Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress.
Aircraft name: Sally B./Memphis Belle.
This Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress bears the name of the most famous B-17, the Memphis Belle (right side of the aircraft) and on the left Sally B.
The "Memphis Belle" was delivered to the USAAF on 15 July 1942. In November 1942, it made its first flight to occupied Europe. The aircraft flew 25 missions during which the crew shot down eight enemy aircraft. After the 25th flight, the aircraft was flown back to the United States on 8 June 1943 where it flew past 31 cities in 3 months to raise money (war bonds) so that the US government could finance the war.
The original Memphis Belle is on full restoration display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Basw near Dayton, Ohio.
The B-17 pictured is the last one still flying in Europe. A small number of these World War II bombers still fly worldwide. The four-engine bomber owes its nickname flying fortress to its equipment with thirteen machine guns and cargo space for up to 3,600 kilos of bombs.
This aircraft has the nose art of Memphis Belle on the right front and Sally B. on the left front (pictured) and is owned by the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.
This photo was taken on 13 September 2025 at the Sanicole Airshow.
I am Jaap van den Berg and photography has become a great passion of mine since 2010. Since then I travel all over the world to take pictures of military aircrafts. But besides aircraft I also love to photograph other subjects like landscapes, architecture, flowers, animals, .. Read more…