Posted on 05/17/2018 2:04:20 PM PDT by GreyFriar
Legendary WWII bomber that survived 25 missions over occupied Europe is lovingly restored and put on display
B-17 'Flying Fortress' known as Memphis Belle is introduced this morning at National Museum of USAF in Ohio
Plane was celebrated for being first bomber to survive 25 missions over Europe before returning to US in 1943
It had been kept in Memphis, Tennessee for years but had been subject to vandalism before being refurbished
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
USAAF WWII B-17 ping
Who would possibly recommend a scrap heap for one of the most famous planes in human history ?
Agreed!
Pictured: The nose of the plane, featuring risque art and heavy machine guns
A beautiful combination.
Thanks so much for posting this story. Just watched the movie Memphis Belle (again) a few nights ago.
Thanks for posting this. I’m glad they did it.
Thanks for posting! My dad was an armorer in the 5th Air Force for bombers (B-17s, 24s and 29s) at airbases in New Guinea, the Halmahera Islands, and several of the Phillipine Islands. Learned electrical circuitry for the gun turrets and bombsights, which led to his career for Western Electric and then for Idaho Power for 35 years.
I got close to the B-17 Sentimental Journey the Confederate Air Force has in Texas. Bette Grable on the nose. A great plane and great crew. A guy I worked with was a navigator on one like it in WWII. The crew took him for a ride before they left the air show. I sat and watched it leave and listened to the engines.
RIP Lawrence. Loved the sound of those engines.
Question for anyone that can answer.
I assume the 25 symbols of a bomb represent the 25 missions.
What does the symbol on top of 15 of them represent?
I believe it is missions where post-bomb assessments verified destroyed targets.
Thank You Mr. Boeing!
Nice for the plane, but unfortunately, the Smithsonian was unable or unwilling to save Matthew Modine from the scrapheap ...
There is a big discussion of the victory symbols on Belle here:
http://shockwaveproductions.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=21499
Look for a big post by GrahamSimons.
Many people toss around the term “Greatest Generation” pretty casually.
Go to your local air show or war birds museums and tour (especially) a B17, B25 or B24. Make careful note of the construction. Note the lack of armor and “creature comforts” for the crew. Know that bombing missions then was a war of large numbers, not so much crew safety.
After my first tour inside a B17, for me, the term Greatest Generation took on a much more serious and respectful, not casual, definition.
I would like to share a photo of my husband(retired FAA Pilot Examiner and Flight Instructor) with Capt Morgan and also my husband and Margaret Polk in front of the Memphis Belle before it was moved to Mud Island on the Mississippi River, but it looks like there is no option to add an image here. I searched and can see no FR area to let me know how to do this. He was a very good friend of Margaret Polk till her death. Will be glad to add the photos if someone can steer me in the right direction! Thanks!
I'm grateful for all the preservation efforts.
She did complete 25 missions but wasn’t the first.
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/memphis-belle-was-not-the-first-bomber-to-complete-25-missions.html
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