On October 14, 1943, the Eighth Air Force lost 60 B-17s and 594 airmen in a single afternoon over Schweinfurt, ending unescorted deep-penetration bombing over Germany.
TaildraggerThe Memphis Belle's 13-year restoration at Wright-Patterson rescued WWII's most famous bomber from decades of outdoor decay in a Memphis city park.
TaildraggerThe Swamp Ghost B-17F Flying Fortress ditched in a Papua New Guinea swamp in 1942 and was recovered 64 years later, remarkably intact, preserved by the swamp's unusual chemistry.
TaildraggerThe Memphis Belle survived 25 WWII combat missions over Nazi Europe, then spent 30 years decaying outdoors in Memphis before a landmark restoration saved her.
TaildraggerThe Memphis Belle B-17F completed 25 combat missions over Nazi Germany in 1943, survived decades of outdoor neglect, and was fully restored at Wright-Patterson in 2018.
TaildraggerThe Memphis Belle completed Europe's first publicly recognized 25-mission bomber tour in May 1943; a 14-year restoration at Wright-Patterson unveiled her in 2018.
TaildraggerThe B-17E known as the Swamp Ghost crashed in a Papua New Guinea swamp in 1942 and was recovered 64 years later, nearly intact, due to rare bog preservation conditions.
TaildraggerThe Memphis Belle B-17F completed 25 combat missions over occupied Europe in 1943 with all ten crew members surviving, then spent decades deteriorating outdoors before a 13-year restoration brought her to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
TaildraggerThe Memphis Belle completed 25 combat missions over occupied Europe in 1943, then spent four decades deteriorating outdoors before a 13-year restoration saved her.
TaildraggerThe Memphis Belle completed 25 combat missions over occupied Europe in 1943 and now stands fully restored at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton.
TaildraggerThe Memphis Belle was the first B-17 crew to complete 25 combat missions over Nazi Europe, a milestone that reshaped morale across the entire Eighth Air Force in 1943.
TaildraggerIn December 1943, a Luftwaffe pilot chose mercy over victory over the North Sea - and the two men who lived it didn't find each other again for 46 years.
TaildraggerThe Memphis Belle - the first B-17 crew to complete 25 combat missions over occupied Europe - is now fully restored and on permanent display in Dayton, Ohio.
TaildraggerThe Memphis Belle completed 25 combat missions in 1943, spent decades deteriorating outdoors in Memphis, and was saved by a landmark restoration unveiled May 17, 2018.
TaildraggerThe Memphis Belle flew 25 combat missions over Europe in 1943, then sat neglected outdoors for decades before a 25,000-hour volunteer restoration returned her to glory.
TaildraggerRadio Hangar explores The Memphis Belle, the B Seventeen That Flew Twenty-Five and Went Home to Prove It Could Be Done.
TaildraggerThe Swamp Ghost is the world's only intact B-17E, recovered from a New Guinea swamp after 64 years and now displayed at Pearl Harbor.
TaildraggerThe Memphis Belle flew 25 missions, rotted for decades in the open, then took 13 years to restore for Dayton.
TaildraggerHow the B-17 Memphis Belle survived 25 combat missions in 1943, nearly rotted on a scrap heap, and was saved by a 13-year restoration.
TaildraggerOn December 20, 1943, German ace Franz Stigler refused to shoot down a crippled B-17 and escorted it to safety instead.
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