The National Museum of the US Air Force now houses the Memphis Belle, the famous B-17F that was Eighth Air Forces’ first heavy bomber to achieve 25 bombing missions over Europe in World War II. An agreement with the Memphis Belle Memorial Association made it possible for the aircraft to be relocated from Memphis, Tenn., to the National Museum in Dayton, Ohio. The museum has scheduled the bomber for years of restoration work, an effort that the public can watch as part of the museum’s “Behind the Scenes” tours.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
