re: #186 Dark_Falcon

What happened was that Boeing’s B17 Flying Fortress was such a key aircraft that it and the B-29 Superfortress were all Boeing had the capacity to build. By 1943 their plant was at maximum capacity and running around the clock.

Actually Boeing got out of the fighter biz before that. Their transport & flying boat biz was more important. Their last fighter, the P-26 (which would fight a hopeless heroic battle with the Philippine Air Force against the Japanese) came out in 1932. B-17 production didn’t ramp up significantly until the 512 B-17E models were ordered in September 1941. Prior to that only about 150 airframes over 6 years; the company nearly went under because production was so limited. All that kept the going were the 307 & the 314 - small production but glamorous aircraft. The surviving 307 is a beautiful item if you ever get a chance to see it.