“The fully-restored plane, which has not been seen publicly for more than 16 years, will be the centrepiece of a new exposition.”

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio will be officially adding an aviation legend to its collection this weekend.
Starting Friday, the original Memphis Belle will go on permanent exhibit in the facility’s World War Two Gallery. A three-day launch event celebrating the unveiling will take place 75 years to the day that the famous Boeing B-17 bomber completed its 25th and final combat mission over Europe.
The fully restored plane, which has not been seen publicly for more than 16 years, will be the centrepiece of a new exposition commemorating the U.S. Army Air Forces’ strategic bombing campaign of World War Two. Appearing with Memphis Belle will be artifacts from seven of the plane’s original crew members, including uniforms and flight suits, along with archival photos and never-before seen wartime film footage of the bonber. Digitally animated maps accompanying the display will bring the the air war over Europe to life and show how aircraft like the Memphis Belle helped contribute to the Allied victory.
More than a dozen vintage aircraft, including six flying P-51 Mustangs, will take part in the opening weekend ceremonies. Thirty wartime vehicles and as many as 160 re-enactors in period uniforms are expected to be on hand as well.
To watch a live stream of the opening as it happens, CLICK HERE.

Seven Fascinating Facts About the Memphis Belle

Officially designated B-17F 41-24485, the Flying Fortress that would go on to become known as the Memphis Belle was delivered fresh from the factory to the U.S. Army Air Forces’ 91st Bombardment Group at Dow Field, Maine on July 15, 1942. She departed for her wartime tour on Sept. 30, arriving at her home field of RAF Bassingbourn — about 60 miles north of London — on Oct 14.

A 24-year-old pilot with the 324th Bomb Squadron named Robert K. Morgan was assigned to captain the plane’s 10-man crew. He originally planned to christen the bomber “Little One” — a pet name for his Memphis, Tennessee sweetheart, Margaret Polk. But after seeing the film Lady for a Night, which featured a riverboat called Memphis Belle, Morgan changed the plane’s name. He based the bomber’s nose art on a pin-up drawing from the famous Esquire magazine illustrator George Petty.

The Memphis Belle flew its first combat mission on Nov. 7, 1942 as part of a larger raid against Brest, France. Over the next 191 days, the plane would carry out 24 more bombing runs over Occupied Europe, six of which would take the Belle and her crew into Germany itself.

The Memphis Belle is often billed as the first B-17 to complete 25 missions. In reality, that honour goes to the 303rd Bomb Group Flying Fortress Hell’s Angels. The lesser-known bomber reached the celebrated milestone just four days before the Belle. Interestingly enough, a B-24 Liberator from the 330th Bombardment Squadron named Hot Stuff completed its mission number 25 on Feb. 7, 1943 — three months before any Flying Fortress.

After completing its combat tour, the Memphis Belle and her crew returned to the U.S. Once Stateside, the bomber flew from coast to coast to appear at war bond rallies. In fact, Morgan had the pleasure of piloting the machine over his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. During the flyby, he banked sharply to make a low-level pass between between the town’s city hall and courthouse — a distance of just 50 feet. Complaints to the War Department about the stunt were ignored.

The bomber was the star of two films. The first was a full-colour 1944 War Department documentary entitled Memphis Belle: The Story of a Flying Fortress. 1990 saw the release of a much-loved feature film about the bomber’s final mission starring Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Sean Astin and Harry Connick Jr.

The Belle was mothballed after the war and consigned to the scrap heap at an Oklahoma airbase. The city of Memphis, Tennessee bought the abandoned aircraft in 1946 for just $350 and put it on display outside a local armoury. There it stayed for more than 40 years. In 1987, the plane’s much-deteriorated airframe was turned over to a nearby naval base for restoration. The efforts progressed in fits and starts until 2004 when the U.S. Air Force Museum acquired the plane. It has been restoring it ever since.