Wes Cowan of PBS's History Detectives gets into a B-24 bomber with World War II pilot Jack Pelton to talk about his experiences.
Wes Cowan of PBS's History Detectives learns about the role of aerial reconnaissance and aerial photography in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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.
Tukufu Zuberi of PBS's History Detectives provides a brief overview of the history of aerial photography, particularly its use in reconnaissance.
The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park celebrates the history and accomplishments of Wilber Wright (1867-1912), Orville Wright (1871-1948), and Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906). Other topics addressed include changes in Air Force aviation technology. Sights include two interpretive centers; the Wright brothers' printing office, styled to period; a Wright brothers' bicycle shop; the brothers' third airplane, built in 1905; the Huffman Prairie Flying Field; and Dunbar's final residence. The Wright brothers are best known for creating the world's first successful airplane, while Dunbar was an African American poet celebrated for his 1896 poem "Lyrics of a Lowly Life."
The park offers two introductory films; exhibits; period rooms; guided tours of the Wright Cycle Company building, Wright-Dunbar Village, and the Huffman Prairie Flying Field; guided bicycle tours; children's programs; curriculum-based educational programs; and Junior Ranger activities. Tours of the Wright Cycle Company building are available on request only, and reservations are required for groups. Reservations are required for all school programs. The website offers an interactive timeline.
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.
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.
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.
Archivist Deborah G. Douglas details the story behind a one-inch-square piece of fabric from the Wright Brothers' flyer stored at the MIT Museum. She explores the creation and flight of the flyer, considering the community that supported and contributed to the Wright Brothers' invention, and the impact of that invention on popular imagination and society.
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.
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.” 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.
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.
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.