New York Times, May 17, 2004
Col. Robert Morgan, 85, World War II Pilot of Memphis Belle, Dies
By Patrick Healy
Col. Robert Morgan, who piloted a B-17 bomber that soared into history and Hollywood movies as an icon of World War II, died Saturday night in Asheville, N.C., after breaking his neck in a fall, said his wife, Linda. He was 85 and lived in Asheville.
For six months over battle-torn Europe, Colonel Morgan sat at the controls of the Memphis Belle, a 10-man four-engine plane that became known as the first American bomber to complete 25 bombing runs over Europe and return to the United States without losing a single crew member. The Memphis Belle was a rare success story in the early air campaign over Europe, when a quarter to a third of bombers were being shot down.
Colonel Morgan's role as pilot made him a magnet for people's questions and interest and steered the rest of his life.
He flew the Memphis Belle, whose name recalled his girlfriend in Tennessee, from Nov. 7, 1942, to May 17, 1943. Plane and crew were featured in a 43-minute Technicolor documentary directed by William Wyler.
After the tour of 25 bombing runs was up, the Army sent the plane to the United States to fly to cities and air bases to sell war bonds and drum up other support for the war effort.
The claim that the plane was the first to complete 25 missions appears murkier today, said Peter Cash, who has studied the history of the Memphis Belle.
"Other aircraft may very well have reached that milestone a day or two or three before the Memphis Belle," Mr. Cash said. But the bomber nicknamed for a faraway girlfriend had a certain memorableness.
"A buxom lass in a skimpy bathing suit looked a lot better than an aircraft in another group, Hell's Angels," Mr. Cash said. "So I think that's why the decision was made to go with Memphis Belle."
The plane and its 25th mission were later spun into the 1990 movie "Memphis Belle," which was co-produced by Mr. Wyler's daughter, Catherine. Ms. Morgan said the sentimental film was largely derided as over-dramatic pap by the surviving crew members.
Colonel Morgan was born on July 13, 1918, in Asheville. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, but in 1940, sensing that the United States would plunge into the war in Europe, he quit college to join the Army Air Corps, his wife said.
He trained in South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana and Florida, but he met the Boeing B-17 that would become the Memphis Belle, as well as his crew, at a base in Walla Walla, Wash., a crew member, Bob Hanson, said.
The crew flew to England in September 1942 and shot down at least eight fighters and dropped 60 tons of bombs in 25 runs, according to a history compiled by Colonel Morgan and his wife.
Before every flight, Ms. Morgan said, the 10 crew members huddled outside the plane and said, "Guys, if only one airplane comes back today, it's going to be us."
In addition to his wife, Colonel Morgan is survived by his sons, Robert Jr. and Harry; his daughters, Peggy Partin and Sandra Oeschlager; and a stepson, Jeff Hurst.
Colonel Morgan returned to Asheville after the war and went into real estate, car sales and furniture production. He flew continually, and in his later life, he began touring air shows and schools, promoting his time in the B-17. In his 70's and 80's, Colonel Morgan still flew B-17's at air shows.
