Memphis Belle (1990)
The Memphis Belle movie (1990) is a composite, with crew and storylines that are combined from other B-17 anecdotes instead of faithfully following the actual crew of the Memphis Belle. As actual Memphis Belle radio operator Robert Hanson said, “No, it didn’t all happen to the Memphis Belle, but everything in the movie happened to some B-17.”
The real Memphis Belle, one of the first World War II B-17 bombing crews to complete its 25 mission tour in Europe, flew its 25th and final mission over Wilhelmshaven, Germany, site of a naval shipyard. Although heavily damaged, the shipyard stayed operational. The movie changes the target city to Bremen, and its Flugzeugbau assembly factory, producing about 80 Focke-Wulf fighters every month. B-17 crews flew especially dangerous missions; the planes were large, slow, and easy targets for enemy planes and flak. Because of these dangers, B-17 tours were shorter than other posts.
