"Memphis Belle" pins

The Memphis Belle is a famous B-17 Flying Fortress bomber from the US Air Force dating back to the Second World War. It takes its name from the city of Memphis, Tennessee, and from a young woman, Margaret Polk, the girlfriend of pilot Robert Morgan.

This four-engine aircraft made history in May 1943 by becoming one of the first American bombers to complete 25 combat missions over occupied Europe without being shot down.

The Memphis Belle was assigned to the 324th Bomb Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group, based in Bassingbourn, England. Its missions targeted strategic installations in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, including submarine bases, factories and marshalling yards.

After its 25th mission, the aircraft and its crew returned to the United States for a tour promoting war bonds, becoming a symbol of the American war effort. This tour was immortalised in the 1944 documentary The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, directed by William Wyler.

In 1990, the film Memphis Belle, directed by Michael Caton-Jones, brought this heroic adventure back into the spotlight. It is loosely based on the true story of the bomber and focuses on its 25th and final mission.

Today, the restored aircraft is on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.