While the B-17 helped win World War II and could defend itself with its 13 machine gun placements, they weren't nearly as agile as smaller fighter planes and were vulnerable without escort planes.

War, what is it good for? This is a question with very few reasonable answers. However, war is undeniably a driver of technological advancement: The rapid evolution of combat planes during WWII is ...

CHIKUZEN, Fukuoka Prefecture--A full-size replica of the rarest of Japan’s World War II fighter planes, the Shinden interceptor, has gone on display at the Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum here.