Jeff Duford, who oversaw the project at the museum, equates the cultural significance of the Memphis Belle with that of the Iwo Jima flag and the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor. "The most important element of the Memphis Belle is that it is an American icon. "We were lucky, and we know that well," Memphis Belle pilot Robert Morgan said after returning to the States. Contrary to legend, neither the Memphis Belle nor its crew were the first to complete 25 missions in the war. That tour, incidentally, included a stop at the same Ohio Air Force base — now called Wright-Patterson — where the Memphis Belle will now reside permanently.

Source: ABC News May 13, 2018 12:26 UTC