Evening star., 1943-06-10
Fortress Retired After rs Raids
ToFIy Home for War Bond Tour
Crew Of Bott|e-Scorred Memphis Belle Later
Will Be Assigned to Training Other Airmen
By the Associated Press.

VIII Dc ASSIS HGu ~
By the Associated Press.
AN AMERICAN BOMBER STA
TION IN ENGLAND, June 10.-The
b a attle-scarred Flying Fortress
Memphis Belle which has COM
pleted 25 missions over enemy ter
ritory and which has been retired
from active service, was given an Of
fetal farewell today before starting
back to the United States with its
regular crew to engage in War
bond selling tour.
memphis Belle" which was
named for Miss Margaret Polk of
Memphis, Tenn. f1ancee of Pilot
Robert x. Morgan of Asheville, N
c.. will be the first bomber to re-
turn home from this theater under
its own power from actual combat
The veteran Fortress was duly hon
ored at today's ceremony for exploits
which include the destruction of
eight enemy fighters, the probable
shooting down of five others and the
damaging of II more. This was an
average of one plane for each trip
over the enemy lines.
After swing around the principal
cities of the United States and a
Well-deserved rest, the members OF
the crew will be assigned to training
fresh airmen for combat service.
AT the unusual ceremony the
members of the crew were personally
congratulated by the top-rankine
generals of the European theater OF
operations of the United States
Army-Lt. Gen. Jacob L. Dev-
ers, commanding general. and Maj
Gen. Ira c. Eaker, commander of
the 9th Air Force-and other high
ranking air officers.
Typical of Veteran Flyers.
Gen. Eaker referred to the flyers
as typical of the veterans who have
shown the power of our daylight air
offensive to the enemy. They are
returning home to teach practice
not theory, to those who will carry
on with increasing and unre-
lenting pressure the offensive now in
progress
Declaring that the men are going
on what will perhaps be the most
important of the many missions they
have flown the famous plane, Gen
Devers said:
"It will carry this message to
the 130,000,000 people of America
I want you to tell them that all
of us over here realize that into
this plane has gone the work
thought and determined courage of
countless Americans. They mined
materials from the earth, spun
fabric, labored in forests, mills,
factories and Offices to create it.
The homes. the living and in
dustrial conditions of America are
represented in this splendid plane
and you have proven It's stamina
and its fighting ability.
Finally, tell America to send us
crews with the knowledge, the
training, the determination and the
courage which I have found in
the 9th Air Force-men who will
go to and destroy the enemy no
matter what the weather or what
the time of day."
Other Members of Crew.
Besides Pilot Morgan, the men,
bers of the crew. all of whom wear
the Distinguished Flying Cross and
the Air Medal with three oak leaf
clusters, are:
Capt. James H. Verinus, New
Haven, Conn, co-pilot; Capt.
Charles Leighton, East Lansing,
Mich, navigator; Capt. Vincent B.
Evans, Fort Worth, Tex, bonn
bardier; Sergt. Harold P. Loeb,
Green Bay. Wis, engineer; Sergt.
Robert j. Hanson. Walla Walla,
Wash, radio operator; Sergt. Cecil
H. Scott, Altoona, Pa, ball-turret
gunner: Sergt. Casimer Nastal, De-
troit, Mich. right waist gunner;
Sergt. Clarence F. Winchen, Oak
Park, ILL.,. left waist gunner, and
Sergt. John P. Quinlan, Yonkers
N. Y, tail gunner.
The sole casualty on all the flights
of Memphis Belle was Sergt. Quin-
Ian. who also wears the Purple Heart
because he caught shell fragment
in the leg in raid on Lorient last
February %. He soon recovered and
went back to riding the tail spot of
the famous plane.
At the ripe old age of q, Scott is
the grandpa O. the crew, the average
age of which is %. Sergt. Nastal is
the baby at 10, while Pilot Morgan
Is "a and Capt. Verinus, Is.
Painted proudly on the nose OF
the Memphis Belle are eight swas-
tikas, denoting actual kills, and II
bombs for other missions.
Fortress Bears Scars.
Even though it came through safe.
ly every time, the Memphis Belle
suffered plenty of damage from ma.
chine gun fire. cannon fire and flax
The plane has had nine new en-.
gines. a new right wing and a new
tail assembly. However. it still bear.
enough scars to show the people
back home that it has been place.
and done things.
As one of the outstanding Fort.
resses belonging to the group knowr
as "Wray's Ragged 1rregulars,
commanded by Col. Stanley T. Wray
| of Birmingham. Ala, the Memphi!
Belle and it. crew have been In.