World War II Air Force Bomber ‘Memphis Belle‘ will be put on public display at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio beginning in May 2018. The Memphis Belle is famous for being the first Army Air Force heavy bomber to fly 25 missions over Europe and return to the United States.
The B-17 Memphis Belle bomber was immortalized in a 1990 Hollywood feature film.
According to National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Curator Jeff Duford, the Memphis Belle is a national treasure, and will soon be the centerpiece of a new major exhibit in the museum’s WWII Gallery.
“The B-17F Memphis Belle is an icon that represents the thousands of bomber crews, maintainers, and others supporting the bomber mission, whose service and sacrifice helped win WWII.” said Duford.
“Work is underway to showcase the aircraft in the WWII Gallery, and the surrounding exhibit will include interactive displays, rare archival film footage and many personal artifacts which have never been seen before by our visitors.” – National Museum of the US Air Force
Photo by US Air Force – Crew of the Memphis Belle Returning Safely After Their 25th Mission
The entire crew of the Memphis Belle earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for their service during the war. Upon returning to the United States in 1943 the crew flew the aircraft around the country selling war bonds.
Watch the Official Film “The Memphis Belle” Made in 1943 by the Army Air Force
Featured Image by US Air Force