Building the B-17
A total of 12,730 B-17s were built between 1937 and 1945. One additional “B-17” was built, the Model 299, but it was never purchased by the Air Corps so it was not ‘technically’ a B-17. The B-17F and B-17G were built by three companies: Boeing at its Plant 2 at Boeing Field in Seattle; Douglas at its Long Beach plant; and Vega (later Lockheed) at its Burbank plant.
Boeing Production at Seattle, Washington
The Model 299 was actually hand-built by Boeing at what later became known as “Plant 1″…the original Boeing factory located on the west side of the Duwamish River, several miles and across the river from what became Boeing Field. Thus, components of the Model 299 were barged and trucked from the factory to a Boeing hangar located on the northeast side of the airport, one of four large hangars originally owned by United Airlines. The photos of the prototype were mostly taken there…that hangar was later torn down and that area of the airport is now FBOs for general aviation use.
The components of the first 13 Y1B-17s were also built at Plant 1 and ferried/trucked to the Boeing Field facilities for final assembly.
Boeing built Plant 2 on the south west side of Boeing Field in 1936. Beginning with the B-17B, subsequent Boeing B-17 production came from Plant 2. Plant 2 was actually separated from the air field by what is now Marginal Way. Boeing tore Plant #2 down in 2010…it evidently was a cesspool of hazardous waste and could not be saved for historical purposes.
Boeing built a total of 6,980 B-17s between March 1937 and April 1945. This consisted of thirteen Y1B-17s, one B-17A, 39 B-17Bs, 38 B-17Cs, 42 B-17Ds, 512 B-17Es, 2,300 B-17Fs, and 4,035 B-17Gs.
Boeing Production
| Series | Serials | MSN | Delivery Dates | Total | Total Series | Total Production | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model 299 | none | 1963 | 1 | 1 | Boeing owned prototype; civil X-13372; crashed 10/30/35 | ||
| Y1B-17 | 36-149/161 | 1973/1985 | March 1937-August 1937 | 13 | 13 | Service Test | |
| B-17A | 37-269 | 1987 | April 1938 | 1 | 1 | ||
| B-17B | 38-211/223 | 2004/2016 2 | March 1939-November 1939 | 13 | |||
| 38-258/270 | 2017/2029 | November 1939-February 1940 | 13 | ||||
| 38-583/584 | 2030/2031 | September 1940 | 2 | ||||
| 38-610 | 2032 | September 1940 | 2 | ||||
| 39-1/10 | 2033/2042 | September-October 1940 | 10 | 39 | |||
| B-17C | 40-2042/2079 | 2043/2080 | July 1940-November 1940 | 38 | 38 | ||
| B-17D | 40-3059/3100 | 2087/2128 | February 1941-April 1941 | 42 | 42 | Carryover from B-17C contract | |
| B-17E | 41-2393/2669 | 2204/2480 | September 1941-March 1942 | 277 | |||
| 41-9011/9245 | 2483/2717 | March 1942-May 1942 | 235 | 512 | |||
| B-17F-BO | 41-24340/24639 | 3025/3324* | May 1942-September 1942 | 300 | *originally B-17E contract | ||
| 42-5050/5484 | 3589/4023 | September 1942-December 1942 | 435 | ||||
| 42-29467/31031 | 4581/6145 | December 1942-September 1943 | 1565 | 2300 | |||
| B-17G-BO | 42-31032/32116 | 6146/7230 | September 1943-January 1944 | 1085 | |||
| 42-97058/97407 | 7531/7880 | January 1944-February 1944 | 350 | ||||
| 42-102379/102978 | 7881/8480 | February 1944-April 1944 | 600 | ||||
| 43-37509-39508 | 8487/10486 | April-1944-April 1945 | 2000 | 4035 | 6981 | Last Boeing-built B-17G, 43-39508, delivered on April 9, 1945 |
Douglas Production at Long Beach, California
The Douglas Aircraft Company built a total of 3,000 B-17s consisting of 605 B-17Fs and 2,395 B-17Gs. Douglas B-17 production was accomplished between July 1942 and July 1945.
The Long Beach plant was built in 1941 to produce C-47s for the Army and B-17 production was later assigned to the facility.
This Douglas plant (there were later several at Long Beach) was located just north of the airport and west of Lakewood Blvd. The delivery ramp faced south and adjoined the airport.
The plant opened in November 1941 and the first C-47 rolled out the following month. During World War II, Douglas built C-47s, A-26s, and B-17s at Long Beach. Later, DC-8s and DC-9s were built there.
McDonnell eventually absorbed Douglas, and Boeing eventually absorbed McDonnell-Douglas, and the B-17 plant was razed around 2010 after Boeing stopped building airplanes at Long Beach. The area is now know as the Douglas Park, an area now full of warehouses and supporting building. It’s doubtful those working there are aware of what that land was once occupied with.
Douglas Production
| Series | Serials | MSN | Delivery Dates | Total | Total Series | Total Production | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B-17F-DL | 42-2964/3562 | 7900/8498 | July 1942-August 1943 | 599 | |||
| (42-3563)* | (8499) | August 1943 | (1) | *reported as delivered as B-17G (not counted here) | |||
| 42-37714/37715 | 8500/8501 | August 1943 | 2 | ||||
| (42-37716)* | (8502) | August 1943 | (1) | *reported as delivered as B-17G (not counted here) | |||
| 42-37717/37720 | 8503/8506 | August 1943 | 4 | 605 | |||
| B-17G-DL | 42-3563 | 8499 | August 1943 | 1 | |||
| 42-37716 | 8502 | August 1943 | 1 | ||||
| 42-37721/38213 | 8507/8999 | July 1944-January 1944 | 493 | ||||
| 42-106984/107233 | 21899/22148 | January 1944-March 1944 | 250 | ||||
| 44-6001/7000 | 22224/23223 | March 1944-January 1945 | 1000 | ||||
| 44-83236/83885 | 31877/32526 | January 1945-July 1945 | 650 | Last Douglas B-17G, 44-83885, was delivered on 7/28/45 | |||
| (45-7001/8300) | 36239/36928 | (not delivered) | (600) | 2395 | 3000 | (45-7001 and subsequent cancelled though some built to completion before scrapping) | |
| unknown | 39239/40303 | cancelled | (975) | ||||
| unknown | 41254/41603 | cancelled | (350) |
Vega Production at Burbank, California
Vega, later Lockheed, built 2,750 B-17s between August 1942 and August 1945. This consisted of 500 B-17Fs and 2,250 B-17Gs. Vega delivered the last B-17 built in early August 1945; Douglas had completed its a week earlier, and Boeing had wrapped up B-17 production in April 1945.
The Vega Aircraft Company was organized in 1937 as a subsidiary to the Lockheed Aircraft Company. Originally named the AiRover Company, it was renamed in 1938 in recognition of the first successful Lockheed design. Though originally slated to built light aircraft, it was re-oriented as World War II approached to build military aircraft. In 1939, the original Vega production plant was replaced by a 750,000 square foot factory located south and east of what was then the Union Air Terminal, soon enough to become the Lockheed Air Terminal. The new Vega factory was shoe-horned in between a major railroad right-of-way and the Union Air Terminal passenger terminal.
There was also a Lockheed production plant on the airport located on the east side and north of the east-west runway.
The plant expansion was primarily to build Hudson bombers for the Royal Air Force but was then slated for B-17 production once the licensing arrangements were allocated.
Vega was organizationally merged with Lockheed in November 1943, but the airplane designations retained the “VE” moniker as the original Vega factory produced the aircraft.
Lockheed continued to use the factory for aircraft production for the next five decades.
Lockheed moved from Burbank in 1995 and the old Vega plant was demolished in 2000.
Vega Production
| Series | Serials | MSN | Delivery Dates | Total | Total Series | Total Production | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B-17F-VE | 42-5705/6204 | 6001/6500 | August 1942-August 1943 | 500 | 500 | ||
| B-17G-VE | 42-39758/40057 | 6501/6800 | August 1943-November 1943 | 300 | |||
| 42-97436/98035 | 6801/7400 | November 1943-May 1944 | 600 | ||||
| 44-8001/9000 | 7401/8400 | May 1944-February 1945 | 1000 | ||||
| 44-85492/85841 | 8401/8750 | February 1945-August 1945 | 350 | 2250 | 2750 | Last Vega-built B-17G, 44-85841, was delivered on August 4, 1945 |