哀悼！「孟菲斯美女號」機長逝世，享年85歲
 

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...id=519&ncid=716

Commander of Memphis Belle Dies at 85

1 hour, 12 minutes ago
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Col. Robert Morgan, commander of the famed Memphis Belle B-17 bomber that flew combat missions over Europe during World War II, died late Saturday of complications from a fall, his wife said. He was 85.


Morgan was hospitalized April 22 with a fractured neck after falling following an air show at Asheville Regional Airport, said Carole Donnelly, spokeswoman for Mission Hospitals, where Morgan was treated.

His condition had been deteriorating in the last week or so, and Morgan was taken off life support systems, his wife, Linda, said. His wife, two daughters, a close family friend and two ministers were at his side when he died, she said.

A native of Asheville, Morgan became famous as the pilot of the Memphis Belle, which flew 25 combat missions over Germany and France during World War II. Morgan co-authored a book about some of his experiences, "The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle," with Ron Powers.

Morgan and three other members of the Memphis Belle's crew were made honorary colonels of the state of Tennessee in 2000.

The crew completed its 25th bombing mission during World War II on May 17, 1943. It was a historic number; the Belle was the first heavy bomber in the European theater to last 25 missions, the magic number to be sent home.

"Twenty-five doesn't sound like much until you start flying them,"
Morgan later said.


Morgan and his crew were assigned to the plane Sept. 1, 1942. The pilot named the craft after his wartime sweetheart's home town.

The Belle flew to England in late September and departed on its first bombing mission on Nov. 7.

In the next six months, the Belle flew missions over France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. She was struck by flak, 20mm cannon shells and machine gun bullets. Every major part of the plane was replaced at least once, including the engines (nine times), both wings, tails and main landing gears. Four of the plane's crew of 10 died during combat.

According to Army records, the plane flew 148 hours, dropping more than 60 tons of bombs, all on daylight missions.

"Some of them were pretty rough missions. The Luftwaffe (the German air force) boys would sometimes fly into their own flak to get at us. They were mean devils, I tell you," said top turret gunner Harold Loch of Green Bay, Wis.

There were many close calls: engine fires, bullet holes, confrontations with fighter planes. Somehow the Belle always made it back to base when other planes went down.

Morgan said he and his men never talked about crashing or dying.

"Every time we were going to fly, we gathered in a huddle and we just told ourselves that if only one plane was coming back, it was going to be ours," he said.

The exploits of the Belle were brought to later generations by a 1990 film, "Memphis Belle," that told a heavily fictionalized version of the bomber's 25th and final mission.

謝謝提供~

另外想請問一下這篇報導跟影片討論區的關聯性?:D

Memphis Belle，∼英烈的歲月∼


http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0100133/

http://www.loyalwise.com/memphis.htm


http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Ope...emphisbelle.htm

補上兩張圖

這位機長就是蕃茄醬爆開誤以為中彈的那位嗎?

推!

"英烈的歲月"真是部好片,不會太煽情,太血腥,但看完後會引人繼續深思其中的意境,然後終於領悟戰爭的殘酷,以及時勢造英雄的真意.

沒記錯的話
電影曼菲斯美女號的情節是謅出來的
真實世界中曼菲斯美女號的最後一趟轟炸任務很平順

不過儘管電影曼菲斯美女號不是真實情節
但小弟還是覺得這部電影是難得的好片

何處買得到此dvd片

是的~的確是部佳片
第四台不知道撥幾遍了，每次我還是看意猶未盡:agree:

:( ..
回家再把這片翻出來回憶一下..
這片想在台中找到恐怕很難(我是前年去台北光華找了好幾家才找到的..)