“Memphis Belle” was a Boeing B-17F-10-BO Flying Fortress and one of the first B-17 to complete 25 combat missions. It was named after pilot Robert K Morgan’s girlfriend Margaret Polk, a resident of Memphis, Tennessee. After completing its tour of operations, the aircraft returned to the US for a war bond tour and propaganda. After the war, it remained in Memphis until the 1980s, slowly degrading due to being outdoors and constantly vandalized by souvenir hunters. The aircraft had been donated to the Air Force by Memphis in the 1970s but remained on location until the National Museum of the United States Air Force recovered it and began a lengthy restoration process. It was unveiled on 17 May 2018 in the WWII Gallery at the NMUSAF, where it still stands today.

The bomber’s paint scheme evolved during its career, and even more so after it toured the US after its return. It is represented here as it looked in May 1943 when it completed its 25 combat missions.

“The Belle”, as it is sometimes called, was the subject of 1990 movie. It’s arguably the most famous aircraft of all time, along with Charles Lindbergh’s “Spirit of Saint Louis” and the B-29 Superfortress “Enola Gay” which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Can you think of other aircraft that might be as famous as these three ? Please leave a comment below if you do !

These profiles were part of a series of Boeing Fortress profiles created for the book “Squadrons! No.21: The Boeing Fortress Mk II & Mk III” by Phil Listemann.

This Fortress II (serial FA704) was flown by Wing Commander Ron Thomson DSO and his crew of No 206 Squadron based at Benbecula, in the Outer Hebrides. This aircraft ditched in the Atlantic on 11 June 1943, its crew drifting in a dinghy for four days before being rescued by a Catalina flown by S/L Jack Holmes DFC.

No 100 Group RAF was a special duties group that was created to counter the Luftwaffe nightfighter force, which was wreaking havoc on the RAF Bomber Command’s night-time bombing campaign. The first squadrons of No 100 Group were mostly fighter squadrons which protected the bomber stream and attacked German nightfighters. No 100 Group also became a pioneering electronic counter-measures unit, jamming the German radar system and radio communications, thus further reducing the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe nightfighter force. This Boeing Fortress III was flown by No 223 Squadron in May 1945 and was based in RAF Oulton. It is equipped with an H2S radar in the nose, and multiple jamming equipment.

This Boeing Fortress IIA (serial FK202) was flown by No 59 Squadron of the RAF’s Coastal Command. The Squadron was one of the few RAF squadrons to operate the Fortress in 1942 and 1943 for maritime patrolling missions. The aircraft was equipped with ASV radar, with visible antennas on the fuselage sides and spine as well as beneath the wings.

This profile was created for the book “Squadrons ! No 21 – The Boeing Fortress Mk II & Mk III” by Phil Listemann.