The Memphis Belle
Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 6:58 am
In the early 2000's, I went to an airshow in the "Twin Cities" of Minnesota. There I had the honor to shake the hand of Colonel Robert Morgan (among other legends of WW2) and to thank him for his service to his country. Robert Morgan died a short while later. I still regret that I did not get him to autograph his book; "The Man who flew the Memphis Belle".
Robert Morgan and his crew were the first B17 crew to complete 25 missions over Europe. The aircraft that Col. Morgan flew for most of his 25 missions was called the "Memphis Belle", named for his then lady love.
The fabulous Memphis Belle
Massed bombing of an enemy became a reality during WW2 and terrible as the whole idea is, it took a tremendous amount of courage to fly those missions, over a hostile land. The US Army made a movie, with actual combat footage, that is known to all WW2 aficionados. The film was called "The Memphis Belle: A story of a Flying Fortress" and firmly cemented the names Robert Morgan and Memphis Belle into the annals of military History. While surfing YouTube, I found the movie. I hope you enjoy it.
[youtube][/youtube]
Robert Morgan and his crew were the first B17 crew to complete 25 missions over Europe. The aircraft that Col. Morgan flew for most of his 25 missions was called the "Memphis Belle", named for his then lady love.
The fabulous Memphis Belle
Massed bombing of an enemy became a reality during WW2 and terrible as the whole idea is, it took a tremendous amount of courage to fly those missions, over a hostile land. The US Army made a movie, with actual combat footage, that is known to all WW2 aficionados. The film was called "The Memphis Belle: A story of a Flying Fortress" and firmly cemented the names Robert Morgan and Memphis Belle into the annals of military History. While surfing YouTube, I found the movie. I hope you enjoy it.
[youtube][/youtube]