The Memphis Belle is remembered on this Memorial Day. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was famous as one of the most memorable individual airplanes of World War II. She flew at a time when the United States Army Air Corps was getting slaughtered at an alarming rate in the skies over occupied territory by the German Luftwaffe. The Memphis Belle came to fame as one of the first B-17 bombers to complete the 25 combat mission crew requirement to be rotated back home. The bomber operated as a member of the 324th Squadron, 91st heavy bombardment group, based in Bassingbourn, England. She flew her first combat mission on November 7, 1942, completing a raid over Brest, France. Her 25th and final mission was a bombing raid against the German submarine pens over the occupied town of Lorient, France. Upon their return to the United States, the entire crew were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.
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