Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, 1944
This film tells the story of the final mission of the Memphis Belle, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-17F Flying Fortress that was the first bomber to complete 25 combat missions during World War II. The 1944 color film was made by Academy Award-winning Hollywood director William Wyler, who served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during the war. The film contains actual battle footage, and one of the film's cinematographers, Lieutenant Harold J. Tannenbaum, was killed in action during filming.
The Moving Image and Sound Branch also holds 34 reels of unedited outtakes and original footage used to create the edited film.
View and download The Memphis Belle: Story of a Flying Fortress in the National Archives Catalog. This film is part of Record Group 330, Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Series: Motion Picture Films and Video Recordings on Five Decades of U.S. Military Activities Around the World. The Moving Image and Sound Branch holds one of the largest and most accessible collections of World War II-era films and sound recordings in the world. You can explore more audiovisual holdings held by the Moving Image and Sound Branch through the National Archives Catalog, through the Special Media Records Division blog, The Unwritten Record, on History Hub, or in person at our research room in College Park, MD.