tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32816658369694153252024-02-06T18:20:18.040-08:00Thoughts of an aviation writer/publisherGraham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-10718887325352370272023-02-23T10:46:00.003-08:002023-02-23T10:47:22.311-08:00Memphis Belle - Seeing Stars!e.<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Seeing Stars...</span><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Both sides of the nose carried a row of stars.<br />What were they? Are they accurate? Are they important?</b><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Both sides of the nose of the <i>Memphis Belle </i>carried a ‘scoreboard’ - in the shape of a row of bomb symbols - that denoted the number of missions flown. Above the bomb symbols were a series of yellow and yellow-outlined red stars. Popular belief has it that they were there, supposedly, to show when the aircraft was either the lead ship of the 91st Bomb Group or the lead ship of the entire bombing force on that particular day and certainly was being talked about in that manner during the war bond tour.<br /><span> </span>But, like everything else associated with the story, it is not quite that simple, for there is the matter of whether they relate to the aircraft, the pilot, or the War Department propaganda booklet, as we shall see!<br /><span> </span>In theory, the first bomb symbol relates to the first mission it flew - therefore, that date is November 7 1942. Also, from the photograph below, showing the port, or pilot’s side of the aircraft, one is led to believe from the ‘unfinished’ last bomb symbol on the right, that the bombing scoreboard should be read from left to right - or from nose glazing to wing-root. This photograph is dated May 19 and thus can be considered to relate to the successful completion of the last mission the aircraft flew that day. It follows from this evidence, therefore, that the scoreboard refers to the aircraft and not its primary pilot or subsequent Army Air Force propaganda. </span><br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><i>The ‘port’ or pilots side ‘scoreboard’ on the nose area of the Memphis Belle, from a photograph that is known to have been taken on May 19th 1943 - the date of the aircraft’s last mission. The stars and their sequence are clearly visible.</i><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVBjfyyw5DKm2hkxWj9gMn_hk96r-UOwYvcN3ZOn0GKNxUz58LBeYd0rmGb96pXt6xxGoj493NriMvsJgHgOEVjfIIa4g8OWO05-GJeXj8UVZdSiI4shKABIL3tg1M5ZpiYJt1AnLA8vSkvMdWvKfPeHoPIcWGd_fAht9N8E_uZ06gFmsfLvGIvhLHA/s2067/Scorerow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="2067" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVBjfyyw5DKm2hkxWj9gMn_hk96r-UOwYvcN3ZOn0GKNxUz58LBeYd0rmGb96pXt6xxGoj493NriMvsJgHgOEVjfIIa4g8OWO05-GJeXj8UVZdSiI4shKABIL3tg1M5ZpiYJt1AnLA8vSkvMdWvKfPeHoPIcWGd_fAht9N8E_uZ06gFmsfLvGIvhLHA/w372-h148/Scorerow.jpg" width="372" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Thus the yellow stars, for missions 7, 8, 10, 16, 17, and 19 appear to show that the aircraft was the lead ship for the 91st BG on those raids. The red stars, for missions 11, 12, 13, 15, 18 and 21 should show when the <i>Memphis Belle</i> was the lead ship for the entire force.</span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-8r5MeOYeonrSwBpw0QZxmqsHisieLLuauwmtuKLNDPR-Xh64ed_nhv-JkABZgDTErKd3uV8K2Wi6UZAa3h_f3-uRaEBoppVE9syhL8uAVdfWDXFggiLm0UJcO1bbNGM-oGlHsXPd_pVPSz1NvQYAiYPkkWqAWyks8J0Vw0JsSq0mXlEFU9pY8JfXg/s2800/04.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="1998" height="539" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-8r5MeOYeonrSwBpw0QZxmqsHisieLLuauwmtuKLNDPR-Xh64ed_nhv-JkABZgDTErKd3uV8K2Wi6UZAa3h_f3-uRaEBoppVE9syhL8uAVdfWDXFggiLm0UJcO1bbNGM-oGlHsXPd_pVPSz1NvQYAiYPkkWqAWyks8J0Vw0JsSq0mXlEFU9pY8JfXg/w384-h539/04.jpg" width="384" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Above: The date here is after Mission 23 by the Memphis Belle, the occasion is the visit by Sir Stafford Cripps, the British Leader of the House of Commons in Parliament, seen here with Colonel Wray.</span></span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3jPAacZ3XovPcxGIv4PsqVXtW5NQOI92dTB-a7vmS5MEA8CUBpnZUQfpzpXrQ5D4zizer6LivL77OjAaMJbC2Q2UHNnwlNejHg7V-hQi1YoNrUA-PjQRVXfiQM9Ljm1Hwu5mNwRhLAXbOk7Ekm-dwCmQeKznr5n2qGDLaJOFe6j2ozWIXKDyI7OWDw/s1315/04a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1315" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3jPAacZ3XovPcxGIv4PsqVXtW5NQOI92dTB-a7vmS5MEA8CUBpnZUQfpzpXrQ5D4zizer6LivL77OjAaMJbC2Q2UHNnwlNejHg7V-hQi1YoNrUA-PjQRVXfiQM9Ljm1Hwu5mNwRhLAXbOk7Ekm-dwCmQeKznr5n2qGDLaJOFe6j2ozWIXKDyI7OWDw/s320/04a.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i><br />Of more importance is the starboard or copilots side of the aircraft, an enlargement and exposure correction of which shows the ‘scoreboard’ in clear detail. This puts yellows stars at missions 3, 4, 6 , 12, 13 and 15. Red stars appear at 7, 8, 9 , 11, 14 and 17 Compare this with the pictures opposite, taken after the return to the USA - clearly from the position of the ‘stars’, the additional two mission symbols for missions 24 and 25 have been added on the left hand side meaning that it is to be read from right to left. </i><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>That immediately takes us into the first of a series of contradictions, for the markings on the pilot's side of the aircraft's nose differ from that on the starboard or co-pilot's side - no matter which way the 'stars' are read! The first thing to do then was to establish which direction this 'scoreboard' should be read.<br /><span> </span>Photographs here were taken at known dates - one after the 23rd mission and one after the 25th clearly suggest that, by comparing the positions of the additional symbols, the starboard side 'scoreboard' should also be read from nose-glazing to wing-root. The next contradiction is why, by the time the aircraft appeared at Bovingdon, there were now fifteen stars on at least one side of the nose - namely those above missions 23, 24 and 25. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Kix1RDV65SAOy7ijEEhga-ZOJdNhJfjkMOBUEKZOU8Khr9MyQDq7Ee_CdNYEJOfXPCveHvjf9j-oaSoGmu4rJOTKQ6ckySCtWESc2FC4KXWjzYuMC8Q9FY482iYcj1CgnSuMBuCj2GDqW2c0WIL38Z0B860Yd7GFFAytlmfJTaBo1hig5mlaekJ6_Q/s1991/stars%20in%20memphis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1991" data-original-width="1417" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Kix1RDV65SAOy7ijEEhga-ZOJdNhJfjkMOBUEKZOU8Khr9MyQDq7Ee_CdNYEJOfXPCveHvjf9j-oaSoGmu4rJOTKQ6ckySCtWESc2FC4KXWjzYuMC8Q9FY482iYcj1CgnSuMBuCj2GDqW2c0WIL38Z0B860Yd7GFFAytlmfJTaBo1hig5mlaekJ6_Q/s320/stars%20in%20memphis.jpg" width="228" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> Move forward in time about a month then look at<br />the picture on the above, taken when the aircraft and<br />crew were in Memphis TN. It shows Bob Morgan<br />showing Margaret Polk the mission tally on the<br />starboard side - there are yellow stars on missions<br />3, 4, 6, 12, 13 and 15 - no change there at all.<br />But then there appears to be yellow stars on<br />missions 23, 24 and 25, even though the propeller<br />tip almost gets in the way of the last star,<br />suggesting that for the last three missions the<br />aircraft was Group Leader.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Now, it could be said that Joe Giambrone, the aircraft Crew Chief was 'late' in painting the stars on the aircraft, but as the picture of the port side shows, he was very up-to-date in painting the bomb symbols on, so why not do the stars at the same time as he already had a wet paintbrush in his hand?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">The picture below, taken at Bovingdon, is not the<br />normal one that gets used, for Bob Morgan has his<br />back to the camera. Again, the twenty-fifth star is<br />almost obscured, this time by the shadow of the<br />propeller blade, but it does show clearly that there<br />was a star there at this time.<br />Both these pictures show that the line of swastikas<br />were applied to the nose area after the the missions<br />were flown. </span></i><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8mQ4pqj30e6qGf9b3f3Tr6-9lcCNbm_Q1VtqqArxtueTuXzdY4-EE1wqX9Ou2zEhA_LxnQYuHAJNK15_nns3PCIw1qN4hJq66heecn3Dx--u2VWIFSdo_iLMznU8Ni3rOCvyhKPRHB0K16nXzhB1kFHRzlj8UsPXnXeDSd_d7MpuisR_aLvGYZbKsQ/s1110/55_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="1110" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8mQ4pqj30e6qGf9b3f3Tr6-9lcCNbm_Q1VtqqArxtueTuXzdY4-EE1wqX9Ou2zEhA_LxnQYuHAJNK15_nns3PCIw1qN4hJq66heecn3Dx--u2VWIFSdo_iLMznU8Ni3rOCvyhKPRHB0K16nXzhB1kFHRzlj8UsPXnXeDSd_d7MpuisR_aLvGYZbKsQ/s320/55_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span> </span>There was also the mystery of why the markings were different port and starboard - we decided to investigate the matter further.<br /><span> </span>One of a series of Mission Summaries for the 91st BG we have in our possession gives the name of the Group Leader for each mission and the tail number of the aircraft he was aboard. Here was a way we could verify the dates and missions to which the <i>Memphis Belle</i> was either Group or formation leader and then see how the stars on the aircraft matched. Within five minutes we realised that we had opened yet another can of worms - not only were the stars different on each side of the aircraft, they certainly did not appear to bear any relationship with the contemporary records!<span> </span> </span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>On the pilots side, the first eight missions all appear correct. The Memphis Belle never led the first six, and on the seventh and eighth, the change of co-pilot's name to that of the Group Leader is consistent with the Mission Summary. This also suggests that it was standard practice at the time for the Group Leader to replace the normal co-pilot aboard the aircraft he was flying in. Mission nine shows a break in the line of stars indicating that the <i>Memphis Belle</i> was not a leader, yet both the Mission Summary and the co-pilot listing suggests that Col Lawrence was Group Leader in the aircraft.<br /><span> </span>The Mission Summary shows that on January 27 1943 Colonel Stanley Wray was Group Leader aboard the Memphis Belle. Every other record we have suggests that the Mission Summary is in error in this, for according to the 324th BS log and his own flight records, Bob Morgan flew an abortive mission aboard The Great Speckled Bird and the Memphis Belle itself was still undergoing repair at Bassingbourn following the January 23rd mission. One possible solution to this was that the clerk, knowing that Col Wray was flying with Morgan, typed in 41-24485 as being Morgan's regular aircraft, not realising that he was flying a replacement machine.<br /><span> </span>Missions ten, eleven and twelve show stars, suggesting that the Memphis Belle was at least Group Leader, yet the Mission Summary shows other aircraft in that role. Then on March 8, the 91st BG Mission Summary shows Colonel Wray again as Group Leader aboard the Memphis Belle. That day Bob Morgan was not flying. In the pilot's seat was Captain Gaitley, but after two hours and ten minutes, the aircraft and crew returned to Bassingbourn with #1 engine out - an abortive mission.<br /><span> </span>From May 12 onwards, the <i>Memphis Belle </i>is mentioned in the 91st BG Mission Summary as being Group Leader's aircraft three more times, but on no occasion was the Group Leader himself sitting in the co-pilot's seat. Had procedures changed by this point and the Leader was effectively flying as an additional crew member?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, we have photographic evidence showing that on the pilot's side of the aircraft, out of the twenty-five missions that the Memphis Belle flew, the aircraft carried twelve stars on its twenty-fifth mission on May 19 1943. Of those twelve stars, we can find a direct correlation with just four out of a total of eight missions when the Memphis Belle is listed as having the Group Leader on board. However, by the time the aircraft departed for the USA, there appeared to be a further two yellow and one red star painted above the last three missions.<br />In some respects, the co-pilot's side 'scoreboard' appears to be more accurate; 15 stars, nine yellow, six red.<br /><span> </span>Of the six red, we directly correlate with five showing the aircraft having the Group Commander on board. However, it was still impossible to make any sense of the yellow stars.<br /><span> </span>We began to look for other possibilities. We noticed in Morgan's War Department AAF Form 5 Individual Flight Record there is a column marked 'duty' that has space for two letters and then, in the lower left-hand side of the form a 'decode' of what these letters mean. 'P' stood for pilot. 'CP' meant Co-pilot and 'C' was Command Pilot. Could this have any influence on the stars?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Now, the conventional 'difference' between Command Pilot and Pilot is a requirement for the number of hours/missions flown to reach Command Pilot status.This does not match here though, for sometimes he is listed as 'P' and the very next flight he is recorded as 'C', then it's back to 'P' again!<br /><span> </span>Could the difference be that he had an inexperienced co-pilot on board, and thus warrant the promotion to 'Command Pilot'? That theory did not match with the known facts, for sometime, when Morgan had Jim Verinis in the co-pilot's seat Morgan was a 'P' and on others a 'C'!<br /><span> </span>We then considered if it could be 'the other way around' in that instead of having an inexperienced member in the co-pilot seat, was there a Squadron, Group or Air Formation Commander on board? This happened in the RAF where a senior officer was on board and was thus ranking officer but nevertheless, the pilot was still in overall charge of the aircraft - or to use a Naval analogy, you could have the Admiral of the Fleet aboard, but the Captain was still Captain of the ship! Thus in these instances did 'Command Pilot' in this usage means that he was 'Aircraft Commander' despite, for example, him having the Group Commander sitting in the right-hand seat directing the overall mission?<br /><span> </span>Group Commanders were all pilots anyway, but usually not assigned a particular crew - on a mission they were 'in charge' of a larger thing than just a single B-17. This was the Aircraft Commanders' duty. The Group Commander would sit in the right-hand seat and be able to assist with take-off and landing or any emergency. But this did not match with known data either.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP6ZgPQovm1Nr9ObxQMneiAjiWXbzvcJc3B2fyEgwJKcaQGu3qotWeYawIbV6CEexRpnYl9SnIcEGzscjmdXWiYi4FC22o0dMZorOXiyBZ4ScYaRZoIO11qRL6yWk-NuUdTJ_eJmM-vCYkjdKXVWANxMPR8T7dLjv4dGaJtl7rVrxGaUw4gZgERATSaw/s2482/Screenshot%202023-02-23%20at%2018.26.58.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1704" data-original-width="2482" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP6ZgPQovm1Nr9ObxQMneiAjiWXbzvcJc3B2fyEgwJKcaQGu3qotWeYawIbV6CEexRpnYl9SnIcEGzscjmdXWiYi4FC22o0dMZorOXiyBZ4ScYaRZoIO11qRL6yWk-NuUdTJ_eJmM-vCYkjdKXVWANxMPR8T7dLjv4dGaJtl7rVrxGaUw4gZgERATSaw/w384-h280/Screenshot%202023-02-23%20at%2018.26.58.png" width="384" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">All of these details have been compiled into the 'Analyis of Stars' table above. How is it possible to go from eight recorded in the Mission Summary - nine if the 'unknown' leader and aircraft on April 17 turned out to be 41-24485 - to twelve painted on the aircraft, albeit with most in the wrong positions or colors by May 19, and then a month later have a further three painted on?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">I use this picture here, because it clearly shows a change in the<br />‘star status’ to the enlargement we have reproduced from the May<br />19th picture at the start of this chapter - there are now stars over<br />mission 23 and 24. There is also a strange mark - what appears to be<br />a bomb-shaped ‘smudge’ after mission 25.</span></i><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RhKUh8Carehy43wdAAhcrGhRTLWepvN66YUKyY11u2KvrB0Org1zF1P6i2oPXi1ZL6kfedu4tVnjmom0Uj-qlWr1H3zCCLZKov42Pcpj1uB5zELvluJGj2PBsRe6CoKZj1eoTVl7aRKJAXq3kDn_F92Wun6BjC7dAivDKtovQ0J2_RNUYYO-jQrbyg/s800/MEMPHIS-BELLE-photo-2a-.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="800" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RhKUh8Carehy43wdAAhcrGhRTLWepvN66YUKyY11u2KvrB0Org1zF1P6i2oPXi1ZL6kfedu4tVnjmom0Uj-qlWr1H3zCCLZKov42Pcpj1uB5zELvluJGj2PBsRe6CoKZj1eoTVl7aRKJAXq3kDn_F92Wun6BjC7dAivDKtovQ0J2_RNUYYO-jQrbyg/s320/MEMPHIS-BELLE-photo-2a-.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayg2q8dLWP9nu_e64gjEpuMhfPwZnWyz_ZGkQLg4c-jSR8kOITUPW2_rKUf9djaz4KLDLk06AT4EJTdETe2rD9wgGPS7ymsfmmTaLW2sxuOcaTq3Zq52LbjZJ8mt6VS_PFpvaAOUQf36jk0Gx9E2sS_HULJpYSKJbyV66L-EGOBc67j2CsXGOL1C7tw/s932/3rd%20mission.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="932" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayg2q8dLWP9nu_e64gjEpuMhfPwZnWyz_ZGkQLg4c-jSR8kOITUPW2_rKUf9djaz4KLDLk06AT4EJTdETe2rD9wgGPS7ymsfmmTaLW2sxuOcaTq3Zq52LbjZJ8mt6VS_PFpvaAOUQf36jk0Gx9E2sS_HULJpYSKJbyV66L-EGOBc67j2CsXGOL1C7tw/s320/3rd%20mission.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">This picture shows the early days of the bomb symbols - and clearly demonstrates that Joe<br />Giambrone painted in both directions from his start point, thus making is almost certain that the bombs are stars are not ‘connected’!</span></i><br /></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span>So are the stars wrong - or is it wrong to link the stars to a particular mission as painted on the side of the aircraft? Is the Mission Summary in error? We looked again at the two scoreboards. It seemed that there were two phases to this - the period at Bassingbourn when the aircraft actually flew the twenty-five missions and the period leading up to the aircraft's return to the USA. The more we researched, the more we thought that the last three stars were added as part of the entire 'cleaning up and preparation exercise' that the aircraft went through in preparation for the US Tour. This possibility was to provide the key to unlock one of the mysteries. From photographic evidence, we charted out the placement as seen in the table below. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1Pw9YZ-IWyyXgZNdsOGxeBfUK9mIpbvim33uikX5ubr_VQDhQ4-l5gJ-IiTFXRYUOIpb3jaeD8MJYNZ7eon2aHbgyJjI2YafX1TrT7Qg0feG388PA4bE0qY-4qYbCh5Qx_WpuyQ6FaXtK7YdmsLnRgJ2eejC300YVTersufjQU54t7wylN9Q5x4hKg/s2500/Screenshot%202023-02-23%20at%2018.42.36.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="2500" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1Pw9YZ-IWyyXgZNdsOGxeBfUK9mIpbvim33uikX5ubr_VQDhQ4-l5gJ-IiTFXRYUOIpb3jaeD8MJYNZ7eon2aHbgyJjI2YafX1TrT7Qg0feG388PA4bE0qY-4qYbCh5Qx_WpuyQ6FaXtK7YdmsLnRgJ2eejC300YVTersufjQU54t7wylN9Q5x4hKg/s320/Screenshot%202023-02-23%20at%2018.42.36.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFSKF6aqVGSwtbfNXuaDsaTiEF5m15xpMpfe7lCUsFNHZw6alJb7dC98nHO08qN1lSTNqHZt0VSmqS3Mvh1ns0er3TPLGw4p8kpSsj2YOH3MYOe377D4bbXsGvgv04msV4Xu4WNyRCKvJytpDRqHcQXGY87-D7ABCwLqejv0jOt0kxj4T3FOvBy-Gpw/s2480/Screenshot%202023-02-23%20at%2018.43.23.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="2480" height="45" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFSKF6aqVGSwtbfNXuaDsaTiEF5m15xpMpfe7lCUsFNHZw6alJb7dC98nHO08qN1lSTNqHZt0VSmqS3Mvh1ns0er3TPLGw4p8kpSsj2YOH3MYOe377D4bbXsGvgv04msV4Xu4WNyRCKvJytpDRqHcQXGY87-D7ABCwLqejv0jOt0kxj4T3FOvBy-Gpw/s320/Screenshot%202023-02-23%20at%2018.43.23.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This revealed a pattern that suggests a two-stage process as to what happened. Firstly, the last three stars were painted on the aircraft sometime after it flew the 25th mission, for they are the only items common to both sides. If those stars are then removed from the chart, another pattern is revealed. The stars on both sides of the aircraft are now the same - just four missions out of sync with each other! If then we 'disconnect' the stars from the bomb symbols and re-align, they now match! So what caused that?<br /><span> </span>It was back to the photographs again. A look again at the picture of Chuck Leighton above we used to illustrate mission three held the answer. Joe Giambrone started painting the symbols on the pilots side roughly under the 'R' of the 'Crew Weight' stencil. Yet by the time of the May 19 photo, that symbol has become number 5! He must have started to run out of room, so 'adjusted' the line of symbols by adding four at the front of the line!<br /><span> </span>Also, if those last three stars were fake, this would go a long way to explaining a certain reticence on the part of Bob Morgan in discussing anything other than the 'official line' as trotted out in the War Department booklet. An indication as to this can be discovered in a December 30 1986 letter from Bob Morgan to Menno Duerksen: '... I really feel you are getting yourself into a no win situation by trying to cross reference all the logs, papers, people's memories (some bad like mine) to try and establish the exact missions everyone flew on and if we flew on other planes at times etc.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Take the Air Corps book "25 Missions" and accept it, quote it etc. Then take your interviews with each crew member as to his experiences in combat, tour life etc etc. NOT that each flew on each and every mission on the Belle. Pass over that, except for the "25 Mission Book" quotes etc. As an expert writer, you can handle that. This is my opinion, but it is up to you.'<br /><span> </span>Even by 1986, everyone knew that the '25 Mission' booklet was wildly in error, so why was Bob Morgan still sticking religiously to the 'official' line as pumped out by the War Department?<br /><span> </span>We realise that it is an outrageous allegation to make that some of those stars are fake, so is there any further proof that things are not what they first seem? Well, look the the picture below right of Joe Giambrone painting the last bomb symbol on the pilot's side of the nose of the Memphis Belle. It's a still from the 1943 William Wyler movie filmed sometime after the 25th mission was flown. Now look at the photograph on the first page of this piece - notice anything odd? No? Look again. See that double line of vertical rivet-heads?<br /><span> </span>Those heads are straddled by bomb symbols and 'contain' another. On the picture on the first page of this piece, it is clearly the symbol for mission twenty-three sits in between the two rows. So using that double row of rivet-heads to lock mission twenty-three in place, we move and count to the right. 24.... 25... Joe Giambrone is painting a 26th bomb symbol on the side of the aircraft! It seems that you just cannot trust what you see - and that also explains the mysterious 'smudge' on the previous picture where that symbol was later removed! Also, the two pictures below show three stars - two yellow, one red - appear and dissapear out of 'timeline' to the smudge created after Joe painted the spurious 26th bomb mission symbol. Just what WAS going on? There are many ways of looking at it, and we could come up with any number of theories but, other than thinking that much of this was done for public relations and the movie - we have no idea.<br /><br />The stars survive...<br />Whatever the truth - and whatever the true amount - the stars remained on either side of the fuselage to this day. Even with all our photographic evidence, we have been unable to prove things one way or another conclusively. - the best we can do is put together a good theory. The stars remain an enigma where they are because once they were painted in place, along with the perky Petty Girl, the swastikas and the bomb symbols, successive over-paints and restorations have slavishly followed what went before, religiously recreating the markings in the same manner.<br /> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13PR4aXNlACLlDUgAXloKgoNHr3BnaHCbecgB9ZEOlb-RzoIaNiDf9gRpLKG385bxeJf1InCMDXPqMDi4z4X2Edshq2n0R8DsrE2_Qc-CS92u0baePyVWw7vWNYRpN7JKYIRGk8zflsLa6HHFyHRjDum8qxEoxEm51FIkuoNGwJygd6HqSC1qW-D75A/s630/starsbass.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="630" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13PR4aXNlACLlDUgAXloKgoNHr3BnaHCbecgB9ZEOlb-RzoIaNiDf9gRpLKG385bxeJf1InCMDXPqMDi4z4X2Edshq2n0R8DsrE2_Qc-CS92u0baePyVWw7vWNYRpN7JKYIRGk8zflsLa6HHFyHRjDum8qxEoxEm51FIkuoNGwJygd6HqSC1qW-D75A/s320/starsbass.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><i><span style="font-size: small;">Two scenes from the Wyler movie which the viewer is supposed to believe show the same event. Below left: they have returned from the 25th mission - Vince Evans exits the nose hatch, alongside whch we see a stepladder which crewchief Joe Giambrone climbs up to paint on the last mission symbol. But wait a minute note the stars above Evans’ head - there are three less than in the picture on the right where Joe Giambrone is painting on the ‘twenty-sixth’ mission symbol for William Wylers camera! Also, there is a bomb-shaped ‘smudge’ after mission 25 on this left hand picture and on the picture on the previous page - the smudge can only be from where the paint was wiped off the aircraft after the scene below right was shot - but then, where did the extra stars go? It’s all very confusing! <br /></span></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGe47GGY3BY3KIHd8CkfmT1VOSC7QwvmrI_whii34thkOHNlfeEJ2r7U_PLN93kXPVtzqNQAf0pLt8on9qkgcKJoctgSdOpEEIcLsHhgJNBW2r6tdfBnjxRqBr3DUFd3Ncdl0zINA7ueI1rSZQVSzVeU6_bCXAhtw0uU4d2RGTRfiE20SGuolL2lLRA/s630/Joe.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="630" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGe47GGY3BY3KIHd8CkfmT1VOSC7QwvmrI_whii34thkOHNlfeEJ2r7U_PLN93kXPVtzqNQAf0pLt8on9qkgcKJoctgSdOpEEIcLsHhgJNBW2r6tdfBnjxRqBr3DUFd3Ncdl0zINA7ueI1rSZQVSzVeU6_bCXAhtw0uU4d2RGTRfiE20SGuolL2lLRA/s320/Joe.TIF" width="320" /></a></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></i><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Taken from Chapter 11 of Graham M Simons' and Dr Harry Friedman's book 'Memphis Belle - Dispelling the Myths <br /></span></p><br /></div>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-14042754463090894892022-10-23T12:47:00.001-07:002022-10-23T12:47:18.302-07:00The Boeing B-17C - Into Combat with the Royal Air Force despite the Norden/Sperry controversy!<div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The results of the Y1B-17A tests heightened GHQ Air Force's enthusiasm for the potential of high-altitude bombing, and so the addition of turbo-supercharging to new B-l7 production models was approved. When testing was complete, the Y1B-17A was renamed the sole example of the B-17A.<br /> Changes were still needed however. The nose glazing with its strangely-shaped 'turret' for the single Browning machine gun was deemed impractical. Indeed, the United Kingdom's then Air Commodore Arthur Travis 'Bomber' Harris - who was visiting the USA on a purchasing mission, and who was never one not to speak his mind to all and sundry - commented in a report after he had inspected a Y1B-17 that the device would seem to be <i>'... More appropriately located in an amusement park than a war aeroplane'. </i>There was also a need for better high-altitude performance and internal changes to give the navigator and other crew members an ergonomically better working environment. <span> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZrsbeQp2TYCmiqSAVVDTJlQKpOa-GztbdjyHDqD80-QLvlMV0kexCxpi4GtnDSzWYn1bVo7tZovsARbGTtIoMWB9Vf22D2gSocmxn_NSocCCFdJ4vzJO4dybqjhPHjuKMu-3pYquY2DbHkeYH0SuJeGuz9iH5nTDGmtt3WveW-sjnZueEC1USdN7U9A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="1594" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZrsbeQp2TYCmiqSAVVDTJlQKpOa-GztbdjyHDqD80-QLvlMV0kexCxpi4GtnDSzWYn1bVo7tZovsARbGTtIoMWB9Vf22D2gSocmxn_NSocCCFdJ4vzJO4dybqjhPHjuKMu-3pYquY2DbHkeYH0SuJeGuz9iH5nTDGmtt3WveW-sjnZueEC1USdN7U9A" width="299" /></a></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Above: B-model B-17s come together. From this came the C-model.<br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Below: A line of steel jigs, surrounded by wooden scaffolding, in which the Model B fuselages were built. In the background can be seen the fuselages of three Stratoliners, one identifiable as NC19903.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1096" data-original-width="1535" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5Z1D5rTA5khAlZkXvBM-51fp7Q_bbZFfnqIqMm32FAhy2gFrNsjTGLWU0rucI4Zsfb9vRIbWW8m04UMbTH5jFJlIzXMkt4tXibMSVLHdIFFglWxN-bUxGc_hlEqSoKfjuJuT7hJx9sqe6_WL1a12zUifSluZvq5uIh8Wu7mfQbDZYJk3mxkgmqr4_8g" width="320" /></div></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1594" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjS1G_xj_Iov0fzOGUHsgpTSBmJn2sMFnfVXgHlgfnPxYU8eIrrBRjVXF4NkkTvzr9tssAZXBp0pr_RebDuufCx6hgyngI1ubthO4tMieg8g8FqYEzVZEtv0QjSWw9hEmXyW22MaHOd_uGizYAkOuJTOnjykfZZwPHQBwIbqVkzWguuF5Le27UhZQiDTw" width="309" /></div><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><strike><span style="font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></strike><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Above: A wing panel, complete with engine nacelles already attached, is eased out of its three-storey construction jig by overhead crane. Boeing found it easier to build the wings in four sections this way, and then lifting points were attached to a tubular steel structure bolted on to the star joint fittings for transport.</span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">The B-17C started out as Boeing's Model 229H design study, specifically aimed at improving the defensive armament. The teardrop-shaped gun cupolas had been found to have restrictive fields of fire and were difficult to use and even harder to manufacture. They were eliminated, and in their place, simple removable windows allowed post-mounted machine guns more flexibility. The lower teardrop was replaced with a more extended structure, often likened to a bathtub, which allowed a kneeling gunner to operate a Browning machine against low attack from the rear. All the guns were now the heavier .50 in calibre Brownings, except the .30 nose weapon, for which two more sockets were added in the framing so that the bombardier could re-position the gun to increase his field of fire.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0mPFX42XNZ7CCsrvGQ1Qe4T-YzEqq39x4zM78tPd9UTjBXbdU5PQZTPy3iZZbY8xKxgOWFdDivkKV2QLfnlhuxN1ul3c3zGYkBltPgTgQmbSUxrFd8HVFqO2Ns4BK86NeB4k9jymT4aSZX-Vf3oIAySMD0oLmGl_az_uAa7AYLtdR9fVK_27c32OqMQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1240" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0mPFX42XNZ7CCsrvGQ1Qe4T-YzEqq39x4zM78tPd9UTjBXbdU5PQZTPy3iZZbY8xKxgOWFdDivkKV2QLfnlhuxN1ul3c3zGYkBltPgTgQmbSUxrFd8HVFqO2Ns4BK86NeB4k9jymT4aSZX-Vf3oIAySMD0oLmGl_az_uAa7AYLtdR9fVK_27c32OqMQ=w368-h219" width="368" /></a></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">A view of the incorrectly marked ‘AM528’. The early style tailplane and observation blister is clearly visible. (USAAC)</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The two rear fuselage side positions - known as 'waist windows' - and the underside emplacement were provided with a small amount of armour plate for the gunners' protection.</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> There were detail changes to fuel, electrical and oxygen systems and further brake improvements. The B-17C had upgraded Cyclone engines and improved turbo-superchargers, raising the high-altitude top speed during one service test to 323 mph. Supercharger failure due to inadequate lubrication had been encountered in the B-17Bs, with all units replaced early in 1940. These raised the B-17 B's performance, but there is no doubt that the B-17C's improvement in that respect also resulted from the reduced drag occasioned by the removal of gun cupolas. Deliveries were made between August and November 1940, but owing to the volume of additional changes required on the last 42 aircraft of the contract, the Air Corps bestowed a new designation, B-17D, although the Boeing model identity remained the same. </span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsMSLVwIcX8p5IRQ2sQhzyFJOdfRULl87nG1y1Mn8v_8jYRG4LNDDrTzihO42vpZ9B9uYcwFtnin0LpJ-XoYDQM7JRTHnbgtPv8GHMXrT9dislrL8J3pBnIBH360c60v-dTo31k3iiTVawR0xkIY8W1x5gb7S-ot5_VccaGVvmjU4fjY6YnWFip7aFEQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="1240" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsMSLVwIcX8p5IRQ2sQhzyFJOdfRULl87nG1y1Mn8v_8jYRG4LNDDrTzihO42vpZ9B9uYcwFtnin0LpJ-XoYDQM7JRTHnbgtPv8GHMXrT9dislrL8J3pBnIBH360c60v-dTo31k3iiTVawR0xkIY8W1x5gb7S-ot5_VccaGVvmjU4fjY6YnWFip7aFEQ=w348-h246" width="348" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Above: Royal Air Force Air Marshal Hugh Dowding - in civilian clothes on the left - with Clairmont L Egtvedt of Boeing in front of the incorrectly marked AM536 outside the Boeing plant. Dowding had been sent on special duty to the USA for the British Ministry of Aircraft Production following his removal from post as Head of RAF Fighter Command and its victory in the Battle of Britain.</span></i><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> It seems that despite what was appearing publically, Boeing was more than aware of the fundamental shortcomings of the B-17 design. As early as 11 May 1940, officials of Boeing met secretly with General Oliver Echols, the Chief of Engineering at Wright Field to pore over data on a huge new superbomber that would dwarf and replace the B-17. The United States was still about fifth as a world air power, but the wheels within Washington were starting to turn. There were no contracts with the Air Corps on the new design; there might never be any. Nevertheless, the secret new machine they discussed, at this time no more than studies and drawings on paper, was destined to fly one day. It would be known as the B-29 Superfortress.</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> But that was still in the future. The day after Boeing and the Air Corps talked about the superbomber, Belgium surrendered. An alarmed United States heard its President ask Congress for an immediate allocation of over one billion 1940 dollars for new weapons.</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> Representatives from Boeing flew back to Ohio to meet with Colonel Oliver Echols to discuss drastic changes in the Flying Fortress. The first B-17C had yet to fly and the D model was way behind that. Echols was only too aware of what was happening in Europe, and what must inevitably engulf the United States. He was looking ahead and told Boeing: 'Figure out how to get more guns in those Forts. Tail guns especially. And armor plate to protect the crew'.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-jxxf5I0Q_sF8tdfeHDpjnytbROGWZeIYaxMivq9Pyy51871ZihHj37GRUphKhOJ4dOBM9ayecp0bbWXRynKgDErozvrGJNY4R2CC2pbPrB9jJH1eVbHP6O4Lw3o6aotPkNETGYn_3Rzc-z-NoICVLlweGYkcgsAJeBPGNi3BbQbRuxUB_tPMlXihtg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="1240" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-jxxf5I0Q_sF8tdfeHDpjnytbROGWZeIYaxMivq9Pyy51871ZihHj37GRUphKhOJ4dOBM9ayecp0bbWXRynKgDErozvrGJNY4R2CC2pbPrB9jJH1eVbHP6O4Lw3o6aotPkNETGYn_3Rzc-z-NoICVLlweGYkcgsAJeBPGNi3BbQbRuxUB_tPMlXihtg" width="296" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">The interior of the B-17C viewed from the tail, looking forward. The removable waist windows are in evidence, along with the posts for the machine guns.Not that clear, but in evidence is the entrance to the ‘bathtub’ lower gun position. The ‘posts’ on either side of the aircraft are mounts for the machine guns. (USAAC)</span></i><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Boeing's engineers were almost disbelieving of the new requirements. They were being asked to carry out a massive redesign of the Flying Fortress. Tail guns? It would make mincemeat out of the centre of gravity of the aircraft. It would add weight, complexity, and problems. It would, they warned, make a mockery of the steadily improving performance of the machine.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the meantime, the B-17C had to be developed. A program was set up in December 1940 in cooperation with General Electric Company to obtain flight test data in order to determine the critical altitude performance of the turbo supercharger using B-17C 40-2043. A standard GE type B2 turbo supercharger with factory-installed instrumentation was fitted on the No.4 engine nacelle and a series of level test runs at 15,000, 20,000, 25,000, 30,000 and 35,000 feet were planned. Boeing's Preliminary Report D-3422 dated 26 August 1941 was not only for the B-17 - as item 4, in conclusion, stated,<i> 'The study as to the applicability of the date to the B29 is not sufficiently complete to state conclusions at this time'.</i> As these flights progressed, the company realized it was obtaining inconsistent data and variable results. The tests were not helped the numerous delays brought about as a result of the severity of high-altitude operation.<br /> In order to try and obtain more consistent data, a revised programme was devised and a further series of flights were conducted between 31 July and 15 August, but again the program was hit by mechanical difficulties and bad weather. Boeing discovered that the critical altitude tests revealed that the turbo-installation in the No.4 nacelle of the B-17C test aircraft developed a limiting Brake Mean Effective Pressure (BMEP - the medium pressure in a cylinder during it's combustion cycle) at much higher altitudes than was previously thought. It seems the power drop observed above the critical altitude was excessive which made high altitude cruising questionable.<br /> The report concluded that altitude performance of the No.4 nacelle in the B-17C was considerably better that had been previously established. Unstable and surging conditions had been encountered which required further investigation and correction to realize the full potential of added altitude performance. Boeing stated that 'the critical altitude tests have resulted in opening up many important new phases of turbo operation for further consideration'. Translated into simple English, this meant that there was a whole lot more work to be done until they fully understood what was going on.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTi_oH7mRBYQkdXpS0Vvuh_zEZG2iAQmmDxj8pOlqa23NhXMVxZKRpHUK-rp4T0_tagaVwyibuOdG--O1jAba-5CLQn-d1AcJRQNcV8zfO7Pl4QcocarUrQgD0HGLR6mje3tZxpnHthieAQSkpWZE9xV8xxGC3-SmyGTQXP1fK0FQ6WygFIKLLxhAuxw/s1240/ch301.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1240" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTi_oH7mRBYQkdXpS0Vvuh_zEZG2iAQmmDxj8pOlqa23NhXMVxZKRpHUK-rp4T0_tagaVwyibuOdG--O1jAba-5CLQn-d1AcJRQNcV8zfO7Pl4QcocarUrQgD0HGLR6mje3tZxpnHthieAQSkpWZE9xV8xxGC3-SmyGTQXP1fK0FQ6WygFIKLLxhAuxw/w416-h337/ch301.jpg" width="416" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>A B-17C for the RAF!<br />The incorrectly marked AN528 - it is painted AM528 - is seen here over the USA before crossing the Atlantic. (USAAC) </i><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">With the fall of France and the critical situation that ensued during the summer of 1940 when Britain stood alone, positive interest in the Flying Fortress was revived. The political atmosphere in the USA had changed with the Administration's open support for the British cause, and a massive expansion of America's own military forces was planned. Delivery of further Flying Fortresses, the new B-17B model, during 1939-1940, followed by the much-improved B-17C, had radically changed the position for the USAAC. To make mention of its doctrine of daylight strategic bombardment was no longer heresy. <br /> Anxious to obtain any worthy US combat aircraft, the British showed interest in the B-l 7, and although they were critical of its small bomb load and defensive armament, they knew that if made available, it could be usefully employed. With a British order in mind, Boeing had explored the RAF's requirements under a design study labelled Model 299U. However, the Army Air Corps, soon to be the Army Air Forces, had no intention of losing production aircraft to a foreign power when it was intent on building its force of heavy bombers. <br /> Here national politics entered the picture. Through Boeing's and the Air Corps' persistent courtship of the news media for their own purposes, the Flying Fortress had become well known abroad as the bright star in America's air arsenal. The British, eager to draw on United States aid, were appreciative that the Roosevelt administration, keen to justify the enormous investment in the nation's air arms, saw the use of the Flying Fortress by the British as a valuable means to this end. The rhetoric of Generals and other enthusiasts aside, the Air Corps remained doubtful as to how the current model B-17 would fare against modern fighters such as the British and Germans had in service. <br /> The RAF, while still critical of the bomber's armament and other equipment, was cognisant of the mode of attack propounded by the USAAC theorists; daylight precision attack from a very high altitude where the effectiveness of enemy anti-aircraft fire and fighter interception would be minimized. The first few months of war had shown the RAF that, in general, heavy bombers were too vulnerable to enemy interception to operate effectively in daylight. The Air Corps' concept offered a new approach to day operations, and the RAF could not afford to neglect any possibility.<br /> Approaches were made for acquiring new-model Flying Fortresses, but the Air Corps were reluctant to lose precious bombers from their own expansion scheme or risk their techniques being aborted by any precipitate action which might bring repercussions on their own efforts to establish a strategic bombing force. The British met with a more sympathetic ear in the US Government. In late September 1940 Secretary of War Henry Stimson promised, among other things, to furnish the British with five Flying Fortresses. However, with an election pending, the US administration thought it wise to defer release due to 'political difficulties' but, with the November elections over, twenty B-17Cs were released to the RAF and allotted the serial numbers AN518-537.<br /> These aircraft, having no self-sealing fuel tanks, were returned to Boeing for Goodrich self-seal units to be installed. As the B-17D model, then in production at Seattle, had priority for these tanks, some delay resulted with a number of aircraft being placed in storage at McCord Field, Tacoma WA until modifications could be done. Other work was going on the aircraft destined for the RAF at McClellan Field, Sacramento, CA so the first four B-17Cs were not ready for movement to the UK until April 1941. </span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dcHpkzenYDIiR5wSnjAekeEg7ar91rbBB2Qczm75kOAjlOQ64odfoJ29JtSj4SnZ4R9_CaUeYKsaxDkrpS08wYO5cziG7nRHwGbN6CKNfCIEA8MYhdTWuXGrkyGGC4XA4OwmuLf78m8SO2EOqGGvQQtJwAgM97pBYUC-VxKuhW10EZ8oaXaSct-o2g/s1240/seatleto348.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1240" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dcHpkzenYDIiR5wSnjAekeEg7ar91rbBB2Qczm75kOAjlOQ64odfoJ29JtSj4SnZ4R9_CaUeYKsaxDkrpS08wYO5cziG7nRHwGbN6CKNfCIEA8MYhdTWuXGrkyGGC4XA4OwmuLf78m8SO2EOqGGvQQtJwAgM97pBYUC-VxKuhW10EZ8oaXaSct-o2g/w396-h185/seatleto348.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>B-17C 40-2076, now marked as AN531 and painted in the original markings for the RAF, takes off on another proving flight from Boeing Field, Seattle. <span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">(USAAC)</span></span></i></div></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Certain pro-British members of the US Government were impatient to see the Fortresses in action and Averell Harriman, the US Ambassador, explained to the British <i>'that the question of using the Flying Fortress operationally had become a political question of some importance',</i> particularly as it had been well reported that these large bombers had been sent to Britain. <br /> This appears to have been in direct contradiction to a claim which surfaced postwar which was that it had been understood by the United States Government that the Fortress I (the B-17C) would never be sent into combat, but was to be employed for training flight and ground crews to gain experience with the new bombers. It was stated that when the RAF squadrons were fully familiar with the aircraft operation, Fortress II models (the B-17E) would be provided under the lend-lease agreements. With the new Fortress II, heavily armed and fitted out with equipment designed from the lessons of air combat in Europe, the RAF would have the nucleus of a new and powerful daylight bombing force. It seems that members of the Air Corps and engineers from Boeing went to great pains to warn the British against sending their Fortress I into combat and then directly blame them for the debacle that followed. One unnamed Air Corps officer is supposed to have said <i>'I was in England when the planes arrived. We explained to the British our doctrine for the use of the planes. We told them that the crews had to be well trained, that a crew should drop two hundred practice bombs before attacking a real target; that the planes were designed to fly in formation for protective purposes and that by using them as trainers, trained crews could be ready to operate the new, properly equipped Fortresses when we delivered them. For some reason, they decided to use the planes offensively'.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwT_WkcXQjRERv2Fg7tgt6a2HAeD1fknQWdD9I264-yie-EwymJCEDgagG68rW1z5Ut0FFAPVUHefYYOfuvUIB09wXeHSPwowDUIoZDLceaF4NOlWrDMmyUBYqKG0v7kZ4hwRsJYS1FhmjQipt9Bfw_xl60OtYo_fYvzpK8axRU0tDjF1YrdTfyJc5A/s1452/bombbay328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="1240" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwT_WkcXQjRERv2Fg7tgt6a2HAeD1fknQWdD9I264-yie-EwymJCEDgagG68rW1z5Ut0FFAPVUHefYYOfuvUIB09wXeHSPwowDUIoZDLceaF4NOlWrDMmyUBYqKG0v7kZ4hwRsJYS1FhmjQipt9Bfw_xl60OtYo_fYvzpK8axRU0tDjF1YrdTfyJc5A/w370-h434/bombbay328.jpg" width="370" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"> Inside the bomb bay of an RAF B-17C looking forward towards the cockpit. The extremely narrow walkway that connected the front of the aircraft to the rear is very noticeable, as are the bomb suspension beams. The curved ribbed panels that make up the ‘floor’ are in fact, the aircraft’s closed bomb bay doors. (USAAC)</span></i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i><br /> Perhaps this was an attempt at re-writing history in an attempt to disguise just how lacking the B-17C was, or perhaps there was confusion as to how the B-17C should be operated. Whatever the case, at the time American interests did not appreciate the dilemma of priorities within the hard-pressed RAF but these proddings at a high level from both US and British sources did have the effect of accelerating supply and training. <br /> As the Royal Air Force were to be the first to take the B-17 into combat - and therefore highlighted a whole raft of shortcomings to the design that was at least partially solved in later models - it therefore becomes vitally important to study what happened by those directly involved. For this we need to go to the Operational Record Books - the RAF Form 540s - in which anonymous squadron diarists recorded the day-to-day events as they happened. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbKB8mDYHHJS_krzZ8jkhYlHrfljewfRGhiFfqZ4OGNTeTi2huDQ7HduiOzOOMJK7klaHwyi0P7HqlYbiWPxBIhWM81DC7CbzfsXohSmsRudYP4kb3fzuxA0bODKfH0KJSWD64wA1OcYyYm6brsV_AWLKPudnj7k8iARaM_T8gbV6T6kjhlqhilXy6g/s1240/ccompartment327.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1240" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbKB8mDYHHJS_krzZ8jkhYlHrfljewfRGhiFfqZ4OGNTeTi2huDQ7HduiOzOOMJK7klaHwyi0P7HqlYbiWPxBIhWM81DC7CbzfsXohSmsRudYP4kb3fzuxA0bODKfH0KJSWD64wA1OcYyYm6brsV_AWLKPudnj7k8iARaM_T8gbV6T6kjhlqhilXy6g/w416-h319/ccompartment327.jpg" width="416" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Two pictures from RAF Air Publications for the Fortess I.<br /><br />Above: The cockpit. Below: The nose compartment </i><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0U7kJffDQuwjOJ7D93tRSgsQ4M2k6IVV0ILAGlCy6ejDe3167oWvaOQNEQra3ReooubZV4EvJcvkDH7MjjRHaNUAdS-PZrc1SIR_W_x_xn3LxFIArJ2u1xd6kYUgjRUYqtiJ0QFWCiTfvDEPoO2ueKJzjxy8-ofwv9aovrE4t3V-Rdd0r1ofWjuAqw/s827/ccompartment325.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="827" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0U7kJffDQuwjOJ7D93tRSgsQ4M2k6IVV0ILAGlCy6ejDe3167oWvaOQNEQra3ReooubZV4EvJcvkDH7MjjRHaNUAdS-PZrc1SIR_W_x_xn3LxFIArJ2u1xd6kYUgjRUYqtiJ0QFWCiTfvDEPoO2ueKJzjxy8-ofwv9aovrE4t3V-Rdd0r1ofWjuAqw/w415-h362/ccompartment325.jpg" width="415" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> In early 1941, 90 Squadron RAF was re-formed to fly the Fortress Is in Bomber Command's 2 Group, which specialized in daylight operations. While squadron headquarters were at West Raynham, the aircraft were to be based on the nearby satellite airfield at Watton, a grass-surfaced field on the edge of a heathland area known as the Norfolk Breckland. They received on lend-lease from USAAF stocks the first B-17s to be used in 'real' combat as opposed to just flying on exercise. The first, in the hands of a Major Walsh (some reports say Walshe) accompanied by two sergeant-mechanics, Olsen and Benner, with the aircraft now wearing the RAF serial AN521, - the former 40-2052 - crossed the Atlantic from Gander, Newfoundland in eight hours twenty-six minutes, arriving at Prestwick, Scotland on 14 April 1941, although some sources say the arrival was at nearby Ayr.</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> Designated 'Fortress I' the first reached squadron service at RAF Watton in Norfolk during May. The flying crews selected were to be under 24 years of age and were chosen for fitness and 'slim build', the latter requirement due to the infamous narrow 'passageway' across the bomb bay from the rear of the aircraft to the cockpit! Each flying crew member had to undergo - without any ill-effects - a four-hour simulated 35,000 feet' flight' in a pressure chamber, breathing oxygen.</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> Forced to part with some of their prized bombers, the USAAC then became anxious to advise in their use and assist in training RAF personnel. The RAF, while accepting all practical aid and politely acknowledging the Air Corps plans for employment, preferred to operate using their own practical experience rather than strictly adhere to Air Corps theory. The USAAF provided a number of flying personnel and civilian technicians who were engaged in training the RAF crews converting to the Fortress I. </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> By early 1941 both the RAF and Luftwaffe had resorted to night operations for their medium and heavy bombers, generally leaving daylight operations to fast light bombers that stood a better chance of evading intercepting fighters, or operating in bad weather when extensive cloud gave protective cover. With Fortress I in British service, RAF Bomber Command planners proposed to try a new approach in evading enemy opposition by the sheer altitude of the attack.</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> At this time sub-stratospheric flight was rare and almost unknown in military operations. The turbo-superchargers on the Fortress's Cyclone engines enabled maximum performance to be obtained at 25,000 feet, some 10,000 feet more than the normal operational altitude of British bombers at that time. However, to afford maximum protection, the RAF proposed to operate Fortresses as near to their combat-loaded ceiling as possible, an optimum of 32,000 feet eventually being considered as desirable. It was assumed that enemy fighters would have great difficulty reaching this altitude and locating the bomber, and the aircraft would be fairly safe from anti-aircraft fire. If the American high-altitude bomb sights proved their worth, then targets could be hit with some measure of accuracy and such operations could be of inestimable value. This was basically the Army Air Corps strategic concept, with the exception that the RAF intended to operate at some 7-10,000 feet higher than the Americans.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vWYPuw16Wgpn3wNWSaJma7hW6tPmW98GvBitpr2SK162INmjU1q2C_u4SLaDPIwAi3qpfPRfFqqgCfbSz6uSH9K0KUs2r8NgrfIZHAd5UKGcRVeKgxYHlw1pUaLAkMNNv_dBGvSnXJwc41z0snMG8cX4sOA7TAmIt8f9bTc7cFR10ce7z14hdvs0Tg/s1713/CH03114.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1713" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vWYPuw16Wgpn3wNWSaJma7hW6tPmW98GvBitpr2SK162INmjU1q2C_u4SLaDPIwAi3qpfPRfFqqgCfbSz6uSH9K0KUs2r8NgrfIZHAd5UKGcRVeKgxYHlw1pUaLAkMNNv_dBGvSnXJwc41z0snMG8cX4sOA7TAmIt8f9bTc7cFR10ce7z14hdvs0Tg/w384-h261/CH03114.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> B-17C AN529 under guard at Squires Gate in April 1941, shortly after arrival in the UK. <br />The temporary US Army olive drab paint applied to the upper surfaces and neutral gray to the lower faces was the washable distemper type, and much disappeared during the trans-Atlantic trip. Both British and US crews were used for delivering Fortresses via Newfoundland to Prestwick. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">(USAAC)</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Despite neutrality, the supply of war equipment to Britain under the Lend-Lease agreement was public governmental policy and much was made of this by both British and American news agencies. The Americans were anxious to impress upon the enemy how deeply they were involved. Although the Air Corps would have preferred not to have its concept of high altitude bombing with the Fortress put to the test by the RAF, many factions in the US administration were anxious to bring the US aircraft industry to the forefront. No sooner had the first Fortress arrived than pressure was placed on Bomber Command to commit the aircraft to battle.<br /> Aware of the political implications of getting the much-vaunted Flying Fortress into battle, RAF Bomber Command decided to accept the bombers with a minimum amount of modification. Other aircraft types purchased from America were normally processed through Burtonwood, Lancashire, where standard British radio and signals equipment and identification lights were installed. It had also been intended to adapt the bomb racks to hold British bombs, but this was evidently abandoned with the availability of American 1,000 pound high explosive types in the UK.<br /> AN521 went to Burtonwood for some modifications on 7 May, and AN534 arrived, giving 90 Sqn their first aircraft, thus allowing the squadron to start conversion training, with Capt Connally USAAC converting RAF pilots. AN529 arrived on 11 May, thus doubling squadron strength.<br /> With so few aircraft, plus the need to replace or install equipment to RAF standards it is not surprising that there was never more than around twelve machines in service at any one time. There were oxygen system deficiencies and the electrically heated clothing was neither efficient or reliable when flying at 30,000 feet - and the guns regularly froze up. <br /> Brigadier General Millard Harmon, a US observer of the air war in Europe, was acquainted with the RAF's Bomber Command opinions of the Fortress at this time and is quoted as saying:<i> '...we are more than satisfied with performance, layout and crew comfort. The only point on which we are seriously doubtful is the efficiency of the defensive armament... experience will show.'</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgitRUqdW7pK26fNm8IDT1m8nRcIMnHvX8tBU2--cZT0ogj_v0h1_A4q8TyIvogS20Ex0yAVrK5ZtK0K1rhsZbmtGlX0jBDj9vkmaz-uO6n3bne-YQqrlez6lYj75e0SCccs6mafGH0dPkKGnG6qk-GdhN0jd2GNhjcd-hcWnzdrCuX10JnLYLB6cFg/s1266/CH03115.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="1240" height="461" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgitRUqdW7pK26fNm8IDT1m8nRcIMnHvX8tBU2--cZT0ogj_v0h1_A4q8TyIvogS20Ex0yAVrK5ZtK0K1rhsZbmtGlX0jBDj9vkmaz-uO6n3bne-YQqrlez6lYj75e0SCccs6mafGH0dPkKGnG6qk-GdhN0jd2GNhjcd-hcWnzdrCuX10JnLYLB6cFg/w451-h461/CH03115.jpg" width="451" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">On 6 June 1941 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited RAF West Raynham, Norfolk, to review the latest RAF aircraft and equipment. USAAC officers Major James Walsh and Captain James Connally demonstrated what is believed to be Fortress I AN522 for him.(USAAC)</span></span></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> Training of the air crews was difficult to hurry due to the specialized nature of their mission. The twenty crews had to be carefully selected to stand the physical demands of operating at what were then incredibly high altitudes. It was also important that none was over twenty-four years old and that all had operational experience on four-engined aircraft. Each man was required to undergo a test in the decompression chamber at Farnborough, spending four hours at a simulated 32-36,000 feet. This was to eliminate those susceptible to 'bends' - pains caused by bubbles in the blood and other body fluids and tissues resulting from the decreased barometric pressure at high altitude. These varied from dull aches in leg or arm joints to crippling agony and the intensity varied with individuals. Chest constrictions or itching and pricking of the skin were other symptoms. Many men were eliminated through their susceptibility to bends and 60 per cent of the prospective crews were rejected on medical grounds. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aU-9ITQjo82ZDptwvGW0M4w4SA4WUKhsqG506AJCwt2sjoEl0km5DQfROjMcdpGxRNeI5YELTxzH7ri979l5QdnVxpxFjjO07sOYQZpZKaBMlm1cxH5WwXk1GhbE6OJ9gmK4nHVcMg_kWS_Uvi_QdHh2tSKgua2aYUUutrqPWd9fv84WqpZRb-Cyyg/s3315/AN530%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3085" data-original-width="3315" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aU-9ITQjo82ZDptwvGW0M4w4SA4WUKhsqG506AJCwt2sjoEl0km5DQfROjMcdpGxRNeI5YELTxzH7ri979l5QdnVxpxFjjO07sOYQZpZKaBMlm1cxH5WwXk1GhbE6OJ9gmK4nHVcMg_kWS_Uvi_QdHh2tSKgua2aYUUutrqPWd9fv84WqpZRb-Cyyg/w362-h338/AN530%20(2).jpg" width="362" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">AN530 WP:F is seen above the clouds (USAAC)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Training in correct oxygen procedure was vital, for a failure in supply could produce anoxia - resulting in unconsciousness in a few minutes and death in ten at over 30,000 feet. This is an insidious condition in which a man is often unaware of the onset as the initial stages tend to make the victim elated and grossly overconfident. There would also be extreme cold during stratospheric flight with the risk of frostbite, so that electrically heated suits had to be worn. In view of the physical hazards of operating at these altitudes, two RAF medical officers instructed and watched over the crews, often flying with them on training missions to observe the functioning of oxygen equipment. Such were the difficulties in assembling air crew meeting the stringent requirements that, at the end of its first month, the squadron could muster only three pilots and no complete crews. One of the three was the 'capable and energetic' Commanding Officer, Wing Commander J MacDougall, who now had a small team of American experts to help make the Squadron a viable unit. In addition to Major Walsh, two other US officers with B-17 piloting experience were on hand, three sergeant mechanics, Crawford a Boeing engineer and Franklyn Joseph, a Sperry technician.<br /> One completely unforeseen local problem was the danger of flints on grass airfields piercing tyres of these heavy machines with disastrous consequences if this should occur on take-off. Because of this hazard at Watton an attempt had been made to operate from its nearby satellite at Bodney but one alarming landing was enough to convince Major Walsh and Wg Cdr MacDougall that the surface there was far too undulating for operating Fortresses safely. A move was made to nearby Great Massingham where the surface seemed better, although regular inspections were carried out to locate stones. This was but a temporary move until Polebrook in Northamptonshire, the most advanced of the many new airfields in the area with hard surfaced runways, was available.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBt5nrCxV14Us45kn3eN4AwJ_-mJJQS1FQACnuAlYu4jlwCp3yjxowms9RDkyTn9a-aFzeMuODBwk9VtT9IDbbjZU7PbEQesmvqDO5mjfxy3eGmZOoR8dV3phSqIAVcZSJvbx-NE3j00jHD8vjSrCRSXNWrDEey695xHUo-ep-hCsPVaxj8IZRdaOXA/s2179/B-17_01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1402" data-original-width="2179" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBt5nrCxV14Us45kn3eN4AwJ_-mJJQS1FQACnuAlYu4jlwCp3yjxowms9RDkyTn9a-aFzeMuODBwk9VtT9IDbbjZU7PbEQesmvqDO5mjfxy3eGmZOoR8dV3phSqIAVcZSJvbx-NE3j00jHD8vjSrCRSXNWrDEey695xHUo-ep-hCsPVaxj8IZRdaOXA/w363-h233/B-17_01.jpg" width="363" /></a></div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">This view clearly demonstrates just how poor the defence of the B-17C was from the rear and how the aircraftscreamed out for a tail gun position. The upper gunner risked shooting off the vertical fin, and the waist gunners ran the damger of shooting off the horizintal tail surface. (USAAC)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> In brilliant sunshine on 4 June MacDougall took a Fortress to 38,000 feet, which he reached in forty minutes. He was then still climbing at 500 feet per minute. However, the crew were feeling the effects of the extreme altitude, and some of the equipment was not working correctly. A conference at RAE Farnborough was held where the radio, intercom and oxygen equipment all came under scrutiny.<br /> Two days later, on 6 June, Winston Churchill came to see things for himself, with Sir Richard Pierse, Sholto Douglas, the AOC 2 Group and General Royce of the USAAC. Walsh and Connally gave a flying demonstration, but the Americans urged caution when the question of flying the aircraft operationally was raised. The British, with the experience of a number of years of wartime flying behind them, considered themselves better able to judge this aspect, and felt that operations were now feasible.<br /> When the weather allowed, further test flying occurred, with Fortresses climbing to around 32,000 feet, giving crews a taste of things to come and showing up faults in equipment. Oil leaks were already a nuisance and were to continue to be. Finally, on 21 June practice bombing began on Watton's range at Stanford Warren.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGWAHkL1UnJOwfV44pLBN0HybWh7nL4OeBtPecFV_qMopGIoALVH6OBtwW4ViBblctiPxHIb0N9Qj5J-LmHXYovFNTVmBqkfjfuX2nbUYhvdCPXfCdUGr14zRSuK6tXT9PGq3RZ8O7HkI03GlJ5w4Ptg0_UbgK-_LULqzDK_yzkSrP2hgkZKe4dTNvg/s1405/CH03118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1405" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGWAHkL1UnJOwfV44pLBN0HybWh7nL4OeBtPecFV_qMopGIoALVH6OBtwW4ViBblctiPxHIb0N9Qj5J-LmHXYovFNTVmBqkfjfuX2nbUYhvdCPXfCdUGr14zRSuK6tXT9PGq3RZ8O7HkI03GlJ5w4Ptg0_UbgK-_LULqzDK_yzkSrP2hgkZKe4dTNvg/s320/CH03118.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">An RAF warrant officer takes details from disembarked crewmen after one of the Fortress sorties by 90 Sqn. The twin .50s in the upper gun position are visible on WP:B/AN518. The US Sergeant was one of the technical advisers at Polebrook whose presence was a highly guarded secret at the time. (USAAC)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> At 14.30 hours on 22 June Fortress AN522 was despatched from Great Massingham on a stratospheric training flight. At the controls were Flg Off J Hawley and Lt Bradley, an experienced Air Corps B-I7 pilot. In addition to the other three crew members - Sergeants Black, Garwood and Wills - the Fortress carried the squadron medical officer, Sqn Ldr Robson and Flt Lt Steward, a doctor from RAF Farnborough. The weather was fine with intermittent cloud patches which grew as the flight proceeded and in some places cumulo-nimbus cloud reached up to great heights. At 30,000 feet over Yorkshire the pilots were confronted with a clouds which they apparently tried unsuccessfully to climb over, ending up in the thunderhead. Hailstones' as large as golf balls' hurled into the open fuselage gun windows. In the grip of heavy ice accretion the pilots lost control and AN522 went into a terminal velocity dive. At around 25,000 feet the port wing was wrenched off and the fuselage broke in two aft of the wing, trapping Flt Lt Steward in the rear section.</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> The tumbling tail section fell a further 12,000 feet before Steward was able to free himself and fall clear. He was the only man on the Fortress able to parachute to safety, landing not far from the wreckage at Catterick Bridge in Yorkshire. Lt Bradley was the first airman of the US Army Air Force - which had changed from USAAC to USAAF in June 1941 - to be killed on active service in World War Two.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecUDo_LbqEjKe2lQ4P2rPbZlIWwuPynGg1CFer9_LsZVZFwqQSAOM_tVDPd9Y-JWkrsXEY_tR9rMy4BZY1TGLvEM1IAB6NV1ft5Xwpuy1Xq4VbuehGIrWuG6btNtkWTKOK6QXQZmAMG7qmdFgg8VBiI1tQs5NikYK00CHNNMgEo3usexr2QeXZediNw/s2107/B-17_30.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="2107" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecUDo_LbqEjKe2lQ4P2rPbZlIWwuPynGg1CFer9_LsZVZFwqQSAOM_tVDPd9Y-JWkrsXEY_tR9rMy4BZY1TGLvEM1IAB6NV1ft5Xwpuy1Xq4VbuehGIrWuG6btNtkWTKOK6QXQZmAMG7qmdFgg8VBiI1tQs5NikYK00CHNNMgEo3usexr2QeXZediNw/w388-h156/B-17_30.tif" width="388" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">AN529, almost certainly at Squires Gate, after arrival from the USA (Simon Peters Collection)</span></i><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> It was abundantly clear that Fortress operations would bring serious problems. Apart from satisfactory supply of oxygen for long periods, there was the intense cold, increased in its effects by having open gun ports. Additionally there was decompression sickness, or bends, bringing a variety of painful symptoms. For these two reasons two doctors from the Institute of Aviation Medicine frequently flew with the crews noting the effects of altitude, checking oxygen equipment and masks, seeing the effects of the low temperatures.<br /> AN519 and '526 went to Burtonwood for the fitment of long-range tanks and the two machines returned to Massingham before the entire squadron moved to Polebrook between 27 and 29 June.<br /> Smaller bombing targets were now in use and at Ashton Range, a pyramid target twenty yards square and thirty feet high was set up for practice with the Sperry sight. Bombing errors were averaging 150 yards from 10,000 feet. But even at this relatively low altitude there were few days when practice could be undertaken due to clouds. Release of bombs had only been made from up to 20,000 feet, considerably lower than the RAF-proposed attack altitude. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br />The Sperry vs Norden saga</b><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A crucial part of the USAAF technique for very high altitude precision bombing was the use of gyroscope-stabilized bombsights coupled in with the aircraft's auto-pilot. A popular myth is that this was invented by Carl L Norden. In fact he invented one of two major bombsights used, and his was not the first one in combat. That honour belongs to the top secret product of an engineering team at Sperry Gyroscope Co., Brooklyn, N. Y. The Sperry bombsight out-performed the Norden in speed, simplicity of operation, and eventual technological significance. It was the first bombsight built with all-electronic servo systems, so it responded faster than Norden's electromechanical controls. It was much more straightforward to master than the Norden bombsight and in the hands of a relatively inexperienced bombardier its targeting was at least as accurate.<br /> As a result of political in-fighting between the US Navy and the AAC, coupled with a high degree of sales' hype' from Norden's meant that the O-1 Sperry sight and the A-2 Sperry auto-pilot were installed before delivery of the Fortresses to the RAF.<br /> Before the Norden and Sperry bombsights, accurate high altitude bombing was considered impossible. In the 1930s, comparatively simple mechanisms guaranteed fair accuracy in hitting targets from altitudes below 5000 feet. But at heights above the effective range of ant-aircraft guns, aircraft moved too fast for normal calculations of firing data. The problem of calculating in real time the proper point for releasing a bomb was formidable for the equipment then in use. A bomber traveled rapidly in three dimensions and rotated about three axes, and was often buffeted by air turbulence. The path of the dropped bomb was a function of the acceleration of gravity and the speed of the machine, modified by altitude, wind direction, and the ballistics of the specific bomb. The bombardier's problem was not simply an airborne version of the artillery- gunner's challenge of hitting a moving target; it involved aiming a moving gun with the equivalent of a variable powder charge aboard a platform that was evading gunfire from enemy fighters. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Below: the Norden Mk. XV Bombsight. The separation of the stabilizer and sight head is evident. </i></span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hJfwTddyABgJ-1gagvs8hM1CNEhVhcvloafdIHYpxUEcqlCmFO683DWMhEOFIt_1raoG0gH9kp3LfDiCR7ycTYv9iuN07BErGX6zTeEl1eq364L51wUTIoUwp3I1bf5TAWeAgoyBEcsjpHQT4EfJ5lvBB_JbWSU-nvghJ8DIdZOb6bZfkbxBFy1Xvg/s1240/norden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1240" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hJfwTddyABgJ-1gagvs8hM1CNEhVhcvloafdIHYpxUEcqlCmFO683DWMhEOFIt_1raoG0gH9kp3LfDiCR7ycTYv9iuN07BErGX6zTeEl1eq364L51wUTIoUwp3I1bf5TAWeAgoyBEcsjpHQT4EfJ5lvBB_JbWSU-nvghJ8DIdZOb6bZfkbxBFy1Xvg/s320/norden.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmcPTZiakqPAvSPa6J84DaYf4r6P-4rF26MOahhTZnWvTKEVbt-VQBJxTgHZnXqYd9N6Wgf2wygNfUO95aVfJLHimJk-WoUQ5uCY9kVAxih0JKBG4UsB7zt6nWqMaa4pLVB2wfDIbbedckpcyLN8Isonvsj40e_HkIKRqAtTNSbZnaoSLv7cnHL8L-A/s945/sperry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="945" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmcPTZiakqPAvSPa6J84DaYf4r6P-4rF26MOahhTZnWvTKEVbt-VQBJxTgHZnXqYd9N6Wgf2wygNfUO95aVfJLHimJk-WoUQ5uCY9kVAxih0JKBG4UsB7zt6nWqMaa4pLVB2wfDIbbedckpcyLN8Isonvsj40e_HkIKRqAtTNSbZnaoSLv7cnHL8L-A/s320/sperry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Above: The Sperry bombsight sitting in its transit case. </span></span></i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>(both Simon Peters Collection) </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Originally, bombing missions were concluded by bombardier-pilot teams using pilot-director indicator (PDI) signals. While tracking the target, the bombardier would press buttons that moved a needle on the plane's control panel, instructing the pilot to turn left or right as needed. The pilot had to maintain straight and level flight at the precise altitude and airspeed the bombardier had selected. If the pilot allowed those factors to vary, it would upset the bombardier's efforts to track the target; similarly, if the bombardier operated the azimuth tracking of the bombsight unsteadily, the wavering PDI signals would cause the pilot to fly the plane inaccurately. It took expert pilots and expert bombardiers working in harmony to target a bomb accurately. <br /> The Norden sight was designed for use on US Navy aircraft by Carl L Norden, a Dutch engineer educated in Switzerland who emigrated to the US in 1904. He had been a Navy consultant on different projects since 1915. For the four years before that, he was an engineer working on ship gyrostabilizers with the newly formed Sperry Gyroscope Co., and continued as a consultant to Sperry through World War One. Norden began studying bombing problems in 1921 as a consultant to the U S Navy. In 1923, Norden went into partnership with another Navy consultant, a former Army colonel named Theodore H Barth, who provided valuable know-how in sales. Over the next five years Norden designed bombsights, and Barth built and tested prototypes from Norden's top secret drawings. In 1928, Norden and Barth received their first order from the Navy for forty bombsights. At that point the two incorporated as Carl L. Norden Inc. <br /> The Norden sight was initially built at the Norden plant in New York City and then at several other companies with a wide variety of different versions being built, all with minor differences. The sight was used in conjunction with the aircraft's automatic pilot, the bomb sight being the 'governing agent' of the automatic pilot.<br /> To make the bombsight's telescope independent of the buffeting of the aircraft, it was hung from gimbals. Inside the sight were two DC-powered gyroscopes one for vertical orientation and one for azimuth reference. Both spun at 7800 rpm. Through an electromechanical servo mechanism similar to those that operated ship stabilizers, the azimuth gyro steadied the bombsight optics in the horizontal plane so the crosshairs could be synchronized with the aircraft's approach. <br /> The Norden design had at least four operating problems. Firstly, the carbon DC brushes wore out and had to be replaced frequently; moreover, carbon dust from the wearing brushes would settle into the sensitive gimbal bearings, increasing friction, and necessitating the repeated cleaning and oiling. Secondly, accurate leveling of the vertical gyro was a tricky procedure, especially in rough air, as it required manual setting of two liquid levels like the bubble in a carpenter's level. The process could take several minutes, a significant amount of time during the bombing run. The third problem was that both the azimuth and range operating knobs were on the right hand side of the bombsight, making simultaneous two-hand sighting on a target almost impossible. Fourthly, the angular freedom of the vertical gyro was such that in rough air the gyro would hit the limit stops and tumble off its axis of rotation, losing the bombing run. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> In spite of the Norden bombsight's problems, it performed much better than any other sight available in the early 1930s and so was quickly adopted by the Navy for its bombers. Furthermore, the Navy designated Carl L. Norden Inc. as a dedicated source - meaning the Navy purchased bombsights exclusively from Norden, and Norden supplied bombsights only to the Navy until their requirements were met - then Norden were free to supply others.<br /> Meanwhile, Sperry Gyroscope Co., which had been founded by Elmer Sperry in 1909, had begun designing and building bombsights as a natural outgrowth of its development of gyroscopes for commercial and military aircraft and ships. As early as 1914, when Carl Norden had been on the payroll for three years, Sperry's company had built and granted a patent for a vertically stabilized bombsight that relied on a vertical gyro assembly driven with DC power. The company went on to develop improved models of this first synchronized sight, culminating in a model called the Sperry O-1. But like the Norden sight, the Sperry gyros had problems. Moreover, there was no market for the Sperry bombsights until the Army began having procurement problems with the Norden company in 1936. <br /> In the 1930s, the US Army was building up its own airborne fighting arm, known as the General Headquarters (GHQ) Air Force, which had been established in 1922. The Army was structured so that the GHQ Air Force had to arrange training and procure supplies through another arm, the Army Air Corps. <br /> The GHQ Air Force, as impressed with the Norden bombsight as the Navy, made it standard equipment on its own bombers by 1934. But because the Norden company was a dedicated source to the Navy, the only way the Army Air Corps could get Norden bombsights was by ordering them through the Navy, a pass-along arrangement that complicated design, development and delivery. <br /> Since the Norden bombsight had been developed primarily for the medium altitudes and slow speeds of small Navy flying boats, it had to be modified for the higher speeds and extremely high and low altitudes of the heavy, long-range Army GHQ Air Force bombers. For Air Force purposes, the Norden's optical field of the telescope was too limited, giving insufficient forward and thwartship vision. The Norden bombsight also did not allow bombs to be accurately targeted if the aircraft were descending in a glide, a manoeuvre preferred to level flight during bombing runs because changing altitude made the bomber a more elusive target for anti-aircraft guns and its trail settings were too limited to accommodate the wind resistance encountered by the faster Air Force machines. <br /> In January 1936, the Navy suspended deliveries of the Norden sight to the Army Air Corps until the Navy's own requirements were satisfied. The commander of the GHQ Air Force, Major General Frank M. Andrews, expressed his concern in a memo to the Chief of the Air Corps and to the Navy. He then openly encouraged the Sperry Gyroscope Co. to develop the O-1 bombsight to meet Air Force specifications. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The Norden company was not pleased with Sperry's growing competition. As early as 29 July 1937, when Major General Andrews began encouraging Sperry to develop a bombsight for Air Force aircraft, a conference was held at the Norden company in New York City between Navy, Air Corps, and Norden personnel. According to the meeting report, Norde<br />n's President, Theodore H. Barth, 'spoke somewhat disparagingly of the Sperry Company' and 'stated he was very much grieved that the Air Corps was purchasing... ...an inferior sight' from Sperry, and offered to set up a separate factory exclusively for the Air Corp's a suggestion the Navy did not accept. <br /> When the Air Corps asked Norden to cooperate with Sperry to make a Sperry autopilot standard equipment even on Norden equipped machines, the company balked. To get around the stalemate, in January 1942 the Air Corps contracted for autopilots with the Honeywell Regulator Co., Minneapolis, Minn. The Honeywell autopilot, called the C-1, was based on the Norden SBAE gyros, but incorporated the electronic rate circuits and servos from the Sperry A-5. At the request of the Air Corps, Honeywell engineers went to Sperry for information and a demonstration of the Sperry A-5, and the Air Corps acquired a manufacturing license from Sperry so that Honeywell would have a free hand in incorporating certain features. <br /> Meanwhile, Norden's Barth was working hard to ensure Norden's primacy in military procurement. Barth was a personable and flamboyant salesman for the company, with extensive contacts in both the Navy and the Army, all of whom he enthusiastically wined and dined. The Navy in particular had reservations about Sperry's status as a multi-national commercial company, which, before the war, had licensees in London, Germany and Japan. Barth made great efforts to point out that as a dedicated source Norden could not only 'devote its entire attention to the interests of the Government' but also 'maintain a high degree of secrecy' not possible with an 'international organization' engaged in 'world trade'. <br /> Even though by World War Two the Norden bombsight's classification had been reduced from Top Secret to merely Confidential, Barth and others within Norden skillfully cultivated a 'Top Secret' mystique about the Norden bombsight that remains to this day. Literally thousands of photographs taken by AAF photographers of the bombardiers position all have the sight covered up if it is fitted, for usually the top portion of the sight, dubbed the 'football', was removed from the bottom stabilizer when the aircraft was on the ground, and was escorted by armed guards to the Norden Lockup on each base. Bombardiers, it seems, had to swear an oath during their training<i> '...to protect the secrecy of the American bombsight, if need be with my life itself'.</i> Norden bombardiers would often say that they could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel from 20,000 ft, and legend was, they complained that they were not told which pickle to hit. <br /> Despite all the hype regarding the 'Top Secret' nature of the sight, Herman W. Lang, an employee of the Carl L. Norden Company turned out to be a German spy, and during a visit to Germany in 1938, Lang conferred with German military authorities and reconstructed plans of the confidential materials from memory. Remarkably, the German's decided against its use, having already developed dive-bombing techniques. In 1941, Lang, along with the thirty-two other German agents of the Duquesne Spy Ring, was arrested by the FBI and convicted in the largest espionage prosecution in US history up to that time.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <b><br />Combat Commences</b><br />Maintenance problems with the Fortress I brought a high unserviceability rate, often reducing the bombers available to half. On the evening of 3 July, after an engine check on Fortress AN528 WP:B, the groundcrew commenced a test running. After priming No 2 engine, an attempt to start it brought a backfire and flames. Although the fire extinguisher button was pressed, the flames were not doused and in a matter of seconds the fire had spread to the wing. The station fire force was soon on the scene- but efforts to contain the fire were in vain and AN528 burnt out. The Court of Inquiry into this incident found that the groundcrew had used an incorrect starting procedure, partly as a result of ambiguous instructions in the manual - which was later changed.<br /> In better weather more height tests took place. On one bombing practice the error was cut to 95 yards. A height of 34,200 feet had been reached after 1.5 hours and all the guns fired satisfactorily at 32,000 feet, where gunners reported easy handling. On 6 July the bombing error fell to 78 yards in a drop from 20,000 feet. All was set for operations to begin.<br /> Throughout the 7 July three aircraft, AN519, AN526 and AN529 were prepared and crews fitted out with their special clothing. At 13.00 hours on 8 July briefing began. The chosen target was the centre of the submarine building dock at Wilhelmshaven. Three aircraft in open formation were to bomb from 27,000 feet then climb to 31,000 to 32,000 feet for their getaway.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXNBwd12F_w3x_ybAKuv5eEWpQo4xuTAEFS1LK_1yAjuq_oFkzbbg0Dzv4LHz9QOE4guKp4_-IyXpfQExISyci4n_b0t2c4BFXThWr9fGQgokwKJS_HvfHO2UBt8bOpXMs3TROaNpYTupRsEghc2Un35Q1LYOa-l3dc7NEs6Nbz29tZ5xcxAYLlqmow/s1677/CH03120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="774" data-original-width="1677" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXNBwd12F_w3x_ybAKuv5eEWpQo4xuTAEFS1LK_1yAjuq_oFkzbbg0Dzv4LHz9QOE4guKp4_-IyXpfQExISyci4n_b0t2c4BFXThWr9fGQgokwKJS_HvfHO2UBt8bOpXMs3TROaNpYTupRsEghc2Un35Q1LYOa-l3dc7NEs6Nbz29tZ5xcxAYLlqmow/w371-h172/CH03120.jpg" width="371" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> AN523 WP:D of 90 Sqn climbs away from the main runway at Polebrook in Northamptonshire, England. As can be seen, construction work was ongoing! (USAAC)</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Engine start for the first-ever B-17 combat mission was around 15.00 hours. The chosen machines rolled, Wg Cdr MacDougall leading in AN526 with Sgt Wood, Flg Off Skelton, Flg Off Barnes, Sgt Imrie, Sgt Danby and Sgt Clifford on board. Next away was AN519 piloted by Sqn Ldr Maclaren whose crew was Plt. Off. Wayman, Plt Off Boast, Sgt Pegg, Sgt Neal, Sgt Street and Sgt Jones. Last to go was Plt Off Mathieson in AN529 with Sgt Sleath, Sgt Lewis, Sgt Davies, Sgt James, Sgt Wills and Sgt Allen.<br /> AN529 and AN526 reached Wilhelmshaven shortly before 16.50 hours and in the next ten minutes delivered their attacks from between 28,000 and 30,000 feet altitude. Four bombs fell from AN526 and hits were recorded 250 yards west of the Bauhafen at Wilhelmshaven and others at 150 yard intervals to the south-east. <br /> Aboard AN529 Plt Officer Mathieson had two bombs hang up, a problem later identified as moisture freezing in a solenoid. Sqn Ldr Maclaren aboard AN519 had engine trouble at 20,000 feet whilst climbing and oil leaks from all four engines. At 27,000 feet oil had frozen one inch thick on the tailplane. As oil pressure was falling Maclaren decided to bomb the Frisians instead. He ran up on Norderney at 16.45, but his bombs fell on the sands 500 yards from the town. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNbNtYt50vZe38T3BGBbz2FkEPNHmXBh4LDKuIRNxoqefcSjPOT-voGHBUhUGTAQkb_mrWPtwQAQkGcwFfwmkL7fiPjAkgK695O4pg8ha1LQ_cznTrmx6wUeslvRL0NsdKdcSHiobSMzQI4Y92ME1MEUb9-cGlhBZC6Gv01l8n0DY56ykSTQXc-57DQ/s1654/ch03130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="1654" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNbNtYt50vZe38T3BGBbz2FkEPNHmXBh4LDKuIRNxoqefcSjPOT-voGHBUhUGTAQkb_mrWPtwQAQkGcwFfwmkL7fiPjAkgK695O4pg8ha1LQ_cznTrmx6wUeslvRL0NsdKdcSHiobSMzQI4Y92ME1MEUb9-cGlhBZC6Gv01l8n0DY56ykSTQXc-57DQ/w370-h196/ch03130.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> RAF Fortress I AN521 was abandoned after engine fire near Shallufa, Egypt 10 January 1942. The serial is just visible below the squadron code letters. (Simon Peters Collection)</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> The astrodome on board AN529 froze up at 18,000 feet making fire control, impossible, but the guns and mountings were frozen too. Only two Messerschmitt Bf 109s were seen after the attack, some 2,000 feet below the bombers and west of Terschelling. Both fighters closed on the starboard beam of AN529 to about 800 yards when one seemed to enter an involuntary spin. The second followed it down and no fire was opened. Maclaren then encountered lateral flutter due to oil freezing on the tailplane where it had built up to seven inches and caused considerable vibration. All propellers were feathered in turn to no effect. The situation only improved after they descended to 5,000 feet for the journey home.<br /> This initiation of the Fortress into action highlighted many problems. Freezing equipment and oil throwing had not been met in the low humidity environment in which B-I7s generally flew in the USA. Over half the engines of the Squadron's Fortresses were now throwing excessive oil out of the crankcase breather at high altitudes, the phenomenon generally beginning in the neighbourhood of 27,000 feet. Prolonged loss could lower crankcase oil to a dangerous level and oil freezing on the tail surfaces caused control problems. The behaviour of a number of engines made further high altitude sorties a dubious prospect and some aircraft were confined to training duties at lower levels. <br /> Another difficulty was that of contrails which formed behind the aircraft at certain unpredictable levels in the upper atmosphere. As these immediately gave away the position and direction of the bomber to any hostile interceptors, the Fortress had either to climb higher or descend to get out of the contrail level. Frequently neither course was possible and the mission had to be abandoned. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4Rg2RR5OJd5yEjcutY74I0q0IeWg524v3TwbEDedQ-hGcj7GfQ-IwMsMfTEV5wQkT-BvmIkxWG1jRDl6SPLVsnSK-yrSnizlOyKntsQn4wYrPtYvyjeLzevy8GULRgJgnlkbwIxTzQdo9-kPyCyccUaAf8RVHJNvO4IdD8SNp0lva_V4gGhWnj_YaQ/s1240/03152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1240" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4Rg2RR5OJd5yEjcutY74I0q0IeWg524v3TwbEDedQ-hGcj7GfQ-IwMsMfTEV5wQkT-BvmIkxWG1jRDl6SPLVsnSK-yrSnizlOyKntsQn4wYrPtYvyjeLzevy8GULRgJgnlkbwIxTzQdo9-kPyCyccUaAf8RVHJNvO4IdD8SNp0lva_V4gGhWnj_YaQ/w361-h249/03152.jpg" width="361" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> The cockpit of AN519 with Sqn Ldr Alex Mathieson in the first pilots seat. He and his crew were lost without trace on the second Oslo mission.</i></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> AN530 made a flight to 38,000 feet on 21 July testing new oxygen equipment.<br />The squadron accepted a service ceiling of 36,000 feet, but physiological problems meant that this height could rarely be contemplated for operations. There were range limitations too, since much fuel was consumed on the battle climb although climb performance which took the bomber to 30,000 feet in about 45 minutes was good. Some attacks on Berlin from 35,000 feet were planned but never executed. To achieve such range additional fuel tanks were to replace two bombs cutting the offensive load to 2,200 lb.<br /> It was soon discovered that physiological problems were not the only ones at such heights. Taking the bombers up two miles beyond the 20,000 feet altitude which the Air Corps considered the optimum for bombing brought mechanical and equipment difficulties. Extreme temperature change caused fractures in the welding of the engine exhaust flanges. The turbo-super-charger controls became unduly sensitive and abrupt control movement could cause the turbos to surge and cause disintegration of a turbine blower. Another problem at 30,000 feet was the build-up of frost on the inner sides of windows, restricting visibility and requiring dispersal by heated panels. Radio signals were weak at this altitude and further changes had to be made to the equipment.<br /> Modification of the American oxygen system to take British regulators and masks had also to be effected. Oxygen masks were found to be uncomfortable and, if allowed to get damp on the ground, tended to freeze up at high altitude. In an effort to eliminate moisture build-up, both oxygen masks and the electrically heated clothing were later kept in a specially heated building. <br /> Of all the technical troubles, however, the most persistent was the tendency of the Wright Cyclones to throw oil from the crankcase breathers. Mysteriously, the problem lay with individual engines for while one performed impeccably to 35,000 feet, another might throw oil at 20,00 feet and the flow would grow alarmingly as altitude increased.<br /> On 26 July AN530 alone bombed Emden from 32,000 feet despite severe icing and storm clouds topping 30,000 feet, but had to land, when his engines gave trouble, at Horsham St Faith in Norfolk.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2DoScgQ3QiHBRF6_7sju2G_E8-EdsKRsndMHl0KQxlY6OXI1SIdmfMPDOe6QHAVBDwyK9mwjvK9KCpXmpp5GE929h3tF0xxwSZi2KWktDNDO272kjDFGVdgA9kDlZaiA780OhRDMHFX0fCUTiICQzfngEeiLOKd9x5t7K_CEv3KUTanCa0SwueXpaA/s4242/ch03122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1289" data-original-width="4242" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2DoScgQ3QiHBRF6_7sju2G_E8-EdsKRsndMHl0KQxlY6OXI1SIdmfMPDOe6QHAVBDwyK9mwjvK9KCpXmpp5GE929h3tF0xxwSZi2KWktDNDO272kjDFGVdgA9kDlZaiA780OhRDMHFX0fCUTiICQzfngEeiLOKd9x5t7K_CEv3KUTanCa0SwueXpaA/w380-h115/ch03122.jpg" width="380" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> Two days later the second flying accident occurred shortly after 17.00 hours on 28 July. AN534 departed Polebrook on a high-altitude test and encountered severe turbulence. It crashed at Wilbarston, Northamptonshire, after losing the starboard wing when the pilot attempted recovery.<br /> Two aircraft were to operate against Kiel on 2 August flown by Sqn Ldr Mathieson and Plt Off. Sturmey. Due to a misunderstanding Sturmey formated with a training aircraft and, after finding his error, landed. He was later despatched to bomb Emden. Mathieson successfully bombed his primary without interference but as Sturmey approached Emden cloud was encountered so the target was switched to Borkum, which was bombed through a cloud gap. Twenty miles northwest of Texel two Bf 109Fs attacked the bomber and although it was hit in several places damage was not serious and the crew were uninjured. Defensive fire was seen to enter the engine of a fighter. Four days later Mathieson and Sturmey targetted the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in Brest. Mathieson's bombsight froze over and bombs were jettisoned in the dock area. Sturmey attacked from 32,000 feet, placing his load in the Rade Abri.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> On 12 August four aircraft provided high-altitude diversions to 2 Group's raid on Cologne's power stations. Sturmey dropped his bombs on the airfield at De Kooy, but it was too cloudy to see the results. Sgt Wood set off to bomb Cologne, but over Oxford he aborted the mission due to a leaking exhaust pipe which caused a supercharger to fail. Plt Off Wayman reached Cologne, bombing from 36,000 feet in cloudy conditions. Cloud also upset the aim from Plt Off Taylor's aircraft over Emden.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The RAF Fortress bombing effort was spread on the 16th with two aircraft taking off for Düsseldorf, two for Brest, but bad weather caused the Düsseldorf raid to be aborted. But AN532 and AN523 made Brest. ‘532 bombed successfully from 35,000 feet, the only opposition being slight inaccurate flak. AN532 started a bomb run at 32,000 feet, but ran into serious trouble. Seven enemy fighters attacked, making the highest interception yet encountered. The dorsal gun was out of action and enemy attacks soon wounded the radio operator. Attacks were persistent and the Fortress was badly shot up. As he lost height, Plt Off Sturmey took violent evasive action. Attacks continued down to 6,000 feet. Assistance by RAF fighters was impossible for the fight was too far out to sea. Due to the damage and the fact that some of the crew were wounded Sturmey decided to land the crippled aircraft at Roborough airfield near Plymouth. In so doing he overshot and the Fortress burst into flames. Sgts Needle, Ambrose and Weil were killed in the engagement and Flt Sgt Goldsmith was seriously wounded. The incident showed how vulnerable the aircraft was to fighter attack, and that its high-altitude capability did not give automatic immunity.<br /> Sqn Ldr Mathieson took Mr Vose of the Sperry Company as his bomb aimer on 2 September when Bremen was the target. There was heavy flak and bombs fell wide despite the skill of the expert.<br /> On 5 September four Fortresses were bombed up and proceeded to Kinloss. Sqn Ldr Maclaren, flying the reserve aircraft, took along ground personnel. Next day four crews set out to bomb the Admiral Scheer in Oslo harbour. Because of a troublesome supercharger, one aborted, but the rest arrived over Oslo but could not locate the ship. Instead they bombed docks and oil tanks from 30,000 feet. Because they had missed the primary target they were told to stand by for further operations, bombs for which had to be brought from Polebrook.<br /> Sqn Ldr Mathieson with AN533, Fg Off Romans in AN525, Plt Off Sturmey aboard AN532 and Sgt Wood in AN535 set off for Oslo soon after 09.00 hours on 8 September. This time enemy fighters were alerted in time and the most disastrous of the Fortress operations evolved. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyP106umU6_uQL0n8hn8kc0NQHJ82IkIRbV_l3Jy8WIux4Mf66RD17UfoAQ1Oif4wuDsTZL3B_v2I2qguRVYnbtvVdayVEQegUYNLYB2gv5mvd7r2gAOWvWhdjoIVvrpYuUWkHTJhBykW8KIXTg6ngvZ8-8OxNp1io-R3pRZn4FFxjiLrKNsnoGgtaPw/s1677/ch03125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="1677" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyP106umU6_uQL0n8hn8kc0NQHJ82IkIRbV_l3Jy8WIux4Mf66RD17UfoAQ1Oif4wuDsTZL3B_v2I2qguRVYnbtvVdayVEQegUYNLYB2gv5mvd7r2gAOWvWhdjoIVvrpYuUWkHTJhBykW8KIXTg6ngvZ8-8OxNp1io-R3pRZn4FFxjiLrKNsnoGgtaPw/w367-h107/ch03125.jpg" width="367" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The burnt out remains of AN528 at Polebrook. (USAAC)</span></span></i></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> In Norway, the German fighter base at Sola airfield near Stavanger had just been equipped with the Messerschmitt 109T, which had a greater wingspan and allowed it to match the B-17's altitude performance. At 11.27 two Bf.109Ts from 13/JG 77 flown by Lt Alfred Jakobi and Lt Wolfgang Steinicke had no difficulties in locating the B-17s in the area of the Setesdal Vally, about 40 miles north of Kristiansand. They were observed by the other two B-17s as the German fighters intercepted and attacked Fg Off Romans' machine at 25,000 feet. His aircraft was soon ablaze and crashed in the Norwegian mountains but not until they had damaged both German fighters. Sgt Wood some four miles behind, seeing interception was inevitable, abandoned his sortie. He jettisoned his load, then climbed to 34,000 feet, and encountered serious oxygen troubles. In addition the intercom system was not working well. In the rare atmosphere voice production was bad, the pilot's vocal chords failing to vibrate effectively. A gunner misunderstood an instruction, disconnected himself from the main oxygen system and began to use his portable bottle. Its supply was soon used and he collapsed. The other gunner, who went to his aid, failed to plug correctly into his portable supply and soon passed out. Sgt Wood was unaware of what had happened and flew on for fifteen minutes before, failing to contact his gunners, he asked the radio operator to see if they were all right. When he found out what had happened Wood dived, but at 29,000 feet a Bf.109 came into the attack, firing a long burst from fifty yards astern. Both gunners were hit, Sgt Wilkins soon died of his wounds, and Flt Sgt Tates had arm injuries. A piece of shrapnel fractured the radio operator's oxygen lead and soon he was unconscious. Damage to the glycol system in the cabin caused it to fill with dense white smoke which blinded the crew. They jettisoned the perspex astrodome and fumes poured out, probably misleading the fighter pilot into thinking the bomber was ablaze.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Three engines had been damaged, the other put out of action, and aileron controls were shot away. In desperate plight the Fortress began its long flight home, controlled by elevators and rudder. One of the crew walked aft to wind shut the bomb bay doors and soon he passed out when his oxygen supply failed. The second pilot soon connected him to another bottle, but the exertion of the second pilot caused him to collapse and it was some moments before he recovered consciousness. Sgt Wood nursed the crippled aircraft back to Kinloss, by which time most of the crew had recovered and Flt Sgt Tates's injured arm could be attended to.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Plt Off Sturmey had courageously carried on to the target only to be greeted by 10/10 cloud making bombing impossible. He therefore returned with his load. Of Mathieson nothing was heard after take-off, but it was suspected that the aircraft had ditched.<br /> As it was the first B-17 to be shot down, the Germans expressed much interest in the remains of AN525. From their base at Evjemoen, elements of the Wehrmacht Heer located the crash site near the village of Bygland and removed most of the aircraft, which was freighted to Germany for detailed inspection.<br /> Thereafter came a spell of concentrated fighter affiliation with a Defiant and Spitfire from Castle Kennedy to improve tactics. Bad weather and persistent contrails were now making operations difficult and unlikely, but one special mission was billed. Information was received that a fair of household goods and textiles—particularly from Belgium and Holland—was to be held in Cologne. It was believed the fair would rival that of Leipzig. A large exhibition was placed on the Deutscher Unfer on the Rhine embankment north of the Hohenzollern Bridge. It was further thought that at the opening on 14 September important Nazis would be present. This would be a fine time to attack the exhibition hall making a grand opening—and finale—to the event. All depended on the weather, and because this was a deep penetration the attack must not take place below 32,000 feet. If contrails formed the raid would have to be abandoned and attempted later.<br /> Unfortunately the weather on the 14th was too bad for operations but on 15th AN536 set out. At 32,000 feet trails formed and the sortie had to be halted. Next day Sturmey tried for Cologne, but the operation was ill fated. An engine lost power then a gunner contracted stomach trouble. Operation Ingo was abandoned.<br /> Two more sorties were flown by Sturmey, one on 20th when bombs were accurately placed on the target in Emden. On 25th trails formed at 27,000 feet and this final raid was abandoned fifty miles from target.<br /> Training continued for the next five months, but operations were impossible in winter. Detachments were made to Kinloss for possible operations over Norway, but nothing came of these. On 6 December it was finally agreed that the Fortress 1 was useless for day raids over Europe. It was suggested that flame dampers be fitted for night operations. These never materialized.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The idea of raining bombs from the stratosphere on to an unsuspecting enemy still held attraction, so the squadron remained intact. On 27 October a detachment of four Fortresses led by Sqn Ldr Maclaren left for the Middle East, where better weather suggested the possibility of success. In fact there were other problems to overcome and again it was a dismal story. The idea was not matched by the aircrafts' capabilities and lone high-altitude raiders were soon out of favour.<br /> Something of what the crews of 90 Sqn had undergone in that summer was related on the BBC on 26 September by Flt Sgt Mulligan. He had flown with Flg Off Sturmey, who had received a well-earned DFC. <br /> 'I have flown in the sub-stratosphere in a Fortress over Holland, France, Norway and Germany. If the people on the ground in those countries have seen us at all, we have appeared no more than the tiniest dot in the sky.'<br /> 'On your first ascent you are very much aware of flying in unexplored space, relying completely on oxygen. After a few trips you become accustomed to new colours in the sky. I was in the Fortress which was attacked by seven fighters when we were returning from Brest. Three minutes after our bombs had gone the fire controller called out that there were enemy fighters coming up to us from the starboard quarter, 1,000 feet below. They closed in and there was almost no part of the Fortress which was not hit. Some of my friends in the crew were killed, others wounded. A petrol tank was punctured, bomb doors were thrown open, flaps were put out of action, tail tab shot away, tail wheel stuck half down, brakes not working, only one aileron any good and the rudder almost out of control. The centre of the fuselage had become a tangle of wires and broken cables, square feet of the wings had been shot away, and still the pilot managed to land the Fortress on a strange aerodrome. This is a testimony to the makers in America.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7AYHWBTRbupN801bybBc9vlq7FhDdIxavvMpI10f-FnnLoYHaLvSV6whBvlzMT5a1vxrId2817PyGN05FhyoucraCrbzkQ_W47Xg5ln9NJzlG234SnO6JZmQPl3ffkIB__bpO6hzZjf2ZXsTuMvf7ikMtjDL_OGNliL0pDnpuhOE1UyUBV8ha7Dxv0g/s1677/CH03116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1677" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7AYHWBTRbupN801bybBc9vlq7FhDdIxavvMpI10f-FnnLoYHaLvSV6whBvlzMT5a1vxrId2817PyGN05FhyoucraCrbzkQ_W47Xg5ln9NJzlG234SnO6JZmQPl3ffkIB__bpO6hzZjf2ZXsTuMvf7ikMtjDL_OGNliL0pDnpuhOE1UyUBV8ha7Dxv0g/s320/CH03116.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"> Sqn Ldr A D MacLaren's crew board AN523 WP:D, for the 24 July Brest mission. In this picture the two .50 guns can be seen projecting from belly position. (USAAC)</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> 'Fortunately these thrills are rare. Our attack on Emden last week was almost without incident, except, of course, for the dropping of the bombs by the Sperry sight with beautiful accuracy on the target. We lost sight of our aerodrome at 2,000 feet and never saw the ground again until we were off the Dutch islands. Foamy white cloud, like the froth on a huge tankard of beer, stretched all over England and for about thirty miles out to sea. The horizon turned—quite suddenly—from purple to green and from green to yellow. It was hazy but I could see Emden fifty miles away.<br /> 'I called out to the pilot "Stand by for bombing, bombsight in detent, George in. O.K. I've got her." The drill is that I push a lever on my left for the bomb doors to open, and on a dial in my cabin two arms move out like the hands of a clock to show me the position of the bomb doors. I keep my eye down the sighting tube which, incidentally, contains 26 prisms, and with my wrist I work the release. As the cross hairs centred over a shining pinpoint in Emden on which the sun was glinting, the bombs went down. We were still two miles away from Emden when we turned away. Almost a minute later one of the gunners told us through the intercom 'There you are, bursts in the centre of the something target," and back we came through those extraordinary tints of the sky.<br /> 'During the whole sortie I only had one thrilling moment. I saw a Messerschmitt coming towards us. He seemed an improved type, and I looked again. It was a mosquito which had got stuck on the perspex in the take-off and had frozen stiff. Otherwise it proved an uneventful typical trip in a Fortress, with the temperature at minus 30 degrees below zero Centigrade.'<br /> In November 1941 the use of the Fortress Mk.I was reviewed. Clearly it was not a stratosphere bomber, and its fighter defences were poor. Before it could fight any engagement waist guns needed to be fitted into position after huge side panels had been removed. This was an almost impossible task for gunners at high altitudes, and the gaping holes made the aircraft bitterly cold inside. Contrailing made lone operations hazardous, and for half the year possible on about only one day per month. With the Wellington VI pressure cabin bomber soon becoming available consideration was given to switching Fortress Is to night operations. The squadron was therefore passed to 8 Group on 2 January 1942 which was forming to use Liberators for night raids. Night bombing of Germany was not the task of 2 Group, and it was now left to others to make the Fortress work in daylight.<br /> Gradually the survivors were split between the RAF's Coastal Command for Search and Rescue duties and a small bombing contingent in the Middle East. The latter group of aircraft moved to India and eventually one survivor was returned to the USAAF. It is clear from surviving records that the Royal Air Force was not impressed with 'Boeing's Best'.<br /><b><br />Lessons learned from the Royal Air Force </b> <br />Over the years, it has been suggested that there were 'differences of opinion' as to how the Fortress Is should have been operated and that the Royal Air Force was negligent in using them as they did. Many historians - mainly American - have claimed that despite warnings from the US Army Air Corps that the B-17 should only be operated at 20,000 feet and as part of a large formation so that each aircraft could provide overlapping zones of defensive fire to the other machines, the RAF still used their B-17Cs in small formations of two or three aircraft flying at up to 32,000 feet as defence against fighters and flak. Whilst that statement is correct, it is also a far too simplistic viewpoint, for it does not take into account that they really had no choice in using them as they did. What is not generally realized is that as early as August 1941 the RAF's Bomber Command were calling for more B-17s to be made available than just the ten aircraft that were on squadron strength so as to be able to operate in just such a manner as theorized by the Americans. A strong strategic and operational case was made for the USAAF - the Air Corps became the Air Force on 20 June 1941 - to divert more B-17s to the RAF, but it was turned down flat. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFL8WLzO08eEeKdf9bpzu890S0BUb73qD_KaHTKB6POOqEcrqXdOadzcZG_8RYQKvtt1avyV_ysUfNdNUx0nXyDvja4Z_Slls5KmufH5GPxKOqSpbIWLVnt_MdjlysWMD1MzPvgvTMaytQ_o1tly7IimwOYng3wVkz3BArbLky93VMww06FDTc1-2eQ/s1799/B-17_09.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="1799" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFL8WLzO08eEeKdf9bpzu890S0BUb73qD_KaHTKB6POOqEcrqXdOadzcZG_8RYQKvtt1avyV_ysUfNdNUx0nXyDvja4Z_Slls5KmufH5GPxKOqSpbIWLVnt_MdjlysWMD1MzPvgvTMaytQ_o1tly7IimwOYng3wVkz3BArbLky93VMww06FDTc1-2eQ/s320/B-17_09.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> AN537 NR:L as one of four Fortress 1s that passed to 220 Squadron Coastal Command and were mainly used as trainers during the squadron’s time converting to Fortress IIs. (Simon Peters Collection)</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> The RAF also discovered that the guns froze up, and the aircraft desperately needed some power-operated turrets. The Royal Air Force certainly did not like the lack of defensive guns at the extreme rear. There was a huge 'blind spot' where enemy fighters could approach from and attack with impunity. The RAF realized rearward facing guns - preferably in the form of a power-operated turret behind the tail - were essential for bomber defence. Whether the RAF operation of the Fortress I was a foretaste or a fiasco is debatable, but clearly lessons were learned that were soon put into effect.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1-RfU5v_Ivp6lKbLD9-npUBLEIJ7w0PMlfxX5h-UlPl5xU5oQZQ1KJU4a8yJ4CNcEHP6skv4zbxvTm-n29ZGC3IfxaTsfIj9DHcK-u8YpLJ_rz50PbRdYuoQe_AnfZLGkLNldihJDge-fZWeoGG8cpO3jea0BcJts7kBWL8B4VaMyN6TUwNDIIkvZw/s1654/KINLOSS%20FORT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="1654" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1-RfU5v_Ivp6lKbLD9-npUBLEIJ7w0PMlfxX5h-UlPl5xU5oQZQ1KJU4a8yJ4CNcEHP6skv4zbxvTm-n29ZGC3IfxaTsfIj9DHcK-u8YpLJ_rz50PbRdYuoQe_AnfZLGkLNldihJDge-fZWeoGG8cpO3jea0BcJts7kBWL8B4VaMyN6TUwNDIIkvZw/w355-h188/KINLOSS%20FORT.jpg" width="355" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">The fuselage of Fortress I AN535 is removed from RAF Kinloss in Scotland on a low-loader by members of 56 Maintenance Unit RAF. It appears to be little damaged, although stripped of armament. The rear of the fuselage seems to be sitting in a specially constructed cradle, whereas the front seems to have a framework constructed that picks up on the front and rear spar attachment points. Note also the chalked on ‘Keep Out’ above the forward hatch. (Simon Peters Collection)</span></i><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> The RAF's Director of Bombing Operations was in no doubt that the experiment using the B-17C/Fortress I had failed. He outlined the reasons why the Fortress I was not suited to operations in North-West Europe in a six-point letter to the AOC-in-C, Bomber Command:</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> 1. The Fortress cannot rely on the evasion of enemy aircraft below 32,000 feet.</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> 2. Once intercepted, the Fortress has little chance against modern fighters.</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> 3. Despite the reputed accuracy of the Sperry sight, precise bombing with the Fortress above 32,000 feet is extremely difficult due to the physical and mental strain imposed in using equipment at that great height.</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> 4. Dependence on suitable weather to carry out attack limits the frequency of operations.</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> 5. Condensation trails can cause a raid to be abandoned. Gives away the position of the B-17.</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> 6. The average bomb load is uneconomical in relation to the manning and maintenance effort.</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> The RAF made every possible effort to help the Eighth Air Force to get in to the war as soon as was humanly possible but many remained very sceptical about its ability to bomb accurately in daylight. They based their views on their own bitter experiences of 1939-40 and their own disastrous daylight bombing campaign and also on the successful survival of the 'Blitzkrieg' attacks by the German Luftwaffe on the airfields of southern England and later London. Nevertheless, American faith in daylight bombing was unshakable - American proponents of air power claimed that it could destroy German industry, for, in theory, 90% of all bombs dropped on a clear day would explode within 1,250 feet of the Mean Point of Impact. This belief originated in the 1930s, when it was thought that unescorted long-range bombers would be able to successfully reach a target if they were heavily armed and organized into massed formations.</span><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></div>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-46621907579426853542022-08-15T09:50:00.000-07:002022-08-15T09:50:13.464-07:00Dispelling the Myths Again - Part 18<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> It is clear that even by 1950, there was both a 'blame game' and a lot of 'buck-passing' going on. When it suited people, the aircraft was flavor-of-the-month - the rest of the time it was virtually abandoned to the attention of the vandals.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Those newspaper articles stirred a few citizens into action. A new committee was formed. One proposal was to find a spot in Overton Park and build a glass enclosure. No decision was made. A cheaper the proposal was to give the aircraft a clear plastic coat to protect it against the weather.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />A <i>Commercial Appeal </i>editorial suggested that the city should find a place and build a shelter, but there seemed to be a strong dose of NIMBYism - as in 'Not In My Back Yard'. The best the city could do was an offer, from the Park Commission, of a site just north of the Pink Palace Museum in Chickasaw Gardens.' Some residents of the area didn't like that. It would draw too many visitors to their quiet residential area, not to speak of it being an eyesore. In December, the plans had changed again - the Park Commission next offered a site on a terrace in Bellevue Park. By this time, the plane had been moved out of the hangar and now stood on an open ramp at the airport. The Air Force was not interested in it, and could no longer keep it under cover - they needed the hangar space.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjO8fQ_SJj9GrecbWZcFCRmEuLzKk_gEVA-InD1xbRRTRsQ-MjpXferpCGXTRShI55nVZOTWjvJ7rCU85ZWTrWdXCwuWNIrwYkE9RwHKeWfXgfGdwj9JkFpuLAdgna8P-0Ywl5Th9tTNgE0TXr_6aM8FY9yCiJ1A1uZ6raqMTCfnTVtZhDM1XVugz-Q/s1102/newspaper%20cuttinh005.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1102" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjO8fQ_SJj9GrecbWZcFCRmEuLzKk_gEVA-InD1xbRRTRsQ-MjpXferpCGXTRShI55nVZOTWjvJ7rCU85ZWTrWdXCwuWNIrwYkE9RwHKeWfXgfGdwj9JkFpuLAdgna8P-0Ywl5Th9tTNgE0TXr_6aM8FY9yCiJ1A1uZ6raqMTCfnTVtZhDM1XVugz-Q/s320/newspaper%20cuttinh005.tif" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>An artists impression drawn up by architect West Livaudais of the display plinth proposed for the Armoury grounds.</i></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It was 1949, and now time for the American Legion to get into the act. Newspapers called the <i>Memphis Belle</i> a stepchild. Marion Hale, senior vice president of the Memphis American Legion, Post No. 1, announced that the Board of Directors of his post had voted unanimously to adopt the <i>Memphis Belle </i>as a Legion project. It proposed to place the <i>Belle </i>on the grounds of the National Guard Armory, facing Central Avenue. The Legion named Roane Waring Jr. to head a committee of six to get some action, and for once, they got it. The Legion plan called for an outdoor museum to contain a display of military mementoes with the <i>Memphis Belle </i>as the centrepiece. It didn't get that far, but they did move the aircraft. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">A picture published in the <i>Commercial Appeal </i>on May 21st, 1950, showed the <i>Memphis Belle </i>being dismantled. Her wings were off. Then, on May 23rd, it was towed to the Armory site and hoisted onto a concrete pedestal. The wings were put back on, and the paint was refurbished. The Legion project was complete. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6eOe5fFeE4911tgeLuM5NP1LlDrlnP-NS7ORDw3R4uO45m_S18JDCgGDkYx5-rg5jmpp08e4OguqgH3OWOsn0R18CiuAfNLi23KOyfk-B0Bg5PjI-eaIRE8vJIUx_iEV11NQ0vUOXqU4K_KzVySZiEGbZuERccBr9CPFqAkY1YPITX30LZixFOaf_XQ/s2067/Memphis%20pedistal013.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="2067" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6eOe5fFeE4911tgeLuM5NP1LlDrlnP-NS7ORDw3R4uO45m_S18JDCgGDkYx5-rg5jmpp08e4OguqgH3OWOsn0R18CiuAfNLi23KOyfk-B0Bg5PjI-eaIRE8vJIUx_iEV11NQ0vUOXqU4K_KzVySZiEGbZuERccBr9CPFqAkY1YPITX30LZixFOaf_XQ/s320/Memphis%20pedistal013.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> The aircraft was moved out to a concrete plinth on the corner of Hollywood Street and Central Avenue.<br />The idea was that by placing the aircraft on a pedestal it would deter souvenir hunters and vandals.<br />[via Harry Friedman]</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Or was it? For now, the vandals took over. Somebody said if they weren't stopped, the vandals would make off with the entire plane, a piece at a time just like that old Johnny Cash song! So by October 19th, 1951, a chain link fence was erected around the site. The wire slowed the vandals, and put a partial stop to lovers making use of the rear fuselage for asignations, but if the vandals were determined enough, they could climb over even that kind of barrier.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Every now and then, someone would try and stir up some action. In June 1952 ex US Navy man Granville Doyle Jr. of Doyle Distributing Co. stirred things up yet again; <i>'I feel that the present appearance and state of the Memphis Belle on Central is a disgrace and should bring a feeling of shame to anyone who has a love for aviation whenever they should happen to pass this deplorable sight. If this airplane can't be kept in a better appearance, aviation as a whole would profit by its removal. Having served in the Naval Air Corps for seven years, I feel that if this was a Navy aircraft they would never allow it to appear in public in its present state.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dZPx7GLrRuXf5RYyYDm3IsKihPCOXNpNNUBVfnpD-TNQQepvJDlfD7u4SvUmYj53-kcij5IqH75mw6b3_6HkzlYyC_aOHbfq4bg6zRIugNNjAn3_MGH8cuvhTRXrpt61AgZT0XPIj2bqsXEy8eXyAkQLiMl3yx-34On2LhHedc2T5RIbMjX-MZvHng/s2008/Memphis%20pedistal012.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1269" data-original-width="2008" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dZPx7GLrRuXf5RYyYDm3IsKihPCOXNpNNUBVfnpD-TNQQepvJDlfD7u4SvUmYj53-kcij5IqH75mw6b3_6HkzlYyC_aOHbfq4bg6zRIugNNjAn3_MGH8cuvhTRXrpt61AgZT0XPIj2bqsXEy8eXyAkQLiMl3yx-34On2LhHedc2T5RIbMjX-MZvHng/s320/Memphis%20pedistal012.tif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Memphis Belle may have been illuminated at night in an effort to deter vagrants and vandals and there may also have been a triple row of barbed wire atop the fence, but if anything the lights tend to</i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> highlight the poor condition and appearance of the aircraft.</i></span><br /></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><br />With the various Army units in and around Memphis, doesn't anyone possess enough pride to take care of its 'own'? If not, I feel that there are enough former military pilots in this area who would be willing to subscribe to a service to keep the memorial in a state of good repair.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It was not only vandalism - as the years passed, the weather was taking its toll, too. Aluminum does not rust as steel does. But, when exposed long enough, especially with certain chemical elements in the air,<br />aluminum does corrode. Such corrosion can be treated and, to some degree, retarded but for many of the years the <i>Memphis Belle </i>stood there on the pedestal exposed and open to the elements, nothing was done to retard or prevent corrosion. The aircraft was to sit there for twenty-seven years.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Further attempts were made to keep out the vandals - a triple row of barbed wire was placed at an angle outward on top of the existing wire fence, but all that had the effect of was to make it look more like a prison camp. What really was needed was an indoor home, but none seemed to be forthcoming - in fact it seemed even further away than ever.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UqK6beEddZKA9Iy3sj42udqqGM8rP1zOcaBUyUTnIF47P2dUB7tZ8V1NQfrNyygOWETB1Y1vBuIJbIQj92d-Q_bWLAWzhgTo9p3tyoJA60ZYHoTKRv1l5f5Km6OcTfbgtX3VQHSUlNG6sBiFBxYYCxtxlBy7lXUCaQXAkRh6CjsLnsU7hSRtdcnKKw/s1102/tail%20damage008.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="1102" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UqK6beEddZKA9Iy3sj42udqqGM8rP1zOcaBUyUTnIF47P2dUB7tZ8V1NQfrNyygOWETB1Y1vBuIJbIQj92d-Q_bWLAWzhgTo9p3tyoJA60ZYHoTKRv1l5f5Km6OcTfbgtX3VQHSUlNG6sBiFBxYYCxtxlBy7lXUCaQXAkRh6CjsLnsU7hSRtdcnKKw/s320/tail%20damage008.tif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>By 1955 things were bad again despite repeated clean-ups and repaints. As can be seen from this picture taken in June 1955, the fabric on the elevators were particularly suffering from the attention of vandals. [via Harry Friedman]</i></span><br /></div></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;">When the crew of the <i>Memphis Belle </i>came to Memphis for a reunion in 1961 someone decided to spruce up the aircraft with a splash of paint. The crew however, were none-too-impressed by the fact that when the aircraft had been painted, a different nose-art to the original 'Petty Girl' had been applied, and that none of their names were by their respective crew places any more.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6Vknm0gY1WvdIx69phU-tdOEknVQaolNV1AwD7BcH2rLd-5cAY6CTcQMHm9x_h68qHxQmx2-1QyVhhW2yJ3Wx5YuQF_G68mq-4oawFhV63w-yDxt9OeKSPEd8k-96ixFmzZ-o80p5wwOGDd9K5_lbsULbG-04bJo61NP2Azx-uB4V8q-RjeiC1IOkA/s3791/Memphis%20pedistal015.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2288" data-original-width="3791" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6Vknm0gY1WvdIx69phU-tdOEknVQaolNV1AwD7BcH2rLd-5cAY6CTcQMHm9x_h68qHxQmx2-1QyVhhW2yJ3Wx5YuQF_G68mq-4oawFhV63w-yDxt9OeKSPEd8k-96ixFmzZ-o80p5wwOGDd9K5_lbsULbG-04bJo61NP2Azx-uB4V8q-RjeiC1IOkA/s320/Memphis%20pedistal015.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Margaret, Bob Morgan and the Belle.</i></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">There were people in the city that cared for the aircraft. Still, they lacked the money, support and wherewithall to do anything but conduct a holding exercise against the onslaught of vandalism, be it official 'stripping of useful parts' by the Air Force or constant stripping my the souvenir hunters.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />April 1962 saw the first real 'commercialization' of the aircraft, its famous name, Petty Girl 'logo' and legends when Revell Inc, the model kit manufacturer began marketing one-seventy-second scale plastic kits of the aircraft. The model-maker stated that they believed that within a year half a million Americans would have one of the plastic kits in their homes.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspwLVObSTmO5L3gcIwXghzHFpJHrBvqXrNfTuWI-X1PJ3EGnTNZl94bc7HD1omJvJFLXhHjnLLiSODBsRL69qz76e_nkdTbGcljMYmU9I6x9MDR9QX0UH4A-i2ROqPMT3i9ZQKavWIznw9LtdNoWu_EUvSl4obT-54s_oin8XSHAB-SCLlW7PqNSKAQ/s1378/bathing%20beauties011.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1378" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspwLVObSTmO5L3gcIwXghzHFpJHrBvqXrNfTuWI-X1PJ3EGnTNZl94bc7HD1omJvJFLXhHjnLLiSODBsRL69qz76e_nkdTbGcljMYmU9I6x9MDR9QX0UH4A-i2ROqPMT3i9ZQKavWIznw9LtdNoWu_EUvSl4obT-54s_oin8XSHAB-SCLlW7PqNSKAQ/s320/bathing%20beauties011.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Every local newspaperman, editor and photographer loved the link the Memphis Belle with Memphis belles. In the same year as the 91st BG reunion this photograph appeared with the MSY entries for the upcoming Miss Memphis Pageant - left to right they are Suzanne Troth, Linda Warren, Susan Carey, Suzie Buchwald, Nonnie Hooker, Donna Owen and Beverley Hill.<br />[via Harry Friedman]</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />In October 1966 13 year old David Pitts of Pleasant Grove AL wrote to a number of people including Memphis Mayor William B Ingram, Paul Burke - who played Colonel Joseph Anson Gallagher in the ABC TV series 'Twelve O'Clock High' - and the Commercial Appeal newspaper amongst others about what he saw as the poor condition of the aircraft. A few days later 7-year old Tommy Knapp wrote in expressing similar views; <i>'I am making a model of the Memphis Belle. I wish the Memphis Belle could be fixed up so everyone would enjoy seeing it. I sure would like to get inside that plane. I'd like to help fix it up. I'd help paint it and maybe I could get some new tires for it at the gas station, but I only have 50 cents, so I guess I'll have to save some first'.</i><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyZh9AYyhVn0q8lpxF99yqO8gzX1pK9EauNgZfI-EWL4bN6B__8Hazmwe02OeEtSRFB2cp8TqiUvTM-PQ4mznFVNSN01jU0kb7QP5sTw21BOvIne_rPH6nK1tgn3uw7-YzMLfTcYxSxjR1RpFqiIw5st4JdbuVDFr4Wtb128Z8elMqSc6CEiOZ82aFg/s1102/Pitts008.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="1102" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyZh9AYyhVn0q8lpxF99yqO8gzX1pK9EauNgZfI-EWL4bN6B__8Hazmwe02OeEtSRFB2cp8TqiUvTM-PQ4mznFVNSN01jU0kb7QP5sTw21BOvIne_rPH6nK1tgn3uw7-YzMLfTcYxSxjR1RpFqiIw5st4JdbuVDFr4Wtb128Z8elMqSc6CEiOZ82aFg/s320/Pitts008.tif" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>‘Bill’ Winchell and 401st BS clerk Doug Gibson show David Pitts some of the combat photographs at the 1967 91st BG reunion in which David was made an honorary member of the 91st BG Association. [via Harry Friedman]</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Another letter came from Norman Alexander; <i>'I read about the boy from Alabama wanting to repair the Memphis Belle, and he is right. She would be better off a heap of junk than in the condition she's in now. She helped us win the war, and now her paint is peeling, her winders [sic] are covered and breaking, her guns are gone and she's not as pretty as she was years ago. I think there should be some fund or something Think of the men that flew in her. If they have kids they might not even want to show her to them. Those people came to Memphis to see her and imagine their surprise. On the instructions, she is said to be resting peacefully on an honorary war display. I am 12 years old and I go to Trezevant High School and if you plan to fix her I'll be more than glad and honored to help. So come on and fix her right... please. She is an eyesore now and would be more historic the way she actually was'</i><br /><br />Although the letters never got a reply from the Mayor's office or the TV star, they did shame the city into action with a new coat of paint and repairs being done by the Tennessee Air National Guard led by Chief Master Sgt Walter W. Maingault. The nose glazing was discovered to be badly damaged, and after searching all over the country and failing to find a replacement, the Air National Guard applied an epoxy coating to the perspex and painted it silver. At the same time they fitted dummy' guns'.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />By early December it was possible to arrange a re-dedication. Bob Morgan flew down to Birmingham AL and picked up David Pitts and his father William so they could be present at the ceremony where they were presented with the keys to the city.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />In July 1967 the 91st Bomb Group held their first formal reunion in Memphis. Several pilgrimages were made to the Armoury Grounds, and William Wyler's movie was shown a number of times. Bob Morgan and the bond tour crew showed up, as did Joe Giambrone. Of course, much hangar flying was done in the Peabody Hotel, including Joe Giambrone telling of the only time he flew on the Memphis Belle. <i>Here I was, on the ground crew, so I asked the Captain if he'd let me go on one of the milk runs. We hit Méaulte and I remember it almost shook the props off. </i>Listening to the conversation was General Stanley Wray: <i>Méaulte? Hell, I led that raid - that was no milk run!'.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Newspaper photographers and now the TV men would come out now and then. The crew would line up in front of the plane. There would be a few shots on the evening news. Newspaper writers would crank up a new feature story, recalling and reminding citizens of the old girl's past glories.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1bacNSLU1uajfiWKOrlc48ogOyK_FCb8WfSExauAIDgpgT7H44PRNI9V4G0LZbH3sZ0kf1b_Ox5oFD_Jo_JsUxMhjzW_GJJGLRtsdCbAr1YmP_v1WTHJtEFBxQW0fqkFkx5uM_UAl8hgvpCk5nCi83V4z0MR-4WDvQuM2C0r9N9HR-G6-gYtv43EVA/s1927/group%201967%20009.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1403" data-original-width="1927" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1bacNSLU1uajfiWKOrlc48ogOyK_FCb8WfSExauAIDgpgT7H44PRNI9V4G0LZbH3sZ0kf1b_Ox5oFD_Jo_JsUxMhjzW_GJJGLRtsdCbAr1YmP_v1WTHJtEFBxQW0fqkFkx5uM_UAl8hgvpCk5nCi83V4z0MR-4WDvQuM2C0r9N9HR-G6-gYtv43EVA/s320/group%201967%20009.tif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The 1967 91st BG reunion. Colonel Stanley Wray in the centre with his arms outstretched.Teenager and honorary 91ster David Pitts is fourth from the right.</i></span><br /></div></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />In May 1969, while filming 'The Liberation of Lord Byron Jones' in Humboldt, TN, William Wyler and some of his film crew stopped by the old aircraft for a photo opportunity and to meet up with Bob Morgan one more time. Representatives from Mayor Henry Loeb and Governor Buford Ellington were on hand, as were the TV and Press. Unfortunately, things did not go as smoothly as planned, for no one could find the key-holder to let them all into the gated compound!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Perhaps no one can say for certain how long the Belle might have stood there on her pedestal, waiting. But in 1976, the National Guard forced a new round of activity. The Armory grounds were sold to the nearby Memphis Memorial Stadium. The old plane would have to be moved. Numerous plans were put forward again - Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division offered a small site on North Main near the Cook Convention Center with a small building adjacent that could be used as a museum. There was talk of transferring it to a location inside the Libertyland Amusement Park on Early Maxwell Blvd. Nothing was really suitable. It was time to step forward the Memphis Belle Memorial Association.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZx8GfBCiAjc3rSF1fo0dbRqzXsHksA0ZytD_5McfsXLP2Z0fwtFGwCf7v1CnH4ApDaJc3GlNOrJKyLmpt1rkmMmXxqcSyX28U7sia3Fwfe3pmQp3uxAfYFOSBsqj8Egm38ti6TVQSuS252rZWywDwr-0veiWiM8NDjWgEsRQ3ySxnZSbMFBr-Nxw3A/s2067/on%20ground015.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="2067" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZx8GfBCiAjc3rSF1fo0dbRqzXsHksA0ZytD_5McfsXLP2Z0fwtFGwCf7v1CnH4ApDaJc3GlNOrJKyLmpt1rkmMmXxqcSyX28U7sia3Fwfe3pmQp3uxAfYFOSBsqj8Egm38ti6TVQSuS252rZWywDwr-0veiWiM8NDjWgEsRQ3ySxnZSbMFBr-Nxw3A/s320/on%20ground015.tif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Wheels on ground for the first time in 27 years. It is about to have its wings removed and trucked back to the airport. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>[via Harry Friedman]</i></span><br /></div></div>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-88333833987340600952022-08-14T00:26:00.000-07:002022-08-14T00:26:22.852-07:00Dispelling the Myths - Again. Part 17<div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Many, many people over the years have blamed those responsible for the care of the <i>Memphis Belle </i>for the damage done to the aircraft while it was in the city - WRONG! Most of the damage was done by three distinct groups: the Air Force, who stripped the aircraft of usable parts, so-called 'enthusiasts' (in truth, read vandals and thieves) who collected souvenirs in the worse possible ways by simply ripping whatever they could out, and the local politicians who had no real idea what to do with the aircraft once they had ownership of it. As we shall see in this post, a valiant few tried to preserve the aircraft, but it was not until the mid-1970s that work really started.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Such was the fame of the aircraft that items were stolen from the aircraft even while it was in Army Air Corps service. </span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">From the previous blog, it is clear that Mayor Chandler was not only aware that some of the aircraft’s log books had been stolen during its time in Florida, but he was also unsuccessful in their recovery. To this day, there are still an undetermined number of log-books ‘missing’ that account for over four hundred and fifty flying hours. This covered two periods from September 4th 1944, when the aircraft had flown 1519 hours 45 minutes. The documentation picks up again on November 20th with airframe hours of 1749, so during that time, the aircraft had flown some 229 hours 15 minutes. More log books go missing on November 26th at an airframe hour of 1792:55. The next log in existence starts on January 21st 1945, at airframe hour 2017:05 - a further ‘missing’ 224 hours.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Mayor Chandler also wrote to Bob Morgan: <i>This morning at 11.30 am the ship took off and came directly to Memphis without stopping, arriving here at 2.45 pm. A large crowd was at the airport to greet her and there was great rejoicing. She looks every inch the great lady she was when you and your magnificent crew flew her so successfully on those missions, and we hope that it will not be long before you feel the urge to fly to Memphis and give her your own affectionate greetings’.</i><br /> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHo-b9ztI_EpHYH0pdcdPwCXrREU-QhZ5LKLP1uEsURh0tUwWGnjACYP8yvmzxNDBbGaZY6vu88fK6NjRevr0ek5QNdgd2v85G_HY1qEPWQH0RVHz1sSeVq_WYT690Lphhz57YmTKv8cCPmAN9Outu4qOOvkjsBo42SLHnXFW4_C1qmFbDPCJvTQTVOg/s1872/Screenshot%202022-08-14%20at%2008.05.00.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1342" data-original-width="1872" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHo-b9ztI_EpHYH0pdcdPwCXrREU-QhZ5LKLP1uEsURh0tUwWGnjACYP8yvmzxNDBbGaZY6vu88fK6NjRevr0ek5QNdgd2v85G_HY1qEPWQH0RVHz1sSeVq_WYT690Lphhz57YmTKv8cCPmAN9Outu4qOOvkjsBo42SLHnXFW4_C1qmFbDPCJvTQTVOg/s320/Screenshot%202022-08-14%20at%2008.05.00.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Memphis Belle parked outside the Administrative Building after arrival at Memphis Airport in July 1946.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is clear with the benefit of hindsight - which is always 20/20 vision - that once the city got their hands on the <i>Memphis Belle,</i> they really had no idea what they were going to do with it and, one suspects what is more, that the majority of the city had no genuine interest in it. The ‘saving’ of the aircraft can be credited to Mayor Walter Chandler for whatever his reasons, be they political or patriotic, we are just not sure. It can equally be said that the entire ‘preserving for future generations' was also his idea and one the success of which was reliant of him staying in office to drive it through.<br /><br />It was also the early days of aircraft preservation - especially in the USA. Remember, the Wright Brothers Wright Flyer spent from 1925 until 1948 in London due to disputes!<br /><br />Shortly after the triumphant return to Memphis, the city elected a new mayor, Sylvanus Polk. The new Mayor did not consider the priorities for the <i>Memphis Belle </i>to be as high as they might have been if Chandler had remained in office. The new Mayor spoke about the shortage in building materials during the war. He spoke of the many pent-up needs of the city, created by nearly four years of war. <i>‘How could he...’,</i> he asked, ‘<i>...justify spending money and asking for scarce material to house an airplane?’ </i>People and their housing came first.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-xGT1LCG_XS3N8pw8v65AGI-ME1yEmfYRdLvaejQMU2Dxt9nVhcjdH970gjFrAaqdc3msiJg_U3d2ulbF9M4-8CuvbAGUpk6fLXLBGEYYYeDOgVkVmbfMjS7igM1W6KH9_7LcVTDgDTSqRcz2DivNBsOUuUS1XAqJHr4JRQygS9iET1XdKOhL_dnIQ/s1963/001.TIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1963" data-original-width="1417" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-xGT1LCG_XS3N8pw8v65AGI-ME1yEmfYRdLvaejQMU2Dxt9nVhcjdH970gjFrAaqdc3msiJg_U3d2ulbF9M4-8CuvbAGUpk6fLXLBGEYYYeDOgVkVmbfMjS7igM1W6KH9_7LcVTDgDTSqRcz2DivNBsOUuUS1XAqJHr4JRQygS9iET1XdKOhL_dnIQ/s320/001.TIF" width="231" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Mayor Chandler points out some detail to pilot Bob Little . [via Harry Friedman]</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />As early as November 16th of that year, newspapers were printing stories of how the aircraft had been abandoned and sat exposed to the weather and to vandals on a ramp at the airport. One picture showed upholstery torn by souvenir hunters.<i> ‘Belle’s Gallantry Forgotten, She Rots On Ramp,’</i> said a headline in the <i>Commercial Appeal. ‘She’s sitting at the Airport, weathering away,’ </i>said another.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Newspapers Aviation correspondent Robert Gray wrote: <i>‘The gallant B-17 Flying Fortress which etched a blazing trail of invincibility and valor through embattled skies over Europe, continues in her adopted home town as just another war-weary veteran - apparently forgotten except by the wind and the rain and perhaps an occasional souvenir hunter. When visited yesterday the once proud’ ‘Belle’ displayed a open window opposite the pilot’s seat, as though inviting the elements to come in. The bomb bay doors, through which passed death and destruction for Hitler’s domain on 25 separate missions, were open. The front escape hatch, which never had to be used during combat flights, was open to the Fall dampness. The waist windows were only partly closed and the entrance door flapped in the chilled afternoon breeze.</i><i> A gaping hole in the left tip of the horizontal stabilizer, obviously put there by another vehicle or plane brushing into the ‘Belle’ was reminiscent of the flak wounds she suffered in do-or-die action. The tail wheel tire was almost flat and the other two tires were under-inflated. Oil drippings had consolidated with dirt to make ugly splotches under each of the four engines, which now are faulty from inattention, Inside the ‘Belle’ is as dishevelled as any castoff long-exposed to the elements. The upholstery in the radio compartment is tattered and torn. So is the side covering in the pilot’s compartment. Seat cushions andradio headphones with which the famed ship was fitted upon arriving here on her last journey are now missing. Some of the fire extinguisher holders are empty. There is considerable evidence of tampering.</i></p><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-fAIv_8f4dyeQz67Bb9B7ZGQICZFJN-G-Q8KboEVJ4NKGBJ9IaklQ2IAmo05pzxMMwZCb0pXLSTZtTDUgX7dypJ6bfumyNZkekGDqaLNE2Wz950mVGSk5XqsfC2UNoyVRzsqYjv53ovAc6OGbFS1xUg6YCeDVO-MYcplaImdyxO0utVbd1Xh5L2zOQ/s1378/newspaper%20cuttinh004.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1378" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-fAIv_8f4dyeQz67Bb9B7ZGQICZFJN-G-Q8KboEVJ4NKGBJ9IaklQ2IAmo05pzxMMwZCb0pXLSTZtTDUgX7dypJ6bfumyNZkekGDqaLNE2Wz950mVGSk5XqsfC2UNoyVRzsqYjv53ovAc6OGbFS1xUg6YCeDVO-MYcplaImdyxO0utVbd1Xh5L2zOQ/s320/newspaper%20cuttinh004.tif" width="320" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Newspapers in the immediate post-war years were notorious for being printed with very coarse<br />screening and on very poor quality paper, so it is remarkable that this cutting survives!<br />It relates to the days when the Memphis Belle was, to all intents and purposes abandoned on the parking ramp at Memphis Airport.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><br />When the ‘Belle’ landed at the airport here last July 17th, flown from Altus, Okia,, aircraft graveyard by a Memphis crew headed by Cap Robert Little, she was accorded a warm welcome by Mayor Chandler and other city officials and proclaimed ’a historic asset to be shared by every citizen’. The plane had officially become the property of Memphis and its citizens. The Mayor announced the ‘Belle’ would be put in befittingly plush quarters - a glass enclosure - at the fairgrounds where all could share in her past glory. But four months have passed since she came back here, and the “Memphis Belle’ is still as homeless as a cloud and far more discarded and neglected. Her 25 missions and score of eight Nazi planes shot down now dimmed by time and no longer the glamourized idol of a thankful people, our heroine of reclaimed glory four months ago is today a mess.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><br />As to future plans for the valiant veteran. Mayor Polk who inherited the project from Mayor Chandler, said yesterday there is nothing new to report.. ‘I have no information on that to give now’, Mayor Polk said '‘It’s something we have to work on’.</i><br /><br />Stung by the critical news stories Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Gilbert of the Fourth Ferrying Command out at the airport brought the aircraft into one of his hangars - but it was clear to all that this was only a temporary solution, a proper home needed to be found.<br /></p><p><b><br />To the Smithsonian?</b><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">On June 26th 1947 under a headline which read ‘<i>Museum makes bid for Memphis Belle’</i> the following appeared in the Memphis Commercial Appeal: <i>Gallant B-17 May Find Haven at Smithsonian. The ‘Memphis Belle’ gallant B-17 Flying Fortress which made history in the skies over embattled Europe and is now stored in a hangar at the Memphis Army Airfield, is among the aircraft being considered for display in the proposed National Air Museum in Washington.</i><br /><br />The museum would be in the hall adjacent to the Smithsonian Institution and would house the ‘Belle’ the ‘Enola Gay’, B-29 Superfort which dropped the first atomic bomb; ‘Flak Bait’, [a twin-engined Martin B-26 Marauder 41-31733] and other notable planes. In addition, the museum would display representative types of German, Japanese and. Italian aircraft and aeronautical equipment captured by Air Technical Intelligence men in World War II. Plans for the project were disclosed by Grover C. Loenlng, aeronautical engineer and member of the Advisory Committee for the Museum, upon a visit to the Air Material Command, at Wright Field.Ohio.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /><i>‘The City of Memphis has not been approached on the subject...’ </i>City Commissioner Grashot said yesterday. <i>‘When we are, we will give it full consideration’.</i> The plane has been officially regarded as something of a ‘step-child’ since its return here last summer from an aircraft graveyard at Altus. Okla. In the light of subsequent events, if the Smithsonian Institution HAD gone through and obtained the aircraft - they did after all, do everything else in this proposal - it would have avoided all the many problems and squabbles that occurred over the passing years!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Robert Gray, the<i> Commercial Appeal’s r</i>eporter who rode the Memphis Belle on her trip from Altus to Memphis, led the fight during those early years to keep the plight of the aircraft in the public eye. It was on July 19th, 1948, two years after that triumphant flight home from Altus, when expectations had been so high, that a story under Bob Gray’s by-line appeared under the headline, <i>‘Two More Years of Ignominy Add Dust to Memphis Belle and Shame to Her Owners.’</i><br /><br />But who were those owners? It was commonly thought that they could only be the people. That had been the wish of former Mayor Chandler in returning a donor’s check for $350. It had been peanuts, that price, but it was the taxpayers who paid. They owned the plane now. <i>‘Two years have passed but the Memphis Belle today remains a symbol without honor in her own home town...’ </i>reported Bob Gray. <i>‘She is still in a hangar, supposedly protected, but gathering dust.’ </i>He added that, somehow, parts of the aircraft continued to disappear.<br /><br />Gray’s complaints got something moving, although some of the solutions proposed could only bring shudders to true friends of the aircraft. One came from Joseph Durra, the manager of Durra Products - his plan was to cover the aircraft with a protective coating. Frank Boyd, the Chairman of the Memphis Belle Committee revealed that one home being considered was in Bellevue Park. Another home under consideration was in Overton Park. Both proposals involved coating the aircraft inside and out with a transparent plastic solution.<br /> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoUVEYLHoHQL_ObLJg4740QarW52GWiVoEoN5dkNgetUQfyjEpVRNO404q9v_rDRvzwkI_-Zx3UKq532ImBEB-vD1W3bjpsWlC-YteatPrsYopXPPzjCMMgHR9qn6EyQD6yfYQsfQeApEzzWptzjoWxSeff5Uvjb82T8Nx0ui6vtiypFpY2iyx1yNQQ/s2067/memphis%20belle%201948.TIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1624" data-original-width="2067" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoUVEYLHoHQL_ObLJg4740QarW52GWiVoEoN5dkNgetUQfyjEpVRNO404q9v_rDRvzwkI_-Zx3UKq532ImBEB-vD1W3bjpsWlC-YteatPrsYopXPPzjCMMgHR9qn6EyQD6yfYQsfQeApEzzWptzjoWxSeff5Uvjb82T8Nx0ui6vtiypFpY2iyx1yNQQ/s320/memphis%20belle%201948.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Two views taken inside the TANG hangar that shows a wealth of detail information! In the background can be seen a USAF marked German V-1 flying bomb. The Memphis Belle itself is showing signs of having damage to the nose and side windows. Amazingly, it also shows a completely different arrangement to the ‘stars’ above the bomb symbols - not only are they in different positions, they are ALL painted yellow here - gone are the red outlines on some! There is also a mysterious letter ‘Q’ above them towards the rear of the line. The date, according to the rear of the original is September 21st 1948. [via Harry Friedman]</i></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjF1bfzkGddLWMWBW-I8sqJpxSgk35R33869blWO3WixlOlGP8mCp85L9LjlRVjCVZXwESFwYX4g12GBu8-eeYTtImj-CDvUWlCEWWqI7ReGTP8JgpfgmMfmiRaZjtEoIbBDdItBRP1JXEUzzFso6YXODikWYPewIJNBiLMEFm2fEZtrFftkLFI_uOEg/s2067/MB%20hangar%20replace004.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="2067" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjF1bfzkGddLWMWBW-I8sqJpxSgk35R33869blWO3WixlOlGP8mCp85L9LjlRVjCVZXwESFwYX4g12GBu8-eeYTtImj-CDvUWlCEWWqI7ReGTP8JgpfgmMfmiRaZjtEoIbBDdItBRP1JXEUzzFso6YXODikWYPewIJNBiLMEFm2fEZtrFftkLFI_uOEg/s320/MB%20hangar%20replace004.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">One far more ‘threatening’ proposal, came from Colonel Donald Fargo, commander of the 21st Air Division out at the airport. Colonel Fargo’s plan was to cut off the nose and use that as a memento in the Memphis Museum, while the remaining parts were used as training aids for Air Force Reserve personnel. In reply, Robert Taylor, a Memphis attorney and one of the men who had helped fly the aircraft back to city, said it best:<i> ‘...to cut up the Memphis Belle would be sacrilege’.</i></p><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The aircraft languished in the Air Guard hangar out at Memphis Airport for a while, before being partially dismantled and left in theparking lot before being moved to the Armory site. Restraining the fuselage on the USAF flat-bed seems to have been a matter of stringing ropes through the opened cockpit side windows while the aircraft rests on sandbags. [via Harry Friedman]</i></span><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhvAanYXEXO85Cj4OXICPJhUUgl6cLzQarAe8ptzFwox7hH97uq_m1vMLFKxbbFwykfoqRe_wwwOel0xm3X2691xHZLdT79mgcJPFCpQtG8Zx3m9uT25q-N7zudrlvIBXH-EKPrIjjmcvLM2IR0r1TOB8m6fxgA1NE94c1ncVLEEcM7HbWtRuGbbU_Q/s1448/MB%20first%20move002.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="1448" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhvAanYXEXO85Cj4OXICPJhUUgl6cLzQarAe8ptzFwox7hH97uq_m1vMLFKxbbFwykfoqRe_wwwOel0xm3X2691xHZLdT79mgcJPFCpQtG8Zx3m9uT25q-N7zudrlvIBXH-EKPrIjjmcvLM2IR0r1TOB8m6fxgA1NE94c1ncVLEEcM7HbWtRuGbbU_Q/s320/MB%20first%20move002.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjj5GY3ET6an-LGNl-Tld0Xb5-mG6GLpjQbAMH5Y08mKzUV2d_3Oo68KNzxq7akhtwNpMLvrfrT4i9McNZ50NcbBiu9Zf-4rmlBJvd7Av-48cR9haCwBlBWrfk1x4CxJqiQsK-wbIirrwdGBY2ypSWcA6mkrrQ0kI9W97eWQ1AK4tjK07e5kKYzjl9A/s1448/MB%20first%20moveclose003.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="1448" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjj5GY3ET6an-LGNl-Tld0Xb5-mG6GLpjQbAMH5Y08mKzUV2d_3Oo68KNzxq7akhtwNpMLvrfrT4i9McNZ50NcbBiu9Zf-4rmlBJvd7Av-48cR9haCwBlBWrfk1x4CxJqiQsK-wbIirrwdGBY2ypSWcA6mkrrQ0kI9W97eWQ1AK4tjK07e5kKYzjl9A/s320/MB%20first%20moveclose003.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-33873050671125140232022-08-13T10:00:00.002-07:002022-08-13T10:00:41.454-07:00Dispelling the Myths - Again Part 16<p style="text-align: justify;"> I was not going to go into great detail as to the events leading up to the placing of the aircraft on the pedestal at the Armory, but assorted idiotic claims and comments made have forced me to put the record straight. I suspect that many will not bother reading it, but, it needs placing out in the public domain in the vain hope that someone takes notice!<br /><br />Back in the summer of 1943, as the Memphis Belle and her crew were making their triumphal tour of the USA with the cheers of the populace ringing out to make heroes of the young airmen, Mayor Walter Chandler of Memphis contacted the War Department and asked if the aircraft could be sent to Memphis as a permanent war memorial. They refused, stating that the war was still going on and the Memphis Belle was a warplane and was needed. They said that the plane would be overhauled after the tour and sent back to war with another crew and, perhaps, another name. Then, as we have seen, it was assigned to MacDill Field near Tampa, Florida.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />With the outbreak of peace in 1945, the Army Air Force no longer wanted the aircraft, and so it was flown to Altus for storage and eventual scrapping. Mayor Chandler allowed no time to be wasted once the war was over. On August 25th, just eleven days after the end of the war in the Pacific, Chandler made his next move to obtain the aircraft for Memphis. While the Memphis Belle and her fame were fresh in everyone’s mind, Chandler petitioned the War Department once more to let his city have the famous plane. His announced plan was to have a permanent hangar built for the aircraft at Memphis Municipal Airport, where the public could visit it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIMpStdL_9pVFKdah7I4gYR7b03QBFVpxBJFxxH98WgbrUx9DeTxxKr_OFBy1Wj8s6fsLfcC5YEgH-KUwOsEKq7tAUuz18bilrDeHo_dwqtHMqRAkV6nE8liFqDyzF6VTi4375bko0lDldjZUCNp_19jHF4X-_sOXLa-yNSx8iuk3WifKM5r7hFKNXA/s2067/005.TIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1478" data-original-width="2067" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIMpStdL_9pVFKdah7I4gYR7b03QBFVpxBJFxxH98WgbrUx9DeTxxKr_OFBy1Wj8s6fsLfcC5YEgH-KUwOsEKq7tAUuz18bilrDeHo_dwqtHMqRAkV6nE8liFqDyzF6VTi4375bko0lDldjZUCNp_19jHF4X-_sOXLa-yNSx8iuk3WifKM5r7hFKNXA/s320/005.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">With the Reconstruction Finance Corporation’s catalog number ‘84’ crudely marked on the nose - barely visible in this picture just under the Petty Girl’s feet - the Memphis Belle awaits the wreckers. [via Harry Friedman]</span></i><br /></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />With this a new phase in the life of the aircraft began. We move from mainly direct Army Air Force documentation to a mishmash of governmental and civic paperwork along with folder after folder containing two types of newspaper reporting - events that were reported as being expected to happen and reports of events that had already happened. Local or Federal documents are considered reasonably accurate, as are newspapers reporting what had already happened, but when they start reporting what may happen, we consider that as highly speculative!<br /><br />The Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) seemed willing to let Memphis have the aircraft, but months dragged by as Chandler continued to write letters, negotiating and working out the details. As usual, the wheels of governmental bureaucracy turned slowly. Even then, obstacles were placed in the way. A Civil Aeronautics Administration inspector reported that the aircraft was not airworthy enough to fly to Memphis.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />In February 1946, it was reported by J. A. Biles of the Ada Okla. Evening News that the Memphis Belle was residing - along with some 2,600 other aircraft - in an aircraft graveyard in Altus, Oklahoma, with a price tag of $13,750 hanging from its wings.<br /> <br />Following the newspaper report from Biles, repeated in the local papers, Mayor Chandler was quoted as saying, ‘The plane is there at Altus, and they will sell it to us for $350. Only three things are wrong with<br />the Flying Fortress. The oil pressure of the No. 3 engine is too high. The emergency hydraulic system won’t operate, and the throttle is not exactly synchronized’. The Mayor did not explain the low price set for the city. Instead, Chandler said he was ‘...looking into the matter to determine if we could locate a suitable place for it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />If purchased by the city...’ he continued, it ‘...would have to be put under the jurisdiction of the Park Commission and someplace found to house it. All of us would like to have this famous ship that bears the name of Memphis. I hope some way can be worked out so that we may own it’.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-B7wxhJicvl8g9dD7lWMuBlUn9ZJQtgxbvJ_ayiU9U6y2lGq7rjdc1BpZ7MA1LjpUh02cBQ3ZcEXknfle4Hhyj-vs8gg3srW8E6SdK5jywdhTG2Pzz1VJXlg1YhTX2WA_FhWJYXwJjSrVvrv35LSUiFVVjhcxuVwjfJDFhcUyox_u-ozlPCexgtH5rg/s2067/004.TIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1483" data-original-width="2067" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-B7wxhJicvl8g9dD7lWMuBlUn9ZJQtgxbvJ_ayiU9U6y2lGq7rjdc1BpZ7MA1LjpUh02cBQ3ZcEXknfle4Hhyj-vs8gg3srW8E6SdK5jywdhTG2Pzz1VJXlg1YhTX2WA_FhWJYXwJjSrVvrv35LSUiFVVjhcxuVwjfJDFhcUyox_u-ozlPCexgtH5rg/s320/004.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Memphis Belle seems to have been parked in a special area at Altus, here seen alongside the</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>famous and muchautographed B-24 Liberator ‘Five Grand’. [via Harry Friedman]</i></span><br /></div></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Mayor Chandler said he had not talked to John Vesey, chairman of the Park Commission, about the Memphis Belle. Vesey said, however. that he was interested in the famous old ship and he would look into the matter to see if it could be brought to the city and housed adequately. He pointed out that at present the Park Commission had no place it could house the ship. He said he doubted that the plane could be housed in the Memphis Museum and that ‘... it probably could be put in the Shelby County building now used by Second Army Headquarters when that building is returned to the Park Commission’. Vesey made it clear though that he was only thinking out loud. He reminded reporters that the Shelby County building was ‘...to become the entrance to the new arena, and hundreds of thousands of people would see the plane each year’.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">On February 13th 1946, Mayor Chandler revealed that a well-wisher had personally offered to finance the purchase of the aircraft and the costs in returning it to Memphis; ‘The offer was made by William Bell of 1876 Overton Park, but the City Commission decided the plane was a historic asset to be shared by every citizen and the cost would be paid by the city. We are returning the check for $350, the purchase price which Mr Bell sent to us’.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Although this one day’s reporting clearly states that the benefactor was ’a real estate developer Mr Bell’, all subsequent reports state it was an ‘anonymous supporter’.Later research reveals his full identity as William Alton Bell, of Apartment One, 1876 Overton Park Avenue.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Then stories started to appear in the newspapers that the RFC was threatening to throw the Memphis Belle in with the other planes being sent to the scrap yards. Would she end up in an aluminum smelter?<br />Maybe this was a scare tactic to get things moving. In any case, on March 3rd, 1946, Mayor Chandler duly announced that he would abandon his campaign by mail and would go to Washington to undertake talks with what was then the War Assets Corporation.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Things began to move. On March 8th, 1946, Mayor Chandler was able to report from Washington that he had purchased the <i>Memphis Belle</i> for the City of Memphis for $350 - it had cost the U.S. Government $314,109 when delivered by Boeing in 1942.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>THIS SHOOTS DOWN THE BS THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS 'GIVEN' TO ANYONE BY THE AIR FORCE!</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />As stories about the final purchase appeared in the newspapers, pilots and crewmen began volunteering for the honor of going to Altus and flying the famous plane home. In fact, so many volunteered that finally a committee, headed by Downing Pryor, had to be appointed to select the crew. To make as many men as possible happy, the committee called for a command pilot in addition to a pilot.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNFS5z1luIuCEzqaDvkwlkSMnKaLn-0I4zOZ4-wc4StgD__kHZ5uotbSnRn4Yi6uMaqeuFlcbdvrGpImfdABlbhTHR6FrAxqgST0Lxku0vBb-dxoTUrwmys7goIHVpVebMPH5aTcM87tkfWCFzhzdtZZLyCM5noi61-3Ih2LdoA8naopizxL1X1ElZg/s1535/sales008.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1353" data-original-width="1535" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNFS5z1luIuCEzqaDvkwlkSMnKaLn-0I4zOZ4-wc4StgD__kHZ5uotbSnRn4Yi6uMaqeuFlcbdvrGpImfdABlbhTHR6FrAxqgST0Lxku0vBb-dxoTUrwmys7goIHVpVebMPH5aTcM87tkfWCFzhzdtZZLyCM5noi61-3Ih2LdoA8naopizxL1X1ElZg/s320/sales008.tif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The sales document from the RFC stating that the aircraft should be 'shipped to' The City of Memphis.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Then someone suggested Bob Morgan - after all, wasn’t he the man who had given the plane its Memphis connection by naming it the Memphis Belle? Without that name and the famed romance with Memphian Margaret Polk, there would have been no excuse for bringing the plane to Memphis!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />That started the ‘who was to be the pilot’ discussion all over again. Mayor Chandler contacted Morgan in Asheville, North Carolina. On June 19th, on the third anniversary of the aircraft’s triumphant return to Memphis to begin the national tour, Mayor Chandler announced that the original pilot would indeed fly the Memphis Belle home on July 2nd. Nevertheless, the problems continued. Morgan met with Mayor Chandler, Captain Robert Taylor , Chairman of the American Legion Aviation Committee and Colonel Fred Hook of the Air Reserve Association, along with Major Downing Pryor and Captain’ Ham’ Morrison, who were to be his co-pilots.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiNisLuQ5-APMjZhk7-HwLOKgIr2EuPXCfecOhIzGdrTrgI39AfCUnmX8xrbbVfmG0e3b6LSgn8yHGmmLFoQ77GGf956zHloqhWNdQUt6sl4SCggkhFDcvMjRqjDqC3D30tVXE26iIzPJOkqbMsMtSIhzxK8oZQDQCZIJhgatpJT9qAu3yasqQ4l0TA/s2067/002.TIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1473" data-original-width="2067" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiNisLuQ5-APMjZhk7-HwLOKgIr2EuPXCfecOhIzGdrTrgI39AfCUnmX8xrbbVfmG0e3b6LSgn8yHGmmLFoQ77GGf956zHloqhWNdQUt6sl4SCggkhFDcvMjRqjDqC3D30tVXE26iIzPJOkqbMsMtSIhzxK8oZQDQCZIJhgatpJT9qAu3yasqQ4l0TA/s320/002.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The crew of the Memphis Belle seen at Altus before what was supposed to be her last flight. Bob Gray from the Commercial Appeal is seen kneeling, right. The ‘84’ on the nose is the RFC catalog number. [via Harry Friedman]</span></i><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />On returning to Ashville, Morgan sent a telegram to Mayor Chandler: <i>‘Upon returning, I find there are so many things that urgently need taking care of it is impossible for me to leave now. You know that I wanted to do this more than anything I can think of, but business comes first. It would be impossible for me to fly the Belle until July 29th. I know you are anxious to have this mission accomplished. Therefore, would suggest you have another pilot fly the ship if you cannot wait. Thanks again to all my friends for offering me this opportunity. It is too bad that things are so unstable at the moment. Best regards’.</i><br /> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, on July 13th, 1946, Mayor Chandler was forced to announce that he regretted that ‘Colonel Morgan could not make the trip but there have been so many delays that further postponement could not be possible. as the War Assets Administration has been calling on the City of Memphis to take possession <br />of the Memphis Belle’.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTR6ZgyMKz00enfQbSWzXtvV1QRMjbYC36Y_bI9-ahpsHiqifEEYMsmrz7RqyPefnReoW59qn_nrO4G04nWidanW4g6W4QoM9GXrA3D8Vpk_8RfJ26s2dk7-5ka1sArjm73rbR7VlVH7nETaMr1JsVBBCIIzEXLtX5R5s_vxvLtyP6agQWcZwLFqbVQ/s2801/Altusgirlscouts.TIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2006" data-original-width="2801" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTR6ZgyMKz00enfQbSWzXtvV1QRMjbYC36Y_bI9-ahpsHiqifEEYMsmrz7RqyPefnReoW59qn_nrO4G04nWidanW4g6W4QoM9GXrA3D8Vpk_8RfJ26s2dk7-5ka1sArjm73rbR7VlVH7nETaMr1JsVBBCIIzEXLtX5R5s_vxvLtyP6agQWcZwLFqbVQ/s320/Altusgirlscouts.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bob Little and the returning crew, pose for photographs with staff from the RFC facility at Altus, and members of the Memphis Belle Girl Scout Troop also from Altus. It is quite possible that some in this picture are stillalive - Iwould love to contact them!</i></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />It was then announced that Captain Robert E. Little, the man originally picked by the committee, would do the piloting. Little had plenty of experience flying B-17s, although his war service had been in the Pacific, rather than Europe. He had flown 73 missions against Japan and was now a pilot for Chicago and Southern Airlines, making regular flights to Memphis.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On July 16th, Captain Little and his crew boarded an Army Douglas C-47 transport belonging to the 4th Ferrying Group at Memphis, piloted by Captain Joseph P. Vecharelli and Major Millard A Webb and flew to Altus. They didn’t need a full crew of ten since nobody was needed to man the guns. The guns had been removed anyway. The crew of seven men who made the trip, other than Little, were all Air Force Reserves. They were Captain Robert. L. Taylor, navigator; Sergeant Percy Roberts, Jr., flight engineer; Technical Sergeant Charles Crowe, flight engineer; Lieutenant James Gowdy, second navigator; Captain Hamp Morrison, co-pilot, and Stuart Griffin, radio operator. Upon arrival they checked the Memphis Belle over completely.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">They were met by Burl Brumley, president of the Altus Chamber of Commerce, John Badger Chairman of the Chamber’s Aviation Committee and Blackwood Saunders, Superintendent of the War Assets Administration. Later that day the met with Altus Mayor Fred Mains who presented them with a letter to deliver to Mayor Chandler: <i>‘It is with a sad heart that we commit the Memphis Belle to your care. Expert mechanics have checked her daily and attendants have cleaned her regularly for a long time, for many thousands have come from all part of the country to see this famous ship. We took pride in having her at her best’.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Bob Little: <i>The old gal gave us some trouble with the spark plugs, but Crowe and Roberts worked on the engines to make sure they got us to Memphis. The people at Altus asked if we wanted to make a test flight, but I told them no - when we get up there we are going all the way!’. </i>The next day they took off. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">There were still some problems, according to aviation editor Robert Gray of Memphis’ morning newspaper, the <i>Commercial Appeal, </i>who was on the flight. The plane lifted off the runway but then the landing gear refused to retract. The crew had to use the emergency hand crank. Bob Little again:<i> ‘When we tried to raise the gear it wouldn’t come up. So Percy [Roberts] got into the bomb bay and cranked it us as far as he could’.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i><br />Percy Roberts, Jr: <i>‘I was cranking the hell out of that thing and got the gear up about half way and it wouldn’t go any more. So we came all the way to Memphis with the gear part down. On the way Little asked me if I wanted to fly it for a while. I told him sure, and it was not long before we had climbed a few hundred feet. He told me to look out at the left wing - then to look at the other. I was in a pretty good turn and did not even know it! Wasn’t the prettiest thing, but I flew the Memphis Belle for about fifteen minutes’.</i><br /> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then there was the matter of an in-flight fire. Percy Roberts again: ‘Just west of Texarkana we smelt something burning and could not find it. We looked all over the aircraft until we discovered that someone had placed an oily rag over one of the electrical inverters. They get pretty hot in flight and the rag had started smouldering, sending some smoke up’.<br /><br />Over Little Rock, Arkansas, the radio refused to work correctly - they could receive but not transmit. When they arrived over Memphis, Bob Little overflew the Tower and waggled his wings - a procedure to announce that their radio was out.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Percy Roberts went back to the bomb bay and started to crank down the gear - but there was another problem - the down and locked indicators would not light up. ‘She could have settled on to her belly as we put the tires on the runway. There was a bunch of fire trucks all over the place. I guess they thought we were going to have some real trouble when we landed’ Roberts climbed into the ball turret to see if he could visually confirm they were ‘down and locked’. As Gray later put it, Little ‘...greased her in’ for a perfect landing and the Memphis Belle was home at last.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />On arrival at 2.55pm, the aircraft and its ferry crew were met by Mayor Chandler, Commissioner Miller and over two hundred devotees waiting for them outside the airlines terminal building. Mayor Chandler read out the letter from Altus Mayor Mains. Mayor Chandler said that the aircraft would be parked on the Fourth Ferrying Group ramp and in their care until after the Army Air Forces day on August 1st, and would later be ‘...put on display at the Fairgrounds in a fireproof building with the aircraft itself enclosed in glass. All the trophies accompanying the plane and all the photographs that could be accumulated of her mounted on the walls of the proposed building. Special care will be taken to protect against souvenir hunters’. He went on to say that he had plans for ‘...writing to the Army Air Forces to use if it is possible for us to have the types of guns used on the plane in combat replaced so that the ship will have her exact appearance as a fighting unit. Under Army Regulations, all the guns had to be removed but I believe the War Department will let us have duplicates of each of the firing pieces which the ship carried on her famous missions. I also hope to recover records taken from the flight log before the plane was stored at Altus’.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SawfO42MiXld2-7K0wMEqxHFmr6sCNMDDOiJvJxCXb9jE3luky7ZOuxea_1ZhassBIiU899T2ciBSkpBR1KxvMWV2ANWosu8s8zRH1aOKBJHlWDGhqufQy-N-yvTJQey115d8zOqEp5KJn39ZzsXkQNi9Six6hM9IFvqWx8RD5WbhJ4Tbo15HErQlA/s2067/group%20arrive.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="2067" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SawfO42MiXld2-7K0wMEqxHFmr6sCNMDDOiJvJxCXb9jE3luky7ZOuxea_1ZhassBIiU899T2ciBSkpBR1KxvMWV2ANWosu8s8zRH1aOKBJHlWDGhqufQy-N-yvTJQey115d8zOqEp5KJn39ZzsXkQNi9Six6hM9IFvqWx8RD5WbhJ4Tbo15HErQlA/s320/group%20arrive.tif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The crew that brought the Memphis Belle home! Left to right: Stuart Griffin, James Gowdy, Hamp Morrison, Bob Little, Mayor Walter Chandler, Percy Roberts, Bob Taylor and Charles Crowe.</i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> [via Harry Friedman]</i></span><br /></div></div></div>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-75409321675493863662022-08-02T23:39:00.000-07:002022-08-02T23:39:25.471-07:00Dispelling the Myths again part fifteen<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDYWlk6Ih2OQK6IhzpKNVRBTxmDVZ6DyPUfqPAXXtcn5QR9voqDH2TChooIkegzEc80gzq_L3q65Moam72vuRuzizNmZa4OX6SgmAmdZe6bpYz0ZZXUDzy4NPA-OKvweVFhTsN79aqZiRTyUAB7TE6xonnAQBKOPxl6IYR6GcXshjuT4T_ivkaiVD1g/s4262/Screenshot%202022-08-01%20at%2008.32.50.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2620" data-original-width="4262" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDYWlk6Ih2OQK6IhzpKNVRBTxmDVZ6DyPUfqPAXXtcn5QR9voqDH2TChooIkegzEc80gzq_L3q65Moam72vuRuzizNmZa4OX6SgmAmdZe6bpYz0ZZXUDzy4NPA-OKvweVFhTsN79aqZiRTyUAB7TE6xonnAQBKOPxl6IYR6GcXshjuT4T_ivkaiVD1g/s320/Screenshot%202022-08-01%20at%2008.32.50.png" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br />Conclusion? - there will never be one!</b></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Right up to the last days of his life, Bob Morgan toured the aviation lecture circuit, showing a copy of the movie made by William Wyler, a movie originally made to be shown to the people ‘back home’ while World War Two was still being fought. Bob Morgan talked to community clubs, school groups, Air Force Reserves and so on. When asked in 1986 why he did it, Bob replied: <i>‘I still like to do this because the kids have no idea what it was really like over there in 1942 and 1943. Most of them get a bang out of the movie and enjoy it. But sometimes you get a different kind of reaction. One day, after I had shown it to a high school group, one of the students, a girl, came up to me and said, 'Mr. Morgan, that film is just a lot of propaganda.' I didn't know what to say’.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>It was clear as Bob Morgan told us this story that ‘the man who piloted the Memphis Belle’, consciously or otherwise, had been deeply and lastingly wounded by that high-school girl's reaction. Was this what the <i>Memphis Belle </i>had come to stand for? Perhaps the William Wyler film had been Army Air Force propaganda and Hollywood hype. Perhaps the War Department, the sponsors of the film, had even intended it that way. They had wanted to tell the American people, the parents, the wives and the girlfriends of the boys flying those planes in combat, just what those self-same boys were going through. What it was like. What the airmen were doing in the name of their country, so far from Mom’s Apple Pie. To Bob Morgan though, the film was much more than that. Indeed, as we have seen, Bob Morgan was ever the opportunist and self-promoter, but the film had become a major part of his life. Something he had lived through that time so many years ago, and re-lived every time he showed it. He could remember with pride the <i>Memphis Belle, </i>his crew, and the fact they all came home - alive.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Throughout June, July and August of 1943 the bond tour was both a
welcome distraction and counterpoint to the bad news coming from England
that bought General Arnold and the Army Air Force time - time to evolve
the Eighth Air Force from being what Arnold himself had called ‘...that
piddling little force’ into something more akin to ‘The Mighty Eighth’ -
a phrase subsequently beloved by historians and the common man alike.
Such was the success of that tour, such was the popularity of those ‘Men
of the Eighth’ - brought directly about by the <i>Memphis Belle</i> and her
crew on that Bond Tour - that no politician dared to criticise them or
to be seen to put obstacles in the way of what they stood for! </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> Inexorably
linked to the whole <i>Memphis Belle </i>story is William Wyler’s movie. This
had been ‘in production’ since he completed filming in late May 1943,
yet it was not released until mid-April 1944. There
are a number of things that are very strange about that whole episode,
not least the myriad of errors in the 91st BG logs and the dates applied
to the photographs as we have already seen - there are just too many
that are just too ‘consistent’ to be anything but deliberate. As I have
shown, without doubt those logs and photographs are wildly and
consistently in error with the Royal records in London but at least we
have been able to locate one USAAF document - Wyler’s Secret Field
Report dated 8 June 1943 to Lt. Col. Bierne Lay Jr - that confirms the
May 26th date of the Royal visit. <br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Wyler
had previously worked magic by winning over the American public with
his film ‘Mrs Minever’, produced by MGM in 1942 with Greer Garson in the
leading role. Under the influence of the American Office of War
Information, the film attempted to undermine Hollywood's pre-war
depiction of England as a glamorous bastion of social privilege,
anachronistic habits and snobbery in favour of more democratic, modern
images. It showed the Miniver family undergoing the erosion of class
barriers taking place through pressures of wartime. The film exceeded
all expectations, grossing $5,358,000 in North America and $3,520,000
abroad. In Britain, it was named the top box office attraction of 1942.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Perhaps
here is a reason for why ‘the Memphis Belle’ took so long to release.
The American Office of War Information had success with Mrs Miniver, so
perhaps they thought that Wyler could work his magic again with ‘Memphis
Belle’? Perhaps the American public could be ‘prepared’ through Wyler’s
film for the forthcoming ‘Operation Overlord’?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TXJ-G-2YG2lYhO4l1-8ijIDX8tystftcNpoqMlHUyjOz9Q6ncFNXDP5S5WACLpqqNQSSukWGQm--Ea9bG5AFR5VMUoeUG6Vp7IF005_Ok8paa7MHoqixHpL5x5Tzx3Q_Q97Il9AVHKDxy7yiWAlNGgonJmfgrEZlekq7QGeSzla5JuLMT7PNQigbOw/s1063/card036.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="1063" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TXJ-G-2YG2lYhO4l1-8ijIDX8tystftcNpoqMlHUyjOz9Q6ncFNXDP5S5WACLpqqNQSSukWGQm--Ea9bG5AFR5VMUoeUG6Vp7IF005_Ok8paa7MHoqixHpL5x5Tzx3Q_Q97Il9AVHKDxy7yiWAlNGgonJmfgrEZlekq7QGeSzla5JuLMT7PNQigbOw/s320/card036.tif" width="320" /></a></div><i></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> My lifetime membership card to the MBMA</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>In
August 1943, the Combined Chiefs of Staff had approved the general
tactical plan for the invasion, dubbed ‘Overlord’. General Dwight D.
Eisenhower, Commander of the European theater since February 1944, was
responsible for carrying off this bold gambit. The Allies' main
strategy, in Eisenhower's words, was to ‘...land amphibious and airborne
forces on the Normandy coast between Le Havre and the Cotentin
Peninsula and, with the successful establishment of a beachhead with
adequate ports, to drive along the lines of the Loire and the Seine
rivers into the heart of France, destroying the German strength and
freeing France. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, just what was - or is - the real legacy of 41-24485 Memphis Belle? Is it, as that girl who approached Bob Morgan said ‘...just a lot of propaganda?’ Is it about the petty arguments as to whether the aircraft and crew did or did not make those officially credited twenty-five missions before all the others? Or have the passing years allowed the whole story to become such an aviation icon that the whole world feels that they can and should own a piece of it - turning the truth into legends that have become nothing more than a commercial vehicle to be used by all and sundry to make either financial or political capital? And am I , as an author, just as guilty as the rest?<br /><br /> Perhaps a good indication as to this level of financial attachment that eventually grew up around the whole <i>Memphis Belle </i>phenomenon can be seen in a quote from Bob Morgan’s sixth wife after a flood damaged a storage unit on Swannanoa River Road in Asheville less than four months after he passed away - a unit that contained, in her own estimation, mementoes valued somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000 that, it seems, were not insured. <i>‘This memorabilia was to be my income’</i> she told the media. As I said when I heard; <i>‘it seems kind of tawdry somehow’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>During the years of restoration at Dayton, much appeared in print within the aviation press around the world - mainly originating from the National Museum of the United States Air Force - that gave the impression that they came along as the sole ‘knight in shining armor’ to save the American icon by ‘grabbing the aircraft back from the MBMA in order to save it’. To quote General Metcalf in a letter to the 91st Bomb Group Association: <i>‘The condition of the airframe is worse than we expected and the vandalism much worse than originally thought. Most of the detail parts that make a restoration complete have been vandalized, stolen, lost or souvenired by parties that had access to the Belle over the years. As you know. the Belle was, for most of its life, displayed in uncontrolled locations. So not only do we have to undo the ravages of weather, but must also acquire and replace all of the parts taken over the years. Essentially, the Belle is a hollow shell. Additionally, we will have to redo or replace some really inept repairs made over the years - not a pretty picture’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>This ‘knight in shining armor’ impression was further strenghened by sympathetic editorial comments in the Press and Media brought about by these NMUSAF Press Releases. However, as we have seen in this blog, the ‘... vandalized, stolen, lost or souvenired’ was initially done by the Air Force itself when they themselves removed many items back in the late 1940s for use as training aids. Local contemporary newspapers clearly reveal that this process of deterioration started by the Air Force continued right throughout the 1950s, 1960s and well into the 1970s with only occasional attempts at cosmetic restorations made when the aircraft was left outside on the pedestal. Without doubt Mayor Walter Chandler saved the aircraft from the smelter; the American Legion Post and Air National Guard in the city gave it a home and made valiant attempts using their own limited resources to keep the aircraft in an as presentable condition as possible while it was kept outside in a far from suitable environment. At the same time assorted local politicians made occasional lukewarm attempts to find the aircraft an indoor home when it suited their own vested interest to be seen to be doing something.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>The MBMA put the aircraft under cover from 1987 to 2002, although they were aware that this ‘cover’ was far from suitable. Even the Smithsonian Institution showed interest - and yet for at least thirty-two years the United States Air Force stood by and did nothing. Finally, 41-24485 <i>Memphis Belle </i>went to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio for restoration - a facility that freely admitted that given their small number of staff, it would be a process that was expected to take a decade. This is considerably longer than it would have taken the MBMA with their thirty-plus FAA-airframe qualified volunteers who put to good rapid use the aviation-industry-supplied equipment in the facility at Millington. These FedEx volunteers had already completed a considerable amount of restoration work using the latest long-term preservation and conservation techniques following a three-to-five year timeline. For a number of years the attitude shown by some at the NMUSAF and others soured relations with those who had worked so hard on the aircraft. However, people moved on, time healed the wounds and slowly the working relationship recovered. Without doubt the workers at Wright Field did an incredible restoration job returning the aircraft back to stock military configuration. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">And now - my opinion! </span></b><br /></p><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Even with all the lies, mistruths, deceit, political machinations and just plain bullshit - which started back in 1943, and which I fear is going to go on and on </span><i style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">ad infinitum</span></i><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> - this could become an ongoing post every six months or so! </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I am certain that those who don't know what they don't know and do not really care about doing in-depth research, but are incredibly vocal in spouting off their theories and ideas to all and sundry; and then get greatly offended if someone tries to correct them will continue to spout off their inanities! So many these days are not interested in digging deeply or doing much reading but prefer instead to take or rehash their information from poorly researched stuff on social media. They will continue to want to grab the reflected glory of being a 'next gen' and make grandiose statements about the activities of real or perceived 'family members'. </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-beIZT6_hSiewli6JRP-arRZGXsEBFHa4Yc3ucp3SmscolCb8wVPoNalc-Gn7k5WJSuBuagBBMtrYwHuLw-3V8OdyA6R6PxcGhKxIbIFJXgWAOA4yKOLnZSh8L-2_gQPVqfELwQzD-tWX_kirBgSC3gvWxQ_c7sU44YKsjXPKT8QrCy7_wKOb_McEA/s3402/coverpic.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3402" data-original-width="2471" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-beIZT6_hSiewli6JRP-arRZGXsEBFHa4Yc3ucp3SmscolCb8wVPoNalc-Gn7k5WJSuBuagBBMtrYwHuLw-3V8OdyA6R6PxcGhKxIbIFJXgWAOA4yKOLnZSh8L-2_gQPVqfELwQzD-tWX_kirBgSC3gvWxQ_c7sU44YKsjXPKT8QrCy7_wKOb_McEA/s320/coverpic.tif" width="232" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Where much of the material in this blog originated.... after much research!</span></i></span><br /></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Nevertheless, the underlying truth is reported in this blog, and this is something that each and every descendant of all those people can be immensely proud of - for this is the real legacy of the </span><i style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Memphis Belle. </span></i> </p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span> </span> </p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Bring all of this
together - the War Bond Tour and the William Wyler movie - and this
then, is without doubt the direct and lasting legacy of those men and
women who built, serviced, supported and who flew 41-24485 into combat.
They enabled the aircraft and crew which toured the USA to keep the
American public on the side of the Army Air Force during those dark days
of 1943 when ‘good news’ was such a scarcity - and through William
Wyler’s movie they prepared the American public for the coming invasion
of Europe in 1944.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>So say these words loud and
proud - and let them resound long, loud and clear into the future -
those returning ten men and little Scottie dog aboard that single
aircraft kept a nation supporting its Eighth Air<br />Force in the
European Theater of Operations. They solely were the spark, the trigger,
the catalyst that allowed the build-up to defeat Adolf Hitler and
nazism. Through William Wyler’s movie, they also put the American nation
in a positive frame of mind for the invasion of Europe.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-87764043677589336632022-08-01T22:54:00.001-07:002022-08-01T22:54:40.592-07:00Dispelling the Myths again part fourteen<div><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> The move to Millington</span></b><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">In early May 2002, Major General (Ret). Charles D Metcalf, Director of the then USAF Museum, along with Myrl S Morris, USAF Museum Restoration Division Chief and USAF Museum Restoration Division Supervisor Roger Deere visited the display site. The aircraft was opened up for inspection and analysis of the structure undertaken.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJwDLSNNA4jvnEPxeEsh7EpdkzId_BvN4gHkjBk4_GPrRP1orJvrbHvK99QaVc-Pvm2A1v9z0ibcwymeSRJ2-RH1sGG9UUxytBEQWmDq5kO5UxnDeaaWMGvedWrIvauFLgtRoB6WwZAt_WQS6rc8Vw7o-NdwuCrlKhY6nK-Fn4BBjpnwhKkYHjpNVbw/s1786/MB%20interior%20Andre%205.92179.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1786" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJwDLSNNA4jvnEPxeEsh7EpdkzId_BvN4gHkjBk4_GPrRP1orJvrbHvK99QaVc-Pvm2A1v9z0ibcwymeSRJ2-RH1sGG9UUxytBEQWmDq5kO5UxnDeaaWMGvedWrIvauFLgtRoB6WwZAt_WQS6rc8Vw7o-NdwuCrlKhY6nK-Fn4BBjpnwhKkYHjpNVbw/s320/MB%20interior%20Andre%205.92179.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> '...somewhat better overall condition than we had anticipated'</span></i><br /></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, there was a long list of work that needed doing, but in the words of Myrl S Morris, <i>‘...the aircraft is in somewhat better overall condition than we had anticipated’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgIIwISPxiCbQAhICiAownLR-6DjFC279_tpwTVqIFvzW3qMxHiq3K7cWeA26NU6k2O74aiY5AMoLMY-cd10oMgkULTJXpzZRjB8z4D3GFWs_17jldh6DB0HKfAYkhjizc0uY5eBh6atCM8c2zcbLUWNoTB2inuvbSSEv6P0RcKzxBtUQyCyZoXYAzw/s2067/Henry%20Martin012.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1387" data-original-width="2067" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgIIwISPxiCbQAhICiAownLR-6DjFC279_tpwTVqIFvzW3qMxHiq3K7cWeA26NU6k2O74aiY5AMoLMY-cd10oMgkULTJXpzZRjB8z4D3GFWs_17jldh6DB0HKfAYkhjizc0uY5eBh6atCM8c2zcbLUWNoTB2inuvbSSEv6P0RcKzxBtUQyCyZoXYAzw/s320/Henry%20Martin012.tif" width="320" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Henry Martin of the VoTech school seen in an earlier time standing in the cockpit area.</i></span><br /></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>It was thought that immediate action needed to be taken to stop corrosion not only in the visible areas, but also between the outer skins, stringers, longerons and bulkheads. The horizontal stabilizer was showing signs of internal corrosion, and the main gear struts were in need of attention. The engines and props needed removing, the entire wing structure, including the wheel-wells, needed all equipment removed before stripping down to bare metal, then metal etched, primed and re-painted. Interior furnishings such as around the radio operators station, the pilot and co-pilot seats and the bombardiers area, had to be removed, restored, and reinstalled. All fabric covered flight controls were to be inspected. The Life raft bay skins and the bottom inside flap wing skins needed replacing. At the same time the main landing gear tires had to be replaced as the existing ones were rotten with the cords showing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysu_Gqt9brYI5mQCYCJVqhSCfVocXvlqRlj682Ucn1FD8-Elxi_hD7JxmZGKFFM6tfZFLIdB3FSJWtxgJmwS0boR6ULHapAYzVSICaTVN9Ce3Jv51L_ocwltqjbj2MTJoVBjfshz12s55x5RIXAAaaFGdMxm_DPF3uTQF1VGr3eZHD9yxZ2xLKF3iwQ/s1786/MB%20interior%20Andre%205.92182.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1786" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysu_Gqt9brYI5mQCYCJVqhSCfVocXvlqRlj682Ucn1FD8-Elxi_hD7JxmZGKFFM6tfZFLIdB3FSJWtxgJmwS0boR6ULHapAYzVSICaTVN9Ce3Jv51L_ocwltqjbj2MTJoVBjfshz12s55x5RIXAAaaFGdMxm_DPF3uTQF1VGr3eZHD9yxZ2xLKF3iwQ/s320/MB%20interior%20Andre%205.92182.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>The inspection team concluded that the aircraft was at a critical stage of its life and that this work could not be put off any longer, for in a short time the corrosion would attack the structural integrity of the aircraft and then preservation would no longer be possible, and much would have to be replaced. Many of the problems were being caused by the environment in which it lived which was not conducive to longevity, as it was being subjected to the corrosive effects of heat and humidity almost year round. The team agreed with the MBMA’s plans that the aircraft be disassembled and moved to a facilitywhere the Restoration and preservation of ‘this national treasure’ could be properly and professionally accomplished in order to save it for generations to come.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rOSJLxmC1wOlsN5fn85q4gOCINhyYU8oXChznvPjh5FChKYrsqOVYLT9TSXAJWGxn7sNfGP37joKKciXBunp4Oxk14JFTfZafjs1e3K6V8cGt5soHU6SGRHI4oFxYJgB3ZOP2DuY28aFhyGLPYAuB4XSS3r0YNLclIC-qeIRASt0RpgKvUapA8H-2A/s1519/MB%20Medcalf%20visit022.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1519" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rOSJLxmC1wOlsN5fn85q4gOCINhyYU8oXChznvPjh5FChKYrsqOVYLT9TSXAJWGxn7sNfGP37joKKciXBunp4Oxk14JFTfZafjs1e3K6V8cGt5soHU6SGRHI4oFxYJgB3ZOP2DuY28aFhyGLPYAuB4XSS3r0YNLclIC-qeIRASt0RpgKvUapA8H-2A/s320/MB%20Medcalf%20visit022.tif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span> Medcalf (left) talks with Jim Harris and J T Loy during one of the inspection visits.</span></i></span><br /></div></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>The team from the Air Force Museum thought that the MBMA was extremely lucky to have a volunteer force who were experienced and knowledgeable and were ready to proceed with the work, which should commence immediately. As Charles Metcalf wrote to Harry Friedman on May 20 2002:<span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">‘Dear Harry -<br />We appreciated your hospitality and assistance during our brief visit to Memphis. Your enthusiasm to see the ‘Belle’ restored to her former glory is catching and I can tell you we caught it while there.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>I’m attaching comments from my staff which highlight the fact that you have a major task ahead and you absolutely will need a facility that will allow you to work year round. It was readily apparent to my restoration people that the previous restorative efforts accomplished on the “Belle” did not keep up with the progression of the corrosion and in several places has progressed to the point of exfoliation. What particularly worries me is what cannot be seen as it may be hidden behind panels, flooring, etc. We also noted that corrosion had been ground out of structural stringers and then painted over. The stringers and any other members need to be replaced as it is impossible to kill the corrosion between the stringer and the skin. We also noticed that fuselage skins had been replaced but not etched, primed and painted. We saw evidence that corrosion has started in these areas. The nature of this work (seriousstructural work) needs adedicated enclosed facility since we believe you are looking at a timeframe thatmay extend as much as three years. The corrosion has progressed to the point that the work should not be delayed. We feel your plan to move the aircraft to just such a facility away from the open air site on Mud Island is a wise one. You have an enthusiastic and well qualified technical team that will see the new worksite as a confirmation of the Association’s desire to see the project through.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>We look forward to working with you over the next several years on this essential project.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span> <span> </span>So, over the winter of 2002/3 there was another move - by truck to the closed air facility that made up part of the US Navy base at Millington, north-east of Memphis.The new home placed the aircraft in what could only be called a state-of-the art facility that included a climate-controlled environment and provided not only a restoration area but also storage and display facilities. It was not only an ideal home for the aircraft, but also for the restoration machinery donated by local and national aviation equipment manufacturers.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CIRkc-8eVWb1uPPhjMzzzWDodiRayNiDl6KLtpgs-ZTzv6UVYY8SKbVePoLDDu6XT6BgjGHbN4Mler_tR-VDP-iRS6gSlQfR4wg8WomVaCY00G8sTgGrSaw7p05fl8AFcvoYZ7VsSgyAMA-xxVrx5eLOljvRTx5oFi1a72ECbog1N4DaoA16AZe0Yg/s640/main-12.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="505" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CIRkc-8eVWb1uPPhjMzzzWDodiRayNiDl6KLtpgs-ZTzv6UVYY8SKbVePoLDDu6XT6BgjGHbN4Mler_tR-VDP-iRS6gSlQfR4wg8WomVaCY00G8sTgGrSaw7p05fl8AFcvoYZ7VsSgyAMA-xxVrx5eLOljvRTx5oFi1a72ECbog1N4DaoA16AZe0Yg/s320/main-12.jpeg" width="253" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span> </span> The Restoration Center at Millington, named after Jim Webb (below)</i></span><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwfZAG4YK-6hmrJcMYa3RUYyVX3te_z-wFLWlzL-Y0SavMKK-WYgiMJIPF52cDjUKWFPwag9UN84rj5falyIp5IdS94YmIPqJYIzNoTZY3qgr-BDYMm1_F-3nS8kMtDjFhXIiOYFhEr9fBfFmt0Air1qrdZVs0vZCzuviEQEcdkQ61DztftEUc6Q-JQ/s1773/MB%20Jim%20Webba.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1773" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwfZAG4YK-6hmrJcMYa3RUYyVX3te_z-wFLWlzL-Y0SavMKK-WYgiMJIPF52cDjUKWFPwag9UN84rj5falyIp5IdS94YmIPqJYIzNoTZY3qgr-BDYMm1_F-3nS8kMtDjFhXIiOYFhEr9fBfFmt0Air1qrdZVs0vZCzuviEQEcdkQ61DztftEUc6Q-JQ/s320/MB%20Jim%20Webba.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div>The aircraft was to remain at Millington for not quite two years. 41-24485 became a political football again, with machinations happening behind the scenes, and a whispering campaign being undertaken by some - targeting the MBMA - saying that not enough was being done to care for the aircraft and that it should be taken away from them. This coincided with a change of policy at the Air Force Museum whereby they and the Air Force would bring all ‘significant’ aircraft in their control worldwide together under one roof at Dayton.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mMd2I8zb6ovPrzEoUNU5ulJOb7dVoRQmqn0euwnUJ7nHymMBmN9yH6sqczeLwjzrrE2AGOAh_JQ3SB2wf43nQ2X6kc3CVvWolFKKO7kALVZYK_iWgn_tVNa9MTF5e6fpp__ICv0LpbVodNn1FjgKYrL4CSWmyC2ywbgMsr17Bs30VJChvnx6etOtSQ/s640/main-8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mMd2I8zb6ovPrzEoUNU5ulJOb7dVoRQmqn0euwnUJ7nHymMBmN9yH6sqczeLwjzrrE2AGOAh_JQ3SB2wf43nQ2X6kc3CVvWolFKKO7kALVZYK_iWgn_tVNa9MTF5e6fpp__ICv0LpbVodNn1FjgKYrL4CSWmyC2ywbgMsr17Bs30VJChvnx6etOtSQ/s320/main-8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A TV crew film the work going on at Millington.</i></span><br /></div></div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YDflGcw6peg1huSNSZigh3gHlwmgLoqFTBxEJFuHvQQQqm9zO5_zhg8gu7vpMiq2hSl4g7UpzGswbw73IE06wkPWLbAzYbCd0wQkbSraT6I6Uags3IyiJd2Cr44632Wg4rko_zS5vqs2VvxWZ59BIdi88j8dTttMRBLt3LY1fs0fi_iSOQLntG270Q/s640/main-10.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YDflGcw6peg1huSNSZigh3gHlwmgLoqFTBxEJFuHvQQQqm9zO5_zhg8gu7vpMiq2hSl4g7UpzGswbw73IE06wkPWLbAzYbCd0wQkbSraT6I6Uags3IyiJd2Cr44632Wg4rko_zS5vqs2VvxWZ59BIdi88j8dTttMRBLt3LY1fs0fi_iSOQLntG270Q/s320/main-10.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Andy Pouncey by the MB display</i></span><br /></div></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Since the 1986 letter from Dick Uppstrom to Frank Donofrio and Harry Friedman threatening to pull the aircraft back to Dayton, there had been occasional discussions about just this event taking place. Early in 2004 the US Air Force and the Air Force Museum sent yet another inspection team, which included Charles Metcalf and Richard Anderegg, the official Air Force historian. The inspection teams were accompanied by Bob Morgan.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> <br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOoWIFPPgyDcJLBnYVYJVBOiygmNYsZQQe34yE4zoTD62tjqifcnyq2g4llSXZayEQ55YkONAeyIqUyDKeNYWc531mA4vEKB16bAj6Sy8J1cqxxLAGvqYuczqK2eWYkqDyvj_Ha89Twh4i1uOOpetgPW9PzhA1RzEx84-3wZlei-J2lCqZw3MZ1avTQ/s1339/main-15.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1339" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOoWIFPPgyDcJLBnYVYJVBOiygmNYsZQQe34yE4zoTD62tjqifcnyq2g4llSXZayEQ55YkONAeyIqUyDKeNYWc531mA4vEKB16bAj6Sy8J1cqxxLAGvqYuczqK2eWYkqDyvj_Ha89Twh4i1uOOpetgPW9PzhA1RzEx84-3wZlei-J2lCqZw3MZ1avTQ/s320/main-15.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bob Morgan (centre, looking right) with the NMUSAF inspection team)</i></span><br /></div></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span> This was just one of several visits and meetings between the Air Force, the Air Force Museum and the MBMA during this period. Indeed the Air Force came under pressure from certain congressmen and senators to give the MBMA more time and to provide them with both a format and timeframe prescribed by the Air Force Museum which would allow the aircraft to stay in Memphis. Once this had been agreed, research by the MBMA produced the realization that the majority of citizens of the city Memphis were simply not interested in the <i>Memphis Belle. </i>Thus the MBMA requested the Air Force come get their aircraft.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>The move to the National Museum of the United States Air Force</b><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It was not long after the aircraft arrived in Dayton that the media relations machine of the National Museum of the United States Air Force kicked into high gear and a flood of press releases followed by articles appearing in the media, credited to the pen of Charles D Metcalf. This is just one example:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>‘The Memphis Belle arrived and we’ve been busy surveying both the airframe and the items that came with it. We certainly have our work cut out for us in the Restoration of the Belle. The condition of the airframe is worse than we expected and the vandalism much worse than originally thought. Most of the detail parts that make a restoration complete have been vandalized, stolen, lost or souvenired by parties that had access to the Belle over the years. As you know, the Belle was, for most of its life, displayed in uncontrolled locations. So not only do we have to undo the ravages of weather, but must also acquire and replace all of the parts taken over the years. Essentially, the Belle is a hollow shell. Additionally, we will have to redo or replace some really inept repairs made over the years - not a pretty picture. Our first effort will be to strip the entire airframe inside and out to uncover corrosion that is hidden by paint, and to return the interior to its correct bare metal finish. We will have to rewire and replace most of the tubing in the Belle to return it to the correct and complete configuration. My original estimate of eight to ten years stands firm - leaning towards the longer time’</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Often the articles from Metcalf were accompanied by quotes credited to members of the Museum staff, such as this: <i>“It’s a real honor to work on it, because it’s one of the most famous around.” said Restoration Supervisor Greg Hassler. “We’re real fortunate to have it.” Over the next eight to ten years of Restoration, no part of the plane will go unnoticed. Paint jobs will be retouched, historical details inside and out will be restored, and the engines will be put in working order, although Museum Director Gen. Charles Metcalf said it’s not expected to fly again. Years of outside display in Memphis, Tenn., subjected the icon to corrosion and even vandalism, said Metcalf, so extra care be taken to resurrect the plane to its former condition in preparation for a spot as the centerpiece of the museum’s WWII collection. But for now, the Memphis Belle serves as a history book and canvas for the restoration team'.</i></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>As can be seen, these articles suggested that the aircraft was in poor condition, that it was nothing but a gutted shell and inferred that much of the ‘blame’ could be placed at the feet of its last ‘keepers’, the MBMA. The tone was a far cry from Metcalf’s inspection tour in May 2002! It was also 'a gutted shell', simply because the MBMA had stripped it for the move to Millington and to start restoration!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>As we have seen, not only was it a miracle that the aircraft survived at all due to vandalism and the weather through the 27 years on the plinth, a large amount of ‘damage’ was actually done by the Air Force itself when they removed a lot of equipment back in the late 1940s! Things got so bad that the MBMA President Andy Pouncey and Vice-President Harry Friedman were forced to put out their own rebuttal, attempting to tell the full and complete story, but few in the media were interested.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>‘When the ‘Memphis Belle’ came to Memphis having been saved from the smelter by our then mayor, it came under the care of the city, the Tennessee Air National Guard (TANG) and later the American Legion until 1976. During this time, the airframe was largely outside suffering the ravages of time. In 1976, the city and the American Legion titled the airplane back to the United States Air Force Museum (USAFM) with the understanding that it be loaned back to the newly formed Memphis Belle Memorial Association, Inc. (MBMA.) Under the MBMA, three major restoration efforts occurred. First by the TANG and the Memphis Area Vocational Technical School at the Memphis airport starting in 1977. The second was in 1986 by TANG and the OMS and FMS from Blytheville Air Force Base when a considerable amount of sheet metal work and corrosion repair was undertaken. The airplane was then moved to a covered but open-air pavilion where it was displayed. </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>A corrosion control program was carried out during this time. Recognizing that this was not an ideal situation, the airplane was then moved to a climatized hangar at the former Naval Air Station Memphis in 2003. At that time the airframe was completely disassembled, panels removed, and an extensive restoration was begun utilizing the skills of 40 volunteer FAA certified airframe and power plant mechanics from FedEx. The time line for the completion of the Restoration was three to five years. The plan was to inspect and repair as needed (IRAN). A considerable amount of work was accomplished before the work was called to a halt by the NMUSAF. Tech orders in use during WWII were used as guides for the Restoration.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>With regard to the on board equipment, in 1949, the commander of the Air Force Reserve Training Center received permission from the mayor of Memphis to remove whatever parts could be used for training purposes. </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh_DG5-oyeZxAaQZaN1MPwaV_mpQvA5_-SFq2ZVgzs6xy2JZW6aUvFfFfbTFIYd3gezWMDeDrQOfSbCCobGZTAZyG12I66J_XOK01Fa8d9RbEMJ2-rbU4x-myS2h8HEDqpg7cqc18AuIwb-Gui6T5iV7Vb0D--e6b8o7P6ykwSO6qR_rJvUpbVX12ew/s2067/BelleWrightpat.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1373" data-original-width="2067" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh_DG5-oyeZxAaQZaN1MPwaV_mpQvA5_-SFq2ZVgzs6xy2JZW6aUvFfFfbTFIYd3gezWMDeDrQOfSbCCobGZTAZyG12I66J_XOK01Fa8d9RbEMJ2-rbU4x-myS2h8HEDqpg7cqc18AuIwb-Gui6T5iV7Vb0D--e6b8o7P6ykwSO6qR_rJvUpbVX12ew/s320/BelleWrightpat.TIF" width="320" /></a></i></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">41-24485 undergoing restoration at Wright Field.</span></i><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>These apparently were largely cockpit and engine parts but others as well. Certainly, much was later removed by vandalism until the MBMA took over in 1977. Since that time until the airplane left Memphis for Dayton, there were only two relatively minor acts of vandalism. In 1983, the USAFM sent a large block of equipment to be used in the Restoration. In addition, several companies, and individuals donated parts and some were loaned over the years. Thus, about 60 to 70 percent or more of the onboard equipment had been obtained to replace the missing items. Not only did these items accompany the ‘Memphis Belle’ to Dayton but a large number of the parts belonging to the MBMA also went with the airplane.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>We all look forward to the fine work that the National Museum of the Air Force is noted for picking up where the MBMA left off to restore the most important airplane of World War Two’.</i><br /></p></div>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-36711288404422271732022-07-31T23:14:00.000-07:002022-07-31T23:14:09.315-07:00Dispelling the Myths again - Part thirteen<div><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> That ultimatum - and just who DID own the aircraft?</span></b><br /> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">How could Colonel Uppstrom make such an ultimatum? Surely the aircraft belonged to the city of Memphis? At the time, many Memphians and members of the media believed that the Air Force had no right to lay claim the Memphis Belle. The US Government had sold thousands of surplus planes when the war was over. The plane would undoubtedly have been melted down with all the others if Mayor Walter Chandler had not gone to Washington and ‘bought’ it for $350. One would assume that the Federal Government - and therefore the Air Force - had no legal claim on the aircraft. But that was not the case.<span> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NTQ-mtkb71GOuFM68NYlJ-2bTBO3IL0sTG9KZvU4SPBLJBZRGPpDzU_ZtmIBvCVl33rAai7_f5JwTlvjgMdCEX3S85uj_gfZkh1RtxldggTpT7uwb4V6DLrzVFSrVQAwDt_AsOLWtG5DSk_1pkBOTpKSCaOfla1QOoCi9eYE4JH5iuvd2hY2MKZf2A/s1500/MBtangstrip001.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="1500" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NTQ-mtkb71GOuFM68NYlJ-2bTBO3IL0sTG9KZvU4SPBLJBZRGPpDzU_ZtmIBvCVl33rAai7_f5JwTlvjgMdCEX3S85uj_gfZkh1RtxldggTpT7uwb4V6DLrzVFSrVQAwDt_AsOLWtG5DSk_1pkBOTpKSCaOfla1QOoCi9eYE4JH5iuvd2hY2MKZf2A/s320/MBtangstrip001.tif" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><i>Above and below: TANG strip the aircraft of years of paint...</i><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSN5CNMnSAQ4-xpCTTQnu59w1sLf2PFEo3NhZZk05bgVxYUOUsN9k7xZzaZ-NsDDDktc9bByogfH4B-bP4rDQqkQkUXVO99tgw7u8DDT3Mm3k05elpXABzy56sDTTdr85D-kVKlIG2MQPZjw2XCpGpS_jaLfWMATdws6_0tl_qcohM33-7zG9YhFtv3g/s1500/MBtangstrip003.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="1500" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSN5CNMnSAQ4-xpCTTQnu59w1sLf2PFEo3NhZZk05bgVxYUOUsN9k7xZzaZ-NsDDDktc9bByogfH4B-bP4rDQqkQkUXVO99tgw7u8DDT3Mm3k05elpXABzy56sDTTdr85D-kVKlIG2MQPZjw2XCpGpS_jaLfWMATdws6_0tl_qcohM33-7zG9YhFtv3g/s320/MBtangstrip003.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> The aircraft out at Memphis VOTEC</i></span><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvid11cnOVE06kTWj7caPGxqUgpnPeIRdaVaf1_oXC9lgkDlmtSJYTMCqOaECLeAK3pJjBQUTdgCbdJb3ekmLGCXIRwa1XEPPjBU2atllrqU3Ku2dtVkyWeFDBxxx_1j3e6-X3LqSQL5Sh2zE_0LWNWnxk8ZSPA4sZVU81keQTa3F4xQN_TRcdyYP1w/s1480/MB%204.81%20068.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="1480" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvid11cnOVE06kTWj7caPGxqUgpnPeIRdaVaf1_oXC9lgkDlmtSJYTMCqOaECLeAK3pJjBQUTdgCbdJb3ekmLGCXIRwa1XEPPjBU2atllrqU3Ku2dtVkyWeFDBxxx_1j3e6-X3LqSQL5Sh2zE_0LWNWnxk8ZSPA4sZVU81keQTa3F4xQN_TRcdyYP1w/s320/MB%204.81%20068.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span> </span>It was not generally known that in the summer of 1977, when the National Guard required the plane to move off the Guard’s grounds, the American Legion did not feel that it could continue its custody of the aircraft. The Legion’s commander, William T. Jamison, wrote a letter to the Air Force, saying the Legion <i>‘...wished to relinquish control of the B-17 bomber known as the Memphis Belle.’</i> Then-Mayor Wyeth Chandler, stepson of former Mayor Walter Chandler, also wrote a letter to Ned Robinson, Chief of the Aircraft Disposition Office at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz. who was responsible for keeping track of the location of military aircraft. Chandler stated: ‘<i>The City of Memphis wishes to relinquish any claim to the B-17 bomber known as the Memphis Belle. The city does this so that the B-17 can be put on permanent loan to the Memphis Belle Memorial Association, Inc., for display in a suitable museum in our city’. </i>Ned Robinson explained that this was necessary because records of the aircraft’s ‘donation’ were destroyed in a 1962 fire at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio. <i>‘What we are doing is just getting the title straight to the aircraft and putting it in military hands’. Robinson continued, stating that the Air Force would take control of the bomber ‘...to insure that the airplane is kept in good order’</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_67W-2AMdjymbFq0Ghb12EOTRTkXCG-yNTnED_xULjzUpMz1cfJ6MGx1hT5-c8Sh8U-8pcQAgY46oVV2X-WF1Wq533WUonW7Hkl0h2zvKCmnbO0vbhNEHF06XYxwy6QBh-E73ZLCqzS20RdXUUMFbnhg1oKb0bRzN9I5LBJEh-ZWbpMeWkv9t9PZSDA/s1480/MB%20CAF%20Airshow%208.21.82%20090.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="1480" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_67W-2AMdjymbFq0Ghb12EOTRTkXCG-yNTnED_xULjzUpMz1cfJ6MGx1hT5-c8Sh8U-8pcQAgY46oVV2X-WF1Wq533WUonW7Hkl0h2zvKCmnbO0vbhNEHF06XYxwy6QBh-E73ZLCqzS20RdXUUMFbnhg1oKb0bRzN9I5LBJEh-ZWbpMeWkv9t9PZSDA/s320/MB%20CAF%20Airshow%208.21.82%20090.tif" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Advertsing the CAF Airsho, fundraising for the Belle</i></span><span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>So was the the aircraft turned over to the Air Force or to the MBMA? Chandler’s letter suggests that he turned it over to the MBMA, but Robinson’s comments suggests it was now in the hands of the Air Force, However, if it is believed that Chandler’s letter was intended to give the plane back to the Air Force, then why did it make no effort at the time to take custody of the machine? The 1962 fire removed a lot of evidence, but the fact was that nine years passed before Colonel Uppstrom’s ultimatum. The matter was investigated, and it was discovered that not only was there doubt if the aircraft now belonged to the Air Force or to the MBMA, there was serious doubts as to whether Mayor Chandler did in fact ‘buy’ the aircraft in the first place!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmih2qFWbiAgWGgF-EmSZbpWdRZYZ5ejtWJ2DpuBIg1zMxKWM32Gfi_-kwi0a3VvLGEwq9flCHWXpzUJYMr78a7lW4wpTK9k8Vrz7OTIiqF2qDwm-LQSLJYcf24nXI0UQdM7gZtI5CsADAp6x44oka5lB7yQaVzJNJfN736lbIz0mNqolN-bNmx4u9cg/s1480/MB%20CAF%20Airshow%208.21.82%20094.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="1480" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmih2qFWbiAgWGgF-EmSZbpWdRZYZ5ejtWJ2DpuBIg1zMxKWM32Gfi_-kwi0a3VvLGEwq9flCHWXpzUJYMr78a7lW4wpTK9k8Vrz7OTIiqF2qDwm-LQSLJYcf24nXI0UQdM7gZtI5CsADAp6x44oka5lB7yQaVzJNJfN736lbIz0mNqolN-bNmx4u9cg/s320/MB%20CAF%20Airshow%208.21.82%20094.tif" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Talking to the public and raising funds for the Belle</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>The Memphis Belle Memorial Association was reorganized again. Several members who had fought the battle for a long time, convened a meeting of the board of directors. George T. Lewis, Chancery Court Judge, called for an election of new officers. The old officers had had their chance. It was time to let someone else fight the final battle. Frank Donofrio was restored as president of the Association.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHAH7MgWrEmC9F9JBCBq1Hj8i8fezzJ39A3j6wUiqvkTL0oB_nD7S5TtOZCSMF8JjEBXpVD5x8UmVuLFwh2JDrKrz0-3KPx-RNa-Ka6NDPO_0l4jajRngosnVyVaOn96kxGkO8PF8YyjmFPzw7ugByFqA9zVVas9qTLU1CIwIqg48hRd5ylaRU17Z7w/s1480/MB%20CAF%20Airshow%208.21.82%20112.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="1480" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHAH7MgWrEmC9F9JBCBq1Hj8i8fezzJ39A3j6wUiqvkTL0oB_nD7S5TtOZCSMF8JjEBXpVD5x8UmVuLFwh2JDrKrz0-3KPx-RNa-Ka6NDPO_0l4jajRngosnVyVaOn96kxGkO8PF8YyjmFPzw7ugByFqA9zVVas9qTLU1CIwIqg48hRd5ylaRU17Z7w/s320/MB%20CAF%20Airshow%208.21.82%20112.tif" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> CAF airsho, raising funds for the Belle</i></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>One man who provided a turning point for the new Association was Fred Smith, dynamic president of Federal Express, a major new industry that Smith had created from scratch, providing a nationwide aviation network of overnight package and freight delivery. Smith announced that he was donating $100,000. His next contribution was to use his powers of persuasion with Boeing executives in Seattle, Washington. It had not been the first time that Boeing executives had heard about the project. Colonel Immanuel J. Klette, last commander of the 91st Bomb Group, had already approached them and laid the groundwork.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Harry Friedman remembers the incident: <i>“Fred Smith was buying some planes from Boeing for his business. He suggested to the Boeing people that they ought to contribute $100,000 to the Memphis Belle project. After all, it was Boeing which had built the plane. They donated the $100,000.”</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> T</span>he ABC-TV Network joined the campaign effort by volunteering to do a segment about the <i>Memphis Belle</i> on their popular 20/20 news magazine program, which is broadcast nationwide. Anchorman Hugh Downs showed scenes from the old <i>Memphis Belle </i>film and described the plight of the plane. This brought in hundreds of letters with donations from the show’s audience.The aircraft underwent a program of Restoration - some was cosmetic, some much more detailed. Then on September 11 1986 came the last flight. Everyone thought that the last flight the Memphis Belle made occurred when Bob Little brought the aircraft in for its final landing at Memphis Airport on July 17 1946 - but it seems that the aircraft never read that story!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnSU7beyYawnMTT6Jr5dZmEdB8QHI5f541IhwOrQDsBzrR5v3JRe0csiGEFj_kQeW4_iK6akBWEoXZmB2Portcxl_5ffK9r29cOf7JiL6EgnsdE-Y8RM96c-7MFIMHGch73bZGvacEOKp67v43bbMKWFnHGPzWF8d1wbw7pAVPLs77STKvNEgeStDuw/s1493/MB%20Downs%20visit%202.87158.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="1493" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnSU7beyYawnMTT6Jr5dZmEdB8QHI5f541IhwOrQDsBzrR5v3JRe0csiGEFj_kQeW4_iK6akBWEoXZmB2Portcxl_5ffK9r29cOf7JiL6EgnsdE-Y8RM96c-7MFIMHGch73bZGvacEOKp67v43bbMKWFnHGPzWF8d1wbw7pAVPLs77STKvNEgeStDuw/s320/MB%20Downs%20visit%202.87158.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Bob Morgan and Hugh Downs inside the aircraft.</span></i><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Charles ‘Chuck’ Shelly, an instructor at the Vo-Tech School takes up the story: <i>‘We had the Belle staked to the ground with tie-down stakes driven five feet into the ground about thirty feet from our hangar. It was a bit stormy and had just started to rain. I decided to close the hangar door. I pushed the button and the door started to close when the power went out. The door never came all the way down. I was just standing there with my students when suddenly the Memphis Belle took off. Believe me, she was completely off the ground. She had pulled those tie-down stakes right out of the ground. There was an seven foot high aircraft servicing platform between the Belle and our building, and she cleared that without even knocking it over. The aircraft came to rest with one wing protruding into the building. If that door had closed when I wanted it to, the wing would’ve crashed into it. As it was, the wing just brushed the ground and was soon repaired. At least sixty students saw it happen, so did John Steinriede, another instructor - it seems she wanted to feel the wind beneath her wings one last time’.</i><span> </span> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnyomIoJ4prSd_nj_AAAMUTa66FAUSwTV7gpRZOTgtEogA6sdPfTDQvwzlJudTClbGKjlRr_hPtL7huLYXKECUxTW-i49Su3MspvooiSwsaV_dxv--BvIaSKYGonnuYj4cgGyArMvu23aF0I6FGcuwKTNkEDBwOEqWuMtrcxrKEkESesKmgHO37E_ZA/s1786/MB%20interior%20Andre%205.92175.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1786" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnyomIoJ4prSd_nj_AAAMUTa66FAUSwTV7gpRZOTgtEogA6sdPfTDQvwzlJudTClbGKjlRr_hPtL7huLYXKECUxTW-i49Su3MspvooiSwsaV_dxv--BvIaSKYGonnuYj4cgGyArMvu23aF0I6FGcuwKTNkEDBwOEqWuMtrcxrKEkESesKmgHO37E_ZA/s320/MB%20interior%20Andre%205.92175.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Dr Harry Friedman by the nose hatch door.</i></span><br /></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span> Memphians, who had so long waited for something to happen, could hardly believe their ears when on July 31, 1986, they were told that the Memphis Belle Restoration and Museum Fund Drive had gone over the top. Frank Donofrio, the man at the head of the project said of the time, ‘<i>...My biggest problem was to keep everyone headed in the same direction!’</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span> The Tennessee Air National Guard became involved again, along with help from the 97th Bomb Wing at Blytheville Air Force Base, and another serious restoration program and re-painting began. <br /><br /><b>Mud Island</b><br />The weekend of May 16/17 1987 would be THE weekend - it was an obvious choice, it was the anniversary of the day in 1943 when Robert K. Morgan and five members of his crew had completed their designated quota of 25 combat missions. Perhaps Frank Donofrio and the Memphis Belle Memorial Association could be forgiven, for after such a long, struggle to provide what they thought would be the final home for the Memphis Belle, it was understandable that they wanted to make the dedication of that home the most grand of occasions.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>The theme selected for the weekend was simply ‘Home At Last’. The eight surviving members of the crew that had brought the plane home in triumph in 1943 would, of course, be invited. Seven of the crew; Bob Morgan, Jim Verinis, Charles Leighton, Bill Winchell, Bob Hanson, Cass Nastal and Harold Loch accepted. It had been hoped that J. P. Quinlan, the feisty tail gunner, would be coming, too, but he had been having health problems, and his doctor advised against it. Norma Scott, widow of Cecil Scott, who had died of a heart attack, would come to represent him. Peggy Evans, sister of bombardier Vince Evans, who died in a plane crash in California in 1980, would represent her brother. Margaret Polk, the other Memphis belle, would also be there with a place of honor reserved for her.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Come the Sunday and thousands of Memphis citizens and visitors from out of town jammed the monorail cars to Mud Island, where the aircraft was enthroned in the new museum. Thousands more walked across the pedestrian bridge to the island or crowded the river bluffs on the Memphis side from where they could look down on the ceremony.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>In brilliant May sunshine citizens heard the speeches and the introductions of various notables. Mayor Hackett spoke what was in the hearts of thousands of proud Memphians when he told his listeners about the long fight to save the <i>Memphis Belle</i> and how the ceremonies that day were an expression of appreciation to all the men who had fought in World War Two. <i>‘...the spirit in which they served their country lives on in Memphis’.</i><br /><br />One of the many highlights of the weekend was when Harry Friedman read a letter from General Ira C. Eaker, who commanded the Eighth Air Force in England during the war. Now 91 and with impaired health. General Eaker was unable to attend but he sent a letter to Morgan and his crew. Morgan admitted later:<i> ‘Tears came into my eyes when that letter from General Eaker was read. This was a very emotional moment of my life’.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PQB3k6Ps9NFQBmQERwBDMLbVg-d7p6UKq53ghIOAMYHJXxjVLYSBAto54h3ZYhb2DGdtpKLa85xtHDzEA-4iaCIoyaA8RDldB0iGsaN9UqmExcYVr7zyXvOQ3UEE-Vj7clVLbjxqlKuCo18Cd83SHFkRev8dj4Mj2z7_n3ml1HTeeL6lWLJPz5mS4Q/s5773/Eaker%20letter014.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5773" data-original-width="4039" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PQB3k6Ps9NFQBmQERwBDMLbVg-d7p6UKq53ghIOAMYHJXxjVLYSBAto54h3ZYhb2DGdtpKLa85xtHDzEA-4iaCIoyaA8RDldB0iGsaN9UqmExcYVr7zyXvOQ3UEE-Vj7clVLbjxqlKuCo18Cd83SHFkRev8dj4Mj2z7_n3ml1HTeeL6lWLJPz5mS4Q/w326-h466/Eaker%20letter014.tif" width="326" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then, amidst all the hullaballo a murmur went through the crowd - then people began looking skywards and shouting, ‘Here they come!’ There was the rumble as if of distant thunder - it was the sound of 28 Wright-Cyclone engines, as the largest formation of B-17s seen in America since World War Two - and they were heading their way, swooping down low over the great river.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>It was a majestic moment. A prideful moment. For some who had waited so many years, who had suffered so many disappointments, this was the moment for their own tears of joy. For their own lump in the throat. Could there be more? Indeed there was. The bomb bay doors of one of the planes opened and down came a shower of flower petals. Thousands and thousands of them. The plane’s bombardier had done his work well, for the petals were falling over the heads of the thousands waiting below. No bombs now, only soft petals floating gently to earth as symbols of peace and the fulfilment of a dream. As for the Memphis Belle, she sat under the falling petals and the eyes of thousands of cheering citizens, now entitled to her own time of peace. It seemed the <i>Memphis Belle </i>had indeed come home at last.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>It was here that the aircraft remained until late 2002 when the MBMA were forced to move again. But it was not just ‘on display’ - the MBMA already had laid in place an ongoing program of scheduled maintenance, corrosion control, and continued acquisition of missing parts and equipment at the same time as running a whole range of fundraising and educational efforts. But they were fighting a losing battle against the elements and the very structure it was enclosed within. For a number of years the MBMA were searching around for a new home - they discovered it at the nearby US Navy airfield of Millington, to the north of the city.</div><p></p></div>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-87857394954347865492022-07-31T00:52:00.002-07:002022-07-31T00:52:34.588-07:00Dispelling the Myths again - part twelve<p style="text-align: justify;"><b> The Memphis Years - first part.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Now for what is possibly one of the biggest myths of them all - that those in Memphis never cared for the aircraft. Not only is this a huge insult for those who poured their lives, souls and a considerable amount of money into keeping the aircraft in existance, it is a myth that was promulgated by those who should have known better, but guess who was 'playing politics'?<br /><br />In many respects, it is remarkable that the aircraft survived at all. After Mayor Chandler 'obtained’ 41-24485 for the city it seems that for many years they only cared for it when there was political capital to be made. The aircraft sat out at the Airport, then it seems it was ‘adopted’ by the ‘Memphis Belle Memorial Committee’ under the chairmanship of Roane Waring Jr, a Memphis lawyer with co-Chairmen Henry Loeb - who became Mayor of Memphis in 1960-63 and again 1968-71 - and Judson McKellar, the elder brother of Senator Kenneth Douglas McKellar.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFR__d0Mpva6oMxiDARjb2oRGIEN2CTf15DfX0BAj2HWB67ZlatUVwua6dWRsC5vCmEbngQbnc2o4EounhEEflaJkROuxni-L6bmGqGTuF8C4RFJb0d4NAuvyWA4Bz6JarNqtr_XQAZXLTMTx6babfGBg8_ZgfEcixaNLRdT4KhfGvJCC2ItnkAQvmw/s2055/PROGRAMM01.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="2055" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFR__d0Mpva6oMxiDARjb2oRGIEN2CTf15DfX0BAj2HWB67ZlatUVwua6dWRsC5vCmEbngQbnc2o4EounhEEflaJkROuxni-L6bmGqGTuF8C4RFJb0d4NAuvyWA4Bz6JarNqtr_XQAZXLTMTx6babfGBg8_ZgfEcixaNLRdT4KhfGvJCC2ItnkAQvmw/s320/PROGRAMM01.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><span> </span>These three men, along with American Legion Memphis Post No. 1, organized the move to the Armory and finally a Memorial Dedication on August 20 1950. From the program, it looks like they had a significant amount of support locally and the Dedication - which started at 5.30pm - seems to have been quite a party!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbS0SkGmdE2ikQ25nmCLaKEELMlPpLRUG-Hsl2NEMvmGrjCmvvGgGoo1J7f75fi6-UZEF_snSWQ3CiXSeTqHwn5bzAWDnew4xLHOyG3cBV8fSUMcq_FuRaTvpy0d_lOrV4NhLcXF4vAVXtLuOY0woS7r6gWT12V8Dwn1dQJVXEO_n8C8_9UjwiQLF9fA/s2049/dedication408.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="2049" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbS0SkGmdE2ikQ25nmCLaKEELMlPpLRUG-Hsl2NEMvmGrjCmvvGgGoo1J7f75fi6-UZEF_snSWQ3CiXSeTqHwn5bzAWDnew4xLHOyG3cBV8fSUMcq_FuRaTvpy0d_lOrV4NhLcXF4vAVXtLuOY0woS7r6gWT12V8Dwn1dQJVXEO_n8C8_9UjwiQLF9fA/w384-h119/dedication408.tif" width="384" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The initial dedication ceremony</i><br /></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Then things seem to have just languished for many years. Without doubt though a large number of people have each played an important part in ensuring that the aircraft survived - but one person stands head and shoulders above the rest - Frank Donofrio.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>In 1967 he was president of the Mid-South Metal Treating Co. <i>“I used to drive down Central Avenue on my way to work and I would pass the Memphis Belle. Somehow she always intrigued me because I had seen the Belle film during the war. Then, one day in March of 1967, I picked up a copy of Newsweek and read a story under the headline, ‘50,000 Films for Sale.’ It seemed the government was selling off a lot of films, mostly training films, made during the war. I had always been interested in training films because I used them in my business. But not all of them were training films. A few of them were documentaries and the Newsweek story was saying that the best of these was a film called the Memphis Belle.”</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Donofrio, his desire whetted by the daily sight of the <i>Memphis Belle </i>standing on Central, and now by the high praise of the film by <i>Newsweek, </i>wanted the film so badly that he made a special trip to the Government’s film depository in St. Louis to get what was believed to be the only surviving print. Bringing the film home and watching it once more made him a confirmed Memphis Belle fan. He was to devote a good portion of his life to ‘The Memphis Belle Project’.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>It started when John Means, a Commercial Appeal writer, heard about Donofrio’s trip to St. Louis and wrote a news article about it, linking it to police inspector Joe Gagliano, who had been a B-17 bombardier at Bassingbourn in the period immediately after the Memphis Belle had been sent home in 1943. Then the 91st Bomb Group Association announced that it had chosen Memphis for its 1967 convention and reunion in July. Colonel Robert K. Morgan would be in Memphis to attend.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Frank Donofrio attended the meeting and became an associate member. Then Memphis radio personality Dottie Abbott got involved. She had been the first Station Manager on WHER back in 1955 when it was owned by Sam Phillips of Sun Records, Roy Scott, and Kemmons Wilson, the founder of Holiday Inn. The station had been promoted as an early experiment in all-women’s radio programming an was billed as ‘the nation’s first successful all-girl station.’<span> </span></p><p><span><span> </span> </span>Dottie began pounding the drums for the <i>Memphis Belle. </i>The result - a new committee was formed. They all met in Dottie Abbott’s home. Members were Roane Waring, Jr., attorney and former Legion commander, Thomas Williams, Judge Willard Dixon, Menno Duerksen, <i>Memphis Press-Scimitar, </i>and Frank Donofrio, who was elected chairman.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>For the next few years, Donofrio admitted he was not quite able to provide the spark to get the thing going. In the meantime, the Memphis Belle had been painted and refurbished one more time and things did not seem to be that urgent. Then the Tennessee Army National Guard began to talk about moving the Armory to another location which created the need to move the <i>Memphis Belle. </i>Things started moving again.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Donofrio was contacted by George T. Lewis, Jr., an attorney, and John Emerson, a Shelby County employee, both representing the American Legion, which was now trying to crank up a new Memphis Belle project. It was decided that if the new group was to raise funds as a non-profit organization it would have to incorporate. Lewis did the legal work. The organization that would eventually create a permanent home for the aircraft, the Memphis Belle Memorial Association, was a reality. The date was April 6, 1976. Donofrio was elected president. Emerson was named vice-president and Lewis, secretary. The first moneyraising project was to sell memberships. The drive had limited success, not producing enough to build the new home for the aircraft. In the spring of 1977, the National Guard served final eviction papers and the new Association was powerless to stop them. The aircraft was once again dismantled and was taken back to the Airport on April 28 under the care of the Tennessee Air National Guard (TANG). Things, it seems, were starting to go around in circles.<br /><br />Margaret Polk remembers the move from the Armory plinth: <i>‘There was this little old guy who worked for Memphis Light, Gas and Water. He had wanted to start something and I was trying to help him. I remember the night before they moved the plane from the Armory, I sat in this little old boy’s pick-up truck, talking to this little old boy who was guarding the plane until about 10 or 11 o’clock’.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1Nf3b9cr3G3dv2Ddr1DAqJMw7m0oaDNsH7ymj76PIOR-CfoJoPP00cpO9y6SY_8TZ4vvOQRiIbDD2MKv-TsSun5wa92B_efMkWZpsZxOBZLp3ZNZM8DDMnqsL3aLm4d39f6koyJ-ICZcGEVqVgO-FGVmoWGihRQqGKh-P3M8E7cTAod8yvtwtV0AFg/s2008/MBANG017.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="2008" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1Nf3b9cr3G3dv2Ddr1DAqJMw7m0oaDNsH7ymj76PIOR-CfoJoPP00cpO9y6SY_8TZ4vvOQRiIbDD2MKv-TsSun5wa92B_efMkWZpsZxOBZLp3ZNZM8DDMnqsL3aLm4d39f6koyJ-ICZcGEVqVgO-FGVmoWGihRQqGKh-P3M8E7cTAod8yvtwtV0AFg/s320/MBANG017.tif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The interior before any attempt at restoriation - 1</i><br /></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>The Association on June 30 held another meeting, kicked Donofrio upstairs by making him permanent chairman, and elected Emerson president. The advertising agency of Cochran and Sandford gave the Association a blueprint for raising funds. ‘If we had followed their advice, I believe we could have gotten off the ground. As it was, we didn’t and we never had more than $5,000 in the bank at any time’ admitted Donofrio.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>More was taking place in the area of restoring the plane than in raising funds to build the plane a permanent home. Now is the time to introduce one of the co-authors of this book - and one who has had a direct and long-lasting impact on the story - Doctor Harry Friedman.<br /><br />Harry is a neuro-surgeon, but if anyone ever ran a time check on him, they would almost certainly find that his time was equally devoted to the Memphis Belle! <i>‘I must have been about five or six years old when I first saw the Memphis Belle movie at the old Suzore Theater on Jackson. We just lived a few doors down the street and I spent a lot of time in that old theater. When I was a kid, airplanes were my big passion. One day - it was around 1948 and I was about nine years old - I went out to see my brother Irving out at the Airport - he was in the Air National Guard there - to see him and the Memphis Belle was standing there. My brother let me crawl into her and prowl around. I was in heaven’.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIctGk_NuhdVzypn-VFzDs9-pjX-DZ3MtOdI5Qyj_YHOJJ-8uvo1zrTaHi88FpTQMzbAMVKQxRaLZGCeo9XJqtic9LGEcLkzlgItHFhzZKLMntTq17By57Wnafr-Qrmjg6lqhY8m-dTJZVRHRvRTxuZnE42Izt8TSZ7VNG7L4eeR4DrAmeZSEczr3vPA/s1181/MBANG019.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="1181" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIctGk_NuhdVzypn-VFzDs9-pjX-DZ3MtOdI5Qyj_YHOJJ-8uvo1zrTaHi88FpTQMzbAMVKQxRaLZGCeo9XJqtic9LGEcLkzlgItHFhzZKLMntTq17By57Wnafr-Qrmjg6lqhY8m-dTJZVRHRvRTxuZnE42Izt8TSZ7VNG7L4eeR4DrAmeZSEczr3vPA/s320/MBANG019.tif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The interior before any attempt at restoriation - 2</i></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Harry did not become officially involved in the <i>Memphis Belle </i>project until the Association was chartered - then he paid his dues and went to work although his contributions actually began long before that. <i>‘...I had been prowling around old aircraft salvage yards for years scrounging parts. I had a Norden bomb sight before I ever became connected with the Association. I’ve developed B-17 parts sources all over the U.S., some in California and others are in Arizona, Illinois, Florida and New York where I bought the bomb sight’.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnC2fDt8wQynEMbFnJZJOIZIZ3pCd1xPRbQLh0EhPCiharcoBNbKePLj6W698OA0Q08eqTeQ_AgPmI9lm6dTCYDmfSaQ3b8xXqFvmwPUNMVGvjbuvwNFin71UxakC7NrN9nMs033pBW56fn9uPo0CsGbQMZuYmqlzMtR15C9xP9zfMxm4kdD3gfrlH8Q/s2008/MBANG002.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1383" data-original-width="2008" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnC2fDt8wQynEMbFnJZJOIZIZ3pCd1xPRbQLh0EhPCiharcoBNbKePLj6W698OA0Q08eqTeQ_AgPmI9lm6dTCYDmfSaQ3b8xXqFvmwPUNMVGvjbuvwNFin71UxakC7NrN9nMs033pBW56fn9uPo0CsGbQMZuYmqlzMtR15C9xP9zfMxm4kdD3gfrlH8Q/s320/MBANG002.tif" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The interior before any attempt at restoriation -3</i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>As the years went by Harry gradually evolved from one of the troops working on the <i>Memphis Belle’s </i>restoration to what might be called the restoration coordinator, collecting parts in an attempt to replace all the parts of the aircraft that had been screwed or pried loose and carried off by vandals during the years.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">One day, one of Harry’s patients showed up at his office with a hydraulic pressure gauge and gave it to him. This gentleman had taken it off the aircraft many years ago as a child, and now wanted to return it so that it could be restored to its rightful place. Bob Morgan experienced the same thing: ‘One day I got a package in the mail. When I opened it, there was the pilot’s yoke for the Memphis Belle, along with a note. The writer confessed that one day he and his friends had pried some parts off the plane for souvenirs, but now that they were restoring the Belle, his conscience had hurt until he returned the yoke’.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Sometimes, Harry discovered it paid to scrounge more parts than he needed. He then could use them to trade for things where the owner would not consider cash as an incentive. He has even worked three-way trades in which he traded a part to one person who had a part needed by a second person who has a part needed by the Memphis Belle! Aircraft restoration tends to get complicated like that! </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5e55n7rXISe3GTEnrKyhY4Mstdusz9SIQ_iOHjW2UIRDHDftbh9ceJiD4rko918v0wdd5pJtJNmZVmizSmAmQVCcOc1GGzoHEf7IiYV42t84fnbEXyxKvtWnqJwWJGe1oX-0WKlIlqGY_Bqj1kEtFZQv9PxGYgSOKWA4Ah99q0ypMu9Wct45b0lBzwg/s2008/mebelle019.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="2008" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5e55n7rXISe3GTEnrKyhY4Mstdusz9SIQ_iOHjW2UIRDHDftbh9ceJiD4rko918v0wdd5pJtJNmZVmizSmAmQVCcOc1GGzoHEf7IiYV42t84fnbEXyxKvtWnqJwWJGe1oX-0WKlIlqGY_Bqj1kEtFZQv9PxGYgSOKWA4Ah99q0ypMu9Wct45b0lBzwg/s320/mebelle019.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> My first encounter with the grand old lady - 1980</i><br /></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Initially the aircraft was parked on the apron near the Air National Guard hangars, and men of the Guard spent hours of their spare time on the Belle project, including stripping the aircraft of the accumulated layers of paint and grime. The man who did more than anyone else was Master Sergeant Nute Paulk, a full-time Guardsman. The sergeant had been a crew chief for the A-26 flown in Korea by former Shelby County Sheriff Gene Barksdale, who flew combat missions in that war. Later, Paulk remained in the Guard. ‘Nute played a major part in all three moves of the aircraft that were made in Memphis,...’ recalls Harry’...the first move to the pedestal on Central Avenue in 1950, the return to the Airport in 1977 and the move to Mud Island in 1987’.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Around this stage of the restoration work, the <i>Memphis Belle </i>was parked near the Memphis Area Vocational Technical School, near the Airport, students at the school worked on the plane for months on end under the direction of their instructor Henry Martin. Here the first serious attempts at corrosion control, sheet metal repair and other work was undertaken, including some engine work and the complete Restoration of the pilots and co-pilots instrument panel.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>In the early 1980’s there was a restaurant in Memphis named the ‘91st Bomb Group’, located on the back side of the airport grounds and part of a chain of speciality restaurants owned by Dave Tallichet. The <i>Memphis Belle </i>was moved alongside the restaurant in February 1983 as fund-raising attempt, at the same time a continuous regime of corrosion location and control was undertaken. The day they moved the aircraft was to be a ‘first’ for Margaret Polk, for finally she got to take a ride aboard the aircraft, even if it was being towed backwards while sitting in the co-pilot’s seat as they moved the aircraft from Memphis Vocational Technical School on Winchester to the restaurant site on Democrat.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>A major ‘push’ to provide a permanent home for the aircraft began in 1985 when Harry began a correspondence with Colonel Richard C. Uppstrom, director of the then U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. He became acquainted with Uppstrom during his years of research on the Memphis Belle and his search for parts. For the record, and for clarification, ‘The USAF Museum’ became ‘The National Museum of the United States Air Force’ on October 14 2004.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNNnF_-HcBhUY77TpkMXYFcnH4OmVMsmflexeAP9ZY_hM8SJj3PkUMfFyc2rgKs6UvfIxHxqaEE9xzyp9tlDZCfvGxn659z3jE1i8AVb2fwGbqH_LhbkbntuC6jh-sMcVTeOD_Wl5ccCemmwDhyLjyh_5_Ws5ZvZ1RIGqXXq9kGM7FfKVpN0LZOXR6Q/s2878/Memphis%20Belle%20Mseum%201950%20%232012a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2384" data-original-width="2878" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNNnF_-HcBhUY77TpkMXYFcnH4OmVMsmflexeAP9ZY_hM8SJj3PkUMfFyc2rgKs6UvfIxHxqaEE9xzyp9tlDZCfvGxn659z3jE1i8AVb2fwGbqH_LhbkbntuC6jh-sMcVTeOD_Wl5ccCemmwDhyLjyh_5_Ws5ZvZ1RIGqXXq9kGM7FfKVpN0LZOXR6Q/s320/Memphis%20Belle%20Mseum%201950%20%232012a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>One of the archictects proposals for a museum building.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Uppstrom was dismayed at the years of procrastination by the people of Memphis in providing a proper home for the aircraft. Since the city had really done little, if anything, he said, the plane belonged to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson or elsewhere. Anything would be better than more years of rot and neglect. Uppstrom made these points in letters he wrote to Frank Donofrio and Harry in June of 1985. The second letter, written November 19, was more blunt: <i>“I’m beginning to get that gnawing feeling that the citizens of Memphis have no interest in the Belle and, in the long run, the best thing we could do would be to bring her to Wright-Patterson for care at the main Museum.” </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Barbara Burch, a Commercial Appeal writer, got wind of the Museum’s interest. She wrote a story, which appeared under the headline, <i>“Memphis Belle Must Move in or Fly Away.” </i>It said Memphians must take concerted action or the Belle would be gone. Harry Friedman: <i>“That story did it. It got the attention of Mayor Dick Hackett, who called a meeting of Memphis’ top business men and told them that a way must be found to keep the Belle in Memphis.”</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Business leaders in the city proposed that the new home for the aircraft could be on Mud Island. This was a unique Mississippi River park which included a Mississippi River museum and a small scale replica of the river itself. The park was attracting national attention as something different in the way of spectator entertainment. It was thought that moving the aircraft to Mud Island could play its integral part in the overall revitalization of the downtown area. A short time later. Jimmy Ogle, director of Mud Island, met with Donofrio and Friedman to present their case.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> <i> </i></span><i>‘I suppose the main difference in thinking between Emerson and me,’ </i>said Donofrio, <i>‘...had been on the type of building we wanted, and the site. He was adamantly opposed to the Mud Island site and he wanted to raise two million dollars to build a permanent, enclosed building. All of which was good if you could do it. But being realistic, I felt that $500,000 was a more practical goal and if the city was willing to give us the Mud Island site, I was willing to settle for that.’</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>In the meantime there was more action from Colonel Uppstrom. In a letter dated February 7, 1986, he had set a deadline. If the newly reorganized Memorial Association could not come up with the means to<br />provide a proper home for the <i>Memphis Belle </i>by April 15, he would consider such failure as evidence that Memphis did not have enough interest in the old plane to save her. He would take steps to recover the aircraft for the USAF Museum Program.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Directors of the MBMA held another meeting with Memphis business leaders to ask for financial help and to solicit ideas from the business community on projects for raising money. Three of the men who spoke at that meeting were Ward Archer Jr., an advertising executive, Al Sackett, a retired Naval rear admiral, associated with the Commercial Appeal, and Robert Snowden, a real estate executive. Each offered suggestions - and were promptly asked to put them to work.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Archer, assisted by Sackett, became the chairman of a committee working on local fund-raising projects. Snowden was put in charge of the building committee, which did the actual planning of the building for the plane. It was under Archer’s and Sackett’s direction that the Association suddenly found itself sponsoring a string of local events such as dances, beauty pageants, exhibitions and what have you. Each reaped dollars.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Mayor Hackett persuaded the Memphis City Council to give $150,000 including the site on Mud Island. Other Memphis business organizations weighed in with smaller gifts. <i>The Commercial Appeal</i>, which had long battled on behalf of the Belle, gave $5,000. When it became clear that a vigorous new effort was in to provide a home for the Memphis Belle in Memphis, Uppstrom extended his deadline to July 31, 1986.<br /></p></div>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-62260832187791408122022-07-30T00:31:00.001-07:002022-07-30T00:31:20.627-07:00Dispelling the Myths again! Part Eleven<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> I wonder what happened to...</span></b><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /><b>Margaret Polk</b> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The decline in the relationship between the couple reached rock bottom in Denver. The date was the night of July 31/August 1 1943. Bob Morgan explains. ‘I’d made a point of calling Margaret from every stop on the tour. In Denver, I picked up the telephone and called her number in Memphis from the hotel suite, where there was already a crew cocktail party going on. As soon as she answered, she was more interested in the background noises. She could hear the girls, the chink of glasses and the girls giggling’. Margaret wanted to know what was going on, and Bob was forced to admit there was a party. According to Morgan, one of the girls there - noticing that he was on the telephone - tried to playfully wrestle the handset away from him, at the same time loudly demanding who he was speaking to. Margaret heard it and was not happy. Words were said, and Margaret told Bob Morgan it was over.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnL9noWcfqmpEzHOLRzad6lBIIpVfeE4yso3-swqLLnm2nDumJU4FqEOLbRxe5FBv2JhXzhlx48K-TUk_rNi2stWGizpqmtjjSiAVLNT8aEyfHVsCPii-tl15USYwvTxtE3yDg4fiSYJpVaF5JJbR_aw-BqYMk0h0HV7ePtVoYr8OMKR0SMxtIgZHdQ/s2796/010.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2004" data-original-width="2796" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnL9noWcfqmpEzHOLRzad6lBIIpVfeE4yso3-swqLLnm2nDumJU4FqEOLbRxe5FBv2JhXzhlx48K-TUk_rNi2stWGizpqmtjjSiAVLNT8aEyfHVsCPii-tl15USYwvTxtE3yDg4fiSYJpVaF5JJbR_aw-BqYMk0h0HV7ePtVoYr8OMKR0SMxtIgZHdQ/s320/010.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Margaret tells the story of the break-up differently. It seems that there were women around from the moment they touched down at Washington DC.<i> '..Bob was staying out at my house when they came here, and women would call him up. They surely would. I’d put him on the phone. I thought it was some mother or sister asking about some loved one, but half of the time it was women wanting to date him.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>I cancelled the engagement on his birthday, July 31. I called him right out in Denver at the Brown Palace Hotel. And some woman answered that phone and something went on that I didn’t particularly like and everything and that was it. But the War Department wouldn’t let me break the engagement’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>‘Captain Tom’ and the War Department was outraged. They were in the middle of a very successful nationwide publicity tour with the centrepiece being the romance between pilot and a willowy girl from Memphis and suddenly they were told it was over. It was a time of war, when Americans hungered for romance and love stories. They needed the romance to take their minds off the conflict and the dying. OVER? It couldn’t be!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcaRZPUorRAnVkumJcp6ovD7w297Q8XH0FGPyNEbFi4HDedMcVshpjT5wObMW5_Ap-6lrc4EMqdVw7UmN7lip7BGkk7XxqHnKZV7rvv92Mg2Iq-dTZ9_zVZbofLN7Q9FZhgk17FadzdbE9jeXicRzDika4k-MOxqH9XGZ-G-4kCi4aU-N77e3y2sImA/s2067/MB%20Polk%20B-17E%201943190.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1603" data-original-width="2067" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcaRZPUorRAnVkumJcp6ovD7w297Q8XH0FGPyNEbFi4HDedMcVshpjT5wObMW5_Ap-6lrc4EMqdVw7UmN7lip7BGkk7XxqHnKZV7rvv92Mg2Iq-dTZ9_zVZbofLN7Q9FZhgk17FadzdbE9jeXicRzDika4k-MOxqH9XGZ-G-4kCi4aU-N77e3y2sImA/s320/MB%20Polk%20B-17E%201943190.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>The War Department Publicity machine went to work on Margaret, and she agreed to keep the love story alive. She would keep her mouth shut for the time being about the broken romance. Bob Morgan did his share also. He fought desperately to keep alive his romance with Margaret. He sent telegrams, wrote letters and made phone calls. But the story leaked out. The romance with Margaret refused to die. Bob tried to get it back on the rails. Once, on a trip through Memphis, he tried to contact her. There was a flurry of letters and telegrams:<br /></p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">October 17 1943. 10:00 PM<br /></span></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My Dearest Margaret,<br />I have never really used your first name to any degree, have I? I am not good at writing you anymore either.<br />Margaret I can’t tell you how much better I feel since I got my speech in. You see I have been carrying that around on my mind and in my heart for two months - it has been hell too. Today was the first chance I have had to tell you to your face. We always promised if anything came between us we would talk it over. I failed you there because I let that hero stuff get me down.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>I am Bob Morgan now, the guy who fell in love with you in Walla Walla and who has loved you ever since he went away in June and just got back. I was hoping your love which has led him through combat would be strong enough to take him in your arms and forgive his mistakes and take as your own forever... but darling you can’t see it that way, eh? Maybe my love was the strongest after all.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>I owe you everything, my life and all. I have no right to ask you to be big and forgive and forget and be Bob and Margaret Morgan as we planned for so long. I wish you could see death as I did and you’d know what I mean by throwing away happiness as we are doing.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>If you change your mind before I go to England in November I’ll be waiting... it is your turn now to swallow your pride .. if you do I’ll stay in the U.S. as we once planned.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>forever, yours, Bob</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>P.S. We all make mistakes....... I have forgiven people .... can’t you?</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br />Obviously they did meet, in Memphis, for Margaret wrote this letter sometime the next week... </p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Dear Bob,</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Oh! The weather is so perfect I just want to go out and play. Whiz! I bet you are out hunting now ... yep! I might well say the lazy way from a car. How about that exercise of the officers (God Bless em) are supposed to take? Come on -- try a few of those new fangled vitamin pills.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Oh! They are playing ‘My Ideal’ on the radio -- they just finished ‘The Dreamer’ a couple of my stop, look, and listens.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Bob, all I can say is what I said Sunday. We are the best of friends. If we can ever get that old feeling -- well time will tell. I have ceased to be surprised with what tomorrow brings. I feel sure everything happens for the best so why worry. Its just too pretty a day to think. Soon ole dreary winter will have the spot light on us. I love the snow but not the rest of the dreary days. Gosh! The weather has been a military secret for so long that I can’t resist talking about it now.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Bob, a little food for thought -- I don’t mean to be treading on your sore spot -- if ever we see ‘eye to eye’ there will be publicity --- how about that?</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> I received a letter from Jean Ketuz the other day -- (Glenn Adcox’s friends’ wife (Hawk to you). I hadn’t heard from her for a month or so. She said “t’other Hawk” was now walking alone and that Hawk and Glenn were still on the same merry go round. She joins occasionally. Gosh! They all are so nice!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Bebe and I still haven’t tried our hand at golf yet. We will get set one of these days and swing. I hear its good for the figure.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Joke-- why did the little moron wear two pairs of socks to play golf? Oh hush! You don’t know -- answer: He was afraid he might get a hole in one! Now see hyar Chief! If you can’t laugh you could at least chuckle. O.K. thats better.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Remember Jeep? Well she and Tommy were through here the other day on furlough. We all let down our hair and had one for the good ole days --- scotch et al. Fiddle dee dee! Don’t deny it I can see your mouth watering now. How are the whiskey runs?</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> I just can’t escape the call of my books. Jeep and Tommy stritcly interrupted my learning curricular. So I should give them a loving pat --- the books of course. Oh!! For the life of a co-ed. Don’t work too hard. If ever you can come this way it would be grand to see you for old friends’ sake. You did leave the airport in one piece I presume.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>The best of luck always, Margaret</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>P.S. I’m from MO.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>Have you read the Nov. Woman’s Home Companion? Nope, its not meant as an insult. The article on P. 4 ‘Rendevouzs with Heroes’ might be interesting. They are Mac’s group -- perhaps you know some of them.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br />He poured his heart out in a letter on October 27, while training with the 395th Bomb Squadron at Pratt, Kansas:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">‘My dearest Margaret</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I hope that you will forgive me for typing this to you, but since it may be the last letter that I will ever have the honor of writing to you, I want a copy of it to put into my scrapbook for my future years if there are any. I must be frank ‘little one’ as we have always been that way except when the public took a tired young man away from you. I love you and never have ceased in the least. Yes, I was blinded by the actions I had to face because I wanted to come back to you. You know the only way I could come home was to be the pilot of a famous bomber. 1 wanted to come home for one good reason, you. We kept our love going, through hell and high water. God gave us life and happiness. I gave you all that. I came home. I am made a hero when all I want is you. I warned you in Memphis that this tour was not to my liking. The public damn near killed me and got me to the point where I wanted to tell all of them where to go. You had told me that at any cost I had a job to do even here in the States. I did it and a damned good job. I made an awful error by blowing up but I couldn’t help it, darling. I needed you and your pride kept you from coming to me. I need you now forever. I need you now more than at any time over Germany. You belong to me and God gave me the strength to come back to you. Why don’t you admit that our love was the love of the year and always will be. This is our last chance, darling, as I can’t take it any more. I can’t even fly a B-17 without looking up for your picture. I can’t even look at my dog tags without looking for your ribbons.You belong to me.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> I need you Margaret and I want you to become my wife. I have got to have you now or give up ever thinking of having you. It has got to be now or never. I cannot go on like this. I fought death for you. Sure I let you down, but after all, you needed who? I needed you then. I need you now and have you ever come to me when I really needed you. You know you haven’t. So darling take a good look at yourself and see if your pride was not stronger than your love. If it wasn’t you will say yes (and we will be married quietly). The Colonel says I can have 15 days if I can talk you into it. And he’ll say nothing to anyone. The first the public will know of it will be weeks later. You have to admit one thing darling Margaret. You either will or you wont.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> All I ask is for your decision and cut out this Missouri stuff. This is as important to me as your pride was to you. I have a stack of letters from people all over the country saying how sorry they were that you let me down. I took the pains to write to each one and tell them I made the mistake and let you down. But now I am wondering? After all who had been through the strain. Who had fought for their country? Who had loved and been true to their love for nine months? Something that even the married men in the 91st weren’t. I needed you then, I needed you in July and August. I need you now. And if you dont love me any more than to stay away because of pride, then maybe this world isn’t worth fighting for, or at least the things we and the 91st fought for. They gave their lives. I am giving up death when I have to live knowing that you let one letter and one phone call and your pride wipe out happiness.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> It is your decision sweet, be careful, dont beat the bush. It is either yes or no. If it is yes (God say yes) LIFE will never get their story if it is no. I might as well end the story and send it on, as they have offered me $800.00 for it.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Good nite, all my love, Bob.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> P.S. I would deliver this in person but we only have big planes here. You must make the right move, Bob</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The ‘big planes’ reference relates to his B-29 training. It seems also that there was the distinct possibility of Bob Morgan returning to the UK. Margaret’s reply was written in the manner and words of the time. It contains phrases that some in the early 21st century may find offensive, but does however show that the <i>Memphis Belle </i>publicity tour ‘machine’ had reached out and touched even the rural illiterate employees on her family farm!<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Dear Bob,<br />Happy Halloween .. the goblins will get you if...</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Here I sit in the midst of downy soft cushions. Did I hear you ask why? As usual I have just returned from the farm ... the horse went one way and I went down and hit rock bottom. Won’t I ever learn? Ok, laugh its worth it.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> I received your letter yesterday. Some parts of it just beat the H out of me. So I must make the next move.... well here goes...</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> I am asking you to come here so we can have a talk. There are a few rough spots. If the Colonel will give you 15 days after you quote ‘talk me into it’ unquote. Surely he would give you a few days to ‘talk me into it’.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Perhaps one of the main difficulties is the fact that we have never been with each other except for a few hours. I do think that we should have another speaking session or a good facsimile.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> The negroes on the farm are so funny. One of them asked me how old I was. I swelled up and came out with 20. The negro said, ‘Well I declare Miss Margaret I thought you was 14’. Boy was that a pin prick. You yourself would get a kick out of the negroes. They have our pictures fastened all over their walls. Why! Are they ever proud! They don’t know we broke the engagement because there were no pictures in the paper there. I just kid along with them.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Did you decide to give up going to England in November? If you are still going there is no sense in our breaking our necks. I don’t think you are going because I know how much you want to work with the big planes.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> I saw where Major T has been transferred to (military secret, so don’t get really inquisitive). If you see him give him my best. He is really nice!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Bob, do you agree with that old axiom now? You really don’t realize the value of something until you lose it. If it was of any value in the first place it should be worth working for. The days of ‘Pennies from Heaven’ are past.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> You say you can’t go on like this. Bob, if we don’t marry I will still be on your mind. I am linked with the most important thing in your life. If we can’t talk things over and recover our old feelings, you will always wonder what it would have been to have been married to me.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Oh! Do you want my opinion? OK, I will save it for future reference! Just as you say, Chief! I am sorry I can’t tell you any more jokes. I don’t get around much anymore. I can see you still have your sense of humor. ... What other okay? .. Cut out that Missouri stuff!!... I guess our future rest in the Col.<br />I think he will see things our way or he isn’t the man I think he is ...... Something to tuck in bed with you to night. Have you ever tried to reflect yourself in my place? What would you have done or would do now under the existing circumstances? I do hope I will see you soon ......</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Sweet dreams, Margaret</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> P.S. People here are bursting with curiosity as to what we are doing. I thought the four part telegrams<br />showed that you had lost my address. But I see from your letter your memory hasn’t failed you.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> P.P.S. Thanks for the pictures. You look grand. By the way whom are you with? The “Belle” kinda does something to you, doesn’t she?</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span> </span>On November 17, still at Pratt Air Base, Bob wrote what should have been his farewell to the girl he had loved so much.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> My dear Margaret<br />I am sorry I have not written to you sooner in answer to your fine letter, but I have been away for a week and just got back this Monday. I am sure you will understand this.<br />Yes, I guess I do understand how you felt when you got that letter from me while I was in Denver, but I will never feel that you could have loved me as you said and let us go our ways without doing anything about it. If I could feel that you ever truly loved me, I’d try to win it back. We have been apart now for a long time and the wound is nearly gone and I feel we would open it once again if we tried to start over again.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I hope we will always be friends and that any time I am in Memphis, I will give you a call. I hope you will do the same when you are near wherever I am. I hope I have as much luck this next trip [his next tour of duty] as I did last time. I guess I’m the only member of the 8th Air Force who is crazy enough to go back to combat, but I am fighting for something still.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>Good luck Margaret and may our paths cross again soon no matter where. My best to your whole family.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span>As ever. B’</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then he was gone, back to the wars. Bob Morgan’s marriage to Dorothy Grace Johnson had ended the storybook romance of the <i>Memphis Belle.</i> Bob Morgan liked to tell reporters his version of the ending:<i> I called Margaret at home and said ‘Look, with all this publicity about our love affair I think we ought to just call it quits’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">As we have seen, it was certainly not like that. Even in 1987 when Menno Duerksen wrote <i>‘Home at Last’ </i>he knew of the true story, and the continuing romance, but bowed under pressure from Bob Morgan to keep it quiet. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Margaret, of course, recalled it differently: '<i>We wrote each other letters. I think my mother saw to it that we didn’t see each other, like he might have come through and she’d tell him I was over at the farm. I was either at the farm or over at Hot Springs and then I was going to school.'</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Except there would be times, during the years that followed, when Margaret’s mother was not around to fend off Bob. There were times when the romance almost came back to life once more. They met again over the years and the old flame was fanned alive again. Margaret liked to remember it, that flaring of the old flame, as proof that their love had not been just another casual weekend affair. It proved, for her, that there was something durable and undying about it, after all. <i>‘I would have married him at this time if circumstances had permitted it, but circumstances had their way of interfering and it couldn’t happen’.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>After the war Margaret trained as an Air Stewardess for American Airlines for a while, flying out of Memphis to Washington DC, New York, Cleveland, El Paso and Texas. <i>‘I thought I was big stuff, ordering Martinis up in New York, at the Algonquin Hotel, sitting there where all those writers and things used to sit there in the lobby. Then I’d go to a play and fall asleep, and I would not know what was going on’.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Her father, who had spent many years commuting between his farm in Arkansas in the week and his family in Memphis at the weekends, passed away in 1946, and left her an inheritance that would support her for the rest of her life. She met and later married Joe Copeland, a travelling tractor-parts salesman, but that did not last long. ‘My brother Oscar Jnr died of Parkinson’s Disease, my sister Elizabeth had one son, but he was killed in Vietnam. She herself died in 1951. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Margaret also had a battle of her own to be fought. Margaret had always enjoyed a drink. It had helped make things spark when she had been together with Bob Morgan. Later, even as early as her airline stewardess days, she found that her drinking had become a problem. She lost the stewardess job. <i>‘The management of American Airlines called me down a couple of times when I was taking a flight out. To explain the smell of drink, I told them I had been to a wedding. I had met this girl out in El Paso, Texas. That was one of my layovers. She asked me to spend the summer with her down at at ranch near Corpus Christi. I told American that I had to handle my fathers estate, which was a tale. When we came back, they wanted me to take a trip out. In the meantime I had gotten drunk out in Texas and called Bob up at his home. I thought he was coming up so I told them that I couldn’t take a trip out. In the meantime the airline called home over a five or six dollar expense check that was due me. Mother told them what a grand time I was having down in Corpus Christi and down in Beeville, Texas. And they thought I was on serious business! I’m glad that marijuana and cocaine were not around then or I probably would have gotten into them, too!’</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Her private hell lasted nearly sixteen years and only ended in 1963 when she collapsed in a coma which lasted five days. <i>‘It was the day I was supposed to move out of my house on Lemaster. They found me in bed with my eyes rolled back. They took me to hospital- my brother Tom was coming down and the doctor told him ‘...there was no sense in coming down... either she comes out of it or she doesn’t, and we’ll let you know. So they built me up. They were going to commit me to a sanitarium and then they came and told me that I wasn’t taking care of my dogs, and that’s when I agreed to commit myself. So I went to a sanitarium in Arlington, Texas and stayed ninety days. There I didn’t have any sense. I was hiding my cookies and my candy. They would let me go to the store. I’d buy cookies and candy and I’d hide it like I’d hide my whiskey all through my closet and everything. I guess I overdo everything I do. The only treatment they gave me was becoming a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. I was so dumb! I’m sure I’d heard of it before I went down there. I thought it was an exclusive club! They head to tell me how to write a check down there - I had forgotten. I had brain and liver damage from all that alcohol. It took me two years to get back to something like normal - I was living in never-never land. I didn’t know how to worry about anything.'</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">She never minded if Memphis Belle fans knew about her long journey into hell and back with her battle with alcoholism - ‘It might help someone to stay away from what I went through’.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Margaret was once asked if it been the bitterness and disappointment of her failed romance which helped catapult her into her battle with alcohol? <i>‘I believe that our romance was something that simply was not meant to be. You see, Bob and I never had a chance to be together for any length of time. My mother adored Bob. They were great friends. But mother said several times that, in her opinion, Bob would be a wonderful lover but a hell of a poor husband. ‘I believe if Bob and I had married, we would have torn each other to pieces. I believe I was more in love with love than with a man. I believe God had a hand in it all along. It had been in its best moments a thing of such splendored beauty. It had seemed to be a love affair made in heaven’.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oYwgPQLcrOZYdDlQtLmjnrIdO60f-S5jKdVyTD5ALYtepoLhYJjfUm_5Wdkm9Ecr-Ix-sUEuKzGA-fTYKllaamVSUEXnuddGcAXNkWRzTs0nxvX1LlkTBCPp1_rDxtORUouGBZgf62QvqLMUK9frH4CrMPOwQO4baQOdpJJEsDXuptHjG4HQeikMUA/s1617/dedication011.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1617" data-original-width="1086" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oYwgPQLcrOZYdDlQtLmjnrIdO60f-S5jKdVyTD5ALYtepoLhYJjfUm_5Wdkm9Ecr-Ix-sUEuKzGA-fTYKllaamVSUEXnuddGcAXNkWRzTs0nxvX1LlkTBCPp1_rDxtORUouGBZgf62QvqLMUK9frH4CrMPOwQO4baQOdpJJEsDXuptHjG4HQeikMUA/w288-h429/dedication011.tif" width="288" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Margaret spent nearly six years working with Alcoholics Anonymous, helping other victims struggle out of their own hells. But there came a time to give it up. <i>‘I wasn’t thinking like an alcoholic anymore. This was something you need if you work with these people’. Not that she had a lot of friends. Some might say she almost led a monastic life in her modest home in midtown Memphis.The spectre of alcohol never left her, she used to say. Alcohol claimed many of her family as victims, including her father, her brother, her sister and her sister’s husband. It claimed her husband. Her marriage lasted five years. ‘It was never really a marriage. I was in the midst of the drinking problem and he had the problem too. It couldn’t have worked’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tgbIEFe9vWNR3ynczW3AWTQC1rzSXL7dkc3cPKB56l6KugYqT3ENrZCiSAp7oH6rhi8iQAPUupSsTVXk_BIrJZmrgN85ryQUi5BVZ-5x4xqc5PKgcz0p-UpbSKjseMs9PCUYJvldd9oyB7W2BwXpdQCXDT4f4IijaIXfLuFwpjGPigz9t2uz5HGK_g/s1624/dedication007.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="1624" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tgbIEFe9vWNR3ynczW3AWTQC1rzSXL7dkc3cPKB56l6KugYqT3ENrZCiSAp7oH6rhi8iQAPUupSsTVXk_BIrJZmrgN85ryQUi5BVZ-5x4xqc5PKgcz0p-UpbSKjseMs9PCUYJvldd9oyB7W2BwXpdQCXDT4f4IijaIXfLuFwpjGPigz9t2uz5HGK_g/w356-h226/dedication007.tif" width="356" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>When her marriage ended, she legally reverted back to her maiden name. Locals called her ‘Polky’ as a term of casual endearment from the best of her old-time friends from school days. Bob Morgan called her ‘Polky’ when their romance was young and blooming. It survived, shorn of its romantic shading but with a special meaning for those who loved her in a different way.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>She worked for years with the Humane Society, but always on the edge of things because she could not abide close relationships with the real action. ‘I can’t go in where the cages are looking at them and knowing’ she used to say. Birds fed freely in her back yard. They knew where lived a generous heart. Margaret spent some of her time working with the Woman’s Exchange, a place where good clothing was made available at bargain prices.<i> ‘I sell and wait on tables in their tea room’</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>She also made herself available whenever the <i>Memphis Belle </i>was in need of fund-raising efforts. She always lent her presence and her support as the ‘real’ Memphis belle, travelling all over the country with Frank Donofrio of the Memphis Belle Memorial Association. In later years her health started to suffer and Doctors told her to slow down, telling her she was in need of a heart valve replacement and that she should cut down on her swimming in her own backyard pool, a pleasure she always enjoyed.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>A tale was told where a visitor who had been visiting Margaret said as he left <i>‘Well, I’ll go now and leave you in peace’.</i> Her reply was telling and simple. <i>‘I am at peace, I’m always at peace’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>In 1988 she it was discovered she had a brain tumour - for which she underwent surgery. It was then discovered she also had lung cancer. She refused chemotherapy, preferring instead to take massive amounts of vitamins.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgGz4Tj90e441ZFA9XF-NCfGagmiMos29Bz82bv1E_tg2HCxXl7FikfPlg8QLRSV4juo88awQBjk74iUwIGjsfbE5bNTX8CZpRSwumlVb6ufFURiYIpUImd1cQCspAS__Vo8TR2CyBcAq8jBo9RywFYiwHylNBiF8caoeZfkUhLJNSiYdnMDQ3el8qg/s2759/Marg02.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2759" data-original-width="1946" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgGz4Tj90e441ZFA9XF-NCfGagmiMos29Bz82bv1E_tg2HCxXl7FikfPlg8QLRSV4juo88awQBjk74iUwIGjsfbE5bNTX8CZpRSwumlVb6ufFURiYIpUImd1cQCspAS__Vo8TR2CyBcAq8jBo9RywFYiwHylNBiF8caoeZfkUhLJNSiYdnMDQ3el8qg/s320/Marg02.TIF" width="226" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Margaret passed away in her Memphis home at 3.18am on April 15 1990. She was 67. MBMA member Bill Stoots arranged for red and blue ribbons to be hung on the nose of the aircraft out at Mud Island with gold lettering that read <i>‘In Memory of Margaret’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">When her last will and testament was published, under Item Three, there was the biggest bombshell of all: ‘I direct that any amounts due to me at the time of my death under a certain promissory note in the principal amount of FIVE THOUSAND ($5,000) DOLLARS from ROBERT K MORGAN be considered as paid in full and direct that said note be cancelled.</p>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-16578733609070120412022-07-28T23:34:00.000-07:002022-07-28T23:34:32.600-07:00Dispelling the Myths again! Part Ten<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> I wonder what happened to...</b></span><br /></p><p><b>Bob Morgan</b><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The triumphant tour eventually turned sour because, as Morgan put it, <i>‘It was too much of a good thing. There was too much wine, women and song. And not necessarily in that order!</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>During the Bond Tour, Bob Morgan received an invitation to the Boeing Assembly Plant in Wichita. It was there he found out the USAAF had a new aircraft - a bomber bigger, more powerful and capable of flying much higher and faster than the Memphis Belle. This was the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. They were slated for duty in the Pacific. A B-29 named Enola Gay would make history by carrying the first atomic bomb to be dropped in the war on Hiroshima. <i>‘They let me climb into one of those planes and sit in the pilot’s seat’ said Morgan. ‘That did it. Here I was, surrounded by all that luxury in a pressurized cabin. That huge body. I just had to fly it’.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Morgan volunteered for a second tour of duty in the Pacific and began pulling strings to get into the seat of one of those B-29s. The only member of the Memphis Belle’s crew who would go with him was Vince Evans, the bombardier. According to the Morgan/Powers book, it seems that Vince Evans had got for himself a new Hollywood bride called Jean Ames. The only problem was, was that Vince had not bothered to get himself divorced from his previous wife, Dinny whom he had married in Walla Walla before leaving for England. ‘J.P’ Quinlan also volunteered, thinking he would be flying with Morgan, but somehow how things got SNAFU’d, and he ended up with another on another B-29. Vince Evans decided to head for the Pacific until things cooled down, and people stopped throwing the word ‘bigamist’ around.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Major Robert Morgan would also make another bit of history when he became the pilot to lead the first B-29 bombing attack on Tokyo. His B-29 would be called <i>Dauntless Dotty </i>in honour of another girl, this one called Dorothy Johnson. Bob Morgan turned her into wife #4.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span><span> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnlnboMNweJJar6_Uw7pxI6y9cBpiFpnE2vXj4d1Iidl7ISSkb07q0djNILH0guzLwzXgjYt-u1y4F8Isk2EaCKdCXfekBaVLdoDVRmIBlek-jbZvQyEX0eWi6v16zuFGS-XYSWB_gf-qmeYTTwiwM6IARwbTbzByRZQT1P_gwn4sXR1Q2mrLqp0zJVQ/s2303/DOTTIE1a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1624" data-original-width="2303" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnlnboMNweJJar6_Uw7pxI6y9cBpiFpnE2vXj4d1Iidl7ISSkb07q0djNILH0guzLwzXgjYt-u1y4F8Isk2EaCKdCXfekBaVLdoDVRmIBlek-jbZvQyEX0eWi6v16zuFGS-XYSWB_gf-qmeYTTwiwM6IARwbTbzByRZQT1P_gwn4sXR1Q2mrLqp0zJVQ/s320/DOTTIE1a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bob Morgan’s B-29 <i>Dauntless Dotty </i>waits another payload of 500lb bombs.</span><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>After the war, Morgan left the Armed Forces on September 9 1945, with some two thousand and thirty-five flying hours under his belt and returned to his native Asheville. He did, however remain in the Air Force Reserve, gaining the rank of Colonel.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>For a time, along with his elder brother David, he operated the Morgan Manufacturing furniture factories that had belonged to his father. Bob Morgan stayed in contact with Vince Evans, who was now making his mark in Hollywood. It was though Vince’s contacts that Bob Morgan is supposed to have oh-so-nearly gone to work for entrepreneur film-maker, pioneer aviator and famed billionaire Howard Hughes, for Vince offered to get Bob a job as a commercial pilot working for Hughes’ Trans World Airlines - the famed TWA. But it was not to be. For a time Bob Morgan was an automobile dealer, selling the Volkswagen Beetles so beloved by a generation of Americans. No matter that they had been made by his one-time enemies in Germany! In the beloved hills of his native state, Bob Morgan and Dorothy would rear their four children Sandra Lea, Robert Jnr, Harry and Peggy.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRm-QWESZV72nJeuu7Jr9WYLPmnbVPBJFJidTASWGa6dsBnwVorp1a6mVc4ZA-4JEll5sirRAMTPP4w3PcLJnipWcMJYPmh4twLrmdaRy-0ylNAGLC1OCiDDqXcRLtlpN_jJFNRnZvsXr4kptrn-QtQ99H1aA6_I5Ds2-ESouhzVd91bzn0W4FQKTBsQ/s2575/Dorothy022.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2575" data-original-width="1063" height="613" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRm-QWESZV72nJeuu7Jr9WYLPmnbVPBJFJidTASWGa6dsBnwVorp1a6mVc4ZA-4JEll5sirRAMTPP4w3PcLJnipWcMJYPmh4twLrmdaRy-0ylNAGLC1OCiDDqXcRLtlpN_jJFNRnZvsXr4kptrn-QtQ99H1aA6_I5Ds2-ESouhzVd91bzn0W4FQKTBsQ/w253-h613/Dorothy022.tif" width="253" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Dorothy was a home-maker and happy stay-at-home. Bob Morgan had ‘itchy feet’, travelling around the US for Morgan Manufacturing. He talked the company into buying an aircraft - an Army-surplus BT-15, which he flew along with a number of other machines. In December 1956 he had a close call while the ‘company’ aircraft was in the hangar undergoing maintenance. <i>‘I probably came closer to getting killed in a private plane than I ever did flying combat in Europe. I was flying a twin Cessna and we were going duck hunting on the East Coast. The weather was just horrible. It was in December. We ran into ice, sleet, everything. I had two friends in the back seat and another friend of mine was in the co-pilot’s seat. We were loaded. We took off and climbed to 6,000 feet. I thought we would break through it but we didn’t. The ice was building up on the wings and then the carburettors began icing up. I pulled all the carburettor heat we had, but it didn’t help. Both engines quit. I knew we had to come down. We had been over the mountains, and I didn’t know where we were. Coming down, we finally broke out of the clouds at 500 feet with both engines dead. It had to be some kind of miracle. Right under me was a grass landing strip. I couldn’t have flown any further because of the dead engines. It was Hendersonville, North Carolina. I made a dead stick landing with both engines dead. Somebody was really looking out for me that day’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Throughout the 1950s he and Dorothy had their ups and downs, as did many other couples. They would break up, then make up, only to separate again. Business trips took Bob down to Memphis to visit a plant affiliated to the Morgan Manufacturing Company. While there, Bob called Margaret. And visited. ‘...for a brief sad time, our romance was rekindled again. We saw each other a few times. Arranged meetings in various places. Wrote letters, loved, argued. It was soon over’.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ivc4Lnwf7u8s-S4w-d1NBFE0EDJfyCN_Hu2cltNeAkUUgtOwETAV8Cx88vVe71SbaElKrNZA-OQ_9l0su8QAVi1IN3F7Qy77feS0R9-ndknPCCiNhsNrPVR31if82TCz4ibYjQzrbMrJS1xmxRTIVtpylofPFoSgaObsvbIuvfQweCqmreH5NRl8Nw/s2067/MorgMarg003.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1274" data-original-width="2067" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ivc4Lnwf7u8s-S4w-d1NBFE0EDJfyCN_Hu2cltNeAkUUgtOwETAV8Cx88vVe71SbaElKrNZA-OQ_9l0su8QAVi1IN3F7Qy77feS0R9-ndknPCCiNhsNrPVR31if82TCz4ibYjQzrbMrJS1xmxRTIVtpylofPFoSgaObsvbIuvfQweCqmreH5NRl8Nw/s320/MorgMarg003.tif" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bob Morgan regularly passed through Memphis, often paying visits to both his Memphis Belles. This is<br />thought to be the 1967 reunion.</span></i><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Eventually, with the kids grown up, he and Dorothy came to a parting of ways. They were divorced on May 24 1979. Bob had already met and romanced another - Asheville realtor broker and widow with four children, Elizabeth Thrash. He was married to wife #5 in June 1979. He took Elizabeth to England three times, the first as a belated honeymoon that took in the signing of a batch of prints produced from a painting of the <i>Memphis Belle</i> by aviation artist Robert Taylor.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>The second was in 1989 to watch the filming and participate in the publicity for Catherine Wyler and David Puttnam’s film. Eight surviving crewmembers and their wives flew over and a good time was had by all - however, despite the crewmembers offering suggestions regarding authentic dialogue and detail, film director Michael Caton-Jones declined their assistance. The result, as Bob Morgan said in masterly understatement was something that was ‘...historically innacurate’. Morgan liked to quote one reviewer: ‘The clichés dropped like bombs!’ Their third trip to London was to attend the film premiere. Sadly, Elizabeth contracted lung cancer, and passed away in January 1991.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIkw8_RWVykuY53XZ41g9cmzGPkIPOTkxxza--3Ly84FEJ-UUirlIY_1Um37pNRP7XOFiz0Bh59kRmaKQ9g8VComfFj6OydN1Po4Of8o1xzh_6ALQrLVsjeDp7GC8yyn27b68ZAQ8W6a8vsUmsKWwufb7_3O2enKBemm-xpdlpq928OgkPhye7mcTeA/s1926/VH007.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1299" data-original-width="1926" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIkw8_RWVykuY53XZ41g9cmzGPkIPOTkxxza--3Ly84FEJ-UUirlIY_1Um37pNRP7XOFiz0Bh59kRmaKQ9g8VComfFj6OydN1Po4Of8o1xzh_6ALQrLVsjeDp7GC8yyn27b68ZAQ8W6a8vsUmsKWwufb7_3O2enKBemm-xpdlpq928OgkPhye7mcTeA/s320/VH007.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> Some of the Memphis Belle’s crew and their partners in 1989. Right to left: Jim Verinis, Bob Hanson, Bill Winchell, Joe Giambrone, Bob Morgan, Chuck Leighton and Eugene Atkins. They are seen in front of the original Control Tower, at the time a Museum.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>On the aviation lecture circuit Bob Morgan - now 72 - met Linda Dickerson, a lady who had been doing Public Relations work for David Tallichet, the owner of the B-17 that had stood in for the Memphis Belle in the movie. Dickerson was also acting as a freelance publicity agent for members of the crew. They met in April 1991 at the Sun’ n Fun Fly In at Lakeland Florida. Bob romanced and won her, then 47 year old Linda became wife #6 at a ceremony performed under the nose of the Memphis Belle at Mud Island on August 29 1992. The bride was given away by Brigadier General Paul W. Tibbets Jnr, the man who piloted the B-29 Enola Gay over Hiroshima with Jim Verninis acting as best man.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Not everyone was happy that the ceremony was about to take place. As Joy G Wilson of Memphis said at the time; <i>‘I feel strongly that this coming wedding to be held under the wing of the famed bomber is an affront to the memory of Margaret Polk. - a cheap ploy for publicity for Col. Morgan and in extremely poor taste. I do not agree that ‘Margaret would appreciate the idea’. Having known Margaret and having said this, I feel much better!’</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvsaN_VCH8kXgBm5pRVbkRRMjff0IS_zbxNysfte0ITx_5Ow_p2FvV6xO4PJivS4rf93zklkm-JwD0JEfMnbyvRv8KiMLc0czR0n1w0vdhJakvW9Hmd34uyKOwk-XGworE7V1nZDfPKqfgq-IvZ78Q01t0rbLaQlZesjdO8EJCOHxS8VIxKSt2P_Gzg/s1366/Morgbitch004.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1297" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvsaN_VCH8kXgBm5pRVbkRRMjff0IS_zbxNysfte0ITx_5Ow_p2FvV6xO4PJivS4rf93zklkm-JwD0JEfMnbyvRv8KiMLc0czR0n1w0vdhJakvW9Hmd34uyKOwk-XGworE7V1nZDfPKqfgq-IvZ78Q01t0rbLaQlZesjdO8EJCOHxS8VIxKSt2P_Gzg/s320/Morgbitch004.tif" width="304" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bob Morgan and wife #6 in front of the <i>Memphis Belle</i> at Mud Island on August 29th 1992.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Bob Morgan and his wife continued on the lecture circuit, often attending twenty or thirty a year. They came over to England in 1993, and again in 1997 to attend the opening of the American Air Museum at Duxford. That was not the only event. They visited Bassingbourn, lectured in the local area and visited Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother at Sandringham.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcDXzCFyigv4xfXcedg7DksvdJpZ05N04NxjuPrqPxZroLJUfzttAY2sJfTcqVVHfwJT1iLyP_WfodRZ6P8uOrzAMZzEZtdIWcsAv10bnpjbtXPNL0qKmHYnhf9JBX4MVlErmnyZ10SEwJ9CBm5gwQwoqaEhQBLWFJRIBrPuSWuico4uavVhYXBGLyw/s1773/VH003.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="1773" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcDXzCFyigv4xfXcedg7DksvdJpZ05N04NxjuPrqPxZroLJUfzttAY2sJfTcqVVHfwJT1iLyP_WfodRZ6P8uOrzAMZzEZtdIWcsAv10bnpjbtXPNL0qKmHYnhf9JBX4MVlErmnyZ10SEwJ9CBm5gwQwoqaEhQBLWFJRIBrPuSWuico4uavVhYXBGLyw/s320/VH003.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtbCQ6JrUCfeAKz39T5lzVMA2mB8SDDVi1RcGZ7YRu7hE-DrcHD6c28hrlFl53Q61wRZNuMFcR6U8WQJTL50AVjK7mjqWGCaxBvI8fkhLJUbwLM1VNEnnRCX7NArVlQaQiHuugB55Fd6KwxqDDyXnn6n0L8uIiJiCA9-WcyYhPGOBZBnFu3mFbD0cDg/s1793/VH005.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1793" data-original-width="1213" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtbCQ6JrUCfeAKz39T5lzVMA2mB8SDDVi1RcGZ7YRu7hE-DrcHD6c28hrlFl53Q61wRZNuMFcR6U8WQJTL50AVjK7mjqWGCaxBvI8fkhLJUbwLM1VNEnnRCX7NArVlQaQiHuugB55Fd6KwxqDDyXnn6n0L8uIiJiCA9-WcyYhPGOBZBnFu3mFbD0cDg/s320/VH005.TIF" width="216" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bob Morgan’s ‘Return to Bassingbourn’ were highly orchestrated media events. Morgan and his wife with Lt. Colonel Jerome Church RRF, OBE, Commanding Officer of Bassingbourn Barracks as the old airfield had become. The media and enthusiasts responded well to all the hype and were out in force to see and meet the star of the show!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYff4rxzU1X5RNDIko956Y9SO6Yh-f89Ahg7KRS0aESP50iqCpkSJcIuXuSFrxrXKb4qGbl58A-j9g02_QL-ox26B1vqI3_13JXYB2GSBRiJZC89hOMk6McsmoymPT7dcLlTAvVECjw3xQbViVV-iOCK5Irk6ACA1xRHLawpGIwI8dro8LBChg-d2jBw/s1720/VH001.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1720" data-original-width="1181" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYff4rxzU1X5RNDIko956Y9SO6Yh-f89Ahg7KRS0aESP50iqCpkSJcIuXuSFrxrXKb4qGbl58A-j9g02_QL-ox26B1vqI3_13JXYB2GSBRiJZC89hOMk6McsmoymPT7dcLlTAvVECjw3xQbViVV-iOCK5Irk6ACA1xRHLawpGIwI8dro8LBChg-d2jBw/s320/VH001.TIF" width="220" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Bob Morgan reflects on memories of fallen comrades in the Chapel of Remembrance at the American Military Cemetery at Madingley near Cambridge.</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Here is a good as place as any to clear up another point - the crew never wore jackets with the Petty Girl artwork and name on the back - that was something dreamed up for Catherine Wyler’s 1990 movie!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">In April 1999 he was invited to fly a Boeing B-52 at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, LA and in October 1999, Morgan was invited to fly a B-1B Bomber at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. Robins subsequently named one of its B-1’s ‘Memphis Belle’ and painted the new noseart on in February, 2000.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>On April 22 2004 Bob Morgan attended the airshow at Asheville Regional Airport. Whilst there, he fell and was rushed to the Mission Memorial Hospital where he was diagnosed to have suffered a fractured neck. His condition deteriorated and was eventually taken off life support systems. He passed away on May 15. Bob Morgan’s ashes are buried in the Western North Carolina Veterans Cemetery, Black Mountain, about 18 miles east of his hometown of Asheville where, following the ashes internment, a B-52, B-17 and a P-51 did flypasts in tribute.</p><br /><br /><br /><br />Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-31804240603912033572022-07-27T23:24:00.000-07:002022-07-27T23:24:40.851-07:00Dispelling the Myths again Part Nine<p><b>A certain small little booklet... How can something so small, and so Restricted be so wrong?<br /></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">After the Memphis Belle and crew returned to the USA, and part-way through the ‘grand tour’ the Training Aids Division published a small, 36 page booklet. It contained a Foreword by General ‘Hap’ Arnold and contained - in the General’s own words <i>‘...factual accounts of aerial warfare over Germany and the occupied countries’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2O7nqDxIJSqGm-xIgxZXvBCI872sDVyrCe7M7jdZDU-sMP_bb8jX2y2uF2dD7n0RkBd_0QQ8NDloO4G88lmA2_SvdvYDrSCaCyaStjXIVgiLqCmkNXiG30EIN-bo37HDYmtonDmKkXEjByfy7oaiVLR0TfZSmauNISLCfD_5A1bwKLERNz5ISNmXfLQ/s1353/25-missions---the-story-of-the-memphis-belle-1943_17661_main_size3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1353" data-original-width="824" height="461" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2O7nqDxIJSqGm-xIgxZXvBCI872sDVyrCe7M7jdZDU-sMP_bb8jX2y2uF2dD7n0RkBd_0QQ8NDloO4G88lmA2_SvdvYDrSCaCyaStjXIVgiLqCmkNXiG30EIN-bo37HDYmtonDmKkXEjByfy7oaiVLR0TfZSmauNISLCfD_5A1bwKLERNz5ISNmXfLQ/w281-h461/25-missions---the-story-of-the-memphis-belle-1943_17661_main_size3.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Despite the fact that on the front cover was printed the word ‘Restricted’, the booklet was intended to reach as wide an audience as possible; as ‘Hap’ Arnold said<i> ‘... I consider it important that the messages of these men be given maximum circulation’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>In the light of what the booklet contains when analysed, one wonders if it was intended for purely military use, or much of it was meant as propaganda to reach the wider general public!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3T_GNEO6DKNe02oxe1yQLvuNk3IycyqzucHuAlu3Xdlk_IS4ZsESAofbvXMOgfEojjXtMWLuUGBwSEHe7q6sx_5DIPFNSEVxLaqjmGPn8zRbioz-MhMC0As2cWF6B7SAoaFigcr2tltj1xADJBmVsUI8aff3e6ER4bvNp19Z6PmClYVQAoNBVjvgbg/s5048/insidefrontcover029.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5048" data-original-width="2844" height="505" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3T_GNEO6DKNe02oxe1yQLvuNk3IycyqzucHuAlu3Xdlk_IS4ZsESAofbvXMOgfEojjXtMWLuUGBwSEHe7q6sx_5DIPFNSEVxLaqjmGPn8zRbioz-MhMC0As2cWF6B7SAoaFigcr2tltj1xADJBmVsUI8aff3e6ER4bvNp19Z6PmClYVQAoNBVjvgbg/w284-h505/insidefrontcover029.tif" width="284" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Luckily, we were in a position to be able to learn of the full background to the booklet from the person who authored it, for Ben J Grant of South Carolina, corresponded with Harry Friedman before he passed away. <i>“In 1943 the Army Air Forces adopted a policy of bringing bomber crews home from Europe after they had flown 25 combat missions, I guess the idea was that 25 times over the hell of Hitler's Europe constituted enough deadly hazard for any man.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>The first bomber and crew to be brought back under that policy were the B-17 Memphis Belle and its 10 crew members. They were received as heroes. At the request of the U.S. Treasury, General H.H. Arnold, Commanding General of the Army Air Forces, made the Memphis Belle and its crew available to help promote the selling drive for war bonds. The bond mission was sandwiched into the Memphis Belle’s tour of AAF training establishments, where they met with student pilots, bombardiers, navigators and gunners to offer the benefit of the crew’s knowledge and experience to others yet to go into combat. A great deal of importance was being attached just then to Savings Bonds, because they represented a non-inflationary way of financing part of the cost of the war. So in their travels about the country, they participated - effectively, I'm sure - in Savings Bond rallies.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>General Arnold ordered the AAF Training Aids Division in New York to interview each member of the crew and get their stories and words of advice for young AAF personnel yet to go into combat. At the time I was a captain in the Training Aids Division, assigned to write training literature. I was tapped to do the interviewing and writing on the Memphis Belle assignment. I guess the principal reason for selecting me was that I had been a Washington correspondent for years, working for the Associated Press and experienced in doing fast interviewing and writing.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>Whatever the reason, I first contacted the crew in Washington, where they met with a lot of army brass. I sat in on the meeting and listened to a kind of rap session, mainly the crew’s answers to questions put to them about their experiences, their triumphs, their mistakes, their words of advice to other crews, and so on. I hoped this session would provide the wherewithal for my booklet, but it did not. The conversation was too disorganized, too repetitive, too diffuse to give me what I needed. Three or four of the crew did most of the talking while the others sat silent. This did not bring out what I needed for the booklet, so I asked permission to follow the Memphis Belle - I had to have each man’s story and observations in detail and in his own words.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> <i> </i></span><i>From Washington the Memphis Belle and crew flew to Nashville, where they would appear at a bond rally. </i>(as we know, the actual route was Washington - Memphis - Nashville) <i>I followed them there, got a<br />room in the same hotel, and in about a day and a half interviewed each of the 10 crew members. I had gotten to know them by that time, and we had very satisfactory conversations. We met one on one in my hotel room, with nobody present except each individual crew number and myself. I took notes as the fellows talked. Each cooperated fully.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> <i> </i></span><i>I then flew to Washington, knowing that I would have to get the final manuscript reviewed at the Pentagon. I borrowed a desk and typewriter at the Pentagon, and in part of a day and evening I wrote the booklet, including not only the first-person accounts of each crew member but also the title pages, the foreword to be signed by General Arnold, and the factual history of the Memphis Belle which preceded the individual accounts. You have noticed no doubt that I also wrote brief personality pieces on each crew member to precede their own stories.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>All hands understood this was a rush job, so everybody concerned at the Pentagon cooperated by reading the manuscript and approving it immediately. Having completed the "coordinating" process at the Pentagon, I took the manuscript in my brief case and flew to Dayton, Ohio, where the Training Aids Division's liaison office had been alerted that I was on the way with a rush printing job. </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>In the meantime, the art section of the Training Aids Division in New York had done a cover layout and drawing of a B-17, and the Pentagon supplied a photograph of the crew for the centerfold. In Dayton, I was placed in the hands of the McCall Printing Company, one of the largest in the country. The Materiel Command had a continuing arrangement with McCall's for the Command's printing needs. The McCall people got busy at once and started setting type. The next day I was able to fly back to New York with sample copies of the booklet in my briefcase to deliver to my commanding officer. The whole process - the conference in Washington, the flight back to New York, the flight to Nashville, the flight to Washington to write the interviews and other elements of the booklet, the coordinating, the flight to Dayton, the printing and the flight back to New Yor - all took just one week. That was because all hands cooperated so well, including those young fellows in the crew of the Memphis Belle, I guess the booklet received pretty wide distribution. I don't recall now how many copies we ordered. But General Arnold wanted it available wherever young men were being readied for combat duty, especially in the European theater.”</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>So there you have it - the booklet was written by a lifetime, non-aviation journalist in a hurry. Yes, without doubt Ben Grant did individually interview each crew member in turn, but clearly he did it without any ability to cross-check and corroborate what he was being told by individuals and, as he himself makes clear, he was working under a great deal of pressure. It is almost certain that the only ‘official’ document he was able to refer to was Bob Morgan’s own Flight-Log Book which explains why the ‘mission list’ in the booklet so closely follows the 25 missions Bob Morgan flew on. Ben Grant took what he was given and, on getting back to the Pentagon, wrote up the entire booklet - including the responsibility for completely writing General Arnold’s Foreword - in less than a day.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Bob Morgan claimed for many years that they were always the first to 25. <i>‘There never was any doubt in my mind, even for a minute, as to whether the Memphis Belle was the first to complete 25 missions. That is what General Arnold told us and what General Eaker told us. We had no reason to doubt it. It is in the official record’.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>So, 25 Missions’ - is it a historical document? Many people still regard this little booklet as an historically accurate document. We have already seen what went in to it’s compilation and production - but just how accurate is it? </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span><span> </span>Let us compare what Ben Grant hurriedly wrote back in 1943 with what we now know of the history of men and machine - starting with the four-page introduction, which appears under the line ‘The Memphis Belle...’ </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>In September, 1942, a new Flying Fortress was delivered at Bangor, Maine, to a crew of ten eager American lads headed by Robert K. Morgan, a lanky 24-year-old AAF pilot from Asheville, N. C.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>Proudly, the boys climbed aboard, flew their ship to Memphis, Tenn., christened her ‘Memphis Belle’ in honor of Morgan's fiancee, Miss Margaret Polk of Memphis, and then headed across the Atlantic to join the U. S. Eighth Air Force in England.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>Morgan had told them it was rough where they were going. There would be no room in the Memphis Belle for fellows who couldn't take it. The boys said they were ready. They took it. Between November 7 and May 17, they flew the Memphis Belle over Hitler's Europe twenty-five times. Bombardier Vincent B. Evans dropped more than 60 tons of bombs on targets in Germany, France and Belgium. They blasted the Focke-Wulf plant at Bremen, locks at St. Nazaire and Brest, docks and shipbuilding installations at Wilhelmshaven, railway yards at Rouen, submarine pens and power houses at Lorient, and airplane works at Antwerp. They shot down eight enemy fighters, probably got five others, and damaged at least a dozen.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>The Memphis Belle flew through all the flak that Hitler could send up to them. She slugged it out with Goering's Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs. She was riddled by machine gun and cannon fire. Once she returned to base with most of her tail shot away. German guns destroyed a wing and five engines. Her fuselage was shot to pieces. But the Memphis Belle kept going back.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>The longest period she was out of commission at any one time was five days, when transportation difficulties delayed a wing change. When the tail was destroyed the Air Service Command had her ready to go again in two days. </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>Only one member of the crew received an injury. And that. says Staff Sergeant John P. Quinlan, the victim, ‘was just a pin scratch on the leg’.The Memphis Belle crew has been decorated 51 times. Each of the 10 has received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal and three Oak Leaf Clusters. The 51st award was Sergeant Quinlan's Purple Heart.</i><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The ship's 25 missions follow:<br />November 7 <span> </span>Brest. France<br />November 9 <span> </span>St. Nazaire, France<br />November 17 <span> </span>St. Nazaire, France<br />December 6 <span> </span>Lille. France<br />December 20 <span> </span>Rommily-Sur-Seine. France<br />January 3 <span> </span>St. Nazaire, France<br />January 13 <span> </span>Lille, France<br />January 23 <span> </span>Lorient, France<br />February 4 <span> </span>Emden, Germany<br />February 14 <span> </span>Hamm, Germany<br />February 16 <span> </span>St. Nazaire, France<br />February 26 <span> </span>Wilhelmshaven, Germany<br />February 27 <span> </span>Brest, France<br />March 6 <span> </span>Lorient, France<br />March 12 <span> </span>Rouen, France<br />March 13 <span> </span>Abbeville, France<br />March 22 <span> </span>Wilhelmshaven, Germany<br />March 28 <span> </span>Rouen, France<br />April 5 <span> </span>Antwerp, Belgium<br />April 16 <span> </span>Lorient, France<br />April 17 <span> </span>Bremen, Germany<br />May 1 <span> </span>St. Nazaire, France<br />May 4 <span> </span>Antwerp, Belgium<br />May 15 <span> </span>Wilhelmshaven<br />May 17 <span> </span>Lorient, France</i><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>The flight time on these missions ranged from three hours and 50 minutes on December 6 to nine hours<br />and 30 minutes on May 1. The total sortie time for the 25 missions was 148 hours and 50 minutes. Approximately 20,000 combat miles were flown.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>Today, the battle-scarred Memphis Belle is back home with her remarkable crew, the same crew to a<br />man that was organized 10 months ago in Maine. The Belle is the first bomber to be retired from active<br />service and flown back from the Eighth Air Force.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>Still flying the Memphis Belle, the crew is touring the United States to tell their story to the boys in<br />training establishments. Student bomber pilots, navigators, bombardiers and gunners are learning from the members of this crew the things they picked up the hard way.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>The succeeding pages of this booklet tell the stories, in their own words, of the boys of the Memphis<br />Belle. Here is what they saw, learned and did in the world's toughest theater of aerial combat. There are<br />important lessons in these stories. Let us learn and apply them.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Just how factual is it?</b> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">General Arnold’s Foreword itself contains one innacurracy. The first paragraph says <i>‘...a distinguished crew which remained intact since its formation 10 months ago’</i> - it didn’t, we have already seen the myriad of crew changes. However, General Arnold did make this exact-same statement when the crew arrived at Washington DC on June 16, so the blame for that lies with either the General or his speech-writers - it cannot be placed on the shoulders of Ben Grant! Morgan always emphatically insisted that neither he, or any member of the crew he brought back from England did anything to promote that claim. <i>‘To my knowledge we were never asked about it and if we were, we ignored it’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>As for the<i> Memphis Belle </i>introduction, let us look at it paragraph by paragraph.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>As far as we can tell, paragraphs one and three are accurate - but paragraph two? <i>'Proudly, the boys climbed aboard, flew their ship to Memphis, Tenn., christened her ‘Memphis Belle’ in honor of Morgan's fiancee. Miss Margaret Polk of Memphis, and then headed across the Atlantic to join the U. S. Eighth Air Force in England. </i>This is pure fantasy as we have already seen!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Paragraph four; <i>‘...Between November 7 and May 17, they flew the Memphis Belle over Hitler's Europe twenty-five times’. </i>Not correct. Between those dates they may have gone into combat 25 times, but certainly not solely aboard the <i>Memphis Belle. </i>The <i>Memphis Belle</i> itself did not complete its 25th mission until May 19. ‘...They shot down eight enemy fighters, probably got five others, and damaged at least a dozen. Eight swastikas were painted on the side of the aircraft, indicating the total number of enemy aircraft shot down, claimed and credited to the gunners aboard the aircraft. However, two official records indicate that the total number is different. The list showing the number of aircraft shot down by the 324th Bomb Squadron show just four for the <i>Memphis Belle</i> with two probables and one damaged. However, a news dispatch sent from Bassingbourn in June 1943 speaks of six. So what was the total?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>A clue to the discrepancy can be found in the diary of the 91st BG. It seems that the 8th Air Force Command became aware that the number of shoot-downs claimed and being recorded as confirmed, was too high. The figures were then revised downward, reducing the number of enemy aircraft claimed to be destroyed. This then left the question of what to do with the swastikas already painted on the Group's aircraft. Although no official papers have been discovered to prove this, it can well be imagined that, if only to protect AAF personnel morale, Commanders decided to allow the claim markings already painted on to remain. But as Colonel Morgan and other crew members always stated, whenever planes returned from a combat mission with claims for enemy aircraft shot down, each claim was carefully examined by Intelligence Officers. No crews were allowed to add a swastika until given official permission that a claim had been approved. As Morgan always said: <i>‘There is no way you can take that record away from the men’.</i> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>It seems that the booklet’s ‘claim’ of eight enemy aircraft shot down only came to fruition after the swastikas were painted under the bomb chart when the missions were complete and the <i>Memphis Belle </i>was going home, as has been seen in elsewhere. Remember, the moment that the <i>Memphis Belle</i> was prepared for the trip back to the USA, it was in the hands of the War Department’s publicity machine and, given the growing losses of the Eighth Air Force at the time, they needed as good a picture as possible to be painted to the public. So, is the claim for ‘destroyed eight enemy fighters’ spurious, or is it possible to make sense as to how that figure was derived?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Are there any other clues? Going back to what Morgan and the crew said about ‘No crews were allowed to add a swastika until given official permission that a claim had been approved’ Perhaps another study of the aircraft is in order. There were, after all, other swastikas on the aircraft. The tail gunner’s position had two, one for each of Quinlan’s claims. There was one under one of the nose windows, almost certainly for Vince Evans' claim, and two more under one of the waist windows The table below shows the results of a complete trawl through the 324th BS records for enemy aircraft claims. When one looks at all possible combinations - claims from gunners aboard the Memphis Belle, claims from gunners forming part of Bob Morgan’s crew when he was flying aircraft other than the Memphis Belle and claims from gunners forming part of the crew of the aircraft when it was on the war-bond tour, it is possible to come up with a much ‘better-looking’ set of figures for enemy aircraft destroyed; seven destroyed, three probably destroyed and one damaged. It is possible that one of the ‘probably destroyed’ was later revised upon further intelligence into a ‘destroyed’ - this would not show up in the daily 324th BS list.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNR5jnAJ8xlP02OzPFJYHMtnCSx1Y0VrurXtxMKNZeW793iAf3idViOKiV8wxpM-trUhtllG-d950ZqRTkptwL3uJHE6ffj37lIb4EzlmqVMlzfWJFoRmP62kF4W0urFMcSFlxADR8TKy_sHg4dcX60ZNyRn-JdXv-jccZabl4exNGJE5t6P7oYSpv8w/s2476/Screenshot%202022-07-23%20at%2010.35.05.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="2476" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNR5jnAJ8xlP02OzPFJYHMtnCSx1Y0VrurXtxMKNZeW793iAf3idViOKiV8wxpM-trUhtllG-d950ZqRTkptwL3uJHE6ffj37lIb4EzlmqVMlzfWJFoRmP62kF4W0urFMcSFlxADR8TKy_sHg4dcX60ZNyRn-JdXv-jccZabl4exNGJE5t6P7oYSpv8w/s320/Screenshot%202022-07-23%20at%2010.35.05.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Given that Ben Grant interviewed each crewman ‘individually, one on one’ you can almost hear him asking the question ‘And how many enemy aircraft did you shoot down?’ The reply would follow ‘One’, ‘Two’... and they would be telling the truth, for it is highly unlikely that the original question was ‘And how many enemy aircraft did you shoot down while you was aboard the Memphis Belle! After all, it is highly unlikely that Ben Grant even knew they flew and fought on other aircraft - remember Cas Nastal and his order to keep quiet?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Thus it can be seen that whichever way it is viewed, the eight swastikas painted in the aircraft do not represent eight enemy aircraft destroyed BY the aircraft.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Paragraph seven says...<i> ‘Only one member of the crew received an injury’.</i> This refers to a slight upper leg wound to tail gunner John P Quinlan, on March 28 1943 during a raid on the railway centre at Rouen. There were three other wounds, all minor, that never got reported, so therefore this is ‘officially’ correct.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Paragraph eight.. <i>‘The ship's 25 missions follow...’ </i>That statement and the following missions list is totally incorrect when viewed in the context of them referring to the <i>Memphis Belle.</i> What that list is, is Morgan’s 25 missions, during which he flew three other machines, 41-24515 <i>Jersey Bounce, </i>41-24480 <i>Bad Penny </i>and 41-24527 <i>Great Speckled Bird</i> as well as the <i>Memphis Belle.</i> Again, this becomes quite understandable given that Ben Grant was talking to Bob Morgan in a hotel room in Nashville.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Paragraph ten, first sentence: <i>‘Today, the battle-scarred Memphis Belle is back home with her remarkable crew, the same crew to a man that was organized 10 months ago in Maine’.</i> A continuation - or maybe the origination - of what also appears in ‘Hap’ Arnold’s ‘letter’. Completely ncorrect.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Paragraph ten, second sentence: <i>‘...The Belle is the first bomber to be retired from active service and flown back from the Eighth Air Force’. </i>This is only at best partially correct. True the <i>Memphis Belle </i>was sent back from the 8th, but it was not ‘retired from active service’ for it went on to serve - after a complete overhaul - with aircrew training until 1945. The <i>Memphis Belle </i>was also certainly not THE first to be sent back, which then leads on to the fact that the <i>Memphis Belle’s</i> crew were also not the first to return! Those two honors go to a former 92nd BG B-17E 41-9112, which left for the USA via North Africa and the Southern Ferry Route on February 14 1943, supposedly crewed by Lt William J Crumm and his crew who had flown ten missions with the 91st BG. Their normal aircraft had been 324th BS 41-24490 <i>Jack the Ripper.</i> Almost certainly Morgan and some of the crew would have known about Crumm’s return - being from the same Squadron - but Ben Grant would not.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">This aircraft - known as the ‘Reed Project B-17’ about when the engineering section of the Bovingdon Combat Crew Replacement Center was used to investigate technical and operational problems with the weaknesses in B-17 crew organisation and armament, that became apparent after the first few missions. These were of immediate concern and Major Robert J. Reed, the Engineering Officer, conducted a special study with a view to making recommendations on how best these could be overcome. 41-9112 was set aside for use in planning and effecting trial modifications.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63PVp5NzgunsdzQwMyOp1fMwnvVXmxHbyZ7mji26b572xmW6rj6E2Fki8rLt8zpFGx8gK6ohXmtewgzDmCdPSRIOgp7s1BFq44CL3rl6b79uH7pbIZl7hVU8IhYJmYAezsQhrJgRIAn_DIL5zj_D313c0w3Dk_Y34lO8K7RiTfYSRAK12vh4lWDSubQ/s1378/Reed%2017005.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="1378" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63PVp5NzgunsdzQwMyOp1fMwnvVXmxHbyZ7mji26b572xmW6rj6E2Fki8rLt8zpFGx8gK6ohXmtewgzDmCdPSRIOgp7s1BFq44CL3rl6b79uH7pbIZl7hVU8IhYJmYAezsQhrJgRIAn_DIL5zj_D313c0w3Dk_Y34lO8K7RiTfYSRAK12vh4lWDSubQ/w403-h146/Reed%2017005.tif" width="403" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>By late January 1943 Reed was able to submit a detailed report. The problems were defined as: lack of sufficient firepower forward, insufficient organisation of the combat crew, tail heavy balance condition, difficulties with the ball turret and inadequate oxygen supply for turrets. Solutions were proposed and some modifications had been carried out. Eighth Bomber Command was impressed with Reed's work but as many of the changes proposed involved major specialist engineering that could not readily be undertaken by the Eighth Air Force in England at that time, so the aircraft was sent back to the United States to have this work completed. Major Reed was to oversee the project and while in the US make known the shortcomings of current production B-17s to Materiel Command and the manufacturers. 41-9112 was flown to Wright Field Ohio, where modifications were undertaken, including the fitment of hydraulic power turrets in the nose and tail. Amongst the myriad of changes was the creation of a separate bombardier’s compartment in a lower fuselage blister. The work was not completed until September and early in October the Reed project bomber, now nicknamed Dreamboat, was flown back across the Atlantic. The purpose was to elicit opinion from Eighth Air Force engineering staff and combat group commanders, for while the USAAF viewed Reed's aircraft favourably, they felt that incorporation of such extensive revisions to production line B-17s would cause unacceptable delays.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>The remaining paragraphs of the Introduction are factually correct. Then Ben Grant proceeds on to the individual interviews themselves, complete with biographic details. Because they are all first-hand accounts, and personal opinions, it is impossible for us as historians to query any point made - we were simply not there, and there are no movies,videotape or documentation to prove or disprove what was said. All we can say, is that the events described did happen, on the dates stated.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-72941914958675728862022-07-27T00:04:00.000-07:002022-07-27T00:04:44.518-07:00Dispelling the Myths again Part Eight<p><b>Just what was the true timeline as to the events of May/June 1943?</b><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Much can be gained by studying Morgan’s Individual Flight Record for June and the <i>Memphis Belle’s </i>Maintenance Record for May/June. It is known that May 17 saw the <i>Memphis Belle’s </i>24th mission, which was Morgan’s 25th. Two days later, on May 19, Lt Anderson flew the <i>Memphis Belle </i>its 25th mission. Morgan claims he flew her also that day, and indeed his flight record does show a 2 hour 50 minute flight that day, with two landings, but it could not have been aboard the Memphis Belle, for after Anderson’s mission - the sole flight of the day - the aircraft was ‘snagged’ with oil pressure problems on engines #3 and #4 - also the radio compass was not working. According to the Maintenance Record, the <i>Memphis Belle </i>was not flown again until the day after the King and Queen’s visit, on the 27th, when Bob Morgan took it up for a 4 hour 15 minute flight. The aircraft was not flown again for the rest of the month, so the trip to Bovingdon for the 26th Mission ceremony could not have happened then.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqkoT3j7LdWF5G2wCJ_MiUt0FQQfe_i7WahWWugLzO10_Jy3tIQ_gmLEPUIbDRjm04-cxccDfU39pJTDffm6f4SxgVOd28yZf7sggpKYIm1YUB9kesE960xEAN9XPHKgMymDg0toKSjPAGlCG2_Nc915iaxK-L-bhFBaEUWZH_6WDpDh4CQvff56K1A/s944/wwyler.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="944" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqkoT3j7LdWF5G2wCJ_MiUt0FQQfe_i7WahWWugLzO10_Jy3tIQ_gmLEPUIbDRjm04-cxccDfU39pJTDffm6f4SxgVOd28yZf7sggpKYIm1YUB9kesE960xEAN9XPHKgMymDg0toKSjPAGlCG2_Nc915iaxK-L-bhFBaEUWZH_6WDpDh4CQvff56K1A/s320/wwyler.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />It took a chance remark by co-author Harry Friedman to Catherine Wyler, William Wyler’s daughter to provide the spark that led to the discovery of a two-page document that solved many of the mysteries.<br /><br />Written on June 8 1943, it is a secret ‘Field Report’ detailing William Wyler’s activities from May 15 - June 4 1943 - a key period in the history of the <i>Memphis Belle.</i> Both Morgan and Perkins suggest that Wyler was aboard the <i>Memphis Belle</i> on May 19 - Bob Morgan:<i> ‘I flew the Memphis Belle myself of May 19. No, it was not a combat mission but a photography mission carrying William Wyler’.</i> Wyler’s Field Report shows otherwise - he was aboard<i> ‘Our Gang’ </i>with Captain Gaitley on the Kiel mission.<p></p><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildx-E88m31clHN9PyjQKOHJQtByEVC7BsarH-qE5VrMVogIFiamqJm_Vpxxhps-83__UsU29vNV2g4OI5HrsWI7b-Gz8HFtXpngNOkL8IOLZ0JmTNrx0bEsWYgaLI7fcyQ4z6frKbg4R0fKE4A_TqQFX55xN0VWEbIgNkPScReviyEAVZJSejBv9vEw/s3160/wyler1.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3160" data-original-width="2202" height="447" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildx-E88m31clHN9PyjQKOHJQtByEVC7BsarH-qE5VrMVogIFiamqJm_Vpxxhps-83__UsU29vNV2g4OI5HrsWI7b-Gz8HFtXpngNOkL8IOLZ0JmTNrx0bEsWYgaLI7fcyQ4z6frKbg4R0fKE4A_TqQFX55xN0VWEbIgNkPScReviyEAVZJSejBv9vEw/w312-h447/wyler1.tif" width="312" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />Morgan/Powers also states that before leaving Bassingbourn, Bob Morgan took the <i>Memphis Belle</i> up for more filming with William Wyler - yet again, the Field Report shows otherwise. Entries for both May 18 and May 20 distinctly shows that Wyler photographed Morgan, crew and aircraft on ‘ground activities’ only.<br /><br />Then we come to the May 25 entry. <i>‘Arranged with Colonel for King and Queen who were visiting the field to inspect ‘Memphis Belle’ and crew’.</i> This is the ONLY reference that mentions the royal visit in the correct date sequence that ties in with official royal records. It also contradicts Wyler’s own post-war claim that he had personally arranged for the King and Queen to visit Bassingbourn ‘specifically’ to review the <i>Memphis Belle </i>and her crew. According to the Field Report, it is clear that their Majesties were already going to be on base - Wyler just grabbed the opportunity to get Royalty into the documentary short! It is also clear from the closing paragraphs that at this point in time - June 8 1942 Wyler was still thinking in terms of a documentary short - a newsreel in other words - as an <i>‘...instructive film of value to the Army Air Forces’.</i><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie26_iIriAGQXlwVXXiG3W5mBKsspMl5x1yax5Y5dORa0WUasZgJU8jYZce_AqziYTBH2l0ocXAlxaPBg-AY3knSRhTeCEntVqF0bi3VWPTbIjJyzLAzGiRYMhtOeaVgq4b5Ki51fArsVQfqnDEeGqwL3h0bhLu9J3wQfxktEmCqQACoxZ7qIj1ygCOQ/s2405/wyler2.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2405" data-original-width="2203" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie26_iIriAGQXlwVXXiG3W5mBKsspMl5x1yax5Y5dORa0WUasZgJU8jYZce_AqziYTBH2l0ocXAlxaPBg-AY3knSRhTeCEntVqF0bi3VWPTbIjJyzLAzGiRYMhtOeaVgq4b5Ki51fArsVQfqnDEeGqwL3h0bhLu9J3wQfxktEmCqQACoxZ7qIj1ygCOQ/w379-h414/wyler2.tif" width="379" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Captain Cliburn took the <i>Memphis Belle</i> up for a two hour flight on June 2. We know that Captain Cliburn had already reached his personal 25, so this must have been either some kind of test flight, or perhaps a proficiency flight to allow Captain Cliburn to remain current on type. Morgan took the <i>Memphis Belle</i> up also for two hours on June 8 during which he made four landings - this also suggests a proficiency flight, or possibly some filming work in conjunction with Wyler’s movie. It also could be that he wanted to make sure all was working correctly for the long trans-Atlantic crossing. On June 9 there is a single one hour flight recorded in both logs - this most have been the flight over to Bovingdon also including some film work, which is cross-correlated by the picture captions. Then nothing happens until June 12, so the vague ‘details’ of the Official Log for June 8/9th appear to be in error, for the aircraft and crew did not set out for Prestwick until this date - explained by the 2 hour 30 minute flight time. June 13 sees an eight hour flight, three of which Morgan flew on instruments. This is the first part of the trans-Atlantic crossing, taking them as far as Greenland. They nightstopped and re-fuelled here, then making a two-stage, 13 hour flight - Morgan’s record shows two landings - on June 14. In a radio interview given on June 23, Margaret Polk revealed that Bob Morgan called her from Bangor, Maine in the evening of Monday June 14 - this must have been the intermediate stop for more fuel before landing at Wendover Field, Chicopee, Massachusetts, as recorded by Morgan. Here again they night-stopped. Incidentally, Morgan’s Flight Record for June 1943 was certified by a Captain Edwin R Glass, the Operations Officer of the 395th Bomb Group, suggesting that this was the unit to which they had been re-assigned for the duration of the Bond Tour.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Gt1ktJK6VXiRokpT5If65P0C7YuAGE0u7kVu7EXR5TCHVwNuIYooVcd5NHjgDcTiL1HHxM68NR1OdV8aprPBnWwyo1OnP2MjcQkhaPO-m8blBVVK0tLKMVcf3hatQnfTCgZGNvKwbLv10q5p9B1WB1FFgKHiPu7zBjcz82wAphbDO68W3UVg-wKkVQ/s2108/Screenshot%202022-07-23%20at%2016.27.25.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2108" data-original-width="768" height="715" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Gt1ktJK6VXiRokpT5If65P0C7YuAGE0u7kVu7EXR5TCHVwNuIYooVcd5NHjgDcTiL1HHxM68NR1OdV8aprPBnWwyo1OnP2MjcQkhaPO-m8blBVVK0tLKMVcf3hatQnfTCgZGNvKwbLv10q5p9B1WB1FFgKHiPu7zBjcz82wAphbDO68W3UVg-wKkVQ/w261-h715/Screenshot%202022-07-23%20at%2016.27.25.png" width="261" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />At this point another of the ‘mysteries’ appears. Both Morgan/Powers and Perkins say in their respective books that after the nightstop they flew next day to Washington DC, arriving at the National Airport. This is not surprising, for Morgan cooperated with Perkins. It is very well documented that they arrived there on June 16. So if they overnighted at Wendover Field on the 14th, where was a two hour thirty minute flight to on the 15th as recorded in both Morgan’s Flight Record and the Memphis Belle’s Maintenance Log? Chicopee is only a little over 300 miles from Washington DC - about a ninety minute cruise in a B-17.<br /><br />This was followed by a two hour flight on the 16th, which one assumes terminated at Washington DC. This was not a straight two-hour flight from A to B. In the Morgan/Powers book there is a description of the crew ‘flightseeing’ around Washington and then being ‘ordered’ to beat up the airport before landing. Given Morgan’s known propensity for ‘beat-ups’ this suggests something akin to what would happen at an air display today - but at a MUCH lower altitude!<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /></p>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-41772352106433716782022-07-25T23:25:00.000-07:002022-07-25T23:25:15.069-07:00Dispelling the Myths again Part Seven<p class="MsoNormal"> <b>Make a selection - which to send back...</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">On June 1, General Eaker sent a letter that was to create
more myths and legends regarding the <i>Memphis Belle</i> than any other item. It is a
document ordering the Commander of 8th Bomber Command to select a particular
crew and aircraft to be sent back to the USA after completing 25 missions. It
seems that from this document springs the legend that the <i>Memphis Belle</i> and her
crew were the FIRST bomber and crew to achieve 25 missions and be sent back! As can be seen, nowhere in the document does it say
that it has to be the first crew or first aircraft, merely that all have
completed 25 missions. Also, nowhere does it say that the crew had to be intact
- they rarely stayed together anyway for a whole raft of different reasons.
Clearly, though, Eaker saw the need to send back a crew with first-hand
experience for training purposes - and he also had enough political instinct to
realise that such an aircraft and crew would carry enormous political and
propaganda ‘weight’ that could be used to bolster the efforts of the USAAF in
general and the 8th Air Force in particular.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pWivr1ibZBm1xoRup4_8TmOCtTrRLGztmDRi4Uq1q9BiP9z7zBQCxVnx5eFU9H9VX_AcQsfmwnfE4Q2l8ThdkdCh2cgFPjV2sGIkErShXcK_qThjuBXehRXbzvTVFi8EQ8yeixg2D2IWJaJjiK_bSIy1mo5xneZj2N5VrR9DtGEMP0_wZ1zKey-NFQ/s1890/Screenshot%202022-07-23%20at%2018.39.41.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1890" data-original-width="1568" height="407" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pWivr1ibZBm1xoRup4_8TmOCtTrRLGztmDRi4Uq1q9BiP9z7zBQCxVnx5eFU9H9VX_AcQsfmwnfE4Q2l8ThdkdCh2cgFPjV2sGIkErShXcK_qThjuBXehRXbzvTVFi8EQ8yeixg2D2IWJaJjiK_bSIy1mo5xneZj2N5VrR9DtGEMP0_wZ1zKey-NFQ/w337-h407/Screenshot%202022-07-23%20at%2018.39.41.png" width="337" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Eaker’s letter that decided the selection of which aircraft and crew to return to the USA.<br />Interestingly, it is dated June 1st - apparently some time after Bob Morgan suggests all was<br />decided at Bassingbourn!</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Just how and when was this to be decided is unclear, for the
June 1 letter seems to be little more than a ‘cover-up’ exercise to make things
appear still open to a decision when in fact, it was already a done deal - and
they already knew who was to go! However, pages 212 and 213 of the
Morgan/Powers book appear to shed some light. It seems that when Morgan
returned from his 25th mission on May 17, one person not out on the tarmac to
greet them was Colonel Stanley Wray, Commanding Officer of the 91st. Morgan
suggests that one reason for this was he thought that Wray was beginning a
jealous streak over the fact that they were going home, taking the <i>Memphis
Belle</i> with them, and that he - Wray - would remain at Bassingbourn. That seems
an odd suggestion to make, for the very next day in the 91st BG Daily Diary it
was announced that Wray was to be promoted to being the Commanding Officer of
the 103rd Provisional Heavy Bombardment Wing with effect from May 22, Lt
Colonel William M Reid taking his place.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So were plans for Morgan, his crew and the aircraft to
return to the US already in hand then? It certainly looks as if there was an
orchestrated effort that once Morgan and the majority of the crew had completed
25, the next thing to do was to get the Memphis Belle up to that magic number
to fulfil Eaker’s requirements with Anderson/Gladhart flying one last mission
for the aircraft on May 19. Morgan/Powers also suggest that within a few days
it was decided by Colonel Wray and General Eaker that there was to be an
‘official’ <i>Memphis Belle </i>crew. Gene Atkins, because of the frostbitten fingers
incident, had not been able to complete his 25, neither had Scott Miller, one
of the waist gunners. The final line-up decided upon therefore was Morgan,
Verinis, Evans, Leighton, Hanson, Loch, Scott, Winchell, Nastal and Quinlan.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qJOAdtZBUQbnMOOgCe3s1tKofrMADkUQIyN57Pnk8h9zC7_9GzYZoqcVM_fsDJwX1vT57WB1d7j0mBHsuNf7qP60jqu0dG8Xn7nkGF-KaefeNKN_dJVc_EaryTlS1uLkjUHzxrZv4RaIPA5dn_MG74BYQzj9FcX3tet8r1YheYxwHor5A2puozqOoA/s1402/Wray006.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1402" data-original-width="1181" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qJOAdtZBUQbnMOOgCe3s1tKofrMADkUQIyN57Pnk8h9zC7_9GzYZoqcVM_fsDJwX1vT57WB1d7j0mBHsuNf7qP60jqu0dG8Xn7nkGF-KaefeNKN_dJVc_EaryTlS1uLkjUHzxrZv4RaIPA5dn_MG74BYQzj9FcX3tet8r1YheYxwHor5A2puozqOoA/s320/Wray006.tif" width="270" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Colonel Stanley T Wray, Commanding Officer of the 91st Bomb Group.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">But how was it decided? For many years the crew that
returned to the US demonstrated a marked reluctance to talk about some aspects
- particularly their part in being a member of the <i>Memphis
Belle’s</i> returning crew. When Menno Durksen was in the process of writing his
book, he finally broke down the barriers. ‘Cas’ Nastal explained his
reluctance. <i>‘I was sitting there with my 25 missions completed. One of the Belle’s crew didn’t have enough missions and,
since I had flown a few missions on the Memphis Belle, they simply told me to pack my
gear and go with them. I didn’t have any choice in the matter. It was an order.
I’ve been uncomfortable about it all these years - that story that I was a
member of the original crew’. </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6U9DcYl0Yt4lte6W_2VQbzlzDmzXToN8FtaxEQuQx71goyRfNbBWhrGQJo76IzZFnStCzKGDqXIl45cjXwp31yV6q6l1VMTsUWobQiVfQG3uqaEpIKWz7t0JYauUUZEEvjrv_9KiM95XOC2qYNOjX3Otez5OR1DbczQe3IP6pNkz9V0vgmav9ubOyWg/s2468/Screenshot%202022-07-23%20at%2018.57.43.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1308" data-original-width="2468" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6U9DcYl0Yt4lte6W_2VQbzlzDmzXToN8FtaxEQuQx71goyRfNbBWhrGQJo76IzZFnStCzKGDqXIl45cjXwp31yV6q6l1VMTsUWobQiVfQG3uqaEpIKWz7t0JYauUUZEEvjrv_9KiM95XOC2qYNOjX3Otez5OR1DbczQe3IP6pNkz9V0vgmav9ubOyWg/w390-h207/Screenshot%202022-07-23%20at%2018.57.43.png" width="390" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> By now the publicity machine was in full swing - Margaret Polk was notified by telegram that Bob would be broadcasting on the BBC...</span><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">To give the reader some idea as to just how many personnel
were reaching the magic number, the 91st Daily Diary for May 25 records:
<i>‘Several officers and men have completed their tour of operations. For the time
being they have been assigned special jobs on a temporary duty basis. This is
one of those procedures necessary so the Group will be able to requisition
replacement combat crews to take their place in the effective force of the
Group available for operational missions. Among those to receive special
assignments were Captain Robert Morgan, Assistant Group Operations Officer;
Captain Dean W Bohlen, Assistant Group Bombardier; Captain Lawrence Y Dwyer,
Assistant Group Operations Officer and Captain Charles B Leighton, Group
Navigator. Ten other officers and 19 non-commissioned officers were given
similar temporary assignments in the four tactical squadrons’.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> ...previously she had been advised in writing from New York.</span><br /></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggP8t4W-M-3oQT6lZKJFSTypWsp5rg470peZ4yiVb8HQlK1Goj0IaAnp9EJ_h77AqlOj3E0Cz_208iVFk0ZHOaZtE9DQCtuw5Pr7l9n6B5Z5Ii-135FItBSGbngOWnqsqkMDEz-zwF4HjTJfdyffaPsvrcFim2jqhzoSNVhNiBFD4ztRMqtXNYpmapOg/s2208/Screenshot%202022-07-23%20at%2018.57.26.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="1988" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggP8t4W-M-3oQT6lZKJFSTypWsp5rg470peZ4yiVb8HQlK1Goj0IaAnp9EJ_h77AqlOj3E0Cz_208iVFk0ZHOaZtE9DQCtuw5Pr7l9n6B5Z5Ii-135FItBSGbngOWnqsqkMDEz-zwF4HjTJfdyffaPsvrcFim2jqhzoSNVhNiBFD4ztRMqtXNYpmapOg/w394-h438/Screenshot%202022-07-23%20at%2018.57.26.png" width="394" /></a></div><p></p>
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{page:Section1;}</style></p>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-19824926607403322712022-07-24T22:52:00.000-07:002022-07-24T22:52:34.903-07:00Dispelling the Myths Again! Part Six<span><b>Meeting Royalty, but when?</b></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">By May 1943, the <i>Memphis Belle</i> and her crew had completed
their twenty-five officially credited missions over enemy-occupied Europe - now it was
time to go home. Perhaps it was the filming. Maybe it was the radio broadcasts.
Perhaps it was the growing interest shown by the press, but Captain Morgan and
the crew of the Memphis Belle were rapidly becoming public property. It was now
that the myths, legends and overall garbage seemed to start in earnest.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i><i><span> </span>91st log, May 15 1943. ‘...The ‘Memphis Belle,’ piloted by
Captain Robert K. Morgan, completed its 25th mission today. Although this crew
does not have the record of completing 25 missions without a turnback, it is
one of the first crews to complete 25 missions for the 91st Group intact. It is
rumoured that the ‘Memphis Belle’ with her highly publicised crew will shortly
depart for the United States, where it will tour the entire country in support
of the forthcoming bond drive. Preparations have been made to take extensive
moving pictures of this aircraft and its crew, although the purpose of this
project has not yet passed beyond the rumor stage. </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUqbWDud9Y033bAc1ZeI_5WK3mGe1DblCXrHo_hWORW9dJxurzC7SnsZFo-yyyt0kNDQH71TSpi_2YXcb1X2n8mGGrATZR0Od7cyNC2Mx-R5HztF-nesA_uYRMEle_0pPysezKGY4-egmpyeSQulTZ30-QvETOdKjuVdbAC3YwA7K7CR4ULuMn0SkrQ/s1383/Parker053.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1383" data-original-width="1063" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUqbWDud9Y033bAc1ZeI_5WK3mGe1DblCXrHo_hWORW9dJxurzC7SnsZFo-yyyt0kNDQH71TSpi_2YXcb1X2n8mGGrATZR0Od7cyNC2Mx-R5HztF-nesA_uYRMEle_0pPysezKGY4-egmpyeSQulTZ30-QvETOdKjuVdbAC3YwA7K7CR4ULuMn0SkrQ/s320/Parker053.tif" width="246" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Captain Theodore Parker, 91st BG Historian.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>The same day Captain Theodore Parker, the Group historian,
recorded that:’ <i>The King and Queen of England, accompanied by a rather large
retinue of officials, gentlemen-of-honour and ladies-in-waiting, visited Bassingbourn
just before lunch today. Rumors of their impending visit had been going the
rounds for the past two weeks. Everyone could tell from the state of excitement
and the tension which existed prior to their arrival that they were in the
immediate vicinity. They arrived in six large, comfortable-looking limousines
at approximately 1115 hours, were met at the gate by Colonel Wray and his staff, received the
salute from the guard of honor, and proceeded to give Bassingbourn one of the
most cursory goings-over that this old and well-established airdrome has ever
had. Generals Eaker, Longfellow, Hansell, and several unidentified United
States Army Air Forces officers were also present. The King and Queen drove
around the taxi strip, through the hangars and into one of the dispersal areas.
The King and Queen met Captain Morgan and the crew of the rapidly becoming
famous ‘Memphis Belle’. Captain Morgan did a very good job of meeting the King
and Queen and showing them his aircraft. At the conclusion of this ceremony,
they returned to the main administration building, where the formal farewells
were said. Their visit to Bassingbourn probably lasted all of 45 minutes. As
soon as they had concluded their tour and received another salute from the
guard of honor, the entire party returned to their limousines and proceeded in
the general direction of Brampton Grange’.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIq3f6kPqdJeczH3tJpHlze-Y3f5FI0aPaXJpp7qdQW09W-ER4rh05GTzsZczSascXFG3qBTVyOG1XeAtMymG47LOWptfHD_jGkQD2sKQ5V-GH1lR4G7Azo6y8GIFnqxcgNERTr_Y8sbZ0iyunmrMyLQVLSlBjleL5sHaA1XAIdS7ZAlXHjDsk66ErA/s1378/HRH1006.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="1378" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIq3f6kPqdJeczH3tJpHlze-Y3f5FI0aPaXJpp7qdQW09W-ER4rh05GTzsZczSascXFG3qBTVyOG1XeAtMymG47LOWptfHD_jGkQD2sKQ5V-GH1lR4G7Azo6y8GIFnqxcgNERTr_Y8sbZ0iyunmrMyLQVLSlBjleL5sHaA1XAIdS7ZAlXHjDsk66ErA/s320/HRH1006.tif" width="320" /></a></i></div><i></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Their Royal Highnesses inspecting the guard of Honour near the main gate ar Station 121.</i></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>For many years everyone took those two accounts as an
accurate and authentic record. After all, William Wyler had made a movie of the
goings on at Bassingbourn, which contained several scenes and commentary from
the royal visit. Then there were all the still photographs taken. We have
located nearly twenty prints produced from the visit. Clearly, the King and
Queen did visit the airfield, and they did inspect both the air and ground crew
of the <i>Memphis Belle. </i>But wait - that date - May 15? <i>‘...The ‘Memphis Belle,’
piloted by Captain Robert K. Morgan, completed its 25th mission today...’</i> err -
no. Bob Morgan did not complete his 25 missions until May 17 1943 and the
<i>Memphis Belle </i>itself did not reach 25 missions until the 19th of the month.
Something is not quite right here and we do not think it is a simple clerical
error.
</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>Saturday May 15 was the day of 91st BG Mission #59,
scheduled target Wilhelmshaven, in actuality, Heligoland. Colonel Reid was
Group Leader aboard 42-5137. For Bob Morgan aboard the <i>Memphis Belle,</i> it was to
be a rough seven-hour flight. They experienced onboard communications problems
and poor manifold pressure in one of the engines. Nevertheless, they made it
out, and they made it back. It was Morgan’s 24th combat mission and the <i>Memphis
Belle’s</i> 23rd. From the Bomb Squadron logs, it is possible to state with
certainty that the 91st BG provided twenty-five aircraft. The take-off time was
around 0750hrs, time over the target was recorded as 1054hrs and time expected
back to base was 1330hrs. Clearly something is amiss here - it would be
impossible for the <i>Memphis Belle</i> and her crew to be presented to the King and
Queen spiffed up in their best uniforms sometime between 1115 and 1200hrs at
around the same time when they had not long left the target and were heading
back home!
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>Time now to jump forward a number of years - to March 1989,
to be precise. I was preparing an article for the UK aviation magazine
<i>‘Wingspan’ </i>at the request of its editor Alan Forberg and picked up this
apparent conflict of information. However, a check with the King and Queen’s
Engagements Diary held at that time at Clarence House, London, showed that all
the information recorded in the 91st log was correct. All that is, apart from
one item - the visit date was not May 15, it was eleven days later on May 26! Which was correct? It is a fact that the May 15 raid did
take place, and the <i>Memphis Belle</i> did take part. That cannot be questioned, and
the four Squadron logs prove it. However, the royal visit did not and could not
have taken place on the 15th, so the King and Queen couldn’t meet Bob Morgan,
his crew and the aircraft on that day. Further evidence to show that this
meeting never took place that day is in the Clarence House Engagement Diary,
which indicates that the King and Queen had no appointments and spent all day
at Buckingham Palace in London. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDslCr1BLbcd0DE12fdsg4J6AYPhtOZ1j24h1-_aPMgIg1tKBgU0OV5fQrTPDSqKMye8T77w_BmbwoeYIXMD9T4AoDgoUKhrFkdjwe6tG4MhPhPEYqdLaniTjbl_EQo8X26BhA7Qo1nlvPP8ghQ4bQRHArdvsm-C-FqRSQYCT29ayG1ADenx-wWPDcaQ/s7000/clarence%20house123.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="7000" data-original-width="4959" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDslCr1BLbcd0DE12fdsg4J6AYPhtOZ1j24h1-_aPMgIg1tKBgU0OV5fQrTPDSqKMye8T77w_BmbwoeYIXMD9T4AoDgoUKhrFkdjwe6tG4MhPhPEYqdLaniTjbl_EQo8X26BhA7Qo1nlvPP8ghQ4bQRHArdvsm-C-FqRSQYCT29ayG1ADenx-wWPDcaQ/w358-h504/clarence%20house123.tif" width="358" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>This is how I reported the matter in the <i>‘Wingspan’ </i>article
- the royal visit took place on May 26 1943 and that, for some unknown reason,
the 91st log was incorrect. From March 1989 through to November 5 2006, this is
what I believed to be correct. On that day, I discovered a set of seven
previously unseen images of the royal visit in the archives of the Tower Museum
at Bassingbourn.
</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>What was so important about these was that they were
original large format USAAF negatives and contained the characteristic ‘data
blocks’ of information marked on the edges of the negatives by the Base
Photographic Lab, not usually printed up on any photographs from the negative.<span> </span> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkwSexqiByneth__aStcnscb_B1jd8GYWDLk_4HI_aqtBIGUgvbKgw0rN0pKJsHB17wf1_iscdqFWl9yUsgR4jr8hX6XxN_qB5HtsSm8kIej5kJpUxVt7Tx0nc2do3Pbc_OwaONZftVhWqs8xxz31b23i1km93ydIoGsu9YIwqsQ0tyxbarFAEvGQcA/s2067/Witney%20Queen2.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1302" data-original-width="2067" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkwSexqiByneth__aStcnscb_B1jd8GYWDLk_4HI_aqtBIGUgvbKgw0rN0pKJsHB17wf1_iscdqFWl9yUsgR4jr8hX6XxN_qB5HtsSm8kIej5kJpUxVt7Tx0nc2do3Pbc_OwaONZftVhWqs8xxz31b23i1km93ydIoGsu9YIwqsQ0tyxbarFAEvGQcA/s320/Witney%20Queen2.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>This ‘data Block’ followed s a standard format - two
sections of information contained in separate parentheses, followed by very
basic subject details. For instance, (GPR-77-2-91)(29-7-43) M/Sgt Giambrone
Crew Chief) translates into (Group Roll 77, Frame 2, 91st Bomb Group) (July 29
1943). The remainder is the caption. Standard practice was that this was marked
on the negative at the time of processing. It is this data that historians and
authors have relied on as being the most accurate record of what each image
contains. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2RSCWQkBBWCl9J1JblP2HBwYhEXVLNi7YQp5f3LGIdiQdcPwDMsHUQ3_9Z0_7hpANvPyFOnR2OEOdLzb8xDzUnXp2YcaijNLThZWPo3laySMHhMOks6zVH3TCoJWfQpdBjjC3ifurg72MpDIr1AG-NEda8JyUByiOTV8_FzZht2AqF8yE8W2QY1AcQ/s2067/Queenneg1.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1639" data-original-width="2067" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2RSCWQkBBWCl9J1JblP2HBwYhEXVLNi7YQp5f3LGIdiQdcPwDMsHUQ3_9Z0_7hpANvPyFOnR2OEOdLzb8xDzUnXp2YcaijNLThZWPo3laySMHhMOks6zVH3TCoJWfQpdBjjC3ifurg72MpDIr1AG-NEda8JyUByiOTV8_FzZht2AqF8yE8W2QY1AcQ/s320/Queenneg1.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Previously unseen is this picture showing King George chatting to Memphis Belle tail<br />gunner John Quinlan. The feather in the Queen’s hat is visible above the shoulder of<br />the crew member on the left, standing adjacent to Ira Eaker who is facing the camera.<br />The visit was reported in at least one British newspaper - with a May 27th dateline -<br />who reported that ‘...ground crew chief M/Sgt Joseph M Giabrone of Norristown PA<br />admitted that he felt ‘sorta speechless’ while talking with the Queen’.<br />We have printed the image to show the negative in its entirety, the data block clearly<br />shows GPR-55-3-91 and the date of 15-5-43. According to the Wyler documentary,<br />this happened after the famous 25th mission...!</i></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>When we looked closely at these negatives, we were able to
clearly see (GPR-55-3-91) (15-5-43) King and Queen on the first one we picked
up. Here was apparent confirmation that the date was indeed May 15 1943 for the
visit. We looked at the other negatives - all clearly showed the date 15-5-43.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xunK0kZY3JyclsS1rdxHc2R6DkR7O4aXBCk0q81tWB0vADu_EwNSI8fu9IQNEp423vbM9b_zQjYBQDdBPpTHsTcW1TEaLY8wIr0foHakmEBU-ceEeOo2OivLTGIedNLBQMiPeGWgutHuzMGqVYpvrfwhOzR96oyPa03jPrvJoN8VGoNQWuqRaUbLWg/s2067/Queencam.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1460" data-original-width="2067" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xunK0kZY3JyclsS1rdxHc2R6DkR7O4aXBCk0q81tWB0vADu_EwNSI8fu9IQNEp423vbM9b_zQjYBQDdBPpTHsTcW1TEaLY8wIr0foHakmEBU-ceEeOo2OivLTGIedNLBQMiPeGWgutHuzMGqVYpvrfwhOzR96oyPa03jPrvJoN8VGoNQWuqRaUbLWg/s320/Queencam.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another letter was sent to the royal archives, which by now
had moved to Windsor Castle following the death of Queen Elizabeth, seeking
clarification and if possible, confirmation of the actual date according to
their records. A reply dated November 14 2006 confirmed that May 26 1943 was
the date of the royal visit to Bassingbourn. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUozgTpFROhbif1jK5mR7200nIQGq6irWPDT5e0TpizmfnQJPuDxiD0iKWEIuSikDfKRMferMznw1Ypr08RUCNjuPFAR6PbysPmBB552saMrIZMPP_D-FAHQgBsQSDpjThYNRNmIaNRx9_zBxmQguqNZzJlaeOkf8sWkwVgmj74DHBBL2nwE34wdoO5A/s2512/HRH%20letter114.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2068" data-original-width="2512" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUozgTpFROhbif1jK5mR7200nIQGq6irWPDT5e0TpizmfnQJPuDxiD0iKWEIuSikDfKRMferMznw1Ypr08RUCNjuPFAR6PbysPmBB552saMrIZMPP_D-FAHQgBsQSDpjThYNRNmIaNRx9_zBxmQguqNZzJlaeOkf8sWkwVgmj74DHBBL2nwE34wdoO5A/w394-h324/HRH%20letter114.tif" width="394" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>So what was going on? The provenance of the information
provided by the royal archives must be regarded as impeccable, but then so
usually is the information contained in the negative data blocks. This then
revealed the unsettling possibility that both the 91st BG diary AND their
photographic filing system could be in error. A series of telephone calls to numerous
English aviation historians and authors well used to handling USAAF film
negatives revealed that in their experience, they had never come across any
negatives that had been dated in advance of a known event. There have been
instances where negatives could be dated two or three days after the event if
the film was left unprocessed for a few days, such as over a weekend.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Then I noticed another odd thing - another negative, already
in our collection, shows Joe Giambrone about to paint on the 25th mission
symbol on the nose of the aircraft while some of the Memphis Belle crew along
with William Wyler stand in the foreground. This negative is coded
(GPR-43-1-91) (19-5-43) and titled ‘Capt. Morgan & Crew’. How can a film
roll numbered ‘55’ and dated May 15 be used and processed before film roll ‘43’
dated May 19?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6_sCCagI_DEychzpVyeCDnTzHL81AyWRu8ksL8BvQwndnQy0GlwKediT9Yo2e0q15uXa1_zaPbg9R2aCgDIQu10gmyPgyPBGk2P-Ra-jw-UxgWxCSqo-AWnfdfS0tH-oZ2Cfa49fNmw6q3alj72rDcmKNydYIOO5t6zJMRF0uSvuLFE04t5UHmE8bA/s2064/Untitled-1.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1655" data-original-width="2064" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6_sCCagI_DEychzpVyeCDnTzHL81AyWRu8ksL8BvQwndnQy0GlwKediT9Yo2e0q15uXa1_zaPbg9R2aCgDIQu10gmyPgyPBGk2P-Ra-jw-UxgWxCSqo-AWnfdfS0tH-oZ2Cfa49fNmw6q3alj72rDcmKNydYIOO5t6zJMRF0uSvuLFE04t5UHmE8bA/s320/Untitled-1.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Group Roll 43, frame 1, 91st Bomb Group, dated 19th May 1943. How is it that this coding comes BEFORE the royal visit photographs in the 91st Bomb Group Photographic Labs filing system?</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Just what was going on, and why is that day’s entry so
wildly in error with other records? It was starting to look as if there some form of skulduggery afoot.
Was there subterfuge going on that resulted in a cover-up? And if so, why? Were
the records’ amended’ to match the movie?</p><div style="text-align: justify;">The 91st log for May 15 1943 more closely matches the script
of the William Wyler movie than reality. The day’s entry starts of with the
sentence <i>‘The 91st Group was alerted last night to attack the submarine
building yards and naval docks at Wilhelmshaven’. </i>This is the same target as
shown in the movie. It is not until the third paragraph that the actual target
the Group bombed - Heligoland - is mentioned. Then the log makes a huge mention
of the <i>Memphis Belle’s</i> 25th and final mission - the same as the main storyline
of the movie.
</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> The claim that the <i>Memphis Belle </i>and her crew completed
their 25th mission that day - the day of the supposed Wilhelmshaven mission -
matches the spurious claim made in the Wyler movie, as does the sentence that
says <i>‘Although this crew does not have the record of completing 25 missions
without a turnback, it is one of the first crews to complete 25 missions for
the 91st Group intact’.
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> Note the use of the word ‘intact’. We have already seen that
the crew was not intact. At least Parker has the good grace to record that the
Memphis Belle crew was ‘one of the crews’, not the first as many later claims
made! The final sentence of that particular paragraph is also very puzzling.
<i>‘Preparations have been made to take extensive moving pictures of this aircraft
and its crew, although the purpose of this project has not yet passed beyond
the rumor stage’.
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> This contradicts Parker’s own 91st log entry of May 7, where
he records his own involvement when <i>‘...During the past several days, Captain
William ‘Ace’ Clothier has been busily engaged in taking colored motion
pictures of Bassingbourn. He has been assisted in this work by several officers
of the 91st Group, including Captain Parker and Lieutenants Hance and Crego....
...The whole effort is being built around the aircraft, ‘Memphis Belle’, and
its crew, which is commanded by Lieutenant Robert K. Morgan. Approximately
5,000 feet of film have been shot to date, and Captain Clothier expects to
complete his efforts on the ground within the next few days’.
</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">How can something be quite detailed one day - May 7 - and
then have a purpose that is nothing more than a rumour a few days later? Also,
it should be noted that Parker managed to get Morgan’s rank wrong in the May 7
entry - he was a Captain as early as December 1942! Parker’s references
regarding the movie are also somewhat in contradiction with what else is known,
in that Wyler’s efforts initially featured another B-17, <i>Invasion II, </i>piloted
by Lt Oscar O’Neil. However,<i> Invasion II </i>was shot down and the film crew had to
find another aircraft - and quick! Wyler settled on the <i>Memphis Belle.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">William Wyler himself claimed in a later interview that he
had personally arranged for the King and Queen to visit Bassingbourn
specifically to review the <i>Memphis Belle </i>and her crew. He suggested that the
very shortness of the visit - recorded as just 45 minutes - added credance to
his claim. However, it seems unlikely that even Hollywood could control the
actions of British royalty, but could there be an underlying reason here for
the ‘errors’?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6GQyZ7VZMfBAdCYHRN93SL9v7L3h9VFQeTkXkFl4OjeaVqEEqT9_ORgKlAsQdOJSzolXwWXKBzEqJLXoONGGaPDfeYKZWB5v-7lPrHC9fAmGpcq7n-3WalbIOKAh5mQps9ry7lfAdnlWXAugNM5b9bAARIoik_eDAL_mZTwJqRTCFR9SHAJPXGHmLw/s5526/15%20MAY%20LETTER119.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5526" data-original-width="4111" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6GQyZ7VZMfBAdCYHRN93SL9v7L3h9VFQeTkXkFl4OjeaVqEEqT9_ORgKlAsQdOJSzolXwWXKBzEqJLXoONGGaPDfeYKZWB5v-7lPrHC9fAmGpcq7n-3WalbIOKAh5mQps9ry7lfAdnlWXAugNM5b9bAARIoik_eDAL_mZTwJqRTCFR9SHAJPXGHmLw/w354-h475/15%20MAY%20LETTER119.tif" width="354" /></a></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> In Margaret Polk’s album there is a letter which Bob Morgan sent to her and confuses the 15<br />May mystery even further. Bob Morgan was tired when he typed it - very tired, for he<br />dated it 15th May 1942, when it should be 1943. But was it the Belle’s 24th as he says? If<br />so, that date should be 17th May - the aircraft’s 24th and his 25th. The tone of the 2nd<br />and 4th paragraphs suggests that for Morgan it was all over - ‘...the Col. said I that I am<br />one of the first to go...’. But no talk of meeting the King and Queen, not even a hint.<br />Perhaps that is a sure indication that it had not happened yet!</span></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When one looks at all these discrepancies, all so neatly
concentrated in one small section relating to the so-called ‘last mission to
Wilhelmshaven’, it is hard to come to any other conclusion than that the
official 91st Bomb Group log was somewhat incompetently ‘doctored’ - almost
certainly by Captain Parker - to match in with the ‘schedule of events’ as
planned to go in the movie by Major William Wyler who, although only a Major at
the time, certainly had the political muscle behind him in the shape of General
‘Hap’ Arnold to order such a thing. This deception also included the negatives
held by the Photo-Lab.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is reasonable to assume that Parker - and therefore Wyler
- knew that the log and also some, if not all, of the photos taken of the royal
visit would eventually go to the Pentagon and the War Department - and that
there was a high degree of possibility that in the future any claims made by
Wyler in the movie would be checked against this log. So by making these
innocuous<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘changes’ to the 91st
log - that do not directly imnvolve the serious matter of recording combat after all - that the photographs and movie script should all broadly match!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> The errors and discrepancies relating to this Royal visit
goes on well into the 21st century. Menno Deurken’s 1987 book <i>Memphis Belle
Home at Last </i>quotes the date as being May 16. He was probably following the
91st log. On pages 213-216 of the Morgan/Powers book, they go into great detail
as to the Royal meeting - and Morgan says the date was May 18! Nevertheless,
Morgan is very clear about one thing - the date of the Royal visit was
definitely AFTER they had all reached the magic 25 mission total.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Continued in Dispelling the Myths Again! Part Seven<br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
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{page:Section1;}</style></p>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-59797082386899897562022-07-23T23:16:00.000-07:002022-07-23T23:16:15.611-07:00Dispelling the Myths again Part Five<p> <b>Returning 'intact crew'? I dont think so!</b> </p><div style="text-align: justify;">The combat period of 41-24485 <i>Memphis Belle</i>
has, in the
main, remarkably few legends attached to it, apart from right at the
very end - then things get REALLY complicated and this is where things
get mis-quoted. As the same time as the 'errors' regarding the royal visit was taking place, other 'discrepencies' were taking place.<br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Firstly
there is the oft-quoted legend that the entire '25 missions' were flown
with the same crew - or that the same crew that went out, returned with
the aircraft. Well, that's wrong for starters!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEa8_lZa7YWav1_qu5-0kBYyDo4fSMrzyPrSD9B_5v4wBzVMv90Vu8iEnWMeK7D1rErM5Wy_usWIkgGqjn8dip8vl-UwSyzdihB36A434GYx3gwwK1H3tcCtdLsRKbMsIrPL11wIzksYUyaUv3L6nBZau_LIpr5ExU5AGgQv4ih277w-D5bcJRqbgLww/s1180/Screenshot%202022-07-22%20at%2008.21.29.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="1180" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEa8_lZa7YWav1_qu5-0kBYyDo4fSMrzyPrSD9B_5v4wBzVMv90Vu8iEnWMeK7D1rErM5Wy_usWIkgGqjn8dip8vl-UwSyzdihB36A434GYx3gwwK1H3tcCtdLsRKbMsIrPL11wIzksYUyaUv3L6nBZau_LIpr5ExU5AGgQv4ih277w-D5bcJRqbgLww/w365-h169/Screenshot%202022-07-22%20at%2008.21.29.png" width="365" /></a></div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div>The
above is from the Operations Order 209 dated September 24th 1942,
sending eight aircraft and their crews from the Zone of the Interior
(USA) to the United Kingdom. Compare that to the split list shown below.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To
cover the missions that either Robert Morgan or the <i>Memphis Belle </i>flew,
it is necessary to look at a total of thirty-one raids. For
completeness, I have included in the list every mission that the
<i>Memphis Belle</i> or Bob Morgan flew or was scheduled to fly but aborted for
whatever reason. In a number of instances, Morgan’s Individual Flight
Record shows that sometimes he was not ‘Pilot’, but ‘Command Pilot’.
These occurrences have been marked accordingly. Missions that neither
the aircraft nor Morgan was not slated to fly have not been recorded.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span> </span>The
documentation recording the missions flown by the 91st BG is
‘inconsistent’. What follows is a compilation of data taken from
contemporary primary source documentation. Much of what has been used is
from official records, including the ‘Operations/Field’ orders telexed
out to Colonel Stanley Wray from the 1st Combat Wing or ‘COMBOMWIGONE’
and his reply giving post-mission analysis. We have also made use of
crew post-mission Interrogation Reports where available, but there
remains doubt when a Group Commander flew with a crew on early missions
wether that was as co-pilot or as ‘supermumery crew’ with a co-pilot in
place as has been recorded on later missions. Some use has been made of
‘unofficial’ paperwork such as personal diaries kept at the time.<br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>I am well aware of inconsistencies in the documentation, especially on the
number of aircraft the 91st BG dispatched on each mission. The number of
aircraft flown on each mission varies, depending on which record is
used. Aircraft were known to develop technical problems at the very last
minute, so standby machines were substituted - the recording paperwork
does not always reflect this. It has proved impossible to arrive at the
correct overall figure. Within these lists, there is also confusion with
some individual aircraft letters - some aircraft were assigned more
than one letter during their service careers with the 91st, and it has
also proved impossible to decipher which was in use by a specific
aircraft for any given date, so we have recorded both.<br /></div><div> </div><div>The split table below has been compiled from these different sources.<br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpWdaT_YqEo4xj9J9JXIo6we4ICTnmCuPZY2Uzwn7Jnvixs1tHydZdObhpGijF1UpGjQLUAe5ZzVUvH1PnOYJdryZEPL6MYY7juanWW_-c_CNrmy0iYeY2lMSi225WhT0Ci9FDmaAk_5J9gcUSCwWPsAd_ELml2weCKX9eq3CGG9cIbsxJ-d4xoYTsQ/s2232/Screenshot%202022-07-22%20at%2008.19.22.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1612" data-original-width="2232" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpWdaT_YqEo4xj9J9JXIo6we4ICTnmCuPZY2Uzwn7Jnvixs1tHydZdObhpGijF1UpGjQLUAe5ZzVUvH1PnOYJdryZEPL6MYY7juanWW_-c_CNrmy0iYeY2lMSi225WhT0Ci9FDmaAk_5J9gcUSCwWPsAd_ELml2weCKX9eq3CGG9cIbsxJ-d4xoYTsQ/w386-h278/Screenshot%202022-07-22%20at%2008.19.22.png" width="386" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jeIyevTRDPPv4txuynN3X70O-ijYu5cs9Z1t9ntxnDJW8LAHAtZJWOxZ8t84le26UylUXaC_YrJMT-ueG06NbvVjVRqicVWchNEcWdkBM51_WZg-8m7WjDxUa48pNdZe6gjVESKeq9nnKmfaO5nsnXbNMHKH2IBw0HBb-K_ySlIK04LP0y3TNJvZZg/s2232/Screenshot%202022-07-22%20at%2008.19.45.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1624" data-original-width="2232" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jeIyevTRDPPv4txuynN3X70O-ijYu5cs9Z1t9ntxnDJW8LAHAtZJWOxZ8t84le26UylUXaC_YrJMT-ueG06NbvVjVRqicVWchNEcWdkBM51_WZg-8m7WjDxUa48pNdZe6gjVESKeq9nnKmfaO5nsnXbNMHKH2IBw0HBb-K_ySlIK04LP0y3TNJvZZg/w386-h282/Screenshot%202022-07-22%20at%2008.19.45.png" width="386" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
above chart covers crewmen thought to have flown in the regular crew
positions of the four B-17Fs featured in this chapter. It does not cover
supernumery or additional crew members on any of the flights listed. It
is known however that a number of additional ‘crew’ were carried on
numerous missions.Those identified as being on board are as follows:
1/23/43 - Sgt Merkle carried as additional Nose Gunner. 2/27/43 - Hayley
Aycock carried as Nose Gunner. 3/13/43 - Hayley Aycock carried as Group
Commander. 4/16/43 - William Wyler (presumably filming) and Hayley
Aycock carried as Group Commander. 4/5/43 - Captain Elliott carried as
passenger.</span></i><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span><b> </b>Over the years, there has been doubt cast as to whether the <i>Memphis Belle </i>actually
flew the last mission listed. It is claimed by some that, following the
Lorient mission on May 17, orders came down from General Ira Eaker to
General Wray to ground the <i>Memphis Belle</i> from any further combat
missions due to the importance of the already planned ‘26th Mission’ -
the War Bond Tour of the USA.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>Certainly,
over the years, Bob Morgan always claimed that HE was flying 41-24485
on the 19th, shooting extra footage for the documentary - indeed, Morgan
claimed William Wyler was on board. Morgan also said his own logbooks
could and would prove it. However, despite making repeated requests over the years to
see them, those log books never came to light for whatever reason. Later
it was claimed that these priceless documents had been lost to a flood.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpAS-Mp1QGeNsZUaLUVKREZXJROptIPcmsUNS61SaBZfV6o4hA8AvWUnqWP_wlqZ74HdyiZm1N5d4R6G3V0OY6vG6MI4pCGTCo7sZxSyuHoi2ZJPPGP94N_iNMTbF5U66PvRYaHNvkV4T151kKxYROj_UqAGps7hxvJBe_AVJwNfUBpOwVo_pliIKEA/s2067/crewrunning.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1591" data-original-width="2067" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpAS-Mp1QGeNsZUaLUVKREZXJROptIPcmsUNS61SaBZfV6o4hA8AvWUnqWP_wlqZ74HdyiZm1N5d4R6G3V0OY6vG6MI4pCGTCo7sZxSyuHoi2ZJPPGP94N_iNMTbF5U66PvRYaHNvkV4T151kKxYROj_UqAGps7hxvJBe_AVJwNfUBpOwVo_pliIKEA/w360-h277/crewrunning.TIF" width="360" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span><span><span>Bob Morgan always claimed that this picture was taken on May 17 1943, the day he<br />completed his 25th mission. He said it was taken after the mission for publicity purposes. </span></span></span></i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>That may well be the case; however, one thing to notice is that the waist gunner’s hatch is closed, not a</i></span></span></span></span><br /><span><span><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>normal occurance just after a mission. Behind the crew running towards the camera is the</i></span></span></span></span><br /><span><span><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>groundcrew, headed by Joe Giambrone, recognisable by his flat cap and second from the</i></span></span></span></span><br /><span><span><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>left.</i></span></span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>Perkins
takes a slightly different view, playing devil’s advocate whilst
leaning towards Morgan’s viewpoint. He states that Morgan ‘remembers’
that although the briefing documents show #845 DF:A as having Anderson
and his crew aboard, sometime between briefing and take-off, the
aircraft was swapped for the spare machine but the documents were not
altered.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>If
Perkins and Morgan are correct, then it is of vital importance. If Bob
Morgan and Brent Perkins are to be believed, and 41-24485 did NOT fly
this mission, then the arithmetic adds up to twenty-four officially
credited missions and thus, the aircraft did not complete its required
officially credited twenty-fifth, and so the whole ‘return’, the War
Bond Tour and subsequent decades on display have all been fraudulent.
Surely that could not be the case? <span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span> </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_nEyDcNxhcBo-2AG6Sq5FW7UVOyPXPEJOLIq5Rfup7k9tiDfEX1EFPaVOo3oTZnPfejgtkqjyYeaiWcBn4ce3KIJCDk5xSy2FI1xmo4WvoprTxRQnP24-DbaVqBiybrqXAFS6XiL6Upee-kYXHrFPCgfCXexUKPEdyh-IWCk3Q6eNwZKvgGIMDpSDA/s2474/Screenshot%202022-07-22%20at%2015.52.13.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1882" data-original-width="2474" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_nEyDcNxhcBo-2AG6Sq5FW7UVOyPXPEJOLIq5Rfup7k9tiDfEX1EFPaVOo3oTZnPfejgtkqjyYeaiWcBn4ce3KIJCDk5xSy2FI1xmo4WvoprTxRQnP24-DbaVqBiybrqXAFS6XiL6Upee-kYXHrFPCgfCXexUKPEdyh-IWCk3Q6eNwZKvgGIMDpSDA/w358-h272/Screenshot%202022-07-22%20at%2015.52.13.tif" width="358" /></a></span></span></span></div><span><span><span></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span><span><span>A picture that is often described as being the Memphis Belle crew after their last mission. But we have never been happy with that</span></span></span><span><span><span> statement- here is why. Firstly, it is clearly winter; Bob Morgan is wearing heavy gloves, and the light is just not spring-like.</span></span></span><span><span><span> However, the signatures are a clear give-away. Front row, second from the left is Eugene Atkins. Gene only flew six missions with Morgan aboard the Memphis Belle, all in December 1942 and January 1943!</span></span></span></i></span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span> </span> </span>A
search through as many of the 91st Bomb Group records as we can lay our
hands on has failed to locate any order - from General Eaker or anyone
else for that matter - grounding the Memphis Belle. There is an order
from General Eaker himself dated June 1st 1943, ordering ‘...one
specially selected crew which has completed its operational tour to be
allowed to return to the United States flying its aeroplane which has
also completed 25 missions’. The 324th Log also shows during the mission
de-brief after the mission for May 19th that Anderson was flying ship
#485 - as does the Interrogation Report.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span><span> </span>To
throw even more confusion into the pot initially, but at the same time
offer some later clarification, the matter of ‘the other pilot’ Jim
Verinis appearing in the William Wyler movie needs to be taken into
account.<br /><span> </span>Jim only flew in the Memphis Belle as
co-pilot on a few of the early missions, in a period BEFORE Wyler
started filming - the rest of the time he was sitting in the left-hand
seat as First Pilot aboard <i>Connecticut Yankee.</i><br /><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span> </span> </span>However,
there are numerous shots of Jim in the right-hand seat of a B-17 in the
finished movie. This strongly suggests that these scenes were filmed
outside the combat environment of an actual mission. In itself, there is
nothing wrong with that, but it does add credence to the possibility
that Morgan/Wyler/Verinis did extra filming away from actual missions.
This suggests that these scenes could have been shot aboard a B-17 other
than the <i>Memphis Belle</i> on May 19th - and that Bob Morgan simply ‘remembered it wrongly’.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuh53x4oZxY4zpsWEVrtG6YarxfRQMs6lOwkkCcC78z3g_cnVyU4EG947ElLdadPMjI2i4viXfq5xuSNPwmWgaIWAQAz3RDRNYV8G-rebjJ7_-mfyD8fcUE2uamHrcGQRCkjMMoDZh9EVJQD5illB5W1RuRR0uWvfPb_COwV142tWYHfVRPz-nIp7X8Q/s1986/cripps%204a.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1986" data-original-width="1417" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuh53x4oZxY4zpsWEVrtG6YarxfRQMs6lOwkkCcC78z3g_cnVyU4EG947ElLdadPMjI2i4viXfq5xuSNPwmWgaIWAQAz3RDRNYV8G-rebjJ7_-mfyD8fcUE2uamHrcGQRCkjMMoDZh9EVJQD5illB5W1RuRR0uWvfPb_COwV142tWYHfVRPz-nIp7X8Q/w282-h396/cripps%204a.tif" width="282" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">As the end of the tour grew near, the aircraft and it's crew started to gain attention from the great and the good. Sir Stafford Cripps, the British Leader of the House of Commons in Parliament, visited Bassingbourn and is seen here with Colonel Wray and Brigadier General Hansell The date must be after Mission 23 by the number of bomb symbols painted on the nose of the Memphis Belle, and there lies</span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span> another mystery. The 91st Bomb Group diary records the event as taking place on May 8th, a date when the aircraft had only flown twenty missions.</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span> </span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBknNsM7Q9E6U82NMicSyU7E_MTnuAIFFWVTWvhXN36DRf4Qroqhnsv4RyiRwxzpr4zgRtHzD_iEXpRkqDrhJnwOqKzh-J4DTjDlNzYpSPmdvL9LQZXbqvgYIGi6MkfdLsR_M7JuNP7-6LJ8b2chyW7ALrd6w8tZMtiQQ6Fr4yBbTqeqaMubArAOCyA/s2067/Cripps3a.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2067" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBknNsM7Q9E6U82NMicSyU7E_MTnuAIFFWVTWvhXN36DRf4Qroqhnsv4RyiRwxzpr4zgRtHzD_iEXpRkqDrhJnwOqKzh-J4DTjDlNzYpSPmdvL9LQZXbqvgYIGi6MkfdLsR_M7JuNP7-6LJ8b2chyW7ALrd6w8tZMtiQQ6Fr4yBbTqeqaMubArAOCyA/w346-h241/Cripps3a.tif" width="346" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Here Sir Stafford, Cripps General Armstrong and Colonel Wray walk away from the Memphis Belle. Bob Morgan is by the wing.</i></span><br /><span> </span></span></p><p><span>The
best evidence that Morgan was definitely wrong about the May 19th
mission can be found in three documents - his own Individual Flight
Record for the month of May, the Maintenence Log for ship #41-24485 and
finally, the Interrogation Report taken immediately after Anderson’s
flight to Kiel and back. </span></p><p><span> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvzk8Xp7suHwKaywyz8Vgops1g7XVXWUN7uMQBgsMQXChJQ4sf5p7CT94d5f8vOGTrhZEa5D-DXYcVE_gFO2KQ8oxttkAkAzFo9AdROp3GlX4_33ImQe1pPisuxOvY0l1xd64W8JFB4ho38X-x6-wSuvwueblv6WdfUuO6EJxraUDZ5iBQzAlZnLl_w/s4134/Morgan%20May%20reocrd205.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2498" data-original-width="4134" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvzk8Xp7suHwKaywyz8Vgops1g7XVXWUN7uMQBgsMQXChJQ4sf5p7CT94d5f8vOGTrhZEa5D-DXYcVE_gFO2KQ8oxttkAkAzFo9AdROp3GlX4_33ImQe1pPisuxOvY0l1xd64W8JFB4ho38X-x6-wSuvwueblv6WdfUuO6EJxraUDZ5iBQzAlZnLl_w/w373-h225/Morgan%20May%20reocrd205.tif" width="373" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The two documents which seem to prove that the Memphis Belle did fly in the hands of Lt Anderson on May 19th 1943 - a nine hour mission. Bob Morgan’s own flight record shows he only flew just under three hours the same day.</i></span><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmy0uZDVZgm0eHdlLhtXbUu1FN8jzyb67C0IlCMQcLBskDpiW83uub124iEdBgmVlfloMZ4RbdZrqmAsgd1V3c7ZrftGCVETqpdpfa8kLz9w6FcjPXk4Twet0jlAfvACP_S3UFJr3CWO0CaSMKBoOnTNWSPE_4s4KGKTyc-1V9CPKrPZyar0S3hrIX0w/s4134/May%2019th%20main%20log204.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3384" data-original-width="4134" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmy0uZDVZgm0eHdlLhtXbUu1FN8jzyb67C0IlCMQcLBskDpiW83uub124iEdBgmVlfloMZ4RbdZrqmAsgd1V3c7ZrftGCVETqpdpfa8kLz9w6FcjPXk4Twet0jlAfvACP_S3UFJr3CWO0CaSMKBoOnTNWSPE_4s4KGKTyc-1V9CPKrPZyar0S3hrIX0w/w361-h295/May%2019th%20main%20log204.tif" width="361" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Morgan’s flight record for May 19th shows a
flight time of 2 hours 50 minutes, with two landings taking place.
However, for the same day the Maintenance Log for the <i>Memphis Belle</i>
shows just a single flight taking place, a couple of technical ‘snags’
reported after a flight time of nine hours, with ‘Lt Anderson’ as the
pilot. Thus the Maintenance log and Interrogation Report cross-correlate
- and seriously conflict with Bob Morgan’s own memory. When one looks in
detail at the timings, it is clear that it is impossible that both
events could have taken place on the same day using the same aircraft -
there just is not time! Filming could not have taken place before the
mission occurred - and there was simply not time to fix the snags and
turn the aircraft around for a nearly three hour flight in daylight
afterwards!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><br />So, 41-24485 the <i>Memphis Belle </i>DID fly in combat
that day - but was that 24 completed missions, or as later documents say
twenty-five officially credited missions?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span></p><p><span>Continued in Dispelling the Myths Again! Part Six <br /></span></p>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-75530762544105756982022-07-22T22:52:00.000-07:002022-07-22T22:52:08.987-07:00Dispelling the Myths - again! Part Four<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Bob and Margaret. and a certain Petty Girl..</b> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is impossible to tell the story of the <i>Memphis Belle </i>and
Bob Morgan without introducing Margaret Polk - something that most mainstream
media conveniently forget. In recent years there have been made attempts to
write ‘Miss Margaret’ out of the story - and yet there are plenty of stories
and mysteries going on behind the scenes there! Time again to put the record straight!<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>While
Bob Morgan was about to undergo final flight training at Walla Walla,
Washington State, a simple request was to have far-reaching consequences. Mrs Oscar
Boyle Polk of Memphis suggested to her second daughter Margaret that she might
like to go along with her elder sister Elizabeth on a trip up to Walla Walla.
Elizabeth was married to a young doctor called Captain C Edward ‘Mac’ McCarthy.
He had joined the embryonic 91st Bomb Group at MacDill Field in Florida and had
just received orders to move to Walla Walla. The air echelon flew up, but the
ground personnel - including the good doctor - would go by troop train.
Elizabeth, however, would have to drive the family Ford all that way from the
southeast to the northwest. She made a rest stop-over in Memphis to say hello
to her fami</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>During that stop-over, Elizabeth
complained about the loneliness of long-distance driving on her own, so her
mother suggested that Margaret go along to keep her company. ‘<i>She came through
Memphis and wanted me to go - but I didn’t. I cannot remember what I was doing,
but I didn’t want to go out there. So Mother promised me a trip to Sun Valley
and Yellowstone if I drove out there. There was me, my sister Elizabeth and a two-bit Scottie dog’. </i>Margaret had her rendezvous with
fate in Walla Walla with destiny - a young Second Lieutenant called Robert K.
Morgan.
</div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SeFnVjQ_7nitQuAqt8gZ9PHa93_K0aEN2_oama3xJrvk-Q7TlHrrdxPr_YFEN0iDrCYDVatcWPzMUeLrPZCMoHQK1XC8AGiB_2Bu3wpS5oCQj4mCT0RKaebGa67mj3Qq14ifkOlT6XjlnyBSQ2rJPmNCgWKhhQLf9vIevYh2BHFLanym9Q1sJ8ur4w/s627/Margschool.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="545" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SeFnVjQ_7nitQuAqt8gZ9PHa93_K0aEN2_oama3xJrvk-Q7TlHrrdxPr_YFEN0iDrCYDVatcWPzMUeLrPZCMoHQK1XC8AGiB_2Bu3wpS5oCQj4mCT0RKaebGa67mj3Qq14ifkOlT6XjlnyBSQ2rJPmNCgWKhhQLf9vIevYh2BHFLanym9Q1sJ8ur4w/s320/Margschool.TIF" width="278" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>‘Heres a young lady a pip - She’s definitely smart as a<br />whip. I’ll tell you a secret and this is no joke, This<br />brilliant young lady is Margaret Polk’.</i><br /> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">So read an entry in a 1939 scrapbook at Hutchison School, Memphis, along with a<br />quote ‘Margaret Polk Trouble sits but lightly upon her shoulders’. In the he picture she would have<br />been seventeen years old. </span></i><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Margaret Polk was born on December 15 1922, allegedly a
descendant of America’s eleventh President, James Knox Polk of Nashville,
Tennessee. Her father was a lawyer, a lumberman and a planter in the old
southern tradition. <i>‘My daddy was Oscar Boyle Polk. My mother, we called her
Bessie Rob. She was from Indiana. Her real name was Mary Elizabeth but everyone
knew her as Bessie’.</i> The Polks by now lived at 1095 Poplar, assisted by two
black servants, Robert and Alberta Thomas.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Margaret was one of four children
but one, Virginia, died not long after birth. Of her three surviving three
siblings, the eldest was Oscar Boyle Jr who was born in 1916, Elizabeth born in
1918 and Thomas Robert born in 1926. Margaret grew up becoming something of a
tomboy, despite her attendance at girls’ private schools.
</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">Brother Tom recalls that as a
youngster Margaret had the family nickname of ‘Tooker’, which remained with her
all her life. <i>‘I went to the Miraculous School. It was a little two-room
schoolhouse and it had these two old maids. You went up five grades there. It
was Miss Emma Cook’s School, right there on Jefferson and Bellevue. One old
lady had one room the other old lady the other. You could go from that five
grades through there, then to the seventh grade at Miss Hutchisons School. We
didn’t have homework because they said they didn’t believe in grading the
parents’ papers. And it was play, because those old ladies would get out and
play with you. They would lift up their skirts and run and play whatever games
we used to play.'</i> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">During the summer, she went to the
family’s farm down at Hickory Valley, Tennessee, some fifty miles to the east
of Memphis. There they had a big white wooden house held together by wooden
pegs, heated by fireplaces in the winter and with a separate kitchen. On the
farm, she was more or less allowed to do as she pleased - a great deal of which
was to play with the children of the black workers on the farm. Picking
strawberries, riding ponies, skinny-dipping in the cow-pond and hoisting the
porch furniture into the trees as a prank.<i> ‘Daddy also had a farm over in
Marianna, Arkansas, with land he was going to clear. So a lot of the time he
was gone, most of the time. You know, back then living on a farm you started
working from daylight to past dark and you had to be there. I went there quite
a lot. I also spent time with my father in Hot Springs. He had given the
Plantation House in Tennessee to his sisters.’</i></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>The Great Depression had little
effect on the Polk family. <i>‘I remember Daddy had to drop his membership to the
University Club and we could not go swimming over there any more...’</i> Margaret
remembered ‘<i>... that was about it’.</i> <br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_A60oOAbQGtfmBN9JCzydZ0MTZuybIN5EJjvLf75ns66YeZtS103lKZm1gUHhHH6JF17paCO2Jp8DraIaFStdReBo7w4silotbY_fLucrJGEBzrnWvCoc09trMLWNSKyXkud0URSUu-smm3lwe6pl7GRLqO6tKh6Lf2w9DR-b7ZJMkQNLRn8Bk4Me2w/s1055/Margartskyward003.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="630" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_A60oOAbQGtfmBN9JCzydZ0MTZuybIN5EJjvLf75ns66YeZtS103lKZm1gUHhHH6JF17paCO2Jp8DraIaFStdReBo7w4silotbY_fLucrJGEBzrnWvCoc09trMLWNSKyXkud0URSUu-smm3lwe6pl7GRLqO6tKh6Lf2w9DR-b7ZJMkQNLRn8Bk4Me2w/s320/Margartskyward003.tif" width="191" /></a></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A posed picture taken by the local press of Margaret looking skyward for her love...</span><br /></div><div><p></p><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Margaret talked about her life
after High School. <i>‘I was in a sorority at Miss Hutchisons. I just never cared
about boys or anything. I dont think I started dating until my senior year
there. My daddy told me if I stayed home and went to school in Memphis for two
years I could go anywhere I wanted to. So I went to Southwestern [now called
Rhodes College] for two years. Even here, I had a couple of boys, but we only
buddied around. I was talked into a year at the University of Wisconsin by a
girlfriend, but it was not as I expected, so I went back to Southwestern for my
fourth year. I graduated Class of ‘43’</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Neither Bob or Margaret had a clear
memory of their first meeting: <i>‘When we got to Walla Walla Mac, her husband,
rented this house, but there weren’t any lights or gas. We went to a hotel, and
they wouldn’t let that damn dog in. So, we went out to that two-bit house and
slept in the dark, and it seems to me that we slept on the floor! I dont really
remember when I first met Bob, but in the mornings sometimes if we wanted the
car, we’d drive Mac out to the Field. Somebody would drive him back and they’d
stop in for a drink in the afternoon or Mac would bring somebody back. There
was always so many men around there you never did pay attention one from the
other’ </i>recalled Margaret.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>What turned things into ‘something special’ was an argument.
<i>‘I had made a date with another young man for 31 July...’ remembered
Margaret’... we were real popular out there because of all those men and so few
women. Then Bob invited me to his birthday party which happened to be on the
same day. I wantedto go to Bob’s party and break my date, but my sister and Mac
would not let me. My brother-in-law said it wasn’t done. ‘You dont late date.
You’re not in college now. You’re in a man’s world now’. So he would not let me
go. We had a pretty hot argument about it’.</i></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMMaMvP5LINT7x62T_fyLL7gaHI23iy59GI-d6saFh7jogAcMFccdu10YVz8qz1fx80ItU43ixLfgDsjIXic9_-iCbMMAFYybRxD1HxGkvb9MbwHTLWE2PvcJJTVS3zc3mkBeHtcilBu5gbA-4D6nm1HejihWdcIymfhvbx6NMX3S47Lj-tNtxo6CLQ/s1417/Margaret004.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1417" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMMaMvP5LINT7x62T_fyLL7gaHI23iy59GI-d6saFh7jogAcMFccdu10YVz8qz1fx80ItU43ixLfgDsjIXic9_-iCbMMAFYybRxD1HxGkvb9MbwHTLWE2PvcJJTVS3zc3mkBeHtcilBu5gbA-4D6nm1HejihWdcIymfhvbx6NMX3S47Lj-tNtxo6CLQ/s320/Margaret004.tif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Another of the local press photographs, showing Miss Margaret looking longingly at a</i><br /><i>portrait of her beau.</i></span></div></div><div> </div><div>As so often happens, the argument
drew Bob Morgan and Margaret Polk together. <i>‘That brought Bob to my attention,
something that I couldn’t do. I started dating him and we got pretty close’.</i> </div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Bob Morgan too was smitten - and
was not averse to using a huge, four-engined bomber to show Margaret that he
was still around! The 91st were flying every day now - and Morgan already had a
reputation for buzz-jobs, so while Margaret was still asleep, Morgan made sure
the entire neighborhood would have a wake-up call:<i> ‘Here Bob would come, around
for our five o’clock. He came in so low and it was so loud, you would have
thought he was flying right through my window. The whole house shook! Bob’s
full of the devil, but he’s a damn good pilot. He could really fly that airplane. It was so exciting!’</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Summer grew late, and it was soon
time for Margaret to return to Memphis, for she was enrolled for the fall term
at Southwestern. It was time to go to school. <i>‘I had this girl from the
University of Wisconsin meet me out at West Yellowstone. I met a Park Ranger
there. Then we went to Sun Valley, but had to go back to Walla Walla because we
were running out of money. Coming back, I had to stop off at Yellowstone again
to see that Ranger. From West Yellowstone we caught a plane to Chicago to pick
up Becky’s (a friend) car. Then we drove down back down to Memphis’</i></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When she got back home, a letter was already waiting. Many
years later Margaret recalled that first letter.<i> ‘That opened a whole can of
worms...’</i> she laughed <i>‘...my mother used to say if she’d known what was in it,
she would’ve steamed it open and thrown it away!</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">‘My dearest Polky</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I was going to sit down and write you yesterday, but then I
thought that if I waited a full day until after you had gone, you would be more
inclined to understand how I really feel, and that I am really sincere.</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I miss you, ‘little one.’ I miss you more than you’ll ever
know or understand. And if you miss me this much you will come to me. I know I
would be on my way to you if I were a civilian again.</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I know now that I have never loved before. I have never felt
towards anyone as I do to you. If we can’t have OUR LIFE before the war is
over, I know I shall come to you afterward, providing you still want me.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I flew all yesterday afternoon. I flew for you and went to
bed early. I was up at 4 a.m. this morning and flew the dawn patrol again.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Never worry, God will keep me safe until we are together
again.</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Must go now. Write soon’ little one’</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> I send you all the love in my heart.</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Forever yours,</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Bob</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The ‘Little One’ reference is intriguing, as Margaret
explains: '<i>He was first going to call it (his B-17) ‘Little One’ because that’s
what he called me at the time’. </i>The letter was followed by a veritable storm of
telephone calls and telegrams. ‘When Bob starts on something it just overpowers
anything else what with gifts, flowers and phone calls. Almost every morning
while I was getting ready for school the phone would ring. If he did not call
me in the morning, it would be in the afternoon’.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>14 August saw Bob Morgan in Ogden, Utah. He sent a telegram.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: helvetica;">Darling. Be here until Saturday. Busy 24 hours a day. Tired but happy when I
know I am doing this for you. Miss you awfully. It must be soon that we meet
again. All my love always, Bob.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">On September 12 1942, B-17F 41-24485 landed at Memphis for
the first time. Bob Morgan had to get special permission to show Margaret Polk
around ‘his’ plane. There was another memento for Margaret’s scrapbook that day,
ticket stub number 782, for a dance at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. On the
back she wrote <i>‘Us, September 12 1942’. </i>On the same page she placed an orchid
corsage. Bob also bought her a love knot ring.<i> ‘It was a little sweetheart
ring, a little gold knot with diamonds in the bow part of it’.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>A little while later Margaret signed for a registered
package from Mitchel Field, Long Island, dated September 21 1942. This was
Morgan’s last Stateside trip before departure for England. Inside was a diamond
engagement ring.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">‘To the dearest person in the world - you. With this ring
you are mine for as long as you love me. God make that forever. I’ll return to
make you a happy person.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yours, Bob’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Bob Morgan just could not contain his exuberance - on
September 27, he sent Margaret another telegram: <span style="font-family: helvetica;">‘Congratulations on our
engagement. I am the luckiest person in the world to have found you.’</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Not satisfied with sending the telegram, Bob Morgan also wrote
her a letter:
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">‘My dearest darling,</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is our day. I can’t write you very much, but at least
you know I am thinking about you all the time. Our job is a big one and you and
I will do it together, always. I hope the ring and the picture arrived safely.
The Memphis Belle will ride the sky safely, always. You can be sure. To you I
send my love.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Forever yours Bob’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Interestingly, this is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>the first written reference we have to the name the ‘Memphis Belle’ on
the aircraft. However, like everything with the<i> Memphis Belle </i>legend, there is more than one version.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>The story behind the name</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Sometime during the time at Bangor 41-24485 gained a name
and a painting on either side of its nose of a girl in a swimsuit. But how had
the name and artwork come about?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>In the days before the internet and television, the public
got their news from newspapers, and contemporary newspapers of the day reported
simply that the pilot had named his aircraft in honour of his fianceé Margaret Polk, his Memphis sweetheart and left it at that.
Bob Morgan:<i>“...I liked Southern belles, and Margaret was a southern
belle, so I just called it the Memphis Belle”.</i> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>James Verinis, the Belle’s co-pilot and Bob Morgan’s buddy,
remembered it slightly differently: <i>“...It was in Bangor, Maine, in September
1942, just before we flew overseas. Bob and I went to see a movie. I don’t
remember its title. I only remember Joan Blondell starred in it. In the movie,
there was also a Mississippi River gambling boat, and I remember that either Miss Blondell or the boat was called the Memphis
Belle. We were walking back to our quarters after the show, and Bob
suddenly said ‘Gee, that would be a good name for our plane, the Memphis
Belle’.
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">After much research by the Memphis Belle Memorial
Association, it was discovered that the movie was a Republic picture called
‘Lady for a Night’ and did indeed star Jean Blondell - with a male lead
played by none other than John Wayne. Here is a remarkable coincidence - the
name of John Wayne’s character?... Jack Morgan, no wonder Bob Morgan paid
attention to the movie! </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBzUkFa-DRXpaPrhqC1vwMUZERwvhVnDWoxPxhbhYM-jRgjjYxuMRNNKbRyzZCVCTWkWJxS9MLnCQO4e2fV9HPJ_linwlXZImdfZuzuZEHjKyz6WUZ3w0jUAMFSn5L-bk8W6-5LwmUdh9neoD7HWimSMVLmhFoPwUIeFg_ZdDw-xv2FsR01JmxdA7vA/s609/Ladyforanight.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBzUkFa-DRXpaPrhqC1vwMUZERwvhVnDWoxPxhbhYM-jRgjjYxuMRNNKbRyzZCVCTWkWJxS9MLnCQO4e2fV9HPJ_linwlXZImdfZuzuZEHjKyz6WUZ3w0jUAMFSn5L-bk8W6-5LwmUdh9neoD7HWimSMVLmhFoPwUIeFg_ZdDw-xv2FsR01JmxdA7vA/s320/Ladyforanight.TIF" width="246" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">According to everyone’s memories, Bob Morgan originally
wanted to call the aircraft ‘Little One’ his pet-name for Margaret Polk,
but after seeing the movie, decided that Memphis Belle would be better.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Morgan reports the story slightly differently in the 2002
Morgan/Powers book. It seems that when he told the crew what he was going to
call the aircraft Memphis Belle, no one liked it, so Morgan decided to convince
each crew member one at a time - through the application of liberal quantities
of ‘liquid refreshment’.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As to where the artwork came from, Bob Morgan remembered it
well, as he told Menno Deurksen in 1987: <i>“...I was a reader of Esquire
magazine. I always admired those Petty Girl paintings they ran every
month. I wrote to the magazine and told them what I wanted. They sent me a
picture and we painted it on the plane”
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1JM4tsv8mpqY1JDkCRIPryH5jO47kqWSqMK6KJjys-BYC2prhuQIYEMQi_Ys3rk0ePTEBZ45rm_z-sNzXmJa3SBf6Ov2pGyHO2_N1fr0uKKRcgOd3QnPTw5uFHp7zaELI5qCr93DqM9-P9BEhluJrllPXrwWgF2O9vThRlXQfuTRudc58zmUIHfmwQ/s617/ESQ%20WORK.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="451" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1JM4tsv8mpqY1JDkCRIPryH5jO47kqWSqMK6KJjys-BYC2prhuQIYEMQi_Ys3rk0ePTEBZ45rm_z-sNzXmJa3SBf6Ov2pGyHO2_N1fr0uKKRcgOd3QnPTw5uFHp7zaELI5qCr93DqM9-P9BEhluJrllPXrwWgF2O9vThRlXQfuTRudc58zmUIHfmwQ/s320/ESQ%20WORK.JPG" width="234" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The front cover of 'Esquire' for April 1941 in which the George Petty artwork appeared.</span><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The events were again described differently in the
Morgan/Powers book. On page 99 Morgan says that he called Esquire, got Petty’s
phone number and called the artist direct, telling him that he (Morgan) would
like Petty to draw one of his girls to go on the aircraft. According to Morgan,
Petty was gracious about it and was thrilled to be a part of things.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-biPqNuR3gwHALwqdZ7r50uMe5dlr4u8KhtmX2yiYlIc1MbkoUMpvbg-qUIlq8NX4kvuDQSSd-wvpcqQjBwx49CWHTXVtu5v3hY-4YfBnZQBKhJaEO3BAKC4Dg6Laq8TlFbIn9LlckFoUrcxqBZ_s6HD4pmPn0Z7l6rP745CCFS6p7Qd8lI1Pw4jXQ/s132/petty.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="132" data-original-width="98" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-biPqNuR3gwHALwqdZ7r50uMe5dlr4u8KhtmX2yiYlIc1MbkoUMpvbg-qUIlq8NX4kvuDQSSd-wvpcqQjBwx49CWHTXVtu5v3hY-4YfBnZQBKhJaEO3BAKC4Dg6Laq8TlFbIn9LlckFoUrcxqBZ_s6HD4pmPn0Z7l6rP745CCFS6p7Qd8lI1Pw4jXQ/w297-h400/petty.gif" width="297" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Artist George Petty.</span><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So, was this particular item of artwork specifically and
carefully selected as is often claimed, or was it just a random, accidental
selection brought about by a member of staff at Esquire picking up a back issue
and mailing it to 2nd Lt Morgan in response to his request? Or was the
artwork<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>created at Morgan’s request
as Morgan and Powers suggest in their book?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately no-one remembers when and who originally
painted it onto the aircraft, but a consensus of opinion among the other
crewmembers seems to suggest that it was originally painted on to the aircraft
by a civilian worker at Dow Field before they left the USA. It was some time
after they arrived in England that Corporal Anthony’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tony’ Starcer of the 441st Sub Depot and Bassingbourn’s
resident nose-art specialist touched up and eventually repainted it and it is this design
that is on the aircraft today.
</p><p class="MsoNormal">Again, on page 99 of his 2002 book, Morgan claims
differently, saying that he ordered Tony Starcer to paint one girl in a red
swimsuit on one side of the nose and one in a blue suit on the other.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1tdA7Rl6sm36lcanYsLnE_hDSe7JIqFZu4tAcrvZdv1aJvwJvpRaoAt8qBSiLb4VtTklXw2RSuWHrPMAGpemTxXzOSvc17OvCWwfpIIi9BrxnzkEpnyVmrPRAOIQBvMGTO6eP1QSqrbJJKP7AjiQbr8pTd_NskX_b10kkMrVRjxZjqxHUghTMhcASw/s785/pettyside1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1tdA7Rl6sm36lcanYsLnE_hDSe7JIqFZu4tAcrvZdv1aJvwJvpRaoAt8qBSiLb4VtTklXw2RSuWHrPMAGpemTxXzOSvc17OvCWwfpIIi9BrxnzkEpnyVmrPRAOIQBvMGTO6eP1QSqrbJJKP7AjiQbr8pTd_NskX_b10kkMrVRjxZjqxHUghTMhcASw/w240-h400/pettyside1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is often been said by many who have visited the aircraft
on display that this particular George Petty artwork is called ‘the Memphis
Belle’. It has also been said that the painting is a representation of Margaret
Polk. Neither of those statements contain a single shred of truth.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The story of the artwork and the background to how it
eventually appears on the aircraft is as follows. This particular ‘Petty Girl’ appeared as a foldout in the
April 1941 issue of <i>Esquire </i>magazine between pages 36 and 41, and is thought to
have been modelled by either Petty’s wife or, more likely, his twenty-two
year old daughter Marjorie. The caption that appears on the piece in
Esquire itself is somewhat enigmatic. It says<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>“I’m the one with the part in the back”.</i> In the table of
contents, the caption is abbreviated to <i>“…the one with the part in the back”.
</i>The quotes forming part of the caption. So, is this the title of the artwork? A
caption is something very different to the ‘name’ of a painting. Much of
Petty’s work is known to be untitled and it is likely that this one is also.
Even the staff of the Art & Architecture Library, University of Kansas,
where the original artwork resides, will only say it is ‘captioned’ as<i> “I’m the
one with the part in the back.” </i>As to what the caption actually means - we have
no idea!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As for the girl being Margaret Polk, clearly, the Petty Girl
was nearly sixteen months old when she first appeared in different coloured
swimsuits on either side of the nose of a certain B-17 - so at very best, the
painting can only be said to ‘represent’ Miss Margaret! The April 1941 date
also clearly repudiates the Morgan/Powers’ suggestion’ that the creation of the
artwork was at Morgan’s request. That edition of Esquire appeared nearly
sixteen months before Morgan got his hands on the aircraft that was to become the
<i>Memphis Belle!</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Continues in Dispelling the Myths - again! Part Five</p>
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{page:Section1;}</style></p></div>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-59253992815727616002022-07-21T22:42:00.000-07:002022-07-21T22:42:40.506-07:00Dispelling the Myths - Again Part Three<p> <b>
</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>So who was Robert Knight Morgan?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Serial# O-430609: Morgan, Robert Knight - pilot.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Born on July 31 1918, in Asheville, North Carolina, the
third child of David Bradley Morgan and Mabel K Morgan, from the very beginning
Robert Knight Morgan had a lot of things going for him. <i>‘I grew up in a sort of
protective society, you know, we had nurses to take care of me and all that
sort of thing.’</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>That did not stop him from doing all the things that boys
everywhere like to do. Hunting, Fishing and Shooting. <i>‘One of the Vanderbilt
estates is located at Asheville. Through my family, I got to know one of the
wardens on the estate. He took me fishing and hunting, taught me to shoot.’
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>His sister, named Peggy after her mother, was to break off
her engagement to Simon Baring, a member of the London banking family to marry
Alexander Abel-Smith, also of London. His brother, David Jnr was destined to
marry Princess Dolly Obolensky, a White Russian emegré and socialite from New
York.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPBifIqM0vKVQfb0PHtLVloWjOrhpsTOQKVK_JKBtIJugH-qHLgSkjIQc0IfRFpZwBY2o3u_ZGlVB12z345vOKr0P_rifrT-dIq8lq4h8yuYS_TpG2gV7ySxGqgGWAkdjGPrRWYXwY2Pj6hvUsops1XMnyeKMvXFAiRwbyKlL4hAEOG0ZyZE32LG_VA/s656/Morgan016.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="630" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPBifIqM0vKVQfb0PHtLVloWjOrhpsTOQKVK_JKBtIJugH-qHLgSkjIQc0IfRFpZwBY2o3u_ZGlVB12z345vOKr0P_rifrT-dIq8lq4h8yuYS_TpG2gV7ySxGqgGWAkdjGPrRWYXwY2Pj6hvUsops1XMnyeKMvXFAiRwbyKlL4hAEOG0ZyZE32LG_VA/s320/Morgan016.tif" width="307" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>Like all boys, Bob was also prone to playing pranks - like
when his mother was having a cocktail party on the lawn, and he took the water
hose, breaking up the party by squirting water on the maids. <i>‘That was one time
when Dad got out his razor strap and whipped me pretty good. I got by with a
lot but Dad was no softie. He knew how to use that strap. Sure I was wild as a
kid. I had the world’s speed record from Asheville, North Carolina, to
Greenville, South Carolina. I used to see a girl down there, went almost every
day. It was sixty miles and a mountain road but I drove it in 55 minutes in
Dad’s Buick. Everybody in town knew about and talked about it.’
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>It seems that young Bob got the taste of marrying early.
Journalist Ruth Reynolds alleged in the <i>Sunday News </i>for August 22 1943 that
before Bob was 15 he had eloped and married 13 year old Doris Newman, another
pupil of Asheville Public School. They were wed on June 6 1931 - and divorced
on June 15; their parents took care of that!
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Things changed with the coming of the Great Depression.
Bob’s father was a successful businessman, being the president of the Dimension
Manufacturing Company, a successful furniture-making concern.When the
Depression hit he became the watchman who guarded the locked-up plant, for $50
a month. It was an experience Bob never forgot: <i>‘...my Dad was completely
broke. I mean busted - completely. We even had to sell our house’.
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>It was Mrs Sir John Francis Amherst Cecil, the former
Cornelia Vanderbilt, a close friend of Bob’s mother, who came to the rescue
after that. Cornelia had inherited Biltmore House in 1914 following the death
of her father, George Washington Vanderbilt. <i>“When we lost our house, she let
us live in a house on her estate, rent-free. Dad and I lived there by
ourselves. Dad did the cooking, and I had to do the house cleaning. Dad still
had some friends in Massachusetts, and when the Depression eased up a bit, he
borrowed some money from one of his friends, bought the factory back, opened it
up and got it started again.’ </i>Before it was over, Bob’s father owned three
furniture factories.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>In January 1936 came the devastating news that his mother
had contracted thyroid cancer. There was no hope of a cure, no hope of
recovery. She took a shotgun, pointed the gun at herself, and committed
suicide. <i>‘I believe my mother dying was the biggest blow in my life. My mother
was a beautiful and lovely woman. I looked up to her as if she were an angel.
She and I had big plans for us. We were going to go on trips together and then,
bang, all of it was blown out.”
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i><span> </span>Bob continued with his education, first at Episcopal High in
Alexandria, Virginia, then studying business administration at the Wharton
School of Finance, part of the University of Pennsylvania. In the summer of
1938 Bob met and then married wife #2, Alice Rutherford Lane, daughter of Mr
& Mrs W R Lane of Hendersonville, N.C. Her folks had a summer residence in
Asheville. Accounts from Bob Morgan suggest that the marriage lasted until the
fall, when her parents took her to Florida and another divorce. However,
Florida divorce records reveal that they were not divorced until 1940 in
Manatee County.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Bob’s first job after graduation was working for the
Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio, makers of office
equipment. <i>‘They put me through their school in Cleveland, where I learned
about their machines, and then I went on the road as a travelling service
person.’
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>War clouds were looming, and with Europe already at war, in
1940 Bob decided to take action. <i>“I could see the war coming so I decided to
get into the Air Force. I called Dad and told him what I wanted to do and he
told me that if this was what I wanted, go ahead.”
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Morgan enlisted as an Aviation Cadet at Richmond, Virginia.
It seems he almost got washed out of the Air Force before he started, for he
had problems with his eyes. <i>‘The flight surgeon told me that one of my eyes
didn’t quite come up to 20/20 and, in that time, it had to be 20/20 to get into
pilot training. But for some reason he took a liking to me and told me he was
going to help me. He took me in a dark room and gave me some ice to hold on my
eye. After five minutes, he came in and got me, gave me the test again and my
eye passed, 20/20’. </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SsP9WhL9Cvi0-oKR1_Fb3WwNeSsownQPXDWHTjqh8R0QXJ9keLZl6yOzbh2PXcvmZJeQVaL7VAyeRFLvNpTeZLNqGX5mGe4-QaQ95DBj4pP-1LmRvZ1989CXVQASG8jtx6RrQxBTRyd-rHU2-PZI_aq98vKUC2sX_9h5YM_18xORHwTdDKFG3jH-lw/s5312/Morgmed01034.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5312" data-original-width="4134" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SsP9WhL9Cvi0-oKR1_Fb3WwNeSsownQPXDWHTjqh8R0QXJ9keLZl6yOzbh2PXcvmZJeQVaL7VAyeRFLvNpTeZLNqGX5mGe4-QaQ95DBj4pP-1LmRvZ1989CXVQASG8jtx6RrQxBTRyd-rHU2-PZI_aq98vKUC2sX_9h5YM_18xORHwTdDKFG3jH-lw/s320/Morgmed01034.tif" width="249" /></a></i></div><i><br /> </i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bX9sR5wi6DVJKoAddLDxiXYlGHXiPXi_NZWJFRNpQKcmH9rbfW0hjMfGm2F3dcQz4aLJhyLW1F8Rrbo3ky4wdHaXBr_ZY6ZuDntZ6IswB9WjFzOq0FGVhXR1TCMWQNqWXlqpnngkB30JQM4eGGl11u8upXM1aVzkWDk15Vj2iCi1RVCeAfsmUCc4Fg/s5119/Morgmed02035.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5119" data-original-width="4134" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bX9sR5wi6DVJKoAddLDxiXYlGHXiPXi_NZWJFRNpQKcmH9rbfW0hjMfGm2F3dcQz4aLJhyLW1F8Rrbo3ky4wdHaXBr_ZY6ZuDntZ6IswB9WjFzOq0FGVhXR1TCMWQNqWXlqpnngkB30JQM4eGGl11u8upXM1aVzkWDk15Vj2iCi1RVCeAfsmUCc4Fg/s320/Morgmed02035.tif" width="258" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>In February 1941, Morgan received his orders to report for
primary flight training in Camden, South Carolina. Here under blue skies, sat
the bright yellow primary trainers - PT-17s, the famous Stearman biplanes. The
man who would one day acquire a reputation of being a wild pilot, almost washed
outright at the beginning... <i>“When we started flying in primary training, I was
scared to death. The first time my instructor took me out and made a loop with
a slow roll, I said to myself, I’m not sure this is for me.’ I sort of lost
interest and wasn’t really applying myself.
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i><i><span> </span>“We had civilian instructors in those days and I had a guy
named Earl Friedel. I guess he sensed that something was wrong, so one day he
said he wanted me to meet him down at the hangar in the evening. When I got
there he pulled up a couple of chairs. We sat down and he told me I was about
to wash out. “But, like the flight surgeon, he took an interest in me and
wanted to help me. He said, ‘You’ve got the greatest opportunity in the world.
The Government is spending $60,000 to make a pilot out of you and you just
aren’t taking it seriously. You’ve got this haphazard attitude.’</i>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <i><span> </span>“He had a broom with him and he took the broomstick between
his legs and said, ‘When I was a kid I wanted to fly so bad that I’d hang
around the airfield and watch everything the pilots did. I’d look inside the
planes and see that stick. Then I’d go home, sit on the front porch with a
broomstick between my legs and go through all the maneuvers for hours. That was
90 per cent of my flight training because I wanted to do it so badly. If you
don’t appreciate what I’ve done for you, just say so and I’ll wash you out
tomorrow.’</i>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i><i><span> </span>“Well, I guess that talk did me a lot of good because after
that I got with it and passed my tests.” Then came the next episode of another
near-washout with Morgan himself again doing the washing. “They were sending me
down to Bush Field, Augusta [then called Barnes Farm airfield] for basic
training but then, at the last minute, somebody was checking the
records and found out I lacked 40 minutes of having enough flying time to go to
advanced training. They told me to take a plane and just fly around for 40
minutes. I got up there and had been flying about 35 minutes and was about to
get ready to land when I got this crazy idea to buzz the field. Well, I buzzed
it good and that was a no-no.</i></p><i>
</i><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> <span> </span>“When I got back on the ground I got called on the carpet by
the commanding officer. He chewed me out good and he said: ‘Morgan, if we
hadn’t already sent your papers to Augusta, you wouldn’t be going. I’d wash you
out right now. I’m letting you go but if you ever do that again you’re
through.’ </i>Morgan eventually arrived at Barnes Farm Airfield on July 7 1941.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>Why did he decide to be a bomber pilot?. <i>“Most people would
have guessed that I would want to be a fighter pilot from the way I drove a
car. I was a maniac for speed. So, people would think I was crazy enough to be
a fighter pilot. But I liked company. I didn’t like the idea of being up there
in the air by myself. If I went up in a B-17 I would have nine other guys up
there with me and I liked that fine. That was the reason I picked bombers.”
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> <span> </span></i><span> </span>But this did not stop him from flying the big planes as if
they were fighters! </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LmI_TXXKXqrnPczCninNIdS5QH4PneICieX9CwWy8gsxVQjl1Rhnz8gNTcbwulELMg7v5uSwA0g8l38xbB_HFdluzrTc5-Mo5LZqOiBD4vq35Do71GMSmyOlTCNm4WC2BGmd8fBu1TgHNo0ffIFBU1RScWrcMg-RoDe0_VGchwQKc5XrcOmkdo-1IQ/s1579/Morgtrain01038.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1579" data-original-width="1181" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LmI_TXXKXqrnPczCninNIdS5QH4PneICieX9CwWy8gsxVQjl1Rhnz8gNTcbwulELMg7v5uSwA0g8l38xbB_HFdluzrTc5-Mo5LZqOiBD4vq35Do71GMSmyOlTCNm4WC2BGmd8fBu1TgHNo0ffIFBU1RScWrcMg-RoDe0_VGchwQKc5XrcOmkdo-1IQ/s320/Morgtrain01038.tif" width="239" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbJmxEdYVtgvjumGBWagsq6lW12LIyYO1pAYfgSpS2RMX6L0G1CXdgsw3i1ZjJ_jyqfXHxbpanDHFHYP4O4Ojuji7AI1dqHTajLb6UNbhfg67ifoNeqmYmZaHiIE0WjElGOoERfWQEmutv0H8goVzc4CSirYuTgS81UzxRXJdZi9ggyL_cQjDXCvLbg/s2067/Morgtrain01036.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="2067" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbJmxEdYVtgvjumGBWagsq6lW12LIyYO1pAYfgSpS2RMX6L0G1CXdgsw3i1ZjJ_jyqfXHxbpanDHFHYP4O4Ojuji7AI1dqHTajLb6UNbhfg67ifoNeqmYmZaHiIE0WjElGOoERfWQEmutv0H8goVzc4CSirYuTgS81UzxRXJdZi9ggyL_cQjDXCvLbg/s320/Morgtrain01036.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>It was then on to Barksdale Field, Shreveport, Louisiana on
September 26. Here it was AT-7s, AT- 8s, B-18s and A-29s. He graduated as a
Second Lieutenant on December 12, six days after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
His pilot’s wings were pinned on by Martha Lillian Stone, an old flame from the
University of Pennsylvania days. Martha, daughter of Mrs Charles E Stone and
the late Lt Stone of Mount Lebannon PA, became wife #3 two weeks later in
Tampa, Florida, where Morgan had been ordered to report to the 29th Bomb Group,
52nd Bomb Squadron.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Morgan then was introduced to the four-engined Consolidated
B-24C - the famous Liberator. By the end of January 1942, he was qualified as
‘first pilot’ with over sixty hours on the type and was expecting to be heading
for Africa soon. But that was not to be - the Army Air Force had other plans
for their MacDill first pilots.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>He was re-trained and requalified - this time on the Boeing
B-17E and posted again. By May 1942 he was part of the 29th Bombardment Group
but, effective May 16 1942 he was reassigned to the newly-formed 91st
Bombardment Group and the 324th Bomb Squadron. These were not the only changes however.
The marriage to Martha was soon over - they were divorced in Hillsborough
County, Florida in 1942.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>At MacDill Field in Tampa, Florida Morgan was again in
trouble for buzz-jobs... “While we were stationed at McDill, they sometimes
sent us out on submarine patrols in the Gulf. I don’t remember ever seeing a
submarine but one Sunday, when we were coming in, I spotted a big house with a
beautiful lawn and somebody was having a lawn party. I decided to buzz that
party. Man I almost set that plane down in the punch bowl. What I didn’t know
was that it was our Commanding General who was having the lawn party. The next
morning, I was called in by my commanding officer who chewed me out plenty and
I was told that as long as I stayed under that general’s command, I would never
get a promotion.”
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>Some time while he was at McDill, Bob Morgan got taske with
Lt David Alford to fly as copilot, taking a B-17 up to Lunken Airport,
Cincinnati to put it on display for their Army Air Day. It looked as if
Morgan’s life was going to be a series of reprimands and chew-outs. The next
one arrived after pilots were told that, as part of their training, they could
make a few discretionary flights, like landing at places near their home towns
where they could see their parents. On May 31 1942 Morgan decided to land at
Asheville. The only problem being that Asheville, at that time, only had 4,000
feet of runway, not really enough concrete to land a B-17 on. He decided to do
it anyway.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> <i> </i></span><i> ‘I burned out the brakes on the plane, getting it stopped on
that tiny airfield. They had to send a crew of mechanics from McDill to put on
new brakes.’
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>This may have allowed Morgan some more time to visit his
father, but it also earned him another of those chew-outs that now seemed to be
a routine part of his training. As punishment for that landing at Asheville,
Morgan’s name does not appear on Special Order 22 dated June 18 1942 from the
office of the Group Commander for the Group to be transferred from MacDill to
Walla Walla, Washington, for final advanced training before being sent
overseas. It seems that other pilots made the transfer by air but Morgan was
ordered to make the trip by a slow, hot train ride!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i><i><span> </span>“I became known as Floorboard Freddie because I wore out
more brakes than any pilot in our group. I landed them hot. I always said I’d
rather run out of runway at the other end than not make the runway on
the touch-down. So, I always came in hotter than anyone else.”
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>At Walla Walla, Morgan was in hot water again because of his
insistence on going around bareheaded, refusing to wear the cap required by
military regulations. Captain Harold C Smelser, the commander of the 324th
Squadron, took over the job of chewing him out day after day, for showing up
minus his cap. Since Morgan had been appointed a flight leader, he was due a
promotion to first lieutenant, but since he insisted on defying cap
regulations, there would be no promotion. <i>"Major Smelser was a West Pointer and
he had been in the Pacific where he flew B-17s. He was one of those spit-and-polish
officers who carried a swagger stick and tried to enforce every regulation in
the book. I never did get along with him. He resented all of us young pilots
who had never been to West Point but got to fly on an equal basis with the
regular Army men. He assigned me to every dirty job on the base. When one of
the planes went on a training mission and crashed in the mountains, killing
every man on board, he assigned me to the job of going out to recover the
bodies...”
</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Continued in Dispelling the Myths - Again Part Four <br /></p>
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{page:Section1;}</style></p>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-80296146232300821222022-07-20T23:08:00.001-07:002022-07-20T23:08:41.786-07:00Dispelling the Myths - again! Part Two
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When Dr Friedman and I heard that the Memphis Belle’s pilot
was finally writing his biography, we looked forward to it with great
expectation - here, at last, would be the chance to get the story direct from
someone ‘who was there’. The publication of Colonel Robert K Morgan, USAFR,
Ret. ’s 2002 book <i>The Man who Flew the Memphis Belle, </i>written in co-operation
with Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist Ron Powers did not live up to our hopes
- or even its own publicity. This book draws heavily on Menno Duerksen’s
previous work, does not mention the War Department booklet at all, and, far
from providing any clarification as to the contents of that booklet or the 1943
movie, it just manages to muddy the waters even further! Indeed one has a
strong suspicion that within this book, there was an active attempt to erase
Margaret Polk from the pages of history.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>The Morgan/Powers book contains enough factual errors and
incorrect statements to cast serious doubts on the historical accuracy of the
entire work - and even to make us doubt who the real author was!
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>One example of this is that over pages 187-189, the authors
go into great detail about the members of the <i>Memphis Belle </i>crew meeting up
with Hollywood film star Clark Gable who had visited Bassingbourn. It seems
that some of the crew had gone down to London with him to hit the night spots.
Bob Morgan - or was it Ron Powers? - makes a very specific, highly detailed
mention that Clarke Gable had been forced to shave off his trademark moustache
for military service but was still very recognisable by all in London. We have
located one small reference in the Forces newspaper Stars and Stripes that
Gable had to shave off his moustache for induction into the Army Air Force, but
he was only bare-lipped for a few weeks. Now that may well have been how Morgan
remembered it, but one only has to watch <i>Combat America, </i>the film Gable was
over in England to make - or to look at any of the hundreds of high-quality
still photographs that the USAAF 8th Air Force Public Relations Officers were
only too happy to hand out - to see that Clark Gable most certainly had his
moustache when in England - and very noticeable it was too! Indeed, a good few
of these pictures were actually taken at Bassingbourn! It seems that like so
many journalists who have ‘reported’ the Memphis Belle story before, they did
not let the facts stand in the way of a good story! </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The picture below shows Clark Gable with the crew of Delta Revbel No.2 - the white rectangle shows how the image is often cropped to show him apparently standing in front of a whole range of different B-17s to suit the authors claims!</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5mC6FIoLuqh4_i-QmWoTpCrCtb7_iiPxhSt1dXo4CT2fnyNy0129_orl7L0Q-fUg00C7A8K4NKiRow-cb_7fma8poUUdLxeBrWlV57R9drCAtKqv9Z5ZISUtj5e7R9DWoCKGnfWL3eQAZ2Fm8kJKWX2-c1fvbQnxSP3fpiw26Z7_SwGyN0D3OI7Fig/s2067/Gablerebel.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1666" data-original-width="2067" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5mC6FIoLuqh4_i-QmWoTpCrCtb7_iiPxhSt1dXo4CT2fnyNy0129_orl7L0Q-fUg00C7A8K4NKiRow-cb_7fma8poUUdLxeBrWlV57R9drCAtKqv9Z5ZISUtj5e7R9DWoCKGnfWL3eQAZ2Fm8kJKWX2-c1fvbQnxSP3fpiw26Z7_SwGyN0D3OI7Fig/w388-h314/Gablerebel.tif" width="388" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">One of the many ‘oddities’ reported in the Morgan/Powers
book occurrs during the 1943 war bond tour of the USA - in particular during
the visit to the Boeing Wichita plant on August 1 1943. At the start of Chapter
15 - pages 234 and 235 - they make a great deal about Bob Morgan being taken
privately to one side and asked if he would like to see a new, highly secret
aircraft that was being kept away from prying eyes.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> According to their book, he was escorted into a hangar where
he was given a guided tour of one of the B-29s then under a high-security test,
and this it seems to start him thinking about what he was going to do once the
tour was over. This story is somewhat at odds with two of the pictures we knew
of and had used, for Bob<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Morgan is
recorded taxiing the Memphis Belle past Boeing-built YB-29 41-36959 parked out
on the ramp for all to see!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The so-called 'secret' B-29 seen out on the ramp at Boeing Wichita as Bob Morgan taxies the Memphis Belle past it.</span><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTMCbABYdWY7Z15XLwxJHJN6U_hvw4hGGAiUlWgE3ImPBPwXA-jJStmV_vFSKX6o1omzWBJ8AW0thcubAJUApoi_63K6hAtXdAOX02T2QEv9VWKMoLo_fG4bOA6kbCXwz1RpnM4k-ABF2jVQYRA7HZPc4U7pxxdUyR59XESq2B7WFkOMLEQHtYOxd-g/s2795/008b.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1996" data-original-width="2795" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTMCbABYdWY7Z15XLwxJHJN6U_hvw4hGGAiUlWgE3ImPBPwXA-jJStmV_vFSKX6o1omzWBJ8AW0thcubAJUApoi_63K6hAtXdAOX02T2QEv9VWKMoLo_fG4bOA6kbCXwz1RpnM4k-ABF2jVQYRA7HZPc4U7pxxdUyR59XESq2B7WFkOMLEQHtYOxd-g/s320/008b.TIF" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> It all sounded very familiar; then we realised why - it is
exactly the same as a scene in a 1955 Hollywood movie - substitute Bob Morgan
for Jimmy Stewart and the B-29 for the B-47, and you have the exact sequence
from <i>Strategic Air Command</i> where the Stewart character is introduced to the
B-47 jet bomber!</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Just visible in the background of this picture taken on August 1 1943 at Boeing Wichita is the tail of the B-29.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2004" data-original-width="2800" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rure9YuFDsIAEoVrYi9Lrx08TO26caOC6Uyv3-dlbxHkm6t_MlQI0CiDUM8go4z4r805ENWCSo54RiY2nZ_L2nXUVUfD9bFr4Sj0VznchRJHQswAK72hCIJPlHA4r_KPkmYTTeCFWUiWH8qgof0zHLA7RXatp01gov09GMARWoybqNEZwcZXs-rMOQ/s320/002d.TIF" width="320" /></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Then there is the 91st Bomb Group Association who maintains
a website that ‘...exists as a tribute to the members of the 91st Bomb Group
(Heavy Bombers) and as a historical record of events that took place in Europe
during W.W.II’. Within that website is a section relating to the 91st Bomb
Group Daily Diaries as compiled by Captain Theodore R. Parker. A study of what
appears on this website when compared to the documents which appear on
microfilm roll BO172, one of a series of microfilms supplied to us from the
Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Centre at Maxwell Air Force Base shows
that Captain Parker appears to have compiled TWO distinctly separate diaries,
one much larger and more detailed than the other. It seems that the 91st B.G.
Association’s ‘transcripts’ are, in fact, nothing more than ‘extracts’ from the
smaller, abridged version.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">With the arrival of domestic videotape and later the digital
revolution, it is not surprising that numerous versions of the William Wyler
movie appeared on videotape and DVDs. One outstandingly bad and thankfully
little-known example of this is the 2002 INCA Productions’ <i>Memphis Belle The
Untold Story’ </i>released by Beckmann Visual Publishing. Written and produced by
Brian Johnson and William Woollard with associate producer Norman de Lacy
Evans, this can be at best called a re-hash of the 1943 Wyler movie. The
production company took the original, completely re-edited it - at the same
time removing all the scenes of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth’s inspection
of Bassingbourn and any reference to Margaret Polk - then spliced in additional
footage shot in England along with footage of the War Bond Tour shot at the
Douglas Aircraft Plant in Long Beach, California. They then junked the entire
original commentary and overlaid a narrative by William Woollard that is
absolutely riddled with errors. For example, Woollard states definitively that
the Wilhelmshaven mission was Morgan’s 25th. That statement sets the standard
of accuracy and the rest of the piece goes downhill from there for, amongst
other things, they have a B-24 supposedly landing at Bassingbourn in the middle
of the B-17s returning from the Wilhelmshaven raid. As with Perkins’ Glenn
Miller story, there is clearly a pair of corrugated iron T2 hangars in the
background!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Continued in <i>Dispelling the Myths - Again Part Three</i> <br /></p>
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{page:Section1;}</style>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-74839900918449186682022-07-20T10:32:00.001-07:002022-07-20T10:36:35.516-07:00Dispelling the Myths - Again! Part One<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Introduction</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In recent years - with the unveiling of the restored <i>Memphis
Belle</i> at the National Museum of the United States Air Force - there has been a
great rise in interest in the aircraft and one man who is perceived in popular
culture as its pilot - Colonel Robert Knight ‘Bob’ Morgan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4vCHdy_5EAWon6it9LyubWCtGnR5WhrX1I1EN8QGL3eQoj-x3qxUXAVW220o9sOo886QDRrMfLsAh89oXZcs_7Ydw9qTnuziz_SWrzhomAndfg3d8WOd9WFQK4WZVTcXw7F2zahppDcuzoZBDMcdWWIZh_U_24qTzpxFiTa_ploGwby499anJIL1OQ/s984/Morgantrain008.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="984" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4vCHdy_5EAWon6it9LyubWCtGnR5WhrX1I1EN8QGL3eQoj-x3qxUXAVW220o9sOo886QDRrMfLsAh89oXZcs_7Ydw9qTnuziz_SWrzhomAndfg3d8WOd9WFQK4WZVTcXw7F2zahppDcuzoZBDMcdWWIZh_U_24qTzpxFiTa_ploGwby499anJIL1OQ/s320/Morgantrain008.tif" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>There has also been a matching rise in people who are vociferous
in claiming all sorts of things that are totally false, ranging from spurious
details about the aircraft to incorrect information about the crew and an
utterly erroneous understanding of copyright. It seems they don’t know what
they don’t know and do not really care about doing in-depth research but are
incredibly vocal in spouting off their theories and ideas to all and sundry –
then they get greatly offended if someone tries to correct them! All they seem
to want to do is grab the reflected glory of being a 'next gen' and make
grandiose statements about the activities of real or perceived family members. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>These 'errors' - and I am being polite here - have been perpetuated over many years and by people who have gained almost god-like status in the historic aviation fraternity. When Menno Duerksen was researching his <i>Memphis Belle - Home at Last, </i>one of the people he contacted was eminent - indeed, some say revered - 8th Air Force historian Roger Freeman, the English author of <i>The Mighty Eighth, Mighty Eighth War Manual</i> and the <i>Mighty Eighth War Diary,</i> a trilogy of books that many have come to regard as being the ‘bibles’ of the 8th Air Force.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>In a reply dated February 6th 1987 to a letter from Duerksen querying mission completion dates between the <i>Memphis Belle</i> and the 303rd Bomb Group’s B- 17 <i>Hells Angels,</i> Freeman revealed some interesting information and made some even more revealing points about his own work. <i>‘...my information as used in ‘The Mighty Eighth’ was based on squadron and group reports and PR handouts rather than an actual count of missions completed from the individual mission reports. In fact, that information was still restricted when I put ‘The Mighty Eighth’ together.<span> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span> </span>Indeed, knowing the liberties that were taken by the PR people, nothing short of the examination of each individual mission record would satisfy me that the date was correct.'</i><span> </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>So, it seems that the renowned <i>The Mighty Eighth </i>- first published in 1970 - was written using an undisclosed percentage of Eighth Air Force Public Relations material. This is clearly an admission in the author’s own words that some of the data contained therein is ‘suspect’ to say the least! In the same letter Freeman goes on to drop another bombshell and suggest what he thought was really needed. <i>‘... I have never had the opportunity to verify this, but it does show that to arrive at some hard facts on this subject it would be necessary to review the individual aircraft records of the three groups’ operations at this time’.</i> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Now it may well have been the case that much material was still restricted from public sight when the book was first published - but why had Freeman apparently not made any attempt to get more accurate<br />information in the ensuing seventeen years?<span> </span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvRjEhYrnS3lSr5V6hCxvUoEiGur4GFkNYA_R2Z6dKDMEUcEGN2Ww0KNAYyDD82xrQr1uxHwF066RHI-qhxbeKN4P-C2DvPn74UE1YDUR_FWzfB8LRqhuobqrzX4eR6s_k9VqFuhTgISJRPXDINthldd9pBrPT6Yc0CbpRse5jkAWTwVJLYuCzf_kcA/s4129/Freeman001.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4129" data-original-width="3307" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvRjEhYrnS3lSr5V6hCxvUoEiGur4GFkNYA_R2Z6dKDMEUcEGN2Ww0KNAYyDD82xrQr1uxHwF066RHI-qhxbeKN4P-C2DvPn74UE1YDUR_FWzfB8LRqhuobqrzX4eR6s_k9VqFuhTgISJRPXDINthldd9pBrPT6Yc0CbpRse5jkAWTwVJLYuCzf_kcA/w383-h479/Freeman001.TIF" width="383" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDqt8wdC_zX_ffyNM79LL72GUvD18DjH-OZGUrvD4EuVblpPv_AiFKdIKgrWsgOL90QRMTrATCb2pRawKQkAhknLGlLb_rWgNyPuZEDhdKDh11VPsRLbD-k_RuM7y-zs9HWd91Nn4OzBA-jXjfklmIJMaHXYMhf-jmbw2jVMAanPlJ-Tvh8YvfpZZYQ/s4068/Freeman002.TIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4068" data-original-width="3307" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDqt8wdC_zX_ffyNM79LL72GUvD18DjH-OZGUrvD4EuVblpPv_AiFKdIKgrWsgOL90QRMTrATCb2pRawKQkAhknLGlLb_rWgNyPuZEDhdKDh11VPsRLbD-k_RuM7y-zs9HWd91Nn4OzBA-jXjfklmIJMaHXYMhf-jmbw2jVMAanPlJ-Tvh8YvfpZZYQ/w416-h512/Freeman002.TIF" width="416" /></a></div><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>This is proof that in early 1987 Freeman had still not verified the mission dates. Yet less than a year earlier he had supposedly revised <i>‘The Mighty Eighth’, </i>but the caption to a photograph on page 50 was still the same <i>‘...First B-17 in the 91st BG to complete 25 missions, she was also the first in the VIII BC to be returned to the USA with her crew’.</i> As we shall see, both statements in that caption are incorrect.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>As authors and historians who for many years have been involved with the historical aviation movement, we looked long and hard at what had previously appeared in both print and the visual media before deciding that it simply did not do justice to the aircraft or the men involved. We already knew that much of the information which had appeared was suspect - but the discovery of Freeman’s admission about his own work and the contradictions about what he had still not done regarding checking individual mission logs, despite making such a definite statement about the <i>Memphis Belle, </i>came as something of a shock to say the least! If Freeman could allow such a caption containing apparently ‘unchecked’ information to appear - in not only the first edition which would be understandable, but also the revised 1986 edition where he had a perfectly good chance to correct it, then what else was ‘in error’ in the so-called ‘bibles’ of the American Eighth Air Force?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Even by 1994 when Roger Freeman co-wrote <i>Claims to Fame The B-17 Flying Fortress </i>with Steve Birdsall, which, according to the title’s own dustjacket in a paragraph relating to the <i>Memphis Belle, </i>was a method of<i> ‘... correcting inaccuracies on the best-known Fortress.’</i> Not only did they still manage to get the date of the King and Queen’s visit to Bassingbourn wrong but they also contradicted themselves. On page 78 they have the Memphis Belle crew starting the bond tour in Washington DC on June 9. Further on, in one of the photo sections, they have a caption that states that the crew were presented to Generals Eaker and Devers at Bovingdon airfield in England on the same day! <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Time again to set the record straight</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So, once again, it is time to ‘set the record straight’ and
provide a balanced record using primary source documentation that removes the
glitz, gloss and glamour from people's perceived simplistic fantasies. Sadly
for many, the story is not an easy, straightforward one - and also, their
heroes have feet of clay.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>Over time the 1943 William Wyler movie - which has always
been proclaimed as a ‘documentary’ - has been taken as being 100% accurate. So
the legends and myths grew - locally, nationally and internationally. The 1989
so-called ‘re-make’ by William Wyler’s daughter Catherine and Lord David
Puttnam is also now regarded as a historical document by many of the general
public. However, those with a knowledge of the 8th Air Force and the Memphis
Belle take a very different view - they see it as little more than a flight of
fantasy, albeit one with absolutely stunning aerial photography! With the
advent of the internet, those legends and myths have proliferated manyfold,
with claims and counterclaims being made by all and sundry.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>Also, the story of the 91st Bomb Group and the Memphis Belle
has so often been told in isolation with little to no reference to the context
of the wider conflict. We have discovered that with the passing of years,
younger generations have found it harder and harder to fully understand the
background and underlying reasons for what led up to and what was happening
globally during this terrible time.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>For many years the then-current public perception of the
story - with minor variations - can be summed up in the following manner. The
Memphis Belle was the first American bomber aircraft to achieve twenty-five
combat missions over German-held Europe; it did so with the original crew of
ten men; that the crew shot down eight enemy aircraft, and only one crew member
was injured. They flew the last mission to Wilhelmshaven in Germany on May 17
1943, and met the King and Queen of England before returning home to the USA.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Senior Curator of the National Museum of the United States
Air Force and curator in charge of the restoration of the Memphis Belle Jeff
Duford finally managed to correct most of the myths contained in that statement
by researching and putting together a most excellent series of articles <i>The Memphis Belle, Delta Rebel No.2 and heavy bomber firsts </i>for the Friends of the Air Force Museum journal and <i>Expanding America's Air Power Reach; Hot Stuff's true Combat Record and Significance</i> for Air & Space Power History. Both are well worth seeking out - but the
lies, legends and literal errors remain in popular perception.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>By 2020 literally thousands of articles in newspapers and
magazines and at least three major books have already been written about the
<i>Memphis Belle</i> and its crew. These can be divided into two broad categories;
publicity and propaganda generated during the war and then articles written
from a supposed ‘historical’ perspective post war.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> <span> </span>Indeed, myself and Dr Harry Friedman wrote our 536-page’
<i>Memphis Belle - Dispelling the Myths </i>book back in 2008 and to be honest, I
think it was to little avail. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>The first in-depth research project to make a serious
attempt at trying to get to the bottom of the myths and legends was Menno
Duerksen’s 1987 book <i>Memphis Belle Home at Last.</i> Memphis newspaperman Duerksen
- who was one of the first to break the story to the world back in 1943 - did a
remarkable job, given the materials on hand at the time, but he used only the
91st Bomb Group daily logs, which subsequently have been proved to be of
dubious accuracy to say the least in some areas. He also did not have access
to, or possibly even realised that there were, files in England that could
provide a different perspective on the story. Nor did Duerksen have access to
digital technology that would allow him to examine, then ‘deconstruct’ and
enhance the 1943 movie frame by frame. Duerksen was also up against Bob Morgan,
who, for whatever reasons in 1986, was sticking to the forty-year-old storyline
as published in the 1943 War Department booklet <i>’25 Missions’</i>. As can be seen
from the letter which follows, Bob Morgan was doing all that he could to
persuade Menno Duerksen not to investigate in any great depth who did what,
where and when back in 1942-3! In light of subsequent events with the
publication of his own ‘biography’ in 2002, Morgan’s 1986 claim to having a
poor memory is truly remarkable!
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIxdFhOeKq8tDjNNtnYAMqJwCtmgdE1ncSp9x7Ns-NnGysCRN3c02ty5dgM2dC6dncpIlG_SXya9vjhi81NWoeoq5vcW8WsPhKfNBjY710wBwMNHvLjztiZ5QIt87EdNx0pAJVzzC1wVg17njjh0bWH9p1CC86ropKUlbZ4Afknhl3YjhSuu4gAclPw/s4773/Morgan004.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4773" data-original-width="3349" height="555" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIxdFhOeKq8tDjNNtnYAMqJwCtmgdE1ncSp9x7Ns-NnGysCRN3c02ty5dgM2dC6dncpIlG_SXya9vjhi81NWoeoq5vcW8WsPhKfNBjY710wBwMNHvLjztiZ5QIt87EdNx0pAJVzzC1wVg17njjh0bWH9p1CC86ropKUlbZ4Afknhl3YjhSuu4gAclPw/w390-h555/Morgan004.tif" width="390" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">‘Colonel’ Brent William Perkins’ 2002 book <i>Memphis Belle -
Biography of a B-17 Flying Fortress</i> can only be described as marginally
acceptable in places. Sadly, there is no bibliography, so we cannot ascertain
the provenance of much of his information. Nor does the work contain any form
of index, which makes using the book as a work of reference very difficult.
There is also a myriad of glaringly obvious errors. For example, there is a
number of what can only be called ‘misinterpretations’ of airfield place names
- ‘Polegate’ should read ‘Polebrook’ as anyone that that has only a passing
interest in the Eighth Air Force during World War Two would know!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>It also has far too many items that have no pertinence to
the story whatsoever. For instance, there is the matter of how Perkins handles
the story of Major Glenn Miller. Firstly, one has to query the relevance of
including anything about the American bandleader in a book about the <i>Memphis
Belle,</i> for the aircraft and its crew had returned to the USA just about a year
to the day before Glenn Miller set foot on English soil. Nevertheless, on page
33, Perkins has a photograph of the famous musician with a caption that says
‘Glenn Miller and his orchestra at Station 121 (the USAAF designation for the
airfield at Bassingbourn) five days before his disappearance.
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>There are two contentious things about that caption, and one
with the picture itself. Clearly taken in a hangar somewhere, the background of
the photo shows the characteristic vertical ‘ripples’ of a corrugated iron
sheet-clad building - which proves it cannot be at Bassingbourn, for ALL of the
hangars there are brick-built! Miller disappeared on December 15 1944. If the
caption in the Perkins book is to be believed, then the date is December 10.
The only known events and performances Miller had close to that date was on
December 6 when he was recording at the Abbey Road Studios in London. Then, on
December 12, Miller and the Band performed at the Queensbury All Services Club
in Old Compton Street, London. The most serious problem of all though with this
caption is that no records - including the bandleader’s own diary - have ever
been located that show either Glenn Miller or his full band EVER performing at
Bassingbourn! This picture does, however, appear in another book -and appears
to have been taken close to Bassingbourn airfield. It is shown in an enlarged,
more complete form on page 123 of Chris Wray’s <i>Glenn Miller in Britain Then and
Now.</i> Wray is very specific about the date and location - Friday afternoon,
August 14 1944 at nearby Steeple Morden, then home of the 355th Fighter Group,
where 91st Bomb Group photographer Joe Harlick almost certainly took the
picture!
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>These and other painfully obvious ‘errors’ are consistent
with other so-called ‘historical works’ relating to the overall <i>Memphis Belle
</i>story. They force the reader to question the standard of accuracy of the
remainder of the information in Brent Perkins’ book and therefore devalue all
within, for if the author can make such a simple ‘mistake’, what else is wrong?
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> <span> </span>In fairness to Perkins, though, it is quite possible that he
was only repeating what had previously appeared in Marion Havelaar’s 1995 <i>The
Ragged Irregulars of Bassingbourn - the 91st Bombardment Group in World War
Two,</i> also published by Schiffer Military History, for the same picture appears
on page 83 of this book. Indeed, in this publication, the image is credited to
the 91st Bomb Group photographer Joe Harlick. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Continued in <i>Dispelling the Myths - Again Part Two</i><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
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{page:Section1;}</style></p>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-81894397030227302202020-11-18T05:59:00.001-08:002020-11-18T05:59:48.280-08:00A salutary warning about using Fed Ex courier services. <p><span style="font-size: large;"> I bought and paid via PayPal a very rare and historically important signed, flown, first-day philatelic cover dating from 1965 from a gentleman in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I paid for the document to be shipped, International Priority Mail by what I considered a reputable courier service, Federal Express. <br /><br />The consignment was collected from the gentleman at 9:06am local time on 3 November 2020 with shipping information send to FedEx according to their own records an hour later. The journey from Calgary to Peterborough was recorded by FedFex on their own tracking system.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFiVX1J9lFcI-TexEsTZ0yPMJiBvZepfbVJ2n8KfFXzB5L7FXMS5zozZ8kCObu3_LpF-XsqWBk059tdaW9tWqVxC1uZDE76ojiLAaBpLzbWYqN3Ze82lC7azAb-s7nqCAuDUtJ7PwuY6N/s1760/Screenshot+2020-11-15+at+11.52.34.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="1191" height="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFiVX1J9lFcI-TexEsTZ0yPMJiBvZepfbVJ2n8KfFXzB5L7FXMS5zozZ8kCObu3_LpF-XsqWBk059tdaW9tWqVxC1uZDE76ojiLAaBpLzbWYqN3Ze82lC7azAb-s7nqCAuDUtJ7PwuY6N/w398-h586/Screenshot+2020-11-15+at+11.52.34.png" width="398" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">According to Fex Ex - it was delivered at 11:34am on Thursday 5 November. The only problem was - it did not arrive. What also deserves noting is that my wife was at home all morning and where she was sitting she could see the road outside our house and no courier service was seen.<br /><br />That afternoon I obtained proof of delivery form - </span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBtwPqyXiugFxqwGHgGPS0un1MeJoEDyg7YIKPoQX-LLUg83tH3jRnrweK0vjd86Nj9lp6CRsAbvWAaB2ljE5sCuUKQ56BBYZpus20YemRRx4fTzGN9dI6peQCfsSm-lm4NN2bZqCP8vv/s2048/TS100669.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1402" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBtwPqyXiugFxqwGHgGPS0un1MeJoEDyg7YIKPoQX-LLUg83tH3jRnrweK0vjd86Nj9lp6CRsAbvWAaB2ljE5sCuUKQ56BBYZpus20YemRRx4fTzGN9dI6peQCfsSm-lm4NN2bZqCP8vv/w314-h459/TS100669.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">There were <span style="font-family: times;">a number of things that immediately caught my eye.</span></span></span></p><ol style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><li style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">It was </span>delivered to the 'Receptionist/Front Desk</span></span></li><li style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It had been signed for by a 'D Smith'.</span></span></li><li style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FedEx had a proof of signature. <br /></span></span></li></ol><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">That immediately begs the question; as this is a private house, who was the receptionist at the front desk, and who was 'D Smith' ?</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I tried emailing FedEx, then called them and left a message. The next morning I received this email:</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">From:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Sinead O'Brien <sinead.obrien@fedex.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sent:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> 06 November 2020 08:24</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> GM SIMONS <gmsimons@btconnect.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Subject:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> 398513549290 </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Good Morning, </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you for contacting us regarding this shipment. </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Can you confirm if the package has not been located? </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I have reached out to the delivery depot to ask the driver to confirm where they delivered this. </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Regards </span></span></p><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sinead O’Brien </span></span></span></span><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Customer Experience Recovery Team UK & Ireland</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FedEx Express Northern Europe, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Tel +44 (0)2476706229 -</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">How did we do today? Please take </span></span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2F%2Fsurvey.medallia.eu%2FCSGB%3Fcs_unit%3Dfedex_cs_MzcxMzg4Mw%26lang%3Den__%3B!!IQRisXbPUUyI!tWmkM7_wpDPXZUBWg5tMcV7ZvukWWsbm_kfZqjoHcgxle_Dwlz-Foq4OR3J2U5p9gg%24&data=04%7C01%7Csinead.obrien%40fedex.com%7Cac4f5ddfed0a48abdfe508d884c4f2b0%7Cb945c813dce641f884575a12c2fe15bf%7C1%7C0%7C637405328703365166%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000&sdata=jwDfZGv6GNIkse94UugYWyo9uncFrGlDlK6Jn0WYsJ0%3D&reserved=0" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">2 minutes</span></span></a><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> to let us know what you think of FedEx</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">At FedEx we are committed to our Purple Promise - a pledge that each and every experience you have with us is outstanding.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">My reply:</span></span> <br /></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><div class="_1Lo7BjmdsKZy3IMMxN7mVu"><div class="_2CRlxt5XG5f-niSlWZo1fR"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span class="_2LDBlAH0cF64rqMHa4viCd"><span aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Opens Profile Card for GM SIMONS" class="VHquDtYElxQkNvZKxCJct lpc-hoverTarget" data-is-focusable="true" data-lpc-hover-target-id="react-target-v2-7" role="button" tabindex="0"><div class="VHquDtYElxQkNvZKxCJct"><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">From:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> GM SIMONS <gmsimons@btconnect.com></span></span></p></div></span></span></span></div><div class="DWrY3hKxZTZNTwt3mx095"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>Sent:</b> Fri 06/11/2020 08:42</span></div><div class="DWrY3hKxZTZNTwt3mx095"><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Sinead O'Brien <sinead.obrien@fedex.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Subject:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> [EXTERNAL] Re: 398513549290 <br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: courier;"> </span></div></div><span style="font-family: courier;">
</span><div style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;">
As of this moment, I have been unable to locate any sign of it despite
making extensive enquiries, nor have I been able to identify who 'D
Smith' is.</span></div><span style="font-family: courier;">
</span><p><span style="font-family: courier;">
Graham M Simons</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I left it for a few hours, then sent of another email:</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">From:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> GM SIMONS <gmsimons@btconnect.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sent:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> 06 November 2020 15:37</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Sinead O'Brien <sinead.obrien@fedex.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Subject:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> [EXTERNAL] Re: 398513549290 </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Once again I have made a thorough search, and have been unable to locate any sign of this package, or whoever 'D Smith' is. Have you heard from the driver as to where he delivered it, and who he got to sign for it?</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Graham M Simons</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I received two quick replies in quick sucession:</span></p><div class="_1Lo7BjmdsKZy3IMMxN7mVu"><div class="_2CRlxt5XG5f-niSlWZo1fR"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span class="_2LDBlAH0cF64rqMHa4viCd"><span aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Opens Profile Card for Sinead O'Brien" class="VHquDtYElxQkNvZKxCJct lpc-hoverTarget" data-is-focusable="true" data-lpc-hover-target-id="react-target-v2-13" role="button" tabindex="0"><div class="VHquDtYElxQkNvZKxCJct"><span><b>From: </b>Sinead O'Brien <sinead.obrien@fedex.com></span></div></span></span></span></div><div class="DWrY3hKxZTZNTwt3mx095"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>Sent:</b> Fri 06/11/2020 15:54</span></div><div class="DWrY3hKxZTZNTwt3mx095"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>To: </b> <span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">GM SIMONS <gmsimons@btconnect.com></span></span><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Subject:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Re: 398513549290 <br /></span></span></p></div></div><div class="_3U2q6dcdZCrTrR_42Nxby JWNdg1hee9_Rz6bIGvG1c allowTextSelection"><div><div><span style="font-family: courier;">
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Good Afternoon, </span></div><span style="font-family: courier;">
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The driver has advised he is unsure on exactly where this was delivered
so is going to return to the area today to check where this delivered
too. </span></div><span style="font-family: courier;">
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<p style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span lang="en-GB" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Regards </span></span></p>
<span style="font-family: courier;"><span lang="en-GB" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></div><span style="font-family: courier;">
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<span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sinead O’Brien </span></span></span></span><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Customer Experience Recovery Team UK & Ireland</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FedEx Express Northern Europe, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Tel +44 (0)2476706229 -</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">How did we do today? Please take </span></span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2F%2Fsurvey.medallia.eu%2FCSGB%3Fcs_unit%3Dfedex_cs_MzcxMzg4Mw%26lang%3Den__%3B!!IQRisXbPUUyI!tWmkM7_wpDPXZUBWg5tMcV7ZvukWWsbm_kfZqjoHcgxle_Dwlz-Foq4OR3J2U5p9gg%24&data=04%7C01%7Csinead.obrien%40fedex.com%7Cac4f5ddfed0a48abdfe508d884c4f2b0%7Cb945c813dce641f884575a12c2fe15bf%7C1%7C0%7C637405328703365166%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000&sdata=jwDfZGv6GNIkse94UugYWyo9uncFrGlDlK6Jn0WYsJ0%3D&reserved=0" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">2 minutes</span></span></a><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> to let us know what you think of FedEx</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">At FedEx we are committed to our Purple Promise - a pledge that each and every experience you have with us is outstanding.</span></span></p><br /><span style="font-family: courier;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"></span></b></span></div></div>
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</div></div><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">From:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Sinead O'Brien <sinead.obrien@fedex.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sent:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> 06 November 2020 15:55</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> GM SIMONS <gmsimons@btconnect.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Subject:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Re: 398513549290 </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Good Afternoon, </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Please do let me know once this package has been received. </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Regards </span></span></p><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sinead O’Brien </span></span></span></span><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Customer Experience Recovery Team UK & Ireland</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FedEx Express Northern Europe, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Tel +44 (0)2476706229 -</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">How did we do today? Please take </span></span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2F%2Fsurvey.medallia.eu%2FCSGB%3Fcs_unit%3Dfedex_cs_MzcxMzg4Mw%26lang%3Den__%3B!!IQRisXbPUUyI!tWmkM7_wpDPXZUBWg5tMcV7ZvukWWsbm_kfZqjoHcgxle_Dwlz-Foq4OR3J2U5p9gg%24&data=04%7C01%7Csinead.obrien%40fedex.com%7Cac4f5ddfed0a48abdfe508d884c4f2b0%7Cb945c813dce641f884575a12c2fe15bf%7C1%7C0%7C637405328703365166%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000&sdata=jwDfZGv6GNIkse94UugYWyo9uncFrGlDlK6Jn0WYsJ0%3D&reserved=0" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">2 minutes</span></span></a><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> to let us know what you think of FedEx</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">At FedEx we are committed to our Purple Promise - a pledge that each and every experience you have with us is outstanding.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">They were soon followed by another email:</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">From:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Sinead O'Brien <sinead.obrien@fedex.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sent:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> 06 November 2020 15:59</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> GM SIMONS <gmsimons@btconnect.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Subject:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Re: 398513549290 </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Good Afternoon, </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The depot has just advised the below: </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">He said that he delivered the goods to the house directly opposite and while he was in the van the neighbour went and posted the goods through the letter box of number 67.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Regards </span></span></p><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sinead O’Brien </span></span></span></span><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Customer Experience Recovery Team UK & Ireland</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FedEx Express Northern Europe, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Tel +44 (0)2476706229 -</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">How did we do today? Please take </span></span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2F%2Fsurvey.medallia.eu%2FCSGB%3Fcs_unit%3Dfedex_cs_MzcxMzg4Mw%26lang%3Den__%3B!!IQRisXbPUUyI!tWmkM7_wpDPXZUBWg5tMcV7ZvukWWsbm_kfZqjoHcgxle_Dwlz-Foq4OR3J2U5p9gg%24&data=04%7C01%7Csinead.obrien%40fedex.com%7Cac4f5ddfed0a48abdfe508d884c4f2b0%7Cb945c813dce641f884575a12c2fe15bf%7C1%7C0%7C637405328703365166%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000&sdata=jwDfZGv6GNIkse94UugYWyo9uncFrGlDlK6Jn0WYsJ0%3D&reserved=0" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">2 minutes</span></span></a><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> to let us know what you think of FedEx</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">At FedEx we are committed to our Purple Promise - a pledge that each and every experience you have with us is outstanding.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Hmm... well, that's a bit different to delivering to the Receptionist/Front Desk! Plus... the driver's story went from delivery, to being unsure, then being able to recall he actually saw the neighbour posting the goods through our letter box! Still no news as to exactly WHICH number he ACTUALLY delivered it to! Incidentally, there was no card from FedEx put through our letterbox stating that they had tried to deliver a package to us, but that he had been left elsewhere, which I believe is the standard proceedure. Just to play safe, I contacted the gentleman in Canada who provided me with a copy of the original shipping documention that proved it was addressed correctly:</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JbZkpYN3oPCu_0bZMbNC4R6wkUEXzCgcSAFRyUPDEVYpmgH2Cd-R0jCH6Bxradjjmp_A5dGjEaey-zIfxPJeNQcwDkcin_1maLdsKJ8sWqEtEAf6p5BW9FctCwDn-TGkuCTdsatwe9Jd/s1008/Canadaproof.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JbZkpYN3oPCu_0bZMbNC4R6wkUEXzCgcSAFRyUPDEVYpmgH2Cd-R0jCH6Bxradjjmp_A5dGjEaey-zIfxPJeNQcwDkcin_1maLdsKJ8sWqEtEAf6p5BW9FctCwDn-TGkuCTdsatwe9Jd/w374-h281/Canadaproof.jpg" width="374" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So... time for another email from me:</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">From:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> GM SIMONS <gmsimons@btconnect.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sent:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> 06 November 2020 16:09</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Sinead O'Brien <sinead.obrien@fedex.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Subject:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> [EXTERNAL] Re: 398513549290 </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I have asked everyone in the area if they:</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span> </span>Saw a Fed Ex Driver yesterday</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span> </span>Took in a parcel for me</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><span> </span></span>or re-delivered it to our address.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The answer was no to each question and enquiry.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Someone, somewhere is lying.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Can I please see the actual signature for 'D Smith'?</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Graham M Simons</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">That brought forth this:</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">From:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Sinead O'Brien <sinead.obrien@fedex.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sent:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> 09 November 2020 10:12</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> GM SIMONS <gmsimons@btconnect.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Subject:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Re: 398513549290 </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Good Morning, </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you for your email. </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I have asked that they send the driver back to confirm where this document was delivered too. </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Regards </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sinead O’Brien </span></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Customer Experience Recovery Team UK & Ireland</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FedEx Express Northern Europe, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Tel +44 (0)2476706229 -</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">How did we do today? Please take </span></span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2F%2Fsurvey.medallia.eu%2FCSGB%3Fcs_unit%3Dfedex_cs_MzcxMzg4Mw%26lang%3Den__%3B!!IQRisXbPUUyI!tWmkM7_wpDPXZUBWg5tMcV7ZvukWWsbm_kfZqjoHcgxle_Dwlz-Foq4OR3J2U5p9gg%24&data=04%7C01%7Csinead.obrien%40fedex.com%7Cac4f5ddfed0a48abdfe508d884c4f2b0%7Cb945c813dce641f884575a12c2fe15bf%7C1%7C0%7C637405328703365166%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000&sdata=jwDfZGv6GNIkse94UugYWyo9uncFrGlDlK6Jn0WYsJ0%3D&reserved=0" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">2 minutes</span></span></a><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> to let us know what you think of FedEx</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">At FedEx we are committed to our Purple Promise - a pledge that each and every experience you have with us is outstanding.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Hmm... I thought she had already done that! Plus, there was no mention as any kind of a reply to my question of 'seeing the signature'. Oh well, time for another email:</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">From:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> GM SIMONS <gmsimons@btconnect.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sent:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> 09 November 2020 15:33</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Sinead O'Brien <sinead.obrien@fedex.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Subject:</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> [EXTERNAL] Re: 398513549290 </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">For the fourth time since Thursday I have been to every house in our section of the Pyhill cul-de-sac, and once again no household 'took in' a packet addressed to Graham M Simons, GMS Enterprises of 67 Pyhill. At the same time, I asked if anyone knew of a 'D Smith', and no-one did.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I can also confirm that no advisory note was put in our address box stating that the packet had been left at any other location. This would have been superfluous anyway for the following two reasons.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><ol style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><li style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We have a large metal box outside our front door chained to the house marked 'A Safe Place - please padlock shut'. Nothing was placed in it.</span></span></li><li style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Even the use of this was not needed for my wife was at home waiting for the delivery, and she saw no-one.</span></span></li></ol><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The package contained one piece of card and one envelope. This was a very rare, certified flown First Day Philatelic Cover dating from 1965, signed by both the pilot and co-pilot. Historically speaking, it is irreplaceable.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I know the value for which I paid for it, but that is not the point - I just want to receive the item. Frankly, the comments that have come from the local Fed Ex depot have been decidedly vague, especially those passed on from the driver. Firstly the driver did not seem aware of where he actually delivered it, and then in the second reply did not say to which address he took it to. Then there is the matter of the 'D Smith' signature. No one locally seems to know who this is, and despite me asking Fed Ex for a sight of it on Friday, this still has not been provided.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Where do we go from here?</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Graham M Simons</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Less than an hour later this arrived:</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Re: 398513549290</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sinead O'Brien <sinead.obrien@fedex.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Mon 09/11/2020 16:02</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To:</span></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> GM SIMONS <gmsimons@btconnect.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Good Afternoon, </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you for your email. </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Unfortunately we are not taking physical signatures due to Covid-19 however the drivers should be obtaining names upon delivery. </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I have asked the driver to return to confirm exactly who they gave this too and confirm where they had posted this ( to ensure correct street ect..) </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As soon as I have any further information I will let you know. </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Regards </span></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Sinead O’Brien </span></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Customer Experience Recovery Team UK & Ireland</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FedEx Express Northern Europe, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Tel +44 (0)2476706229 -</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">How did we do today? Please take </span></span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2F%2Fsurvey.medallia.eu%2FCSGB%3Fcs_unit%3Dfedex_cs_MzcxMzg4Mw%26lang%3Den__%3B!!IQRisXbPUUyI!tWmkM7_wpDPXZUBWg5tMcV7ZvukWWsbm_kfZqjoHcgxle_Dwlz-Foq4OR3J2U5p9gg%24&data=04%7C01%7Csinead.obrien%40fedex.com%7Cac4f5ddfed0a48abdfe508d884c4f2b0%7Cb945c813dce641f884575a12c2fe15bf%7C1%7C0%7C637405328703365166%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000&sdata=jwDfZGv6GNIkse94UugYWyo9uncFrGlDlK6Jn0WYsJ0%3D&reserved=0" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">2 minutes</span></span></a><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> to let us know what you think of FedEx</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">At FedEx we are committed to our Purple Promise - a pledge that each and every experience you have with us is outstanding.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, despite the proof-of-delivery form clearly stating that a signature image WAS available, it seems that they were not collecting signatures after all! What is more, we seem to be back to getting the driver to return to the scene of the crime again. The tone of the sign-off also suggests that they do not want me to keep contacting them. </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I waited a week, then sent off this:</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><div class="_1Lo7BjmdsKZy3IMMxN7mVu"><div class="_2CRlxt5XG5f-niSlWZo1fR"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span class="_2LDBlAH0cF64rqMHa4viCd"><span aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Opens Profile Card for GM SIMONS" class="VHquDtYElxQkNvZKxCJct lpc-hoverTarget" data-is-focusable="true" data-lpc-hover-target-id="react-target-v2-1" role="button" tabindex="0"><div class="VHquDtYElxQkNvZKxCJct"><span>From: GM SIMONS</span></div></span></span></span></div><div class="DWrY3hKxZTZNTwt3mx095"><span style="font-family: courier;">Sent: Mon 16/11/2020 16:00</span></div><div class="DWrY3hKxZTZNTwt3mx095"><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To:</span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> Sinead O'Brien <sinead.obrien@fedex.com></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Subject:</span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> [EXTERNAL] Re: 398513549290 <br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: courier;"> </span></div></div><span style="font-family: courier;">
</span><div style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: courier;">
I think I have been entirely reasonable by giving you seven days to get
back to me regarding this consignment and I quote your last email: <i> 'I have asked the driver to return to confirm exactly who they gave this too and confirm where they had posted this
( to ensure correct street ect..)'.</i> To date - I have heard nothing
from you. Does it take that long to ask one person one question? If this
is an example of the much-vaunted 'Fed Ex Purple Service' then your
company is badly failing to do it's contracted
task, and the public deserves to know about it.
</span><div><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span>
</div><span style="font-family: courier;">
To this end, I am giving FedEx notice that in 48 hours from this email I
am placing the entire correspondence file, along with all documentation
on my blog, and then post links to it across social media platforms.
From the companies behaviour, it is clear that
due to incompetence I am not going to receive this rare, historical
document and furthermore, there has been nothing to suggest that I am
entitled to any compensation! Clearly, other potential users should be
warned of the risks they are about to take by using
FedEx.</span></div><span style="font-family: courier;">
</span><div style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span>
</div><span style="font-family: courier;">
Graham M Simons</span><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"> As of 1700 hrs 17/11/2020. No reply from FedEx. The clock is still ticking.</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">1350hrs. 18/11/2020 - a telephone call from a gentlement advising me that my consignment has been 'lost'. I asked exactly which house the driver delivered to, and was told the driver 'could not recall'. When I asked what I should do now, I was told I should reach out to the sender and get him to instigate a claim for compensation and hope that this gentleman will pass on whatever he gets back to me!</span><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-8990975546317522002020-09-28T12:57:00.002-07:002020-09-28T12:57:29.263-07:00737<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1g5REBLYnkRmtRI9C1R0-YShexPzlDvAkffom5Q6qpCQcIv6cPm-8r-6Z2Ga1b5Y0EJZO46eVwN-qvoeEnZyk7a8LAr7ePhjm1TyQNSuG45cYhVF24qVqcRtlmeWrL88bqoatTDs28lg/s2048/BOEING+737+jckta.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1641" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1g5REBLYnkRmtRI9C1R0-YShexPzlDvAkffom5Q6qpCQcIv6cPm-8r-6Z2Ga1b5Y0EJZO46eVwN-qvoeEnZyk7a8LAr7ePhjm1TyQNSuG45cYhVF24qVqcRtlmeWrL88bqoatTDs28lg/s640/BOEING+737+jckta.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHWFmH84QXJHgP8HRA3LPT91UixBkY5d4VN_v2Kzw4qrMVNRD2iSJom86IvxAl95t95VvVchkc3pDhNYKo7Jj6xiKQ88CruxfrwgrGtLZCfaZ7DDsESLK8XbDIk6EArh8jBGKA09R6D3i/s2631/BOEING+737+jckt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The crisis surrounding the crash of two 737 MAX jetliners was the biggest challenge Boeing management faced in many years. However, it was not the company’s darkest hour; in fact, it was not even the first time that 737s crashed due to a design flaw.<br /> Boeing has faced challenges to its survival in the past. The human cost of losing two 737s to avoidable accidents should not and cannot be minimised - hundreds of lives were tragically cut short, and families torn apart. However, the evidence from past crises suggests Boeing will survive and thrive again, probably sooner than many are expecting - thanks in part to the hard lessons the company has learned from its latest challenge. <br /> The company was founded by William E ‘Bill’ Boeing and Commander G Conrad Westervelt in 1916, (see Boeing 707 Group, Pen & Sword 2017 by the same author) just in time to benefit from a surge of military orders during World War One. After the war, Boeing won lucrative airmail contracts from the federal government, and assembled a sprawling aviation conglomerate - its holdings included engine-maker Pratt & Whitney and what became United Airlines - aimed at dominating US aviation.<br /> In 1934 the Roosevelt Administration cancelled the company’s airmail contracts and broke up what it saw as an emerging monopoly. Bill Boeing was so upset by these moves that he quit the company that bore his name and sold all his stock. Unlike competing companies begun by aerospace pioneers such as Donald Douglas, Glenn Martin and James McDonnell, Boeing lost the driving force of its founder early on.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwpN-7qXlVpnA9OfcEZ8z0M0xn078QEja_nFxrKRvMGGXcvaFBkMt5kG5jXGlVIr15ZYftlDLN7Dwozn-G_UacT5uHfmW6_fsSE9Oe7vRz-YRiipGfYvoivp8qpJFYw7vvCTS8-LOTFnf/s2048/Airyuk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2048" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwpN-7qXlVpnA9OfcEZ8z0M0xn078QEja_nFxrKRvMGGXcvaFBkMt5kG5jXGlVIr15ZYftlDLN7Dwozn-G_UacT5uHfmW6_fsSE9Oe7vRz-YRiipGfYvoivp8qpJFYw7vvCTS8-LOTFnf/s640/Airyuk.jpg" width="685" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> That could have been fatal for the enterprise - many aircraft companies failed during depression years - but it taught Boeing to operate without a visionary at its helm. Most of the companies whose founders stuck around later proved incapable of competing when that visionary faltered or died.<br /> While Washington was prosecuting its trust-busting campaign against Boeing, the company introduced one of the most revolutionary products in its history. The Boeing 247 today is considered the first modern airliner. It was a monoplane rather than a biplane. It was all-metal rather than containing wood or canvas in its design. It had a streamlined shape and retractable landing gear to minimise drag. It even had a wing de-icing system.<br /> The 247 was an impressive technological achievement, but few were sold. The airliner was eclipsed by the even more advanced Douglas DC-3, which could carry a larger number of passengers. In the end only seventy-five Boeing 247s were built, sixty which went to the company’s airline unit that Washington would soon force it to divest. <br /> Boeing and its competitors were rescued from the Great Depression by World War Two. Even before America entered the war, Washington launched a vast buildup of US airpower that multiplied the company’s revenues. Boeing built the B-17 and B-29 bombers. But within weeks after victory was won in 1945, the government started wholesale cancellation of military aircraft contracts, resulting in around 70,000 Boeing workers losing their jobs. Boeing and its rivals thus entered the postwar period severely diminished and with uncertain business prospects.<br /> Boeing transformed the B-29 airframe into a commercial airliner after the war, but what really lifted its prospects was the coming of the Cold War and the advent of jet engines. The Cold War generated demand for new Boeing bombers, most notably the jet-powered B-47 and B-52. Boeing also built hundreds of jet-powered tankers to support the bomber fleet, and work on that programme contributed to the development of its 707 jetliner via the Model 367-80 - a late-comer to civil aviation after the British, French, Canadians and even the Russians.<br /> By the late 1960s, Boeing was the global leader in jetliners, having developed the single-aisle 727 similar to the earlier British DH.121 Trident and then the 737 - itself a concept from the British of fifteen years or so earlier - that was to become the most widely used commercial transport in history, and the 747 that held the world record for passenger-carrying capacity over four decades. Both designs were eventually eclipsed by Airbus products with their A320 and A380 respectively - a simple fact that grated on American egos.<br /> Development of the 747 left the company heavily in debt. An economic recession caused orders for commercial aircraft to dry up just as military demand generated by the Vietnam War was softening. Between 1968 and 1971 the number of workers at Boeing’s commercial aircraft unit fell over seventy-five per cent. Company finances were stretched to the breaking point, and bankruptcy was barely averted.<br /> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehLBJiSOimjtQqsS89tOdR3P1WhMLKZ0oqRi2hSmH7Q5N2dyUNlrQtemc72NanVS0BTra_ss-70rMhXEK66dvYNk-8IYRBGUvWew9jBtf_8zgoOBE8qSxc3XSsScTqUwtFlaFd_JONxQi/s2048/737+nose+copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehLBJiSOimjtQqsS89tOdR3P1WhMLKZ0oqRi2hSmH7Q5N2dyUNlrQtemc72NanVS0BTra_ss-70rMhXEK66dvYNk-8IYRBGUvWew9jBtf_8zgoOBE8qSxc3XSsScTqUwtFlaFd_JONxQi/s640/737+nose+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In 1991 a 737 crashed on approach to Colorado Springs after inexplicably rolling to the right and then going into a steep dive. Everybody on board died. In 1994 it happened again near Pittsburgh, with the plane this time rolling to the left before pitching down. Once again, everybody on board was killed. These 737 accidents did not provoke the same crisis atmosphere as 737 MAX mishaps did, because they were much more widely separated in time and thus did not create a media frenzy of reporting. However, a four-year investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board after the 1994 crash concluded that a malfunction in the rudder had caused it to reverse direction, causing both tragedies. The US Federal Aviation Administration ordered modification of a key mechanism and mandated new training procedures so pilots could cope with unanticipated shifts in the flight control system. Globally, the entire fleet was discreetly modified.<br /> The growing commercial threat of the European aerospace company commonly called Airbus to Boeing cannot be understated. The inroads that the Europeans were making into Boeing’s global market and especially their own national market was dramatic. Something had to be done and done quickly. A product was needed that was more attractive than its rivals were offering. This was the 737 MAX.<br /> Writing this book has proved to be challenging - reading it may be the same. The difficulties, as usual with much of my work, springs from the differences of the so-called ‘common language’ British and Americans share. Color becomes colour, program becomes programme, and of course, American phrasing is often different from English. Then there is the dreaded use of plane instead of aircraft; I don’t care what anyone says, a plane is a cutting tool used to smooth wood in my books! <br /> This brings me to the conundrum of whether to use Imperial or metric units of measurement? Invariably there are times when I must use both, but by and large my writing rules are simple: the aircraft was designed using Imperial units, so I use Imperial measurements. I am English, so I write in that language; however, as a sign of respect to that nation, if I am quoting an American, I use their spelling and phrasing in any quotation.<br /> Another difficulty is that for much of this book two independent storylines are in place - the chronology of the 737, which in itself is somewhat convoluted, and the commercial and political events that were swirling around it. Inevitably this has produced a disjointed main storyline, which I have tried to at least partially resolve by telling the story in a series of almost stand-alone chapters. Unfortunately it does mean that some photographs do not mesh into place with the main body text.<br /> Boeing and its corporate antecedents have faced many other challenges, such as the end of the Cold War which severely reduced demand for military aircraft, and the rise of a European jetliner producer that eventually claimed half of the global market. The enterprise as it exists today was shaped by the stresses these recent events created.<br /> Can Boeing survive the 737? In order to try and answer that question, it is necessary to go back and look at all that went on, where the airliner came from and the events that have happened.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This title can be ordered here - https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Boeing-737-Hardback/p/18427<br /><br /></span></p>Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-30794703335056948872020-05-28T23:25:00.000-07:002020-05-28T23:27:29.387-07:00Britannia Airways<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCpxaNWpLQqGWklqG4pqc4QmcRdDghxdl_I3k2eA7SOXwHIVzPSsAEZIS7xbThXvzWTrXLwP6aUqDmAgkIYOBC78wVWlq6FGRWTNBpkU8ugHdl8vY0Ib5w-YrX4zCoZ6mfJv9bc9fZTMj/s1600/Britcov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCpxaNWpLQqGWklqG4pqc4QmcRdDghxdl_I3k2eA7SOXwHIVzPSsAEZIS7xbThXvzWTrXLwP6aUqDmAgkIYOBC78wVWlq6FGRWTNBpkU8ugHdl8vY0Ib5w-YrX4zCoZ6mfJv9bc9fZTMj/s320/Britcov.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
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<br />
Back in the early 1990s, I was privileged to research, write and compile three airline histories: <b><i>The Spirit of Dan-Air, Colours in the Sky – the story of Autair International Airways and Court Line Aviation</i></b> and <b><i>It Was Nice to Fly With Friends – the story of Air Europe. </i></b><br />
During that time, I met, interviewed and more importantly gained the trust of many of the major key players in the industry. People like Fred - known by everyone within the company as ‘Mister’ Newman, the chairman of Dan-Air for thirty-seven of the airline’s forty-year history, William ‘Bill’ Armstrong, the founder and chairman of Autair - and so many other airlines he could not remember them all! Ed Posey, the managing director of Court Line Aviation, who took the eventual collapse very personally, Errol Cossey, one of the three founders of Air Europe, who sold out at just the right time before moving on to found Air 2000, selling that and founding Flying Colours, selling that and... David James, then the darling ‘Company Doctor’ of the City of London who was supposed to look after the bank’s interests, but fell in love with the smell of the kerosene and roar of the jets. They all saw dealing with me as being fraught with commercial danger – after all, most were still actively involved in the holiday business in one shape or form - but this understandable caution was balanced by their egos that wanted to be of assistance to ensure their story was told! Even so, they all tended to play things very close to their chests.<br />
Indeed, I worked for Dan-Air as their official historian, which gained me direct access to many of the key players. Since then, I have written other airline stories, but I seem to be continually drawn back to gathering material on ‘The Independents’. These research notes, first-hand interviews and audio recordings I had made lay filed away in my loft, gradually being added to as more and more information surfaced. Each book was as accurate as I could make it, but I always had the nagging doubt in the back of my mind that although they were helpful, I was also being humoured and the full story was not being revealed. There were things that were hinted at, and a few things said in confidence that I was asked not to print. Sure, everything day-to-day was told, but the background activities, the business concepts and models I sensed were being held back – like good poker players they revealed little beyond the immediate play!<br />
Since 1970, when I became involved with the creation of the aeronautical collection at Duxford, I had been fascinated by the charter airline industry that went under many names: ‘package tours’, ‘Inclusive Tours’, even ‘cheapies’. Whatever the name, it all fell under the dismissive concept of ‘Buckets and Spades to Benidorm’ by those who thought themselves as ‘travellers’, not tourists. With the brash confidence of youth, I made contact with many of the people and companies - contact that was maintained over many years. <br />
Quickly I realized that many of the owners and operators were what could only be called ‘characters’. People like the high-flying Freddie Laker – a supreme publicist with a puckish sense of humour that concealed one of civil aviation’s sharpest technical brains and a will of iron. The cocaine snorting Harry Goodman, a cross between an East End barrow-boy and a cavalier salesman who could - and did - sell anything to anyone. Harold Bamberg, the suave, sharp-suited owner of Eagle Airways, who once the airline collapsed and was taken over, virtually disappeared. Tom Gullick, the ‘stack-em-high, sell-em-cheap’ hard-drinking managing director of Clarksons Holidays, who claimed to be the inventor of ‘vertical integration’ and the infamous ‘seat-back catering’. Vladimir Raitz, the man who many credit with starting it all with his Horizon Holidays. The wonderful Monique Agazarian, who in the 1950s owned Island Air Services and who used to run scheduled services flights across the channel and pleasure flights from London Heathrow – and who later owned and operated a flight simulator complex in the basement of the Piccadilly Hotel just off Piccadilly Circus under the advertising slogan of ‘Fly Down Piccadilly’! The dour, secretive and monosyllabic ‘Captain’ T E D Langton, the tour operator who wanted his own airline, J E D Williams who created the airline that had the old lady in a wheelchair on the tails of their aircraft... They are just a few of the many that had a tale to tell, but for whatever reason were reticent.<br />
The package holiday has undoubtedly changed the way we live. It has influenced what we eat and what we drink. Its brochures changed our dreams and aspirations; indeed, the evolution of the holiday brochure is nothing less than a template for the graphic designers’ art! <br />
Despite the occasional outbreak of loutish behaviour by Brits abroad - usually blown up to the extreme by the British media - it is likely that the annual holiday has produced an overall gain in international understanding and a reduction in blinkered nationalism.<br />
From rickety Rapides to draughty Dakotas, through turbo-props to Tangier and turbines to Thessaloniki these travel and aviation entrepreneurs opened up the Mediterranian - and then set their sights on further afield, changing the landscape wherever they landed.<br />
Without a doubt, the convenience and perceived security of the inclusive tour holiday - carried to the extreme with the all-inclusive deal - will ensure the survival of those prepared to adapt indeed survive.<br />
The ‘package deal’ broke the protectionist policies of the state airlines and, through the introduction of seat-only deals, spawned the low-cost airlines offering rock-bottom deals to European destinations.<br />
One airline that always stood out for me was Britannia Airways - even in the early days the company had a certain mystique about it. There was always an air of ‘class’ there; something that suggested a certain prepossessing ‘Britishness’ that seemed to click with the aspiring middle classes. It was an airline that I always planned on telling it’s story - and now seems a good a time as any since it has disappeared into the corporate conglomerate that is TUI. Those three letters apparently pronounced ‘too-ee’ - is short for Touristik Union International - an Anglo-German travel and tourism conglomerate headquartered in Hannover, Germany. It is currently the largest leisure, travel and tourism company in the world, and owns travel agencies, hotels, airlines, cruise ships and retail stores. The group owns a number of European airlines that currently make up the largest holiday fleet in Europe - and several European tour operators. <br />
To tell the story of Britannia Airways - and its predecessor Euravia - is impossible without telling the story of Universal Sky Tours and Thomson Travel, for theirs was a truly symbiotic relationship. They each needed the other to exist and thrive, despite the cut-throat competition with margins cut to the bone.<br />
Much of the airline’s identity came from the Lady Britannia emblem painted large on the tails of their airliner fleet. Britannia was the female personification of the British Isles, who has been a popular figure since the first century when she was first depicted as a warrior goddess. It was seen as a symbol of British unity, liberty and strength, that meant she often resurfaced during particularly challenging times. Like Columbia in the US and Marianne in France, Britannia became more prominent in times of war or when national pride was booming.<br />
Her appearance in the 17th century came not long after James I brought together England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland under one rule, and more recently the Cool Britannia movement heralded a time of renewed optimism.<br />
In the eyes of many, Britannia screamed all that they saw as being good about Great Britain. Here, therefore, was a heritage, image and ideal that the airline could use to its own best advantage - even if many of the staff somewhat disparagingly nicknamed the logo ‘the old lady in a wheelchair’. Through the use of the logo, to the red, white and blue colour schemes and the traditional Shepherds - or was it Cottage? - Pie inflight meal that seemed to be served on every return journey that offered an onboard ‘welcome home to Blighty’, Britannia Airways personified an upbeat, up-market image, that made use of the latest equipment, flying to destinations that were always stretching the realms of the new British Empire of the UK travelling public.<br />
On a practical level, throughout this book are scattered numerous covers of assorted Inflight magazines and some advertising material. Most are not captioned, for they are usually self-explanatory - they are intended to jog the reader’s memory into thinking ‘...oh! I remember seeing that!’ <br />
Of the many hundreds of images I have used in this book, I make no apologies for the lack of quality in some. Today, in 2020, we have all been spoiled by the ability to take hundreds of pin-sharp digital images whenever and wherever we want. Some readers, I am sure, are not even old enough to remember the days of ‘Instamatic’ camera with twelve shot cartridge films that were in use when I first saw Britannia’s Brits. These images were often printed up on horrible ‘orange-peel’ textured paper, that when scanned, often appear out of focus! Even with a thirty-five-millimetre camera, the cost of film, processing and printing meant that images had to be rationed. Many of the pictures used are from personal collections; some are repairs of company promotional material, a few are from newspaper cuttings pasted in albums without credit. All, however, are historic in the sense that they show aspects of the company and its forerunners story. <br />
So, before we get to the meat of the story, we need to go back, way back and discover the origins of not only the airline but the industry it once served... <br />
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The book is due out soon - more information here! https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Britannia-Airways-Hardback/p/17790</div>
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Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-81143766546581646142020-05-25T06:41:00.001-07:002020-05-25T06:55:53.777-07:00THE SECRET US PLAN TO OVERTHROW THE BRITISH EMPIRE: WAR PLAN RED<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpkBbv8-y3F8q8xkJ1D9ENDCT0QMMF066bFuo7QWiCXiwrZPF58kAhdZv45B455aJ25tkHE7kg8lCPJjzk645T2N2pQFCEHDNAPuGWYsUFNMMGi-yvijLCSY6B_iUGFtt6ZcZEzK5dmiK/s1600/THE+SECRET+US+PLAN+TO+OVERTHROW+BRITAIN+jckt+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="1600" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpkBbv8-y3F8q8xkJ1D9ENDCT0QMMF066bFuo7QWiCXiwrZPF58kAhdZv45B455aJ25tkHE7kg8lCPJjzk645T2N2pQFCEHDNAPuGWYsUFNMMGi-yvijLCSY6B_iUGFtt6ZcZEzK5dmiK/s640/THE+SECRET+US+PLAN+TO+OVERTHROW+BRITAIN+jckt+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a>As many of my readers know, I'm not a one-trick pony author, constantly regurgitating variations on a similar theme of the same basic subject. I much more prefer to dive into the little known-about aspects of history, rummage around and then see what surfaces.<br />
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This is one such example of what happens when one stirs the mud at the bottom of the pond.<br />
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This book starts around the turn of the 20th century when Vittorio Emanuele Cuniberti (1854 – 1913) an Italian military officer and naval engineer envisioned the concept of the all big gun battleship. He recorded his thoughts in an article he wrote for Jane’s Fighting Ships in 1903. The vessel Cuniberti envisaged would be nothing less than a colossus of the seas. His main idea was that this ship would carry only one calibre of gun - the twelve-inch - the largest available.<br />
This heavily armoured titan would be impervious to all but the twelve-inch guns of the enemy. Cuniberti saw the enemy’s small calibre guns as having no effect on his design. Cuniberti’s vessel had twelve large calibre guns and would have a significant advantage over the then-standard four of the enemy ship. His ship would be fast so that she could choose her point of attack. Cuniberti saw this ship able to discharge such a massive broadside, all of one large calibre, that she would engulf first one enemy ship, then move on to the next, and the next, disdainfully destroying an entire enemy fleet. He conjectured that the effect of a squadron of six colossi would give a fleet such overwhelming power to deter all possible opponents. <br />
At this time, the political atmosphere in Britain was explosive; for the first time since Trafalgar, there was a severe challenge to the Royal Navy. A short distance across the North Sea, the German Navy, was building a powerful fleet. Behind that fleet lay the overwhelming power of the German Army. Behind Britain’s, sea shield lay the numerically small British Army.<br />
The challenge to Britain was severe. Admiral Sir John ‘Jacky’ Fisher, Royal Navy, was the driving force behind the revolutionary HMS <i>Dreadnought. </i>The ship was completed in a year and day and was launched in 1906. <i>Dreadnought’s </i>speed was ensured by using the revolutionary turbine engines devised by Sir Charles Parsons.<br />
Immediately this vessel defined the era. Thereafter all battleships following its design would be referred to, generically, as ‘dreadnoughts’. <br />
Jacky Fisher never gave any credit to Cuniberti or any foreigner for that matter. The Americans were publishing articles about potential designs, and the General Board was reviewing several options, but USS <i>South Carolina </i>and USS <i>Michigan </i>were not authorised until March 1905, and neither were laid down until December 1906. Neither were the Japanese building the Satsuma class, which wasn’t ordered until 1904 and laid down in 1905.<br />
To say the threat from the dreadnought concept worried other nations is an understatement - it petrified them! It was now a race to match, and hopefully, beat the British Royal Navy - then came the Great War which brought forth even more advances. <br />
The horrors of the war brought forth campaigns for peace, at the same time as there were clamourings within certain quarters that America should consider itself first. The 1920s were to become a battle between disparate groups - hawks, doves, imperialists, isolationists, politicians, military men - all had vested interests, and all had a drum to bang. There were calls from the so-called ‘Isolationists’ for keeping out of any future conflicts with what was seen as ‘the old world’. Within the American politico-military establishment was a growing body of opinion termed ‘Imperialists’ who thought that they - the United States of America - could and should be the world’s only super-power. Coupled with this was the anti-British emotions stirred up by convicted criminal and jail escapee Éamon de Valera. <br />
Throughout the 1920s there was a whole series of peace and re-armament conferences in which the Imperialists metaphorically fought with the Isolationists for control over hearts, minds and the military-industrial complex. If the Imperialists within the US Navy won this clandestine battle, then they would achieve their aims to become the world’s super-power.<br />
It became clear as the decade wore on that the Imperialists were not going to gain a clear-cut victory, so other, more direct means would be needed - and it is at this point that the story moves from being an entrée to the main course. The majority of this book has been compiled using just three contemporary, primary-source sets of documents from NARA - the National Archives & Records Administration. The first is what was called War Plan Red, a scheme for the USA to invade Canada and the Caribbean and then destroy the Royal Navy which in turn would destroy the British Empire. The second is a group of files called ‘SPOBS - The Special Observers Group’, an organisation that evolved from a large number of MilitaryAttachés based in and operating out of the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London. This group, in turn, developed into what was recorded in the third set of files, detailing what was termed the USAFBI - the United States Armed Forces in the British Isles. With the eventual coming of American troops to the UK, this was to become the ETO - European Theater of Operations.<br />
Recent times show that much of mainstream America has forgotten just how much it admired and promoted the activities of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei - the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or Nazi Party. Thousands of Americans paraded through the streets and even more joined organisations like the American Bund. Over twenty-seven million listeners tuned in every week to hear the rantings of Charles Edward Coughlin a Canadian-American Roman Catholic priest who was based in the United States near Detroit. Commonly known as Father Coughlin, he was one of the first political leaders to use radio to reach a mass audience. In 1934, he established a political organisation called the National Union for Social Justice. Its platform called for monetary reforms, nationalisation of major industries and railroads, and protection of labour rights. Coughlin began to use his radio program to broadcast antisemitic commentary. In the late 1930s, he supported some of the fascist policies of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Emperor Hirohito of Japan. The broadcasts have been described as “a variation of the Fascist agenda applied to American culture”. His chief topics were political and economic rather than religious, using the slogan “Social Justice”. There are future echoes of Coughlin's playbook today in both the style, if not the substance of today's right-wing US media.<br />
As early as 1939 the American military establishment created an intelligence-gathering machine of ever-growing dimensions within their Embassy in London under the ambassadorship of Joseph Patrick Kennedy Snr. <br />
This was well before the creation of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) which was the wartime intelligence agency of the USA during World War Two, and a predecessor of the modern Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to gather intelligence and to coordinate espionage activities for all branches of the US Armed Forces. Other OSS functions included the use of propaganda, subversion, and post-war planning.<br />
The difficulty here is in trying to determine if the Military Attachés and SPOBS activities could be termed as ‘spying’, for according to the discovered documents, they were operating - at least in the early days in Great Britain - with the full permission and knowledge of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Lord Halifax, the Foreign Secretary. This, of course, goes against the definition of the word - a spy being a person employed by a government or other organisation to obtain information on an enemy or competitor secretly. That said, their intelligence-gathering activities spread out from Great Britain as far as the Middle East, Africa, South America, Russia and Asia - far beyond the terms of the original brief. It also did not cease with the outbreak of peace in 1945. The advent of the ‘Cold War’ between East and West brought forth a whole new range of subterfuge and behind the scenes activities by the CIA that had been formed on 18 September 1947. <br />
The USA and the Soviet Union fought a whole series of wars by proxy around the world, ranging from The Far East, through Africa to Central and Southern America - often in countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. Although the subject of many books in its own right, this too is investigated to put things in context. <br />
So, were the Americans allies - or spies? Certainly, the SPOBS bled Great Britain white of data and information, sending it all back to the War Department in Washington under the guise of preparing to help. It was also something of a blueprint that America was to use in one form or another to ‘encourage’ regime change around the world through the seventy years or so after World War Two, and continues on today.<br />
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Writing this has proved to be challenging - reading it may be the same. The difficulties, as usual with much of my work, springs from the differences of our so-called ‘common language’. Color becomes colour, program becomes programme, and of course, American phrasing is often different from English. Then there is the dreaded use of plane instead of aircraft; I don’t care what anyone says, a plane is a cutting tool used to smooth wood in my books!<br />
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I had access to well over 60,000 pages of contemporary primary source documentation, many of which had introductions to the files written in the style of my hero, Sir Humphrey Appleby <span class="st">GCB KBE MVO</span>. This was further complicated - especially in the latter part of this work - by using primary source documents written by Americans, but at least typed out in part by British civilians, resulting in the strange mix of British and American spellings and phrasing appearing on the same carbon copy! It is a standard convention that quotes are sacrosanct, so these anomalies remain untouched.<br />
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The title is an imprint of Frontline Books, part of the Pen & Sword group and is available here> https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-Secret-US-Plan-to-Overthrow-the-British-Empire-Hardback/p/17661 </div>
Graham Simonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06081144055957648659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3281665836969415325.post-41088721419925269202018-01-21T06:48:00.002-08:002018-01-21T06:48:20.958-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
41-24485 Memphis Belle Colour scheme research<br />
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Back in 2015 I was asked to put together a Powerpoint presentation based on my research into the colour sceheme worn by the above aircraft at a specific time in history, for Dr Harry Friedman MD to make to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. What follows is that presentation in .jpg format.<br />
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