After 25 missions, the crew and the Belle went on a War Bonds tour, stopping at Patterson Field in Ohio. Recalling the tour decades later, Commander Robert Morgan wrote: "In today's lingo, our uniforms were dazzling 'chick magnets.'"
(USAF)

Restoration: The Memphis Belle

For this famous B-17, surviving 25 missions in World War II was the easy part.

  • By Mark Bernstein
  • Air & Space Magazine, November 01, 2008

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    Two years ago, Roger Deere traveled to an eastern Ohio coal town, where he visited a four-room Sears pre-fabricated house whose ceiling bowed down from the weight of all the stuff in the attic. The homeowner had died; a relative poking through the accumulation had run across something he thought might be of interest to Deere. Along with everything else, the attic contained the radio equipment for a B-17 bomber.

    Deere did not ask how radio equipment got into the attic. He did not want an explanation; he wanted the equipment.

    In time, it will be placed in the Memphis Belle, a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress now being restored at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, where Deere is the chief of the restoration division.

    During World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces required heavy-bomber crews to complete 25 missions before they could go home. In 1943, having flown over France, Belgium, and Germany, the Memphis Belle crew became one of the first to reach that goal. 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. Academy Award-winning director William Wyler documented the Belle’s service in a 41-minute color film (Europe.

    The bomber retains its fame today. Those too young to remember it from the war may know its story from the fictionalized 1990 movie Memphis Belle, or from the B-17 (used in that movie) that now tours airshows in Belle markings.

    The real Belle owes its present-day survival to a combination of romance and civic pride. In 1946, it was sitting with hundreds of other B-17s in Altus, Oklahoma, ready to be chopped up for scrap. A newspaper reporter learned of its fate and told Memphis mayor Walter Chandler; Chandler bought the B-17, originally costing $314,000, for the $350 salvage price as a way to honor the city’s namesake (“Memphis Belle” is a tribute to resident Margaret Polk, the pilot’s girlfriend). But after six decades, local groups concluded they could not raise the funds to complete a needed restoration. In 2004, the Air Force announced plans to relocate the aircraft to its national museum and finish restoring it.

    The next year, two convoys trucked the disassembled aircraft to the cluttered World War II-era hangars that now house the restoration effort. When, five or more years from now, the work is complete, the museum will permanently display the Belle to visitors.

    In 25 missions the Memphis Belle had its tail splintered, five engines shot out, and its body pocked with hundreds of holes from German flak. The worst damage, however, came in peacetime: Vandals made off with almost everything not fastened down; “Sometimes they pried things off the walls,” says Deere. The Belle is now missing most of the interior: the pilot, copilot, and navigator seats, the control yokes, and much more.

    Finding replacements is difficult. While the United States built 13,700 B-17s, fewer than 100 remain. “There are structural parts we’re never going to find unless somebody runs across a B-17 sitting out in a field somewhere,” Deere says.

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    Two years ago, Roger Deere traveled to an eastern Ohio coal town, where he visited a four-room Sears pre-fabricated house whose ceiling bowed down from the weight of all the stuff in the attic. The homeowner had died; a relative poking through the accumulation had run across something he thought might be of interest to Deere. Along with everything else, the attic contained the radio equipment for a B-17 bomber.

    Deere did not ask how radio equipment got into the attic. He did not want an explanation; he wanted the equipment.

    In time, it will be placed in the Memphis Belle, a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress now being restored at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, where Deere is the chief of the restoration division.

    During World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces required heavy-bomber crews to complete 25 missions before they could go home. In 1943, having flown over France, Belgium, and Germany, the Memphis Belle crew became one of the first to reach that goal. 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. Academy Award-winning director William Wyler documented the Belle’s service in a 41-minute color film (Europe.

    The bomber retains its fame today. Those too young to remember it from the war may know its story from the fictionalized 1990 movie Memphis Belle, or from the B-17 (used in that movie) that now tours airshows in Belle markings.

    The real Belle owes its present-day survival to a combination of romance and civic pride. In 1946, it was sitting with hundreds of other B-17s in Altus, Oklahoma, ready to be chopped up for scrap. A newspaper reporter learned of its fate and told Memphis mayor Walter Chandler; Chandler bought the B-17, originally costing $314,000, for the $350 salvage price as a way to honor the city’s namesake (“Memphis Belle” is a tribute to resident Margaret Polk, the pilot’s girlfriend). But after six decades, local groups concluded they could not raise the funds to complete a needed restoration. In 2004, the Air Force announced plans to relocate the aircraft to its national museum and finish restoring it.

    The next year, two convoys trucked the disassembled aircraft to the cluttered World War II-era hangars that now house the restoration effort. When, five or more years from now, the work is complete, the museum will permanently display the Belle to visitors.

    In 25 missions the Memphis Belle had its tail splintered, five engines shot out, and its body pocked with hundreds of holes from German flak. The worst damage, however, came in peacetime: Vandals made off with almost everything not fastened down; “Sometimes they pried things off the walls,” says Deere. The Belle is now missing most of the interior: the pilot, copilot, and navigator seats, the control yokes, and much more.

    Finding replacements is difficult. While the United States built 13,700 B-17s, fewer than 100 remain. “There are structural parts we’re never going to find unless somebody runs across a B-17 sitting out in a field somewhere,” Deere says.

    For some pieces, replacements are being fabricated. Molds have been made for the plexiglass in the top turret, and for an aft fuselage ring frame. The engines that came with the Memphis Belle’s other parts were not original to a B-17, so they’ll be replaced with rebuilds assembled from the museum’s substantial accumulation of aircraft parts.

    The original cloth-coated wire is no longer made in the United States, so the restorers are buying it new in Great Britain. Though the wires will be out of sight, the restorers are intent on making the aircraft as authentic as possible.

    As for the body, all the paint is being stripped. Paint, Deere says, “hides a lot of corrosion. We want to get it stripped down so we can undertake the structural repairs first.” The work is slow, in part because no chemical strippers are being used on the interior. “Manufacturers claim their chemicals are not corrosive,” says Deere. “Maybe it’s not corrosive now, but what about in five or ten years?” Working with the restorers, private-sector chemists modified an existing product into a sand-like dry stripper that addressed Deere’s concerns. The entire aircraft should be stripped by year’s end.

    Besides revealing underlying corrosion, stripping brought to daylight more than 1,000 names inscribed in the aircraft’s tail and fuselage by the public during the bond drive. The names have been photographed; they will disappear again when the aircraft is repainted.

    The aircraft arrived with several large patches on its tail. They were quick-and-easy fixes made with flat sheet metal; the original tail, however, had a compound contour. Those are much harder to fabricate.

    Staff efforts are supported by volunteers. The head restorer of the tail gun is John Vance, whose father was a B-17 tail gunner. Volunteers Chuck Flaum and Steve Markman built 10 replicas of the wooden carriers that held the oxygen bottles crew members carried while moving inside the unpressurized craft. They found the original blueprints on microfiche at the National Archives.

    Some parts just can’t be replicated. Deere would particularly like the instrument panel with the manufacturer’s data plate, which is specific to the Memphis Belle. “Somebody’s got it,” he says. “We’d like it back—no questions asked.”


     
    Comments

    I hope that as much attention is paid to the exterior paint application as all the radio equipment inside. Too many of the so called B-17 restorations have had the wrong color and the wrong configuration of the exterior paint. Nine-O-Nine is incorrect with the grey-green color and the wrong grey on the underside AND glossy. These airplanes were not glossy, they were dull. The grey under surface was a medium grey not the lighter mouse grey that the modern Air Force uses. There was a specific pattern to the paint on the nacelles and everybody gets it wrong. The tail numbers (military serial) were chrome yellow not white. Squadron markings were white and some times grey. I have Boeing drawings that show how to apply the paint and I have FS 595 that shows the correct colors for the exterior paint. Lets hope that they get this one correct.

    Posted by Robert Parks on September 18,2008 | 09:29PM

    Robert Parks, have you contacted the Air Force Museum and offer your services? http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/ Being a member of the Air Force Museum for some time, I can tell you that they do they research very thoroughly when restoring anything. But if you have additional information, I am sure that they would be interested.

    Posted by GIF on September 21,2008 | 09:14PM

    Hey ya'll, I'm a big military history guy, I rode on the Collings Foundation's Forttress, the B-17 is my favorite bird. This kind of stuff is very near and dear to my heart. So ya'll keep it up, and God Bless.

    Posted by Daniel Cook on October 2,2008 | 07:17PM

    Was wondering what parts are still missing and if original bomb release switch has been found. Jody

    Posted by JODY HARKER on October 8,2008 | 02:00PM

    Pre fab parts from orig B17 plans using CAD CAE & for ALL WW2 COMBAT PLANES, Korean War era combat jets. Very doable. Imagine biofuel improved engines powering B17F Nice. Radical. More jobs.

    Posted by Stephen Russell on December 1,2008 | 09:09PM

    Having lived in the Dayton/Cincinnati area for more than 30 years and having watched the USAF museum expand and grow during that period of time, I can attest to the attention to accuracy and level of detail that is now going on by the museum staff. Consider this: The USAF museum could potentially possess three B-17s that participated in combat in two theaters of operation during WWII: B-17D "Swoose", B-17F "Memphis Belle" and B-17G "Shoo Shoo Baby". Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be possible, as Shoo Shoo Baby will be sent to the Smithsonian upon exhibition of the 'Belle. Sure would be nice if we could find a way to keep them all together....

    Posted by Reagan A. Page on January 9,2009 | 01:09PM

    Having lived in the Dayton/Cincinnati area for more than 30 years and having watched the USAF museum expand and grow during that period of time, I can attest to the attention to accuracy and level of detail that is now going on by the museum staff. Consider this: The USAF museum could potentially possess three B-17s that participated in combat in two theaters of operation during WWII: B-17D "Swoose", B-17F "Memphis Belle" and B-17G "Shoo Shoo Baby". Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be possible, as Shoo Shoo Baby will be sent to the Smithsonian upon exhibition of the 'Belle. Sure would be nice if we could find a way to keep them all together....

    Posted by Reagan A. Page on January 9,2009 | 01:09PM

    Last week the Collings Foundation planes were at St.Pete Clearwater airport.The B17and the B24 plus this year they had a P51 there also.We live very close to the field so they flew over the house a few times.My hair would stand on end every time they did.Love the sound of those engines.

    Posted by joe ross on January 29,2009 | 09:04AM

    Back in the early 70's got to fly formation on a 17 while being a spotter for fire patrol. Fun ! 43 yrs flying 22,000 hrs.

    Posted by Dave Albright on January 29,2009 | 07:50PM

    As an original pilot in the "Bloody Hundredth" Bomb Group flying B-17s out of England in 1943, I have the greatest respect for the crew of the "Memphis Belle" & especially for the Boeing Flying Fortress. There are only 12 of these magnificent a/c still flyable in the world & a few more that are on static display anywhere, but restoring one today is virtually impossible due to lack of authentic parts & equipment. So, enjoy what is available & pray that some semblance of the real thing will remain for posterity. Lucky Luckadoo

    Posted by John H. "Lucky" Luckadoo on February 2,2009 | 03:52PM

    Most people today do not know that the 8th Air Force, the "Mighty Eigth" lost approximately 10,000 airplanes and 30,000 crew killed."Lucky" Luckadoo was one of 4 replacement's in the "Bloody 100th" to make it for his obligatory number of missions.

    Posted by Charles "Tad" Foran on February 3,2009 | 08:49AM

    I have seen the work done in the Airforce Musieum shops and I have no doubt that the Memphis Belle will look as good as you can possibly make it. I was honored to see the facility a few years ago and I wish I could work there.

    Posted by Ralph Miller on February 4,2009 | 01:33PM

    To Lucky, Tad and others who were there: Thank you so much for the service you gave during our country's darkest hour. I am in owe of each and every one of you that served on the ground, sea and in the air! You were, and always will be, the Greatest Generation. My father was a bombider with the RCAF during the war. He often times would tell me about his experiences but I was too young and cocky to care. He passed away long before I came to understand and appreciate the sacerfices you all made. I am now 57 and I make sure I tell my children and grand children what you all went through to save the world. Thank you also for working so hard on these type of projects and also reminding us of the wonderful men and women we still have amoung us like you did above Ted. Bless you all and I can assure you, your efforts were not in vain. You are my heros. Steve Moyer Detroit, MI

    Posted by Steve Moyer on February 4,2009 | 05:38PM

    Keep up the great work and history going on these great birds. My dad, WWII army veteran now deceased, told me how he once saw the sky filled with B-17's from one horizon to the other, we watched "12-o'clock high" back in the 60's, I got inside one with the engines running before an airshow just outside of Indianapolis, and love to hear those very distinctive sounding engines roar over our house at least once a year. Too bad we can't restore more of these great pieces of our history so more people could appreciate them! God Bless everyone working on these projects for future generations!

    Posted by Jim Rosa on February 8,2009 | 04:34PM

    I was a very young boy when the greatest generation flew these bombers over Germany. I had 12 older cousins who served in the armed services during the war and I worried about all of them but did not understand the courage all of them had to serve. One of them was a navigator on a B-17 and he was kind enough to arrange for a guided tour of the base in England that he flew out of. It was most interesting and I take my hat off to all of the people who flew in those planes. We should do everything we can to never forget what they did for us.

    Posted by Don Thorpe on June 23,2009 | 01:56PM

    I flew 25 combat missions in the European theatre. I have visited many museums and have viewed many B-17s including the Wright-Patterson AFB Museum recently (August 2009) and have seen those restorations. It definitely took me back to 1944, when our B-17 F brought us home safely every mission. I have recently flown in the B-17 "Yankee Lady" sitting at my radio position for the first time since 1945. It made me 22 years of age all over again.

    Posted by LARRY GOLDSTEIN on September 8,2009 | 01:28PM

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