I think chuting into the enemy (Axis) base is a great idea (and I'll be doing it, just like last night If I see a tiger, you can be sure that I'll be jumping to grab it.

Destroying the B17 doesn't buy you much. It respawns just like everything else.
Fortunately the B17 won't hurt our ground troups much if they steal one. Market Garden is pretty congested... buildings offer a lot of cover from those bombs.