Some great looking WW II photos for sure !

Much thanks for sharing those , remarkable color photos and have never seen those before. Early what say …1943..prechin turrett on B-17. Nice looking A-2’s for sure and nose art. Looking forward to the new project from Hanks and SS on the Eight Air Force on the big screen. Guess some part of the UK will again become the focal point of the effort. Nice find for sure !

BlueNoser352

Lets not let this happen for sure !

BlueNoser352 checking in :

Yikes…. love this forum and have learned much about aviation history by the great & informative post I read here. I guess for US reader “Air Classics’ which is a magazine that deals much warbird info is a source and magzine I read much of the time . Been a FlyPast reader for many years …great magazine and a salute to the staff for its efforts here in putting out a first class publication.

Not sure if any of you were in this group marketing survery back in the early 90’s …I came to the October air show at Duxford and young lady from FLYPAST had a group of us fill out some surverys as to our thoughts on the magazine and what topics appealed to us and the readers in general. Seems about fifteen of us were in room at Duxford and participated in this event.

Never saw of heard of what became of his effort ….. I took a picture of the group and if I find it will scan it here …… seems it was the weekend when I got to see a real Me-109 fly along side a Spitfire ….. I remember it was the Me-109 captured in North Africa ..captured by the British and was the Me-109 that crashed landed at Duxford later on !

Hope the magazine will be around for many more years to come…. !

Thanks BlueNoser352 !

A talk with the real pilot of the Memphis Belle !

Great thread here with many cool photos on the film The Memphis Belle, I went to a premier showing in Atlanta, GA USA back when the film opened here in the USA. Col Robert Morgan was there as were many Eighth AF vets and the daugher of William Wyler who was the director of the WW II film “The Memphis Belle. Got a great chance to talk with Col Morgan about the making of the film and how on several missions William Wyler was all over the place filming on real operational missions. Being a teleivison news photojournalist myself I enjoyed talking to Col Morgan the daughter of William Wyler about the film.

Col Morgan lived very close to me and I use to see him many times at local air shows long before the film itself came out. Remarkable man and most approachable to speak about his wartime experiences. He felt the documentary itself was a tribute to all the men who served in the war and he loved the British people for their support and friendship during his time in the UK during WW II.

Having started my photojournalist career in the late 70’s and using the same hand held 16 mm film camera that Director used in the making of the real documentary…its amazing the quality of film shots he got in the making of the real documentary. Trying to hold a shot long enough and keep it somewhat steady must have been a real hard challenge. No natural sound mics in those days attached to the camera or built in. Really a remarkable effort for sure and today stands the test of time for its quality as a war documentary. Enjoyed by all on Youtube & dvd and when one watches this
splended documentary it is hard to wonder the degree of danger in the making of this wartime classic.

I’ll try and dig up some shots I have of Col Morgan at this event, we went up with Col Morgan in a B-17 here in western North Carolina and flew along side a B-24 in the making of a television series on the war. Morgan took control of the B-17 for sometime and he said one never forgets how to fly.

Great topic here and thanks to all for digging out your old photos and sharing your experiences . Col Morgan is gone now and all the regulars who flew with him but many in this area of the Carolinas remember him well . He is buried in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina . He though the modern day film a tribute to all those who served in the Eighth during the war.

He came back to England and Duxford I believe in 1994 for the 50th anniversary of the war and wore his Pinks & Greens at Duxford for a ceremony with the Queen. Since of course in 1943 he was featured in his youth in the documentary with the Queen Mother as she and the King visited
the base & meet the crew of The Memphis Belle ! Boy how time fly’s !!!!

Just bought one !!!!!!!!!!!!

Just bought it on Amazon ………. thanks again… huge nose art and A-2 Jacket art student of history………….

BlueNoser352!!!!

Thanks for the heads up on this dvd !

TwinOtter23:

Much thanks for the info here on this nose art topic……. will see if I can find it for sale….that was quick and I wish more companies would put these great dvd WW II titles out for purchase……

Thanks BlueNoser352!