By the end of World War II the United States and her allies had deployed the largest air armada the world had ever seen, and 12,731 US – made B-17 bombers had joined those forces in combat. Today, only nine of the iconic bombers still fly.
Photos: The Texas Raiders
Photos: The Texas Raiders
The Commemorative Air Force’s Flying Fortress, Texas Raiders was one of the last B-17’s ever built, coming off the manufacturing line in July of 1945, as WWII drew to a close. Her military career included service as one of the first airborne early warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, and missions included scouting, search and rescue, electronic countermeasures, and weather reconnaissance. Her last military assignment was at Naval Air Station Atsugi in Japan, where she flew AWACS combat patrols during the Korean War.
Video: The veterans who flew her
On September 2, 1967, the Commemorative Air Force acquired the aircraft, making her the first B-17 purchased with the sole purpose of being restored as a warbird and maintained as a flying museum. As she prepared to embark on her new Living History mission, General Curtis "Bombs Away" LeMay advised the CAF to not commemorate a particular aircraft, but rather to honor all Texas veterans.
Thus she was named Texas Raiders and has been restored to the B-17G configuration that flew with the US Army Air Force in the European Theater of Operations during WWII.Chosen for its colorful red trim, Texas Raiders is painted in the colors of the 8th Air Force, 1st Bomb Wing/1st Air Division; 1st Combat Bombardment Wing; 381st Bombardment Group (Heavy) exhibiting the Triangle L tail code.
Texas Raiders has undergone extensive restoration, and performs regularly in airshows, civic events and flyovers throughout the United States, reuniting veterans and the public with the historic WWII aircraft. She often performs as a part of TORA TORA TORA, a re-enactment of the historic attack on Pearl Harbor that includes spectacular pyrotechnics and the excitement of air-to-air combat and bombing runs.
The iconic bomber has completed over forty years of service in public displays for the sake of historic preservation and education.
The B-17 is one of two owned by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Fondly nick-named TR by her crew, the big bomber is based near Houston, Texas and maintained by the Gulf Coast Wing of the CAF, an all-volunteer, non-profit 501-c-3 organization.
