Memphis Belle (Memphis Beauty) is the unofficial proper name of the American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber from the Second World War .
| Memphis belle | |
|---|---|
 Memphis Belle upon return to the USA | |
| Type of | bomber |
| Developer | Boeing |
| Manufacturer | Boeing , Douglas |
| Start of operation | 1942 year |
| Status | decommissioned is in the museum |
| Operators | 91st Bombardment Group USA |
In 2014, the aircraft was restored at the National Museum of the United States Air Force [1] at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton , Ohio .
Content
History
The aircraft was built by Boeing and received serial number 41-24485, transferred to the U.S. Air Force on July 15, 1942 and arrived in September 1942 to be based at the 91st Bombardment Group at the Bangor airfield in Maine . On September 30, 1942, he was relocated to the Glasgow Prestwick airfield in Scotland, then on October 1 at the RAF Kimbolton air base in England and on October 14 he arrived at his permanent location at the RAF Bassingbourn air base , England. Led by captain Robert K. Morgan , the crew made 29 sorties: the first on November 7, 1942, the last on May 4, 1943. June 8, 1943 the plane was sent back to the United States.
The plane first wanted to be named after the beloved girl of captain Morgan. But after the co-pilot Jim Verinis saw the feature film Lady for a Night , in which the main character owned the steamer Memphis Belle , he invited the crew to call the plane the same. Morgan contacted George Petty , who worked in Esquire magazine , and asked him to create a pin-up image for his plane. Military artist 91st Bombardment Group, Corporal Tony Starcer, reproduced on the nose of the bomber a picture of Petty - a girl in a blue suit on the port side of the plane and in a red suit on the port side.
The crew of the aircraft, June 7, 1943
The crew after returning from the last battle
Bomber nose
After the war, Memphis Belle was stationed at Altus Air Base, Oklahoma. He was saved from disposal by a certain Walter Chandler , who bought a plane for $ 350 in 1945 . In 1949, the aircraft was on display at the US National Guard . Then he was forgotten and vandalized by souvenir hunters. In the early 1970s, he was remembered and transported to Memphis as a museum exhibit. But being outdoors spoiled the plane. In the summer of 2003, the bomber was dismantled and relocated for restoration at the Naval Air Station Memphis in Millington , Tennessee . In September 2004, the U.S. National Air Force Museum decided to restore Memphis Belle, which continued through 2014.
Memory
- In 1990, the feature film " Memphis Beauty " was created in the UK, based on the plot of the documentary " Memphis Beauty: The History of the Flying Fortress " ( 1944 ).
- A prefabricated toy model of this aircraft is produced. [2]
Notes
- ↑ Baruda, Bob. "Memphis Belle" moves to the National Museum of the US Air Force. " Archived April 13, 2014. National Museum of the United States Air Force, August 31, 2005. Retrieved: July 19, 2007 .
- ↑ Aircraft B-17F "Memphis Belle"