The Memphis Belle

By Dennis Wolf

The Memphis Belle is a B-17 bomber that fought in World War II. Specifically, the Memphis Belle is a B-17F-10-BO Flying Fortress, Boeing serial number 3170, U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) serial number 41-24485, that rolled out the door at Boeing on July 2, 1942. Following inspections and flight tests, the plane was accepted by the USAAF on July 15, 1942, and flown to Wright field in Ohio for outfitting. In September 1942, she flew to the 91^st Bombardment Group at Dow Field, Bangor, Maine, with just sixteen flight hours when she landed. From there, the Belle deployed to Prestwick, Scotland, on September 30, 1942. She flew to a temporary base at RAF Kimbolton on October 1, 1942, and then to her permanent base at RAF Bassingbourn on October 14. The plane was assigned to the 324^th Bomb Squadron (Heavy), 91^st Bomb Group, with the squadron code “DF” and individual aircraft letter “A.”[i]

The Memphis Belle had an operational range of 2,000 miles with a typical 4,000-pound bomb load, which meant she could hit targets deep inside Europe (as an example, Berlin is 570 air miles from Bassingbourn). The plane could carry a maximum 8,000-pound bomb load with a shorter operational range. The plane’s top speed was 287 mph, but it cruised at 182 mph. It was armed with ten 50-caliber machine guns for defense, which led to its identity as the “Flying Fortress.” The plane could take a lot of damage and still fly. The Belle had both wings replaced, her tail replaced twice, nine engines replaced, and both main landing gear replaced, all from flak, machine gun, and cannon damage.[ii]

The Purpose of the B-17

The United States needed a tough, dependable heavy bomber to fight the enemy by bombing targets considered important for the war effort. The B-17 was designed to carry a heavy bomb load over long distances to bomb strategic targets, and to protect itself from enemy fighters. Initial bombing operations of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), which would later become the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1947, began in the summer of 1942. The typical B-17 crew consisted of ten men: two pilots; navigator; bombardier; and six gunners, two of which ran radio and engineer operations. By mid-1943, the life expectancy of a bomber crew was 11 missions, and crews were well aware of the odds against them. As bombing raids became more frequent and consisted of a larger number of aircraft, losses of approximately 10% of the aircraft, with another 25% damaged, became normal.[iii] Eighty percent of the 91^st Bomb Group’s B-17s and their crews were lost to German fighters and anti-aircraft fire.[iv]

The Belle flew her first combat mission on November 7, 1942, over Brest, France, and her final mission on May 19, 1943, over Kiel, Germany.[v] The Memphis Belle became the third B-17 to complete 25 missions in the European theater of operations (Delta Rebel No. 2 completed her 25^th mission on May 1, 1943, and Hell’s Angels completed her 25^th mission on May 13, 1943).[vi] The very first B-17 to complete 25 missions in the war was the Suzy-Q. The Suzy-Q flew in the Pacific Theater and completed her 25^th mission in October 1942.[vii] On June 10, 1943, the Belle flew back to the United States to begin a war bond tour from June to August 1943. After the war bond tour, the Belle was refurbished and upgraded with current B-17 technology, and in December 1943, began serving as a training aircraft for many B-17 crews.[viii]

The crew exiting the Belle after completing their 25th mission, May 19, 1943-colorized[ix]

The crew exiting the Belle after completing their 25th mission, May 19, 1943, signed by the crew members Robert Morgan, Livi Dillon, John P. Quinlen, Clarence E. Winchell, Casimir Nastal, E. Scott Miller, Robert Hanson, Harold Loch, James Verinis, and Eugene Adkins, with some adding their rank or role on the mission.[x]

M/Sgt Joe Giambrone on the ladder paints the 25th bomb insignia on the Belle at her base in Bassingbourn, England, signifying completion of her 25th mission on May 19, 1943.  Captain Robert Morgan is the eighth man from the left.

The ‘port,’ or pilot’s side, ‘scoreboard’ on the nose of the Memphis Belle, from a photograph taken on May 19, 1943, the date of the aircraft’s last mission. The yellow stars indicate that the Belle led the bomb group, and the red stars indicate that she led the entire bomb wing.

The Memphis Belle's 25 Missions

№	Location:	Date:	Target:
1	Brest, France	November 7, 1942	U-Boat Pens
2	St. Nazaire, France	November 9, 1942	U-Boat Pens
3	St. Nazaire, France	November 17, 1942	U-Boat Pens
4	Lille, France	December 6, 1942	Marshalling Yards
5	Rommily-Sur-Seine, France	December 20, 1942	German Aircraft Depot
6	St. Nazaire, France	January 1, 1943	U-Boat Pens
7	Lille, France	January 13, 1943	Marshalling Yards
8	Lorient, France	January 23, 1943	U-Boat Pens
9	Emden, Germany	February 4, 1943	War Plant (Ford Factory)
10	Hamm, Germany	February 14, 1943	Marshalling Yards
11	St. Nazaire, France	February 16, 1943	U-Boat Pens
12	Wilhelmshaven, Germany	February 26, 1943	Sea Port
13	Brest, France	February 29, 1943	U-Boat Pens
14	Lorient, France	March 6, 1943	U-Boat Pens
15	Roven, France	March 12, 1943	Marshalling Yards
16	Abbeville, France	March 13, 1943	German Fighters
17	Wilhelmshaven, Germany	March 22, 1943	Sea Port
18	Roven, France	March 28, 1943	Marshalling Yards
19	Antwerp, Belgium	April 5, 1943	War Plants
20	Lorient, France	April 16, 1943	U-Boat Pens
21	Bremen, Germany	April 17, 1943	War Plant (Focke-Wulf Factory)
22	St. Nazaire, France	May 1, 1943	U-Boat Pens
23	Antwerp, Belgium	May 4, 1943	War Plants
24	Lorient, France	May 15, 1943	U-Boat Pens
25	Wilhelmshaven, Germany	May 17, 1943	Sea Port

The Memphis Belle’s crew at Bassingbourn, England, after completing 25 missions over enemy territory. From Left to Right, TSgt. Harold Loch (top turret gunner/engineer), SSg.t Cecil Scott (ball turret gunner), TSgt. Robert Hanson (radio operator), Capt. James Verinis (copilot), Capt. Robert Morgan (pilot), Capt. Charles Leighton (navigator), SSgt. John Quinlan (tail gunner), SSgt. Casimer Nastal (waist gunner), Capt. Vincent Evans (bombardier), and SSgt. Clarence Winchell (waist gunner). U.S. Army Air Forces photo, June 6, 1943, colorized from B&W original[xi]

Capt. Robert Morgan, Memphis Belle pilot, thanking his ground crew. (l to r) Cpl Oliver Champion, SSgt Max Armstrong, Sgt Ware Lipscomb, Sgt Leonard Sowers, Sgt Charles Blauser, Sgt Robert Walters, and crew chief MSgt Joseph Giambrone[xii]

The Eleventh Crew Member[xiii]

During World War II, females were not allowed to serve on combat aircraft, with the exception of the Memphis Belle. In the spring of 1943, co-pilot Jim Verinis bought a female Scottish Terrier puppy while on leave in London. He named the dog Stuka, after the Junkers 87, Germany’s diver bomber. Stuka was issued her own dog tags.

Despite rumors that Stuka flew on combat missions, Verinis said that was not true. Combat missions were flown at altitudes of around 25,000 feet that required the crew to be on oxygen and wear heavy garments to protect against temperatures of minus 40^oF. Stuka did fly in the Belle when they flew no higher than 10,000 feet, and she returned with the crew when they came back to America. She would run up and down inside the plane until it took off. Once the plane took off, she settled down in the Plexiglas nose and enjoyed the flight. Stuka also participated in the “short snorter” activity of the time. A “short snorter” was a dollar bill that military personnel stationed overseas collected autographs on. When the bill was filled with autographs, they would start a new one, and many soldiers had large collections. Some of the signatures on Stuka’s short snorters included Burgess Meredith, Clark Gable, and William Wyler, the director who made the first Belle documentary.

Stuka was an immediate celebrity on the war bond tours. Newsreel cameramen and newspaper photographers celebrated the flying dog. She rode with the crew in parades, and many people had their picture taken with her.

Stuka and Captain James Angelo Verinis in the right waist gunner’s window on the Memphis Bell, June 9, 1943. Colorized from original B&W photo.[xiv]

The Belle Comes Home and War Bond Tour

The Bell’s return trip itinerary:

May 19, 1943 Memphis Belle’s 25th mission

May 26, 1943 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit Bassingbourn

June 8, 1943 Test flying/filming/proficiency flying from Bassingbourn

June 9, 1943 Depart Bassingbourn, land at Bovingdon

June 12, 1943 Depart Bovingdon, 2½ hour flight to Prestwick, Scotland

June 13, 1943 Depart Prestwick, Scotland, 8-hour flight to Greenland

June 14, 1943 – Refuel, depart Greenland for 10-hour flight to Bangor, Maine

June 14, 1943 – Refuel, depart Bangor for 3-hour flight to Chicopee, Massachusetts

June 15, 1943 – Arrive Washington DC area

June 16, 1943 – Official arrival at Washington National Airport

Battle scarred and proud, the Belle in flight over the village of Foxton, Cambridgeshire, England, on June 9, 1943 at the start of her trip home to the United States. Foxton is just over 5 air-miles from Bassingbourn, so the Belle had just taken off. Colorized from original B&W photo.[xv]

The Memphis Belle on June 9, 1943, after leaving her airbase in Bassingbourn, England, starting her trip back to the United States, following the successful completion of 25 missions over occupied Europe. Colorized from original B&W photo.[xvi]

Photo of the Belle after landing in Washington, DC on June 16, 1943[xvii]

After the Belle returned to the United States, the crew began a thirty city War Bond and morale tour. War Bonds were used to provide funds for the war effort, and the Belle’s crew helped promote the war effort and encourage citizens to buy bonds. The losses for combat missions in B-17s were high, and the successful completion of 25 missions and the safe return of the airplane and crew showed that daylight precision bombing was both successful and survivable. I was not able to find a list of the thirty cities visited. One source said that the crew visited so many cities that they lost track of where they were.

The Belle and her crew, and Stuka, after returning to the United States

The Memphis Belle at Patterson Field in Ohio, July 9, 1943

Photo taken on the war bond tour. Basic Magnesium, Inc., was a company in Clark County, Nevada. The company produced the magnesite and brucite needed to make magnesium metal. Magnesium was used to make incendiary bombs, munitions casings, and airplane parts during World War II. Some of the signatures on the plane were made by soldiers back in England before the Belle left to come home, and others were made by citizens at war bond tour stops.[xviii]

The Belle and her crew with Stuka on a war bond tour stop, city and date unknown. The signatures on the plane were made by people who signed the plane while it was on the war bond tour. Colorized from original B&W photo.[xix]

The Original Memphis Belle

The Memphis Belle person was Margaret Polk. She was a 19-year-old college student attending Southwestern College (now Rhodes College), and a descendant of America’s eleventh president, James Knox Polk, of Nashville. Her father was a successful lawyer and businessman, and the family lived at 1095 Poplar. Today, that site is a parking lot next to a home that became the Four Flames restaurant, and is now the Memphis Child Advocacy Center.

Margaret Polk

While visiting her older sister in Walla Walla, Washington, in 1942, she met Second Lieutenant Robert Knight Morgan, a United States Army Air Forces pilot. The couple soon started dating, and when Morgan was assigned his B-17 Flying Fortress in 1942, he named the plane the Memphis Belle in her honor. The nose art of a pinup girl in a swimsuit came from the April 1941 edition of Esquire magazine, and was painted by Corporal Tony Starcer, the 91^st Bomb Group’s artist.[xx] The Memphis Belle’s first visit to Memphis was on September 12, 1942, and Margaret met the plane at the airport. By then, Morgan had been promoted to the rank of captain.

After Morgan and the Belle returned to the US, the plane embarked on a tour to promote morale and the sale of war bonds. Polk and Morgan were reunited when the Belle stopped in Memphis from June 19 until June 22 for its first war bond rally. It was the first time the couple had been together since September 12, 1942.

Polk and Morgan on the War Bond tour[xxi]

At the request of the Army, the engaged couple toured from city to city selling war bonds. As with many relationships, the couple drifted apart, and by August the romantic relationship between Polk and Morgan ended. Polk became an airline flight attendant and later married briefly. She continued to be dedicated to the Memphis Belle and remained a driving force behind the group called “Save the Belle,” which raised funds for preserving the plane in Memphis. Morgan and Polk remained good friends until her death in April 1990. Robert Morgan passed away in May 2004.

Acquiring the Belle

When World War II ended, the country had thousands of surplus planes, tanks, ships, and vehicles, including what remained of the 12,731 B-17s built during the war. The approximate cost to build a B-17 in 1945 was $314,109.[xxii] It would cost about $3.3 million to build one today.[xxiii] The government declared much of this war equipment surplus, and most of it went to the scrapyard to be recycled. After the war bond tour, and an assignment as a training aircraft at MacDill Field, Florida, for new B-17 crews,[xxiv] the Belle ended up at Altus Army Airfield, Oklahoma, for reclamation. Memphis Mayor Walter Chandler wanted the plane so it could be displayed in Memphis. Memphis had the option of purchasing the plane for $13,750, or borrowing the plane indefinitely for a procurement fee of $350. On March 30, 1946, Memphis procured the Belle at the bargain fee of $350 ($6,219 in 2025 dollars) for “instruction, education, and memorial purposes),[xxv] and she was flown from Altus to Memphis and put on display.

The trip to Memphis might be considered the Belle’s 27^th mission, as the war bond tour has been referred to as her 26^th mission. As with her combat missions, the 27^th mission was not without incident. The Belle had seen a lot of wear and tear in her life, both as a combat aircraft and training aircraft. When the war ended, little thought was given to repair and preventative maintenance on planes intended to be scrapped. Once the Belle arrived in Altus on July 2, 1945, she sat their awaiting her fate.

The crew for her final flight were Robert Little and Hamp Morrison, pilots; Robert Taylor, and James Gowdy, navigators; Stuart Griffin, radio operator; Charles Crowe, crew chief; and Percy Roberts, flight engineer. The Belle was not in the best of condition, and the crew did as much maintenance as they could to make her airworthy. After pre-flight preparation, they took off for the 525-mile, three-hour fifteen-minute trip to Memphis.

After takeoff, the landing gear would not raise. Flight engineer Roberts went to the bomb bay to crank the gear up by hand, but it only retracted half-way. On the way home, the oily rag that had been inadvertently left on the inverters heated up and filled the cockpit with smoke. The radio went out over Little Rock, and when the Belle arrived in Memphis, they had to circle the tower and use the Aldis lamp to communicate with the tower for landing clearance. When the landing gear was lowered, they did not get the green indicator that all three wheels were down and locked. Fortunately, the gear was locked, and the first people to greet the Belle after she landed at 2:55 p.m. on July 17, 1946, were the firefighters on the crash trucks that stood by for her landing.[xxvi]

The Belle being loaded with practice bombs at MacDill Army Air Field.

The crew of the Memphis Belle seen at Altus, Oklahoma, before her last flight. The man with the camera kneeling on the right is Bob Gray from the Commercial Appeal. The ‘84’ on the nose is the Reconstruction Finance Corporation’s catalog number, which identified the plan as she awaited the scrappers.[xxvii]

The Belle’s Life in Memphis

The Belle resided in Memphis from July 1946 until October 2005. After she was flown to Memphis from the scrapyard, the plane resided in a TANG (Tennessee Air National Guard) hanger at the airport for four years. The plane was moved to a plinth in front of the National Guard Armory at Central Avenue and Hollywood and placed on outdoor display. The plane remained on display there for almost thirty years.

The Memphis Belle parked outside the airport’s Administrative Building after arrival at the Memphis Airport in July, 1946.

The Memphis Belle display being dedicated on August 20, 1950 as the city’s World War II memorial “to perpetuate the memories of our victories — to honor our heroic dead.” Mayor Watkins Overton, members of American Legion Post 1, and other dignitaries participated in ceremonies at the National Guard Armory on Central.

Photo by Jack Meredith, The Commercial Appeal, colorized from B&W original

The Memphis Belle gets a bath and sprucing up on November 10, 1966, atop her pedestal in front of the National Guard Armory at the corner of Central and Hollywood. Photo by James Shearin, The Commercial Appeal

The Memphis Belle on display in front of the National Guard Armory

Lifting the partially dismantled Belle off the plinth so as to be able to dismantle it on the ground. A 60-ton crane was required to lift the aircraft.[xxviii]

In 1977, the Belle went back to the airport for repairs and restoration work. The city also relinquished any claim it had on the plane. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force then loaned the plane to the Memphis Belle Memorial Association. The loan agreement specified the terms under which the plane could remain in Memphis.

In 1983, the Belle was moved to the 91^st Bomb Group (H) restaurant at 2561 Democrat Road and placed on display in front of the restaurant.

Margaret Polk, the original Memphis Belle, waves from the cockpit of her namesake as it is towed from Memphis Aero to the 91st Bomb Group Restaurant on Democrat Road on Feb. 21, 1983. Miss Polk sat in the co-pilot’s seat of the plane she helped make famous as it was towed to its new location. The plane is being refurbished after surviving 25 missions in World War II and years of vandalism. The bomber was named after Miss Polk because she was the fiancée of the crew’s pilot, Robert K. Morgan, and she continually helped with war bond drives and fundraising for the plane’s restoration. Photo by Barney Sellers, The Commercial Appeal.

The Belle did not fare well on outdoor display. The weather and vandals damaged the plane to the point that in April 1986, the Museum set a deadline of July 31, 1986, for Belle supporters to raise the estimated $500,000 needed to build a permanent shelter for the plane, or they would reclaim the plane. Through grass-root support, $552,000 was raised.[xxix]

Staff from Blytheville Air Force Base and a score of volunteers worked steadily to ready the plane for static display. Work began in February 1987 on a $500,000 covered outdoor pavilion to serve as a permanent home. On May 17, 1987, the Memphis Belle Pavilion on Mud Island was dedicated to house the Belle. Seven of the eight surviving crewmen who served on the Belle were honored guests. Both Morgan and Polk were present for the dedication and helped cut the ribbon opening the pavilion. More than 8,200 people attended, and a formation of seven B-17s, accompanied by ten other World War II era aircraft, overflew the ceremony and “bombed” the crowd with rose petals.

Workers eat lunch in the shade of the Memphis Belle’s wing on April 21, 1987, while others erect the dome frame of the new hangar housing the World War II B-17 bomber at Mud Island. The fabric covering for the dome was installed later in the day. Photo by Thomas Busler, the Commercial Appeal, colorized from the B&W original.

Mayor Dick Hackett, Margaret Polk, and Robert Morgan cut the ribbon on the Memphis Belle Pavilion on Mud Island, May 17, 1987

The open pavilion did not provide sufficient protection from the weather, and in February 2003, the Belle was moved from what was intended sixteen years before to be her permanent home on Mud Island to a hangar at the Naval Support Activity base in Millington. There, the plane was protected from the elements, and volunteer aircraft mechanics and technicians performed repair and restoration work while efforts were underway to find a permanent, climate-controlled home for the aircraft. Those efforts were not successful, [xxx] and the Air Force reclaimed the Belle. The Belle’s last public appearance, before departing for the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, was as a static display from September 30 to October 2, 2005 at the Millington Air Show.[xxxi] She returned to the Air Force for restoration in October 2005.

The Belle undergoing refurbishment in Millington on July 7, 2003, photo by Susan Hyback[xxxii]

The Air Force Museum Restoration[xxxiii]

The painstaking restoration of the Belle took thirteen years and was completed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base just outside of Dayton, Ohio. The Belle had many issues from its many years of being displayed outside, from faded paint to corrosion to damaged wires, pipes, and control cables, to missing parts. The corrosion could damage the plane’s aluminum construction and had to be removed. Olive green paint had been sprayed over the bare metal inside the plane, and this was removed by blasting powdered walnut shells against the surface. Workers repaired, found substitutes, and/or fabricated what was missing by hand, from the engines down to the decals. The goal was to restore the Belle to “combat condition” as she looked after her 25^th mission. Retired Air Force Major General Charles Metcalf, who was the director of the museum at the time of the restoration, said, “When we get finished this airplane will be flyable, but it will never be flown, because it is important to have accuracy.” As an example of accuracy, the workers fabricated a glycol heater that was missing from inside the left wing. No visitor to the museum will ever see it.

The restoration work took place inside a Word War II-era hanger at the base. This was not the Belle’s first visit to Wright-Patt. She was at the base for the first time in 1942, being outfitted for combat before she was flown to Europe to begin her missions.

The Memphis Belle at Wright Field, Dayton Ohio, with the wings supported on temporary transportation trollies. The original Wright Cyclone engines and their associated propellers that delivered the aircraft from Altus to Memphis in 1946 were not refurbished and re-installed but replaced with new units. The instrument panel in front of the plane was beautifully restored many years ago by the Memphis Bell Memorial Association and the Memphis Vocational Technical School.[xxxiv]

The Memphis Belle during refurbishment at the National Museum of the U. S. Air Force on December 31, 2011[xxxv]

Restoration of the Sperry A2 Ball Turret. The ball turret was a very cramped space, and the gunner could not be inside the turret during takeoff or landing. The gunner entered the turret once the aircraft reached a minimum altitude of 9,000 feet, before oxygen use was required, and before entering the combat area. While in the turret, the gunner laid on his back with his knees up near his elbows. Joysticks controlled turret rotation and firing the guns. The ammunition load for the right gun was 445 rounds, and 571 rounds for the left gun. Some missions required the ball gunner to remain in the turret for as many as 10 hours.[xxxvi]

Restoration work at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in 2017[xxxvii]

Restoration work at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in 2017[xxxviii]

Museum restoration specialist Casey Simmons paints yellow silhouettes of bombs representing completed missions on the fuselage of the Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle during the restoration of the historic aircraft at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, February 1, 2018. (U.S. Air Force photo by J.M. Eddins Jr.)

Restoration work at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in 2017[xxxix]

Restoration crews painting details on the Memphis Belle, December 6, 2017[xl]

Museum restoration specialist Casey Simmons paints the names Pete and Repeat on the tail gun position of the Memphis Belle during the restoration process. SSgt. John Quinlan, the tail gunner of the Memphis Belle crew, named the guns during WWII. Quinlan received credit for shooting down one German fighter which is represented by the swastika. U.S. Air Force photo by Ken LaRock.[xli]

The Memphis Belle, following her restoration at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, being moved from the restoration hanger to her exhibit space. The exhibit opened on May 17, 2018, 75 years to the day of her crew’s final mission.[xlii]

Legacy

Mayor Walter Chandler had the foresight to preserve the Belle for The Greatest Generation (although they did not know that at the time), who had just fought in World War II, and future generations. It was unfortunate that despite the dedicated elbow-grease efforts and financial contributions of the Belle’s supporters a permanent home could not be found in Memphis. They City of Memphis could certainly have done more to save the Belle, but they chose not to. While it was a sad day when the Belle left Memphis in pieces on five trucks bound for Ohio, and with a Shelby County Fire Department escort, it was a good first day for the final retirement for the plane. Today, the Memphis Belle is in pristine condition, looking like she just rolled off the factory floor at Boeing, and painted and marked as she was on her final mission.

A personal observation is that aircraft made during World War II were made with the knowledge that they were expendable. I am not saying that care and craftsmanship were not used when the planes were built, but the goal was to build planes rapidly with enough strength and resilience to do their job, not to last forever. It is a testament to the dedication and work ethic of those who built these aircraft that the Memphis Belle outlasted the war, training crews, weather, and vandals, repeated disassembly, moving, and being reassembled, and remained strong enough to provide the platform for such extensive restoration.

The Memphis Belle February 9, 2023, photo by Peter K Burian[xliii]

The Memphis Belle at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, on July 13, 2023

Eighty-two years after her final combat mission, the Belle lives on. At least three movies have been made about the Memphis Belle: a documentary in 1944, a fictional movie in 1990, and a documentary in 2008. The plane is the centerpiece of the U.S. Army Air Forces Strategic Bombing in Europe in World War II exhibit at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.[xliv] In 2017, the State of Tennessee designated the Memphis Belle as the official state airplane (T.C.A. § 4-1-339).[xlv] The Memphis Belle is also a memorial to all the aircrews that fought in World War II, especially those who did not come home. As we get further and further away from World War II, memories fade, and the past is just history in a book for the current generation. The Memphis Belle is a tangible link to the past, reminding us of the immense effort and sacrifice required at times to keep our country, and the world, free.

[i] The Ragged Irregulars of Bassingbourn, Marion Havelarr, 1995

[ii] https://theaviationist.com/2020/04/06/memphis-belle-the-story-of-a-legendary-boeing-b-17f-flying-fortress/

[iii] The Commercial Appeal, May 24, 2024

[iv] “Memphis Belle” exhibit opens at National Museum of the USAF, September 14, 2018, Airman magazine

[v] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Belle_(aircraft)

[vi] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Belle_(aircraft)

[vii] https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1506263/heavy-bomber-firsts/

[viii] South Wales Argus, December 31, 1943, page 1

[ix] https://ww2db.com/image.php?image_id=7238

[x] https://www.alexautographs.com/auction-lot/memphis-belle_7054d2dadc

[xi] https://ww2db.com/image.php?image_id=7237

[xii] https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195966/boeing-b-17f-memphis-belle/