The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress
World War 2 • 39m
The story of a Flying Fortress is a 1944 documentary film which provides an account of the final mission of the crew of the Memphis Belle, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. In May 1943 it became the third U.S. Army Air Forces heavy bomber to complete 25 missions over Europe, but the first to return to the United States.
The dramatic 16 mm color film of actual battles was made by three cinematographers, including First Lieutenant Harold J. Tannenbaum. Tannenbaum, a veteran of World War I, was killed in action during the filming when the bomber he was in was shot down over France on April 16, 1943.
The film was directed by Major William Wyler, narrated by Eugene Kern, and had scenes at its station, RAF Bassingbourn, photographed by Hollywood cinematographer Captain William H. Clothier. It was made under the auspices of the First Motion Picture Unit, part of the United States Army Air Forces. The film actually depicted the next to last mission of the crew (see below) on May 15, 1943, and was made as a morale-building inspiration for the Home Front by showing the everyday courage of the men who manned these bombers.
Up Next in World War 2
-
12:15 Sunday
January 1945 - With his plane falling from the sky, navigator John Jenkins parachuted down onto Nazi Germany farmland. He was alone in the cold with no food or water. With no immediate aid, his chances of escaping back to Ally territory appeared grim. In this documentary, John retells the story...
-
An Allied Prisoner who Stole a German...
When Mikhail Devyataev was captured and put into a concentration camp, instead of sitting by, he conspired to actually steal a German He-111 bomber from his camp commander in one of the most amazing stories of World War II.
-
Hero: Thaddeus Watson,100 year-old WW...
Adolphus Thaddeus Watson, 100 Year old WWII Veteran, who served in the U.S. Army all black 351st artillery unit during the Battle of the Bulge is featured. His story takes us on a historical journey from being raised on a plantation by his Aunt Fannie who was born into slavery, the Jim Crow era, ...