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B-17F Memphis Belle

Memphis Belle

Memphis Belle is perhaps the most famous and recognizable B-17 of World War Two. She survived the war and returned to the United States for War Bond tours. Then she was acquired by her namesake Tennessee city but languished to neglect and vandalism for decades. Various well-meaning groups tried to care for her but for nought.

Eventually the United States Air Force reclaimed Memphis Belle and brought her to Wright-Patterson AFB, where the National Museum of the US Air Force lavished loving care upon the treasure.

In 2018, on the 75th anniversary of her famous 25th mission, the National Museum of the US Air Force unveiled her after a lengthy restoration. This is how Memphis Belle and her display appeared in August, 2018.

Photos

No, you are not seeing double. To extenuate detail, I purposely loaded some photos as pairs, original and retouched.

To make these 100+ photos easier to digest, I segregated them into four pages. This first section is mainly the exterior.

Page two are the bomb bay, and top and belly turrets in more detail.

Page three presents B-17 schematics, and a detailed explanation of the General Electric Turbosupercharger.

Finally, a fourth page of miscellaneous parts and components. Memphis Belle was not the first USAAF heavy bomber to complete 25 combat missions. A few shots of Memphis Belle's 25-mission predecessors are included.