Were B-17s manufactured in Boise, Idaho?

RE: Were B-17s manufactured in Boise, Idaho? (GREMLIN2)

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:31:50 GMT

Bill,

Thanks for posting the dataplates photo.

Lockheed data plate a/c #42-97560

assigned 100th BG (H) transferred to 96thBG/413BS sal 19/5/55 HANG THE EXPENSE IV

Jack

RE: Were B-17s manufactured in Boise, Idaho? (raymerriam)

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 02:47:57 GMT

Thanks everyone for the info. I thought it might have been a case of the veteran seeing work being done at the air depot there and assumed that they were building them there. The author has been having a terrible time getting a lot of the stories the veterans told him straightened out and verified. He interviewed many veterans back in the early 90s and many have died or moved so when his publisher finally wanted him to do this book, he hasn't been able to go back to many of the veterans for further clarification.

RE: Were B-17s manufactured in Boise, Idaho? (Bob Gilbert)

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:49:35 GMT

ORIGINAL: jpeters140

I see nothng that says any B-17s were manufactured at Gwen.

I worked at Boeing Renton and lived in Bellevue,Washington for three years....I suggest your veteran is in error...the three factories building B-17s were Boeing at Seattle, Douglas in Santa Monica and Vega at Burbank, Ca.

Jim :-)

Jim,
A slight correction, B-17's were manufactured at Douglas, Long Beach, not Santa Monica.

RE: Were B-17s manufactured in Boise, Idaho? (Bill Larkins)

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 22:58:07 GMT

The previous postings are correct. The only possible confusion might be over the Lockheed-Vega plant which used both names as shown by the attached photo.

[image]local://upfiles/1204/A3EF101E8DE64FEA92B910806415BC9D.jpg[/image]

RE: Were B-17s manufactured in Boise, Idaho? (Skyguy5)

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 22:32:26 GMT

Ray,
Your friend also may have been thinking of Mountain Home AAF, AAB and AFB, about 40 miles away, which was started in Nov. of '42 and finished in Aug. of '43. It was designed to train B-17 crews but mostly B-24s, B-29s, and P-63s utilized it before SAC and their B-47s took it over in the early 50s. In any event, no B-17s were built there either.
Regards, TOTD
Hugh

RE: Were B-17s manufactured in Boise, Idaho? (jpeters140)

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 21:25:14 GMT

The veteran you mention apparently is in error...this is from the Wikipedia entry found by google.

History
In 1926, the first municipal airport in Boise was built on a gravel bed where the Boise State University campus now stands. The first commercial airmail flight in the United States passed through this airfield on April 26, 1926, carried by Varney Airlines. Varney Airlines began operating out of Boise in 1933, later merging with National Air Transport to become United Airlines. With United Airlines able to trace its roots to Varney, United is recognized as the airline that has operated the longest out of Boise, 80 years as of 2006. This airfield also played host to Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis on September 4, 1927.[4]
The current airport has its origins in 1936 when Boise began buying and leasing land for the airport. By 1938, Boise had the longest runway in the United States at that time, 8,800 feet (2,680 m). The steel hangar for Varney Airlines was moved to the present field in 1939. As the size of aircraft grew, the hangar was no longer able to hold aircraft and was converted into a passenger terminal. It was part of the modern terminal facility until the completion of a new terminal in 2004.
During World War II, the Army Air Corps leased the field for use a training base for B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bomber crews. More than 6,000 men were stationed there during the War.[4]
The field was named Gowen Field on July 23, 1941 after Lt. Paul R. Gowen (1909-1938), who was born and raised in Caldwell, attended the University of Idaho, and graduated ninth in his class at West Point in 1933. Gowen was killed instantly in a crash in Panama in July 1938 while piloting a twin-engine B-10 bomber for the Army Air Corps. The right engine failed shortly after take-off from Albrook Field, near Panama City. The other two crew members, navigator and radio operator, survived and crawled from the wreckage with burns.[6]
After the war, the portion of the field used by the Air Corps was returned to the city.[4] The Idaho Air National Guard began leasing the airfield after the war and continues to lease it currently.[4]
The Boise Airport was ranked fourth in passenger satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Global Airport Satisfaction Index Study.[7]
The Boise Airport serves as a focus city for Big Sky Airlines and Horizon Air.History

I see nothng that says any B-17s were manufactured at Gwen.

I worked at Boeing Renton and lived in Bellevue,Washington for three years....I suggest your veteran is in error...the three factories building B-17s were Boeing at Seattle, Douglas in Santa Monica and Vega at Burbank, Ca.

Jim :-)

RE: Were B-17s manufactured in Boise, Idaho? (Terry T.)

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:43:25 GMT

They probably had an air depot at Gowen, where they did repairs, and/or rebuilds..on aircraft that they may have used, especially if it was a training base.

Terry T.

RE: Were B-17s manufactured in Boise, Idaho? (Skyguy5)

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:15:33 GMT

Ray,
To the best of my knowledge, B-17s were manufactured in only three places. Boeing BO in Seattle, Lockheed (Vega) VE in Burbank, and Douglas DL in Long Beach. There were various modification centers in the US which did modifications on them as soon as they came off the assembly line. I don't think any were manufactured in Bosie, however. Perhaps some of the experts will weigh in on this one.
Regards from the ol Truck Driver,
Hugh

Were B-17s manufactured in Boise, Idaho? (raymerriam)

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:29:15 GMT

To assist an author, were B-17s ever manufactured in Bosie, Idaho? I know there was a B-17 training base there at Gowen Field, but this author has info from a veteran that B-17s were built there. I could not find anything on this. Thanks for any assistance.