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Legendary WWII bomber that survived 25 missions over occupied Europe is lovingly restored and put on display B-17 'Flying Fortress' known as Memphis Belle is introduced this morning at National Museum of USAF in Ohio Plane was celebrated for being first bomber to survive 25 missions over Europe before returning to US in 1943 It had been kept in Memphis, Tennessee for years but had been subject to vandalism before being refurbished

A legendary Second World War bomber is set to go on display for the first time after being restored at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Ohio. The B-17 'Flying Fortress' known as Memphis Belle was introduced as the anchor of an extensive exhibit in the Dayton-area museum's war gallery. The Memphis Belle has spent the last dozen years or so undergoing a piece-by-piece rehabilitation, from the clear plastic nose cone down to the twin .50-caliber machine guns mounted in the tail. The plane, known for its risque nose paintings featuring a pin-up girl, was celebrated...

LAGUNA WOODS, Calif. (AP) - Air Force Lt. Col. Daniel A. McGovern, a combat photographer who filmed the aftermath of the atomic bomb detonations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, has died. He was 96. McGovern died of cancer Wednesday at his home in Laguna Woods. Weeks after the bombs were dropped in August 1945, McGovern began taking photographs that have since appeared in history books, newspapers, television shows and movies. Earlier during the war, McGovern photographed President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the White House. In 1943, McGovern flew missions as a cameraman while stationed in Chelveston, England. He survived two...

Robert Hanson, who has died in Albuquerque, New Mexico, aged 85, was the last surviving crew member of the Memphis Belle, perhaps the most celebrated aircraft of the Second World War. Between November 1942 and May 1943 the Belle, a B-17, became the first American bomber to complete 25 missions over Occupied Europe and to return safely to the United States. At the time, the USAAF squadrons based in Britain - the Eighth Air Force - were conducting daylight raids without adequate fighter escort, and three in four aircraft were being lost within three months of entering combat. In all,...

"Home at Last" Author, Menno Duerksen, Passes Away Menno Duerksen, author of "Home at Last," arguably the definitive history of the "Memphis Belle," passed away in his sleep, Monday, June 20, 2005. Menno's carefully researched book, published in 1987, looks at the lives of the crew, as well as the aircraft, the combat missions, and its history in Memphis, TN up until the innaguration of the pavilion on Mud Island. Menno was 88 years old, four days short of his 89th birthday, at his death. His funeral was June 24, 2005 at Memphis Funeral Home. Menno is survived by his...

Robert Morgan, Famed WWII Bomber Commander, Dies at 85 The Associated Press May 16, 2004 ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Col. Robert Morgan, commander of the famed Memphis Belle B-17 bomber that flew combat missions over Europe during World War II, died late Saturday of complications from a fall, his wife said. He was 85. Morgan was hospitalized April 22 with a fractured neck after falling following an air show at Asheville Regional Airport, said Carole Donnelly, spokeswoman for Mission Hospitals, where Morgan was treated. His condition had been deteriorating in the last week or so, and Morgan was taken off...

Article Published July 28, 2003 Plaque a deserved thank-you token for pilot Story by Mike Peters Sitting at home now, 60 years later, he can still hear the noises: the flak bursts around the plane, the muffled explosions of the bombs below, the sighs of relief and expressions of joy of returning to base safely. This was Rhoten Smith's world in 1943. It was World War II. A movie was made several years ago about these men and what they did. "Memphis Belle" was the name of the movie and the B-17 that survived. It told the story of the...

<p>July 3, 2003 -- THE nation this week end celebrates the 227th anniversary of its founding, and once again young Americans are in harm's way in foreign lands.</p> <p>Therein lies a tale - and an opportunity to visit history.</p> <p>But first, some numbers.</p>