The plane, along with her crew, was the first Army Air Forces heavy bomber to fly 25 missions over Nazi-held Europe and return to the United States.
In 1943, the Memphis Belle flew into Dayton during a war bond tour of 30 cities. The tour, a way to raise money and boost morale, was dubbed the “26th mission.”
Two years later the plane was “sitting in a boneyard” until the city of Memphis rescued it, according to the station’s website. In 2005 the Air Force Museum began a 13-year restoration.
Interviews with the curator and restoration crew about the insights and challenges of the long restoration mission and first-hand accounts taken from combat diaries of the bomber’s dangerous missions are part of the documentary.
More information about the documentary can be found at https://thinktv.org/memphis-belle-the-final-mission/.
About the Author