The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress

Documentary about the 25th and last bombing mission of a B17, the "Memphis Belle". The "Memphis Belle" took part in a great bombing raid on sub-pens in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. On their way they encountered heavy AA fire and interceptors.

The 16 mm color film used did not include sound, and this was added later in Hollywood. The original crew, during their war bonds drive in the United States, made typical appropriate comments to each other while watching the silent movie in a studio. The result was difficult to distinguish from real combat recordings.

Regarding Wilhelmshaven, two thirds of the town's buildings were destroyed during bombing by the Allies of World War II. That is pretty devastating. How much of that can be attributed to the Memphis Belle? While there is plenty of footage of World War II, this is an inside look that is rather atypical. A real crew in a real plane on a real mission. I find it especially interesting because one of the crew was from Green Bay, which is my general neighborhood.