No Flying Today

In "No Flying Today," a B17G of the 390th Bomb Group 569th Bomb Squadron sits peacefully under a blanket of snow at its home base in Framlingham, England. As happened on many occasions during World War II, a cold moist air mass has moved south from the Arctic, covering both England and the Continent in heavy clouds and snow. On this day there would be no flying. Symbolic of this naturally induced lull in warfare are a goshawk, sitting ruffled against the chill wind and its would-be prey, a small rabbit hidden among the rocks of the stone wall. The B-17G portrayed here was the most widely produced of B-17 variants. Its first test flight was on May 21, 1943, and it was delivered for action less than four months later. Powered by a Wright R-1820-97 cyclone engine, the B-17G had a top speed of 302 m.p.h. The Bomber was flown primarily by Americans and carried a crew of ten. There are still a few B17-Gs flying today . . . in clear, snowless skies.