Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (N5017N)

Good to see the matt green finish on the engine cowlings to stop reflections for the flight crew. And I never noticed that the B-17 had two additional .55 machine guns either side of the nose. Were they a late addition? The photo would have been enhanced with a slower shutter speed to blur the rotating props more.

Must have been Piccadilly Circus young that cockpit/ nose section! Incredibly impressive though. Oh what I would give...

I think that got done in theater, especially before the chin turret got added.

I believe the side machine guns were a later addition. You can see that this is a 17-G thanks to the chin turret, so it is definitely a later model.

Cheek guns first appeared in the D variant and were manned by the Navigator fighting one side at a time

Pretty sure I wouldn't want to try a hard landing with the port tire in that condition, nor with the ball turret hanging out that far. Hate kicking up sparks on the runway, especially sideways. Think the cheek windows became stock on the G variant along with the chin turret. MGs have been seen mounted in upper, middle or lower forward panels, sometimes asymmetrically.

Reminds me of Dana Andrews as Capt. Derry in the movie The Best Years Of Our Lives, one of my all-time favorites.