The Memphis Belle, a 91st Bomb Group Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress, becomes the first heavy bomber in the European Theater to complete 25 combat missions and return to the United States, where the crew and aircraft went on a war bonds tour. The aircraft received its name from the leader of its primary crew, then-Lt. Robert Morgan, who named it after his girl friend, Margaret Polk of Memphis. Noted Hollywood director (Lt. Col.) William Wyler produced a wartime documentary of the Memphis Belle.
Forty-four years later to the day in 1997, the Memphis Belle is placed in its permanent home, a covered pavilion in a park on Mud Island, in Memphis, Tenn., in gala ceremonies. The dedication includes a flyby of seven privately owned B-17s.