Production. B-17F heavy bombers. Men and women from all walks of life, like the members of this riveting team, contribute their skills to the production of B-17F heavy bombers at the Long Beach, California, plant of Douglas Aircraft Company. Better known as the "Flying Fortress," the B-17F is a later model of the B-17, which distinguished itself in action in the South Pacific, over Germany and elsewhere. It is a long range, high altitude, heavy bomber, with a crew of seven to nine men and with armament sufficient to defend itself on daylight missions