U.S. Air ForceThe crew that flew on the 25th mission of the Memphis Belle in May 1943. On June 14, 1943, the Memphis Belle made history. The plane became the first World War II bomber to complete 25 missions and land safely back on U.S. soil.Commanded by Robert Morgan, the Memphis Belle overcame all odds during its time in Europe. At the time, nearly 20 percent of American airmen were killed in action, and statistically, a heavy bomber didnt make it to its 20th mission before it was shot down. But the plane and its crew all returned home and they became instant celebrities.Back in the United States, the Memphis Belle embarked on a nationwide tour to sell war bonds and boost public morale. Crowds flocked to see the aircraft and the heroes who had flown it. The release of a documentary about the plane in 1944 which was later adapted into a Hollywood movie only added to the media frenzy.Today, the Memphis Belle is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, as a lasting symbol of World War II.The Heroic Crew Of The Memphis BelleThe Memphis Belle was a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress that was built in 1942 for the United States Army Air Forces.Pilot Robert K. Morgan named the plane after his girlfriend, Margaret Polk, who was from Memphis, Tennessee. Before the plane departed for war, Morgan contacted pin-up artist George Petty, who sent over an illustration from the April 1941 issue of Esquire that fit the name of the aircraft.National Museum of the United States Air ForceThe crew of the Memphis Belle celebrates after safely landing from their 25th successful mission.The artwork was transferred to the planes fuselage just in time for its first mission on Nov. 7, 1942. The original crew consisted of Robert Morgan, Robert Hanson, Vince Evans, James Verinis, Charles Leighton, Cecil Scott, Eugene Adkins, Harold Loch, John Quinlan, and Bill Winchell. However, dozens of men flew aboard the Memphis Belle throughout its tour of duty, and no single airman participated in all 25 of the planes missions.They were joined by a mascot, a Scottish terrier named Stuka. The dog didnt fly with the crew on combat missions, but she did ride along on some low-altitude flights and the post-war tour.National Museum of the United States Air ForceThe Memphis Belle crew in Washington, D.C., during their first stop of the war bond tour, with Stuka pictured in the first row.While these men were lauded as heroes when they returned to the United States, they didnt think of themselves as such. We werent heroes, Morgan wrote in his memoir, as reported by the National World War II Museum. We were just us, a unit of military men whod been given a job to do and who tried to do it well.Morgan continued, We were simply young men who flew bombing missions and played poker and looked out for each other and maybe drank too much and chased too many women sometimes, but who had dreams of coming home and resuming decent, ordinary lives.But first, they had 25 missions to complete. And there was a good chance that at least some of them wouldnt make it home.The Bomber That Made History During World War IIAccording to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the odds of returning safely from a 25-mission tour were small for both the aircraft and the crewmen. During the time when the Memphis Belle was soaring above the skies of Europe, the Eighth Air Force lost one bomber every 18 sorties (defined as one aircraft flying in one mission). Whats more, roughly one in every five airmen was killed in combat during the war. With a crew of 10, it was statistically likely that at least two men aboard the Memphis Belle would die in action. But that didnt happen. Ken LaRock/U.S. Air Force The restored cockpit of the Memphis Belle, a B-17F heavy bomber.There were certainly close calls. The Memphis Belle flew 25 missions over Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, and the plane was damaged on seven occasions. A bullet from an enemy airplane went right through my little compartment, tail gunner John P. Quinlan later recalled. If I had still been leaning forward in shooting position that bullet would have gone straight through my leg.And radio operator Robert Hanson once said, We have been in some pretty tight spots. There was the time that six Focke-Wulfs appeared from nowhere, and all six cut loose on us and [we] had to slug it out with them.But in the end, the Memphis Belle landed safely from its 25th and final mission in Lorient, France, on May 17, 1943. The bomber had beaten all odds and it was going home. The 26th Mission Of The Memphis BelleAfter the successful 25th mission of the Memphis Belle, U.S. Army General Jacob Devers told the crew, You are being sent on another mission, perhaps the most important of the many on which you have flown in this famous plane It is to carry a message which should hearten a great people.National Museum of the United States Air ForceThe Memphis Belle being loaded with practice bombs for training purposes after its American tour.The Memphis Belle and its crew were deployed on a war bond tour with 30 stops across America. The tour, which lasted from June to August 1943, was meant to boost morale during the Allied forces strategic bombing campaign in Europe, as many heavy bomber crewmen had been injured or killed during their missions that year.The men instantly became national celebrities, along with Stuka, who was dubbed the 11th crew member. During this 26th mission, they encouraged the public to buy war bonds to fund military efforts. Their fame only grew after the tour with the 1944 release of The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, a documentary filmed during the heavy bombers next-to-last mission on May 15, 1943. In 1990, this film was adapted into the Hollywood war drama Memphis Belle, a fictional account of the planes final mission and the film debut of Harry Connick Jr. National Museum of the United States Air ForceWilliam Wyler (center) directed the 1944 documentary about the Memphis Belle. After the end of World War II, the Memphis Belle was purchased by the city of Memphis, where it was displayed at the citys National Guard armory. However, it deteriorated while sitting outside for years, and vandals stole all of its instruments and interior components. In 2005, it was moved to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, and underwent an intensive restoration. By 2018, the Memphis Belle was ready for display once again, and it remains in the museum to this day.Although Robert Morgans relationship with the planes namesake didnt survive the war, the Memphis Belle still stands today as a powerful representation of the skill, courage, and sacrifice of the men who flew the bombers 25 missions and of every airman who never made it home.After reading about the Memphis Belle and its successful World War II campaign, look through these World War II photos you may not have seen before. Then, learn about the Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary Black pilots of World War II.The post The Heroic Story Of The Memphis Belle, The First American Bomber To Return Home After 25 Successful Missions appeared first on All That's Interesting.