3D Cuban Missile Crisis
Description
Wes Cowan of PBS's History Detectives learns about the role of aerial reconnaissance and aerial photography in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
NC-4 First Across the Atlantic
Description
John Bayer shows Elyse Luray of PBS's History Detectives the NC-4 and describes conditions for the crew during its flight across the Atlantic in 1919.
Aerial Photography
Description
Tukufu Zuberi of PBS's History Detectives provides a brief overview of the history of aerial photography, particularly its use in reconnaissance.
The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age
Description
Chairman of Aeronautics at the Smithsonian Institution Peter L. Jakab explores the Wright brothers' invention of the airplane and how the brothers were able to achieve flight when scientists and engineers for centuries had failed to do so. Jakab discusses the impact of the airplane on the "world at large"—particularly in 1905, three years after its invention, the year Einstein published his most notable papers.
The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Airplane
Description
Tom Crouch, Chairman of Aeronautics at the National Air and Space Museum, discusses the Wright brothers' invention of the airplane, placing it in the context of the centuries-long study of flight and of the enormous impact airplanes have had on human life.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Description
At its two locations—the National Mall building and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia—the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum stewards "the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world," according to its website. Through a combination of state-of-the-art exhibits, programs, and media presentations, the Museum interprets aeronautical history for the public.
The museum offers exhibits, self-guided and guided tours for school groups, on-site presentations for school groups, IMAX and planetarium shows, occasional electronic field trips and videoconferences, and on-demand professional development workshops for educators.
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum [GA]
Description
On January 28, 1942, 53 days after the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, the Eighth Air Force was officially activated in the National Guard Armory on Bull Street in Savannah, GA. Today, the Museum honors the men and women who helped defeat Nazi aggression by serving in or supporting the greatest air armada the world had ever seen—the Eighth Air Force.
The museum offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, and research library access.
The Memphis Belle
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Question
I'm doing research on the movie Memphis Belle and how historically accurate it is. Can you tell me what the Memphis Belle’s last mission was, because I keep finding conflicting information about it.
Answer
The Memphis Belle was the nickname of a U.S. Army Air Force Boeing B-17F that flew strategic bombing missions from England into continental Europe. As part of the 324th Bomb Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group, the plane flew 25 operational missions between November 1942 and May 1943, returning from all missions with its crew intact.
Most of the plane’s missions were flown by the same crew, but a few were not. Conversely, the plane’s usual crew, headed by Captain Robert K. Morgan, flew several missions in other B-17s. According to the 324th Bomber Squadron mission reports, the plane’s usual crew flew their 25th mission on May 17th, 1943, piloting the Memphis Belle to the Keroman submarine base, located in the Breton city of Lorient. There they bombed a platform used to pull U-boats out of the water. However, the aircraft itself did not complete its 25th mission until its next flight. That flight, manned by a different crew than its usual one, occurred on May 19th and sent the Memphis Belle to the Kilian submarine pen and bunker at Kiel, Germany. Its mission was to bomb an engineering and turbine engine workshop.
So, the 25th mission of the crew occurred two days before the 25th mission of the aircraft, which may account for some of the confusion about the “last mission.”
So, the 25th mission of the crew occurred two days before the 25th mission of the aircraft, which may account for some of the confusion about the “last mission.” After both crew and plane completed their respective 25th mission, the crew received the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross. They were then ordered in June to fly the Memphis Belle back to the United States for a cross-country tour, the aim of which was to increase morale back home and to sell War Bonds.
The commanders who directed the bombing raids on Europe had decided to limit a crew’s tour of duty to 25 missions in order to increase morale among the crews: Casualty rates at the beginning of the missions approached 80% and when the Memphis Belle completed its tour (the first heavy bomber to do so), it was a joyful event, not only for the crew, but also for the entire air command and the American public.
To mark the event, American filmmaker William Wyler (then a Major in the U.S. Army Air Force) filmed and produced a 1944 documentary for the War Department entitled Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress. In 1990, Wyler’s daughter Catherine produced a fictionalized movie of the plane’s 25th operational mission, entitled Memphis Belle.
For more information
Life. "WWII: Allied bombers and Crews." 2011. Slideshow featuring photos from World War II.
Wyler, William. "Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress". First Motion Picture Unit of the U.S. Army Air Corps. Paramount Pictures, Inc. 1944. Found in the right-hand navigation bar of WWII Reels.
U.S Air Force. "B-17 Flying Fortress." 2004.
Bibliography
91st Bomb Group. "Dailies of the 323rd Squadron." Accessed August 2011.
Richard G. Davis, Bombing the European Axis Powers. A Historical Digest of the Combined Bomber Offensive 1939–1945. Maxwell Air Force Base, AL: Air University Press, 2006.
Gulf War
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Annotation
Focusing on Operation Desert Storm, these materials emphasize the perspectives of those directly involved. There are 19 oral history interviews (up to 20 pages each) with eight "decision makers," seven commanders, two Iraqi officials, and two news analysts.
"War Stories" presents the personal reminiscences of five pilots, available in text and audio. "Weapons and Technology" details 10 ground, aircraft, and space weapons systems and munitions. A seven-minute video excerpt from the "Frontline" program is available as well as four 15-minute episodes of a BBC radio program in text and audio. The site includes a chronology, 10 maps, a bibliography, facts and statistics, and brief essays on press coverage and Iraqi war deaths. Links are available to five sites produced to accompany more recent "Frontline" reports on Iraq.
Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega
Description
Aircraft restorer Karl Heinzel and curator Dorothy Cochrane look at Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega aircraft, discussing its construction and the technological developments it represents. They discuss why aircraft are selected and restored for museum collections as examples of specific moments in history and technological advancement.