The Memphis Belle

 

On this day in 1943, after completing twenty-five combat missions over Western Europe from its base at RAF Bassingbourne, Cambridgeshire, England, Memphis Belle, a U.S. Army Air Forces Boeing B-17F-10-BO Flying Fortress, was flown home by Captain Robert K. Morgan and Captain James A. Verinis. Memphis Belle was only the second B-17 to survive twenty-five missions and was subsequently withdrawn from combat and sent back to the United States for a publicity tour. It is one of only three B-17F models remaining in existence. After a complete restoration in 2018, the plane was put on permanent display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.

Note: The B-17’s name was a reference to Captain Morgan’s girlfriend, Miss Margaret Polk, who lived in Memphis, Tennessee. The artwork painted on the airplane’s nose was a “Petty Girl” based on the work of pin-up artist George Petty of Esquire magazine.