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For those who haven't heard, a replica of the Memphis Belle will be at Olive Branch airport this weekend.

She is giving rides and tours to raise money for her preservation. I went out today to have a look; and although it isn't the actual Belle, it is still very impressive.

For younger Memphians who have never had a chance to see the Belle, it's worth a trip out to the OB to learn a bit about another true Memphis legend.

The original Belle is still under restoration in Dayton.

Info: http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/story/198382...phis-belle

I would like to fly in it!

Bring it back home and we will talk about helping to pay for restoration.

To clarify, this particular Belle is the one used in the 1990 Warner Bros. movie, and is raising money for her own upkeep. There are only a dozen or so B17s in the world who are still airworthy.

The USAF is funding a full restoration of the original Memphis Belle in Dayton at the National Museum of the USAF. She's in far better hands now than when she rested here outside of the National Guard or under a tarp at Mud Island.

Still, I remember my father taking me to see the original Belle at Mud Island; and that link between our city and the B17s was an inspirational thing, even to a young boy.

edit: here's some info on the ongoing restoration: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/exhibit.../index.asp

(10-17-2012 09:00 PM)MemphisTigersFootball Wrote: [ -> ]I would like to fly in it!

I flew in Aluminum Overcast a couple of years ago and it was great! Loud, but great! The replica is also a B17G, just like Aluminum Overcast, but it was modified to look like the Belle, which was an F model.

There is another B17 with Memphis connections that a lot of people are not aware of. It was named the Memphis Blues. They were shot down over the english channel on their last mission. The crew was picked up by an English rescue ship and all of the crewmen were saved. There are a few nice articles on the computer. If you are interested just type Memphis blues and you should be able to get it. My uncle was the captain. Jack Adams was his copilot but I was told he got his own plane before the english channel situation. He was the owner of Twinkletown Airport just south of Memphis and for years Jack drove his car in the Indianapolis 500.

(10-18-2012 08:13 AM)mt-tigerfan Wrote: [ -> ]There is another B17 with Memphis connections that a lot of people are not aware of. It was named the Memphis Blues. They were shot down over the english channel on their last mission. The crew was picked up by an English rescue ship and all of the crewmen were saved. There are a few nice articles on the computer. If you are interested just type Memphis blues and you should be able to get it. My uncle was the captain. Jack Adams was his copilot but I was told he got his own plane before the english channel situation. He was the owner of Twinkletown Airport just south of Memphis and for years Jack drove his car in the Indianapolis 500.

Wow, great story. I'm a freakin' World War II historian and I didn't know this. Your uncle isn't still alive is he?

No, He passed away several years ago. After the airforce he worked as a pilot for Southern airlines which Delta purchased and he retired with Delta.

Twinkletown airport, hadn't heard that name in years.

(10-18-2012 11:40 AM)mt-tigerfan Wrote: [ -> ]No, He passed away several years ago. After the airforce he worked as a pilot for Southern airlines which Delta purchased and he retired with Delta.

I would love to have met him.

Wow, that's an incredible story regarding the Blues--one that certainly needs to be heard.

Another story about the Memphis Blues that I thought was interesting.
After the crew had been rescued and taken to London, my uncle was extended an invitation to have tea with the Queen of England. His crash was quite a deal because it was the only time a B17 had crashed into the English Channel and all crewmembers lived thru it. Anyway, of course he was nervous he had never met a queen. When they were pouring the tea, they ask him how he wanted his. He said, he was just a southern boy from Memphis, Tennessee and the people where he was from didn't drink hot tea. He ask them to just give him a hot cup of coffee.......

This story came out in a London newspaper and the Commercial Appeal picked in up in 1943-44?

(10-18-2012 06:21 PM)mt-tigerfan Wrote: [ -> ]Another story about the Memphis Blues that I thought was interesting.
After the crew had been rescued and taken to London, my uncle was extended an invitation to have tea with the Queen of England. His crash was quite a deal because it was the only time a B17 had crashed into the English Channel and all crewmembers lived thru it. Anyway, of course he was nervous he had never met a queen. When they were pouring the tea, they ask him how he wanted his. He said, he was just a southern boy from Memphis, Tennessee and the people where he was from didn't drink hot tea. He ask them to just give him a hot cup of coffee.......

This story came out in a London newspaper and the Commercial Appeal picked in up in 1943-44?

Bet it's on microfiche somewhere.

(10-18-2012 08:13 AM)mt-tigerfan Wrote: [ -> ]There is another B17 with Memphis connections that a lot of people are not aware of. It was named the Memphis Blues. They were shot down over the english channel on their last mission. The crew was picked up by an English rescue ship and all of the crewmen were saved. There are a few nice articles on the computer. If you are interested just type Memphis blues and you should be able to get it. My uncle was the captain. Jack Adams was his copilot but I was told he got his own plane before the english channel situation. He was the owner of Twinkletown Airport just south of Memphis and for years Jack drove his car in the Indianapolis 500.

303rd BG (H) Combat Mission No. 50
14 July 1943
Target: Villacoublay Aircraft Repair Depot at Paris, France
Crews Dispatched: 22
Crews Lost: Lt. Swaffer - crew rescued
Crew Members Lost or Wounded: 1 KIA
Length of Mission: 4 hours, 50 minutes
Bomb Load: 10 x 500 lb G.P. bombs
Bombing Altitude: 24,800 ft
Ammo Fired: 12,585 rounds
It was Bastille Day and 8th Air Force Groups were sent to bomb targets in the vicinity of Paris. Four Groups were dispatched to bomb the Le Bourget airport, which was the airfield where Charles Lindbergh completed his 1927 trans-Atlantic flight. Other Groups, including the 303rd BG(H)'s 20 aircraft, were dispatched to attack the Villacoublay Aircraft Repair Depot. Two planes were spares that kept with the formation as far as the English coast. They then turned back as no aircraft had aborted. One YB-40, #42-5739 Lufkin Ruffian, of the 92nd BG(H) accompanied the 303rd BG(H) formation.

Major William Calhoun, CO of the 359th BS led the formation in #41-24635, The '8' Ball MK II. The bombers flew in excellent formation to make a good bomb run and dropped their bombs well in the target area. There were no clouds and visibility was excellent at the 24,000 ft. formation altitude. The flak, althoughsomewhat meager, proved accurate. There were not more than 15 to 20 enemy fighters observed and these made very few attacks on the 303rd BG(H) formation. The few FW-190 and ME-109 attacks were not pressing. After leaving the target the Fortresses were met bytheir Spitfire cover and escorted back to the English coast. Major Calhoun reported on the mission: "It was a pretty good show as a whole.

Everyone flew in good formation and I think our bombs were pretty well in there. However, I'll wait to see the pictures. We had a running fight with flak right from the target to the coast. The fighters weren't bothering us as they were after anotherwing and stragglers.
The Spitfires gave us damn good coverage." Col. J.K. Lacey, of the 103rd Combat Wing, was riding with Maj. Calhoun as an observer and commented, "It was a good ride. No fighters to speak of, but plenty accurate flak." Aircraft #42-5221 Son, 427BS, piloted by Lt. Armand F. Burch, landed at Homesley- South with a badly injured bombardier. 2Lt. Robert E. Rohrlich died 14 July, 1943 in a hospital from head wounds caused by flak. He is buried in theCambridge American Cemetery, England. Several 303rd BG(H) combat crewmen finished their operational tour of 25 missions.

Mission 050 - 1 Capt. Lloyd D. Griffin, pilot of Lady Luck, remarked, "I only saw one fighter myself, but they were attacking other Groups. Our big problem was flak. We met the Spits OK and theybrought us back." His co-pilot, 1Lt. Walter C. Swanson added, "There were about 15 to 20 fighters attacking the Groups ahead. They were FW-190s and ME-109s which hit them when they came off their target." Other Lady Luck crew members finishing their 25th missions were: T/Sgt. Vernon E. Schwartz, radio operator and S/Sgt. L.D. Wiegand, tail gunner, who described the mission as "Just an ordinary raid." Also, S/Sgt. Samuel Edwards who said, "I didn't fire a single shot. Spent most of my time taking pictures. Got some pretty good shots of Paris, too. We had one fighter attack, but I didn't see him." T/Sgt. William Eason, engineer, summed it up for those finishing 25 missions with the remark, "We got back all right. Can't ask for anything more." S/Sgt. Elwood Hairr, waist gunner on Capt. Billy E. Southworth's crew, flying in S for Sugar, also finished 25 missions.

Aircraft #42-29791 Memphis Blues, 358th BS, was hit by anti-aircraft fire halfway between the target and the French coast causing one engine to catch fire. A second engine caught fire due to anti-aircraft guns from the Le Havre area. Spitfires protected the aircraft and followed it down as it ditched in the English Channel 30 miles off Shoreham. Lt. Calvin A. Swaffer, an ex-RAF pilot, and his crew were all rescued by the British Air-Sea rescue. This was the 25th mission for Lt. Swaffer.


B-17F #42-29791 Memphis Blues DCH
P Swaffer, Calvin A., 1Lt RES
CP Johnston, John R., 1Lt RES
NAV Karraker, William H., 2Lt RES
BOM Sweet, William D., 2Lt RES
ENG Lopez, Rudolph S., T/Sgt RES
RWG Mills, James E., S/Sgt RES
RO Matthews, James O., T/Sgt RES
BT Griffin, Edward W., S/Sgt RES
TG Moody, John F., S/Sgt RES
LWG Cobb, Edward N., Sgt RES

I absolutely hate that the Belle is gone from Memphis.

I've often thought part of an exhibit with her should include a flight simulation attraction where you are sitting in the fuselage and you are on a bombing run, outside the gunner bays are screens where you see bomb bursts and tracers. the attractions sway and roll and shakes with close calls. You hear the chatter between the gunners and so on.

Chi-Town- great stuff, thanks!

(10-18-2012 06:21 PM)mt-tigerfan Wrote: [ -> ]Another story about the Memphis Blues that I thought was interesting.
After the crew had been rescued and taken to London, my uncle was extended an invitation to have tea with the Queen of England. His crash was quite a deal because it was the only time a B17 had crashed into the English Channel and all crewmembers lived thru it. Anyway, of course he was nervous he had never met a queen. When they were pouring the tea, they ask him how he wanted his. He said, he was just a southern boy from Memphis, Tennessee and the people where he was from didn't drink hot tea. He ask them to just give him a hot cup of coffee.......

This story came out in a London newspaper and the Commercial Appeal picked in up in 1943-44?

wow, thanks for sharing this with us.