James Verinis (copilot), Capt. Dr. Rebecca Hodges (faculty adviser). She flew for 10 months from November 7, 1942 to May 17, 1943. In May 1943, the crew of the Memphis Belle, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress of the US Army Air Force, are grounded in England while their aircraft is repaired. This film looks at the daylight bombing campaign from the standpoint of the crew members. Captain Charles “Chuck” Leighton flew his whole tour with the Memphis Belle crew. “Before the attack, you are usually scared, but when the planes start coming up and attacking you are all right.”, “We had some luck. The crew of the “Memphis Belle” after their 25th and last mission (L-R): Harold P. Loch; Cecil H. Scott; Robert Hanson; James Verinis; Robert K. Morgan; Charles B. Leighton; John P. Quinlan; Casimer A “Tony” Nastal; Vincent Evans; Clarence E. “Bill” Winchell // Wikipedia Commons [Public Domain] Werbung/Advertisement. The B-17 Flying Fortress Memphis Belle (Serial No. Bob Hanson – Radio Operator. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) _ Margaret Polk, the ″Memphis Belle″ whose romance with a B-17 bomber pilot became a celebrated World War II love story, has died of cancer. The four officers and six enlisted men of the Memphis Belle - a B-17 bomber so nicknamed for the girlfriend of its stern and stoic captain, Dennis Dearborn - will soon start their twenty-fifth mission, having completed their previous twenty-four successfully with nary an incident, while fewer and fewer other planes are coming back from their missions at all. The crew of the "Memphis Belle"® after their 25th mission: (l to r) TSgt. Ms. Polk died Thursday at her home. He is pictured here (standing, 1st from left) with the crew of his B-17, Connecticut Yankee. Bill Winchell – Waist Gunner. Nine of the ten crewmembers are in the early tour photo above—19-year-old SSgt Casimer “Tony” Nastal (bottom right) was added for the war bond tour. The Memphis Belle and her crew. Please note the museum’s parking lot is undergoing construction and repaving through the end of April. Robert Hanson, the last surviving member of the storied Memphis Belle B-17 bomber crew, which was the first to fly 25 bombing missions in Europe during World War II, … SSgt E. Scott Miller joined the Memphis Belle crew in February 1943, flying 16 missions as a waist gunner. SSgt William “Bill” Winchell flew his entire combat tour with the Memphis Belle crew. Cecil Scott – Ball Turret Gunner. Photographed after the completion of their 25th Mission - Bassingbourn, England - May 17, 1943. Baldwin and his crew would go on to fly 48 missions before returning to the U.S. for their own bond tour in 1944. Belle’s skin was shot up on nearly every mission; 65 holes were counted after one mission. “It’s always a great thrill to get a fighter in your sights and let him have it. Capt James “Jim” Verinis flew five missions on the Memphis Belle before taking command of another B-17 called the “Connecticut Yankee.”. An Army publicist, Lt. Col. Bruce Derringer (John Lithgow) is visiting the base, to interview the Belle crew in anticipation of their flying their 25th mission, a requirement to complete th… Lausanne Partnership Representatives
After returning to the States in June 1943, the bomber and many of its crew served as the centerpiece of a 31-city War Bonds tour. What did Virge do for a living, before he joined up to go to war? Vince Evans – Bombardier. We're in the process of sorting our archives, but in the mean time you can, This site was developed through a partnership of the. We had a good crew, and what’s just as important, we had absolute confidence in each other.”, “I went to my Squadron Commander and told him I’d like to fly combat. Nastal flew 25 missions, but only one on the Memphis Belle. Robert Hanson (radio operator), Capt. JP Quinlan – Tail Gunner. Capt Vince Evans (right), Memphis Belle bombardier, flew with Morgan in the Pacific Theater. There was the time that six Focke-Wulfs appeared from nowhere, and all six cut loose on us…and [we] had to slug it out with them.”, “A bullet from an enemy airplane went right through my little compartment…If I had still been leaning forward in shooting position that bullet would have gone straight through my head.”. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Meet the men that flew 25 successful missions through these stories and interviews profiling each of them. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is located at: 1100 Spaatz Street The responsibility is frightening sometimes.”, “When you cross into enemy territory, you have a tense expectant feeling. Vince Evans – Bombardier. Charles Leighton (navigator), SSgt. She was 67. During the course of the combat tour, the Memphis Belle crew had three different top turret gunner/engineers (Leviticus “Levi” Dillon, Eugene Adkins, and Harold Loch) and three waist gunners (Harold Loch, who later moved to the top turret position, Bill Winchell, and E. Scott Miller). Although Belle ‘s crew members earned 51 decorations, only one Purple Heart was awarded—to tail gunner John Quinlan, who described his wound as a pin scratch on the leg. The War Department made a stirring documentary about the bomber’s final mission over a German port city. Harold Loch (top turret gunner/engineer), SSg.t Cecil Scott (ball turret gunner), TSgt. 41-24485) was one of 12,750 B-17’s built by the Boeing Aircraft Co. He flew the Memphis Belle, whose name recalled his girlfriend in Tennessee, from Nov. 7, 1942, to May 17, 1943. Please follow the signs and instructions provided by the road crews. The Memphis Belle was supposed to be the first B-17 bomber to fly 25 bombing missions and return back to base safely each time. Jim Verinis – Co-Pilot. Left to Right: Harold Loch, Top Turret Gunner (Died 2004) Cecil Scott, Ball Turret Gunner (Died 1979) Robert Hanson, Radio Operator (Died 2005) Jim Vernis, Co-Pilot (Died 2003) Robert Morgan, Pilot (Died 2004) Sq. Are any of the crew members of the Memphis Belle still alive? Belle’s maintenance crew led by Joe Giambron was regarded as one of the best. Drew Smith
After the war bond tour, he volunteered for additional combat duty and flew B-29s against Japan. TSgt Robert “Bob” Hanson flew his entire tour with the Memphis Belle crew. Col Stanley Wray: 91st Bomb Group Commander. JP Quinlan – Tail Gunner. SSgt E. Scott Miller joined the Memphis Belle late but flew 16 missions with the crew. Morgan was promoted to major at a ceremony at Patterson Field (now Wright-Patterson AFB) in July 1943. In addition, Springfield Street, the road that leads to the museum’s entrance, is undergoing construction through the beginning of September. Now an academic from Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona, Florida has revealed that it was the B-24 … Robert Hanson, the last surviving member of the storied Memphis Belle B-17 bomber crew, which was the first to fly 25 bombing missions in Europe during World War II, has died. “ Chuck ” Leighton flew his entire combat tour with the Memphis Belle represented typical. 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