Air Force officials announced plans Oct. 4 to relocate the World War II B-17F "Memphis Belle" to the newly renamed National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio. No date has been set, but officials said they expect the move to occur before the end of the year to tie into activities planned to observe the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Piloted by Robert Morgan, "Memphis Belle" was the first B-17 to complete the 25 combat missions required of crews over German-occupied Europe. Afterward, the ship and its crew returned to the United States and participated in a war-bond drive. Named for Morgan's Memphis sweetheart, Margaret Polk, the aircraft and her crew became a symbol of heroism and sacrifice, and were the subject of two feature-length films, a 1944 War Department documentary and a fictionalized 1990 action drama. The aircraft has been located in the Memphis, Tenn., area since 1946. It was on loan from the Air Force to volunteers and aviation enthusiasts until the 1980s when the "Memphis Belle" Memorial Association became its leaseholder.
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