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Preparing for take off           




View web pages:      A Story of a Flying Fortress    or     Memphis Belle Memorial Association
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The crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress "Memphis Belle" is shown at an air base in England after completing 25 missions over enemy territory on June 7, 1943. They are, left to right: Tech. Sgt. Harold P. Loch of Green Bay, Wis., top turret gunner; Staff Sgt. Cecil H. Scott of Altoona, Penn., ball turret gunner; Tech. Sgt. Robert J, Hanson of Walla Walla, Wash., radio operator; Capt. James A. Verinis, New Haven, Conn., co-pilot; Capt. Robert K. Morgan of Ashville, N. C., pilot; Capt. Charles B. Leighton of Lansing, Mich., navigator; Staff Sgt. John P. Quinlan of Yonkers, N. Y., tail gunner; Staff Sgt. Casimer A. Nastal of Detroit, Mich., waist gunner; Capt. Vincent B. Evans of Henderson, Texas, bombardier and Staff Sgt. Clarence E. Wichell of Oak Park, Ill., waist gunner.    

From: http://historylink101.com/ww2-planes/aa-memphis-bell.htm

The 25 MISSIONS
11-07-42
Brest, France 		01-03-43
St. Nazaire, France 		02-16-43
St. Nazaire, France 		03-13-43
Abbeville, France 		04-17-43
Bremen, Germany
11-09-42
St. Nazaire, France 		01-13-43
Lille, France 		02-26-43
Wilhelmshaven, Germany 		03-22-43
Wilhelmshaven, Germany 		05-01-43
St. Nazaire, France
11-17-42
St. Nazaire, France 		01-23-43
Lorient, France 		02-27-43
Brest, France 		03-28-43
Rouen, France 		05-04-43
Antwerp, Belgium
12-06-42
 Lille, France 		02-04-43
Emden, Germany 		03-06-43
Lorient, France 		04-05-43
Antwerp, Belgium 		05-15-43
Wilhelmshaven, Germany
12-20-42
Rommily-Sur-Seine 		02-14-43
Hamm, Germany 		03-12-43
Rouen, France 		04-16-43
Lorient, France 		05-17-43
Lorient, France
25 mission list from: http://www.memphis-belle.com/belle_story.htm

I have looked on the web for reviews and I like this one the best:

As war flicks go, this one was pretty decent; no over dramatic, sappy acting, the cast playing the Belle's crew was pretty cohesive, just like you would expect.

For the most part, the film was reasonably realistic (I've known lots of B-17 and B-24 pilots). It impressed me that they even got the Belle's model (B-17F) right; I didn't know there were any flying F's still around, most are G-models.

There were some inaccuracies though. Why did they glamorize the Belle's name on the nose, when it actually was made up of plain block letters? The "little friends" (fighter escort) would not be made up of P-51's in early 1943, more than likely P-47s; I can forgive this one because there are only a couple of flyable "Jugs" left. The Belle's 25th mission was actually a "milk run" over France; they did fly once over Bremen but I believe that was around their 20th mission. Smoking was not allowed on, or anywhere near, the bombers. I could list several other things, but you get my point.

Still, it was one of the better bomber movies in many ways. I would have to agree with another reviewer though about "Twelve O'Clock High". It doesn't have as much action as this movie, but is totally accurate and much more dramatic.
Review Date: 2005-09-26                            from: http://marriott.homeandabroad.com/
I taped this movie from AMC during the week of January 6, 2008.
Then I edited it so web page viewers could witness what my cousin Dick Bale went through in WWII.
He ended up in "Stalag Luft 1" in Barth Germany and was rescued when the war ended.

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