-17 “Yankee Lady”

2nd pic: Taken inside the fuselage looking aft

3rd pic: Taken out of one of the port side windows

4th pic: Taken from the nose. You can see the Norden Bombsight here

5th pic: Taken from the starboard waist gunner station

6th pic: Taken from behind the pilots in the cockpit

Cemetery of the Italian Army 79th Infantry Regiment "Roma" in Uglegorsk. Ukraine, 1942

An AB41 of the VIII Battaglione Bersaglieri Blindato Autonomo in the North African desert. Clearly visible the Croce di Savoia in front, 1942. Source: Museo Virtuale Bersaglieri –

Ground crewmen posing with a P-40 of the 23rd Fighter Group, China 1943

Italian prisoners of war, captured by the Germans, work on constructing defensive positions on Monte Trocchio near Monte Cassino. October 1943

German scientists wind tunnel testing a Messerschmitt Bf 109, 1940.

Cannone da 75/38 from the 76th Anti-Tank Troop of the 2nd Alpine artillery regiment of the "Tridentina" Division near Shelyakino, January 22, 1943

Boeing B-17 “Yankee Lady”

The equipment of an Italian infantryman during the transfer to the Eastern Front, 1941.

British prisoners being searched by an Italian soldier, Benghazi, Libya, Early 1942

B-17 "Polyarnaya Zvezda" (Polar Star). Soviet made noseart during a shuttle bombing mission via Russia.

Tech Sergeant Cleto Rodriguez is presented with the Medal of Honor by President Truman. During the Battle of Manila, Rodriguez and a fellow soldier, Private John N. Reese Jr, attacked a railway station being held by Japanese troops. Pvt. Reese, also awarded the medal, was killed in the action.

Crew of a Breda 20/65 loading a clip of 20mm rounds, Date and Location unknown

An Italian medic from the 80th La Spezia Infantry Division treats the hand of a wounded German NCO. Tunisia, 1943.

the most successful female sniper in history, 309 confirmed kills, then went on a US tour where she basically scolded reporters for asking about her uniform instead of the war

Early F4U Corsair Marine & Navy Carrier Trials & Fails

Hell on Earth- The Battle of Saipan, June15-July 9, 1944. The battle claimed more than 46,000 military casualties and at least 8,000 civilian deaths. The high percentage of casualties suffered influenced American planning for future assaults, including the projected invasion of Japan.

B-17 “Dog Breath” of the 452nd Bomb Group, 728th Squadron.

Italian POWs clean up in Palermo after the Sicily landings, 22 August 1943

German soldier returns home from war only to find his house in ruin and his family perished. Frankfurt, 1945.

Imperial Japanese Navy Yokosuka D4Y "Suisei" (彗星) dive bombers. The Allies codenamed the aircraft "Judy."