Though it’s technically captioned “I’m the one with the part in the back,” the painting on the nose of the B-17 Memphis Belle is frequently referred to as “The Memphis Belle.”
During World War II, the B-17 Memphis Belle blazed a path of invincibility through the flak and fighter-filled skies over the Third Reich.
When the Belle, by happenstance, became the first bomber of the 91st Bomb Group over an enemy target, she distinguished herself at her very first taste of combat. Naturally, she went on to become well-known for being the first bomber in the Mighty Eighth Air Force to finish the necessary twenty-five sorties and return to the United States. Memphis Belle was attached to the First Combat Wing’s First Air Division. She is the first bomber ever assigned to a morale and war bond tour.
Memphis Belle was the first American bomber to be reviewed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and King George VI of England after completing her twenty-five missions. Belle’s skipper, Bob Morgan, rode into more American military history after fulfilling his mission requirements. In November 1944, he led the first B-29 Superfortress raid on Tokyo, Japan.
The Memphis Belle holds particular meaning as the initial American bomber to be recognized for its unusual nose art.
According to Brent William Perkins’ explanation in Memphis Belle: Biography of a B-17 Flying Fortress, men have used the feminine metaphor to show their love for their vessels for as long as they have gone to sea in ships. Furthermore, the only person who might possibly qualify as a suitable analogy in the eyes of a combat airman is a debutante of the species and her “class.”
She was first seen in the pages of Esquire magazine. The publication was popular for printing the works of Alberto Varga and George Petty as gatefolds or centerfolds. Along with thousands of other servicemen, Lt. Morgan was an avid reader. At some point during 1941, Morgan noticed one of the girls in the magazine and knew immediately that it was the work that would grace the nose of whatever bomber would be assigned to him.
Her initial appearance was in the pages of Esquire. The magazine gained popularity by printing George Petty and Alberto Vargas’s works as centerfolds or gatefolds. Like hundreds of other servicemen, Lt. Morgan loved to read. Sometime in 1941, Morgan saw a picture of a girl in the magazine and knew right away that this was the piece of art that would be displayed on the nose of the bomber he would be flying.
He requested permission to use the painting in a letter to the magazine. They supplied their permission and a copy of the print, which was quickly put to Morgan’s bomber, and were only too delighted to assist. This occurred in the final days before his crew departed Dow Field in Bangor, Maine, for England.
The Petty Girl was applied on Morgan’s B-17 by a base worker he discovered there, but the result wasn’t very good, so Corporal Tony Starcer cleaned it up and repainted it when he got to England. He was gaining a reputation for being a rather skilled painter within the 91st BG, and he actually ended up painting more than 150 B-17s for the unit!
The title of the artwork is actually “I’m the one with the part in the back,” however it is sometimes misidentified as “The Memphis Belle.” The sixteen-year-old daughter of the artist, Marjorie Petty-Macleod, served as the model for this piece.
During the war, the word spread throughout the German fighter pilots stationed in England. They swore to shoot down the B-17 that had the leggy girl on its nose.
It was even claimed that a threat had been made during a radio broadcast of German propaganda. The announcer reportedly said, “If the Memphis Belle comes back to Germany, she will never go home again.”
At least eight German fighter pilots risked their lives in an attempt to keep that reporter to his word. Pilot Robert Morgan’s wartime girlfriend, Miss Margaret Polk, is depicted in the artwork. Their engagement terminated during the war bond tour, despite their well-publicized love story. Contrary to popular belief, Margaret is not directly depicted in the picture.
Memphis Belle: Biography of a B-17 Flying Fortress is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by U.S. Air Force and MLWatts via Wikipedia