1/29/2011

The Memphis Belle - story of the 25th and last mission

During World War II many young men put their lives on the line in the struggle to defeat Adolf Hitler and his Third Reich. Most soldiers were fighting on the ground, but a lot of them were pilots or air crews in big bombers, flying deep into enemy territory where they were welcomed by anti aircraft guns (flak) and fighter planes. Returning alive from these missions was not a given, and a lot of planes and their crews where shot down. Some survived, only to spend the rest of the war in prison camps.




The Flying Fortress (B-17) named Memphis Belle, in May 1943 became the first U.S. Army Air Forces heavy bomber to have flown 25 missions over Europe. Surviving this many flights over European enemy territory, meant that she and her crew could return safely to the United States. A documentary film was made as "the last mission of the Memphis Belle", depicting the courage of the many air crews flying this bombers.
Source: Wikipedia

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