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Letter from Colonel Robert Morgan

In October, 2002, Col. Robert Morgan (USAAF - WWII), sent a letter to the City of Weatherford and the Parker County Historical Society encouraging a memorial to remember those men of the Weatherford crash of 1945.

Col. Morgan wrote: "I have been asked to express my feelings about the two Boeing B-29's, which crashed in Weatherford, TX in August 1945. I was not aware of the incident until Bob Hopkins, who is working to memorialize this incident, contacted me.

Mr. Hopkins contacted me because I am best known as the pilot of the B-17 "Memphis Belle" but I also flew 26 more combat missions in the Pacific against Japan after I flew the Belle.

On 24 Nov 44, I led the first B-29 raid on Tokyo in my plane "Dauntless Dotty". You can read her bio on my website at www.memphis-belle.com.

A lot of brave men were lost training in B-29s and also flying them in the Pacific theater. The B-29 initially had a lot of mechanical problems and it took courage and bravery to keep climbing into those beasts until the mechanical issues were corrected by Boeing and military personnel.

Had the U.S. not pursued the war against Japan in these mighty bombers (with huge losses of planes and personnel), along with dropping the atomic bomb from the B-29's "Enola Gay" and "Bockscar", we would never have prevailed against them and the U. S. would have lost WWII.

In times like these it must be understood that the cost of freedom is and has always been very high. The true heroes of that war are the men and women who gave their lives for their country and did not come home as I did.

Therefore, the crews of the two B-29 bombers that crashed over the city of Weatherford, Texas in August 1945, must not be forgotten. I encourage any effort on the part of local organizations and your city government to work together to create some kind of memorial to honor their devotion, dedication, and courage.

Our generation is slowly passing as new ones emerge to carry on the spirit of the American people. It would be a pity to allow the memories of those boys of those planes to slip into oblivion. Please do what ever you can to honor their lives".

Sincerely
Col. Robert K. "Bob" Morgan
The Memphis Belle & Dauntless Dotty

Additional Sources:

www.postcardpost.com
www.armyairforces.com
www.brooksart.com
www.donsmithplans.com
warbirdsofww2.tripod.com
www.oldmanuals.com
www.us-aircraft.com

WW II brought out the worst that mankind had to offer but it brought out the best as well. Millions of men joined up to fight in the armed services. The Army Air Force was fully a volunteer operation. No one was forced to fly and no other armed service lost as many men as did those brave flyers. Some squadrons in the Army's Eighth Air Force (The Mighty Eighth) lost up to seventy percent of their bomb groups over France and Germany during the hard years of daylight bombing by the American Forces. The Fifteenth Air Force, stationed in Italy, suffered similar losses.

The B-17s and the B-24s were excellent heavy bombers. The war could not have been won without them. By 1944-45 they were beginning to be replaced by the new B-29s. They were bigger, could carry more bombs and were equipped with pressurized cabins and radar but were criticized by many of the pilots as having problems that needed to be addressed.

They were mighty planes flown and operated by mighty men. They played a pivotal point in winning WWII. They trained, they flew, they fought, and they gave the ultimate sacrifice. They will forever be remembered, as Tom Brokaw termed, "The Greatest Generation". May God bless them all.