Sally B Flying Fortress to celebrate 70th birthday with VE Day fly past at Duxford Air Show
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
The Sally B B17 is to celebrate its 40th birthday by leading the salute during the VE Day Air Show at Duxford on May 23 and 24
B-17 Flying Fortress Sally B will be leading the VE Day anniversary commemorative salute at Duxford© IWMIWM Duxford’s VE Day Anniversary Air Show (May 23-24) will feature a range of World War Two aircraft, with the US bomber taking centre stage as it leads a mass formation flypast.
Eight World War Two bomber and fighter aircraft will accompany the Fortress, including a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, a Beechcraft Beech 18, a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina, three Mustang fighters, a Curtiss P-40F Warhawk and a Curtiss P-40C Tomahawk.
As well as marking a 70th anniversary and birthday, the bomber is also celebrating 40 years at Duxford, during which time she has become a favourite on the air show circuit.
Operated by Elly Sallingboe of B-17 Preservation, backed by a registered charity and supported by a team of professional volunteers, the B-17 is kept in airworthy condition as a memorial to all Allied airmen who lost their lives in the Second World War.
Describing the B-17’s 40 years of flying as an "outstanding" achievement for her team, aircraft operator Sallingboe said the aircraft had reached the impressive milestone “without any official help”.
“Enthusiasm, dedication and sheer determination have kept this vintage aircraft flying for four decades," she added, "helped along with charitable donations, sponsorship and the goodwill of all our friends including IWM Duxford."
The VE Day Anniversary Air Show will see the veteran aircraft take part in a wider tribute to the people who endured the Second World War. As well as the Victory in Europe, the weekend will commemorate the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan with vintage American fighters including the Goodyear FG-1D Corsair and Grumman FM-2 joining the aerial displays.
Flying aircraft will also show Britain preparing for war, the vital victory in the Battle of Britain, the bombing campaign, flying with the armies and navies and why Victory in Europe didn’t end the Second World War.
Throughout the historic heart of IWM Duxford a 1940s atmosphere will be enlivened by a VE Day street party, complete with wartime music and song.
Living history groups will also be on hand to offer a glimpse into life on the Second World War Home Front with recreations of wartime weddings, the Home Guard, the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces.
- Tickets for the VE Day Anniversary Air Show are available online at iwm.org.uk/duxford. Advance ticket sales close on May 12, after which tickets will be available on Saturday May 23 and Sunday May 24 on the gate at the show.
- For more information on how to support the B-17 Flying Fortress Sally B, visit sallyb.org.uk.
The Sally B is the only flying B-17 Flying Fortress in Europe.© IWMMore from Culture24's World War Two section:
Ten images marking the 70th anniversary of VE Day
'Defiant' Jack Holmes: The man who built the Boulton Paul Defiant
Aerial photos of WWII airfields join new crowdsourcing American Air Museum website
