William Wyler's "Memphis Belle: The Story Of A Flying Fortress (1944)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G28ys4TEpao
Posted on 05/17/2018 12:04:32 PM PDT by DFG
A legendary Second World War bomber is set to go on display for the first time after being restored at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Ohio.
The B-17 'Flying Fortress' known as Memphis Belle was introduced as the anchor of an extensive exhibit in the Dayton-area museum's war gallery.
The Memphis Belle has spent the last dozen years or so undergoing a piece-by-piece rehabilitation, from the clear plastic nose cone down to the twin .50-caliber machine guns mounted in the tail.
The plane, known for its risque nose paintings featuring a pin-up girl, was celebrated for being the first bomber to survive 25 missions over occupied Europe and return to the US in 1943.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
William Wyler's "Memphis Belle: The Story Of A Flying Fortress (1944)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G28ys4TEpao
It was at an air show here in Atlanta a few years ago. Flew in, flew out. I don’t know where this article is getting its information.
Catch-22....................
Today they’d all be drummed out of the service after painting that pinup on the nose of the plane. Who needs heroes, we have feelings to worry about.
Is that 8 Nazi Luftwaffe shot down?
Awesome
GREAT movie, too!
Me and my wife took a B17 ride some years back when it came to Columbia.
30 minutes was enough for 6’3, 260 pound me.
I recommend anyone to take a ride.
“The plane, known for its risque nose paintings featuring a pin-up girl, was celebrated...”
As nose art goes, the Memphis Belle is pretty tame.
That said, now that we have to put up with all the out and about LBQSRXY crap, I think it’s time to bring back nose art.
Add one more for a total of 9. See Swastika under side window gunner position.
Our fathers, grandfathers, uncles, great uncles, cousins.
DEATH OF THE BALL TURRET GUNNER
“From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.”
Randall Jarell 1945
Beautiful bird!
The Flying Fortress is such a gorgeous aircraft.
On interesting note, speaking of markings on the plane. Photos from the time (like the one you posted) show swastikas symbolic of something German they destroyed. Aircraft factories, whatever. Anyway the restored plan faithfully recreates the markings EXCEPT the swastikas. I presume they presume some snowflake would accuse them of glorifying nazis or something, ignorant of the true point being made.
the swastika by the nose gun means that one got a fighter
the bomb’s indicate number of missions but what do the stars over several of them mean?, military target?
There are other B-17s in flyable condition. The ‘Belle has not been flight worthy in a very long time. Whatever B-17 you saw, it wasn’t this one.
In the air with bomb bay doors open. I love it! What a worthy way to display the old girl.
There's lots of later B-29 nose art that can't be posted here.
Memphis Belle is quite tame.
My next door neighbor flew B-17’s. He said that gunners shooting down planes was more due to luck because the Bombers moved around so much. Moving around made you a harder target to hit. The only time they tried to fly completely level was when the bomb bay doors opened.
He later moved to fighters after his tour was up and said it felt like he had previously been flying a kite.
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