Sally B spotted over Audlem

Kenneth May has sent in this photo of the Sally B flying over Audlem yesterday.

Sally B is the nickname of a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress used during the Second World War and which also inspired the making of two motion pictures: a 1944 documentary film, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, and a 1990 Hollywood feature film, Memphis Belle.

The aircraft was one of the first United States Army Air Forces B-17 heavy bombers to complete 25 combat missions with her crew intact. The aircraft and crew then returned to the United States to sell war bonds. As of 2017, the aircraft was being restored at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio with plans to put it on display May 17, 2018.

The aircraft seen flying over Audlem is most likely a Boeing B-17G nick-named Sally B which is the only known flying example currently in Europe.

Sally B was used in the production of the 1990 film as well as many others.

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