The National Museum of the Air Force has presented a new display: the World War II B-17F bomber Memphis Belle. The plane arrived at the museum thirteen years ago from Tennessee but has been in restoration.
It was moved to its final display location on Wednesday, March 14. The bomber will be presented in May within a new strategic bombing exhibit inside the World War II gallery.
The Memphis Belle will not be unveiled until May 17, which is the 75th anniversary of the plane’s final mission against Nazi Germany. The plane did not lose a single crewman over the course of it’s missions. The crew was credited with destroying at least 8 enemy fighters, and there are thought to be more.
It was the first Army Air Forces heavy bomber to fly 25 combat missions over Europe during WWII and successfully return t0 the United States. There was a movie created about the plane which came out in 1944 called “Memphis Belle: The Story of a Flying Fortress” that documented the adventures of the plane during its expeditions in Europe in World War II.
The plane gained a lot of fame during it’s nationwide bond tour in 1943, to showcase the plane’s survival.
Upon the display of the Memphis Belle, the B-12 “Shoo Shoo Baby” was to be removed Wednesday, March 14 to eventually land a display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
The museum has obtained archival footage of the plane’s mission from the National Archives and plans to present the footage on screen at the exhibit. Museum attendees will be able to view the footage and participate in interactive learning on screen.
The plane was originally built in the summer of 1942 by the Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle. The plane began flying missions in November of that year. There was a 10-man crew put together and the pilot was Captain Robert Morgan. Morgan named the plane after his girlfriend.
Some of the restorations made for the display include remaking some of the unseen plane parts, as well as repainting the nose art by hand. The paint on the plane will not be original – it was repainted to showcase how the plane looked upon its return to the United States after the war.
The reborn plane will have a woman in a red dress on one side, and a woman in a blue dress on the other side to reflect its original look. Casey Simmons is a museum aircraft restorer and had worked many years on the Memphis Belle to make it perfect for display. Nearly 130 re-enactors are expected to be present at the museum for the commemoration of the Memphis Belle from May 17-19.
Kali Macklin
Reporter