“MEMPHIS BELLE” B-17, Flying Fortress, s/n 41-24485
This pen was handcrafted using an authentic embedded piece of this historic aircraft. The Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress” was probably the most famous and best-known aircraft during WWII. The “Memphis Belle” was one of the first heavy bombers to complete 25 combat missions in the war.
The “Memphis Belle” was named after pilot Robert K Morgan's sweetheart, Margaret Polk from Memphis, Tennessee. Its nose art came from an April 1941 picture in Esquire magazine the crew chose to go with the “Memphis Belle” aircraft name. The artwork was painted in blue on one side and red on the other. The nose art later included 25 bomb shapes, one for each mission credit, and eight Nazi swastikas, one for each German aircraft the crew shot down. The Memphis Belle was featured in several Hollywood films, but in at least one film, a different B-17 was painted to look like the real “Memphis Belle” for the film. The Hollywood version is on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum.
The original “Memphis Belle” went through a period of being displayed at a number of locations and attempts to rebuilt and restore it. While on display in Memphis, vandals gutted most of the aircraft. In 2018, the restoration was completed and it was moved to its current location at the WWII Gallery at the National Museum of the United Stated Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
While on display in Memphis, the “Memphis Belle” was saved from being scrapped. The Memphis Belle Memorial Foundation saved parts of the outer aircraft skin as they periodically repaired it. The metal fragment in this handmade pen was obtained from one of these original skin panels, and not from later replacement panels. s/n 41-24485
Included with each pen is a display quality 4 x 6 Certificate of Authenticity by Mission City Pens containing historical information about this aircraft and details about the authentic metal from the aircraft embedded into the body of the pen. I also include additional photos of this aircraft, a numbered foil Certificate of Authenticity and my signature.
The pen operates with a simple 1/2 twist. I use the Parker compatible refill which you will find is very easy to find at your local office supply store or online.
I custom handmake a WWII Warbird series of pens with materials from each historic aircraft embedded into the pen body. These include the B-25 Mitchell, P-51 Mustang, P-38 Lightning, F6F Hellcat, P-40, P-47, B-17, Douglas C-47, Japanese Zero A6M5, Avenger, Spitfire, Mosquito, Corsair, and others added as I am able to locate authentic material.
Guaranteed satisfaction. Thanks for looking.