|
|
The Memphis Belle was the first World War II plane to complete twenty-five combat missions and return to the United States. The Memphis Belle shot down eight enemy fighters, destroyed five others, and damaged at least a dozen others. The Belle also dropped more than sixty tons of bombs over Germany, France, and Belgium. She has flown 148 hours, and 50 minutes. The Belle is also the only B-17 bomber to have it's own file in the Air Force Film Depository.
Once the Belle completed each and every one of it's harrowing twenty-five combat missions, it returned to the United States on it's twenty-sixth. This was actually a tour of the country in the summer of 1943. The Belle went from place to place, the crew thanking the citizens for supporting the war effort.
On May 17, 1987, fourty-four years after her twenty-fifth mission, the Memphis Belle Pavilion was dedicated. Seven B-14 bombers dropped rose petals on the 25,000 attending. In addition to this Force has made the Memphis Belle a national historic treasure.