Will Be Displayed At The National Museum Of The U.S. Air Force

An airplane that is considered one of the most famous bombers to emerge from World War II was the Memphis Belle, and that iconic B-17 is now undergoing a loving restoration in Dayton Ohio at the National Museum of the US Air Force.

The Belle was one of the first bombers, along with its crew, to complete the mandatory 25 bombing missions. The plane and its crew then returned to the States in a War bond sales drive.

After the war, the plane was saved from reclamation by the mayor of Memphis, who paid $350 for it. The Belle then sat on display outdoors there for decades, deteriorating from the weather and vandalism. After being moved to a display at Mud Island in Memphis and local attempts at restoration, the Air Force took it to the museum in 2005. The famed B-17 I scheduled be back on public display in 2014.

And here’s a bit of trivia for you – the Associated Press reports The B-17F "Flying Fortress" piloted by then-Lt. Robert Morgan had its famous name before it left the U.S. mainland. Morgan, who died in 2004, said it was inspired by his sweetheart, 19-year-old Memphis resident Margaret Polk. The actual moniker came from a riverboat in a John Wayne movie called Lady for a Night that Morgan and his co-pilot saw the night before the crew voted on a name. (USAF Photos)

FMI: www.nationalmuseum.af.mil