Memphis Belle is finally coming home!, The

Flight Journal, Aug 2002 by Morgan, Robert K

The B-17 Memphis Belle, which I commanded in WW II, enjoyed amazing publicity, leading many people to treat me and my crew as heroes. We were incredibly lucky to be the first WW II bomber crew to complete 25 combat missions and return to the U.S., but the Belle's crew wasn't better than any other B-17 crew; we were not heroes. We simply did our jobs and were in the right place, at the right time. In our first three months in combat, 82 percent of the B-17s in our 91st BG were shot down. Morale was lousy, so the generals set 25 completed missions as an incentive to go home. Today, I talk to students all over the U.S. and tell them that 82 percent means you eat breakfast with 10 guys and dinner with two!

On May 17, 1943, we completed the 25 missions, and our 26th was to fly our war-tom, bullet-riddled bomber home to the States and visit 32 cities to thank Americans for supporting the war effort. By rationing items such as gas and sugar, buying war bonds and working long hours in factories to manufacture all the items a country needs when going to war, they had certainly done their part. In my opinion, WW II was the last event in our country in which our citizens pulled together 100 percent to support something. I don't think that will ever happen again.

I'll admit that, during the war-bond tour from June to August 1943, most of us got caught up in the hero worship. After all, riding in parades before thousands of people, accepting awards and gifts across the country, being wined and dined lavishly in every city-not to mention the women-can certainly give a young man a big head. In today's lingo, our uniforms were dazzling "chick magnets." Plus, our Scottie dog mascot, Stuka, was along, and she was a chick magnet, too.

At the end of August, the generals wanted us to continue this tour, but we collectively protested because we were mentally and physically exhausted. Gen. Hap Arnold, commander of the Army Air Forces, then told us we could have any job in the military except his. I chose to train in the then secret Boeing B-29 and to command my own squadron in the Pacific theater to fight the Japanese; I was still ticked off about the Pearl Harbor raid. On November 24, 1944, I led the first B-29 raid on Tokyo in Dauntless Dotty with Gen. Rosie O'Donnell on board as command pilot. I completed 26 missions in Dotty, came home in April 1945, stayed in the Air Force Reserve and retired in 1965. But back to the Belle.

Famous Hollywood director William Wyler made a training film and flew five missions on board the Belle with a camera in one hand and an oxygen bottle in the other. His documentary, "Memphis Belle," was released to the American public in 1944. It's still shown on TV. This film, coupled with all the publicity from the war-bond tour, turned the Belle into a legend.

In July 1945, a reporter found the Belle in a scrap yard in Altus, Oklahoma. He contacted the mayor of Memphis, and the city bought it for $350; the bomber was flown to Memphis, where it sat until 1987, neglected and vandalized until Frank Donofrio started the ball rolling to raise money for its restoration. (As this was being put together, I learned of Frank's passing on April 12. His loss greatly saddens me, as he was the driving force behind getting "my" Memphis Belle restored to its current like-new condition.)

In May 1987, the Belle was placed on outdoor exhibit under an enormous parachute-type canopy, and it looked better than when it had left the factory. Margaret Polk-- my WW II sweetheart for whom the Belle was named-- and I dedicated the exhibit. The event was given national publicity-more so because the largest formation of 17s since WW II over-flew the Belle Pavilion and dropped rose petals on the crowd. It was indeed a grand affair.

In 1990, Wyler's daughter, Catherine, released the Warner Bros. Hollywood movie "Memphis Belle." The publicity generated by this film, along with the help of my wonderful wife, Linda, launched me into a tour of speaking engagements and personal appearances that is still going strong. And with every appearance, the Belle receives more publicity. Thousands of people have visited it on Mud Island (in the Mississippi River adjacent to downtown Memphis) because it has become a symbol for all WW II B-17 crews. There is something magical about the emotions it draws from people that has nothing to do with my crew or me. The Belle simply makes people proud to be Americans and thankful to live in freedom.

Unfortunately, because it is exhibited outdoors, the Belle has been damaged by moisture and bird droppings that eat aluminum like acid. This will all change.

On November 10, 2001, I helped break ground for the Memphis Belle War Memorial Park for WW II. My radio operator Bob Hanson, and Peggy Evans, the sister of my bombardier Vince Evans, who was killed in a general aviation crash, were on hand to help. The museum will feature the Belle and its history, but it will also provide exhibits on all the military services, the wartime American home front and aviation groups, such as the Tuskegee Airmen and WASPS. Its purpose will be to honor and remember veterans.