What is the Memphis Belle and why is it so important?

I know its a plane, a B17 i think. but why is it so much more known than other bombers of its time. I am missing the significant happening that brought it into fame and would like to know.





Thanks|||B-17F-10-BO, #41-24485 "Memphis Belle" of the 324th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group(H), 1st Bomb Division, 8th USAAF was the first American aircraft to successfully complete 25 combat missions (19MAY1943) and RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES.





B-17F-25-BO, #41-24577 "Hell's Angels" of the 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group(H), 1st Bomb Division, 8th USAAF was the FIRST American aircraft to successfully complete 25 combat missions (13MAY1943).





During the War many U.S. a/c completed over 100 missions and the tour of duty for the aircrews of heavy bombers was increased from 25 missions to 30, 35, then 50 missions.|||It was one of a few planes that survived like, 25 bombing missions...the movie about it helped it's legendary status.|||During WWII if a B-17 flew 25 missions they earned enough points to come home, the Memphis Belle was the first and possibly the only one to do so. |||its a famous bomber, during WWII, it had the most successful mission rate of any plane.|||Not only did she survive a full 25 missions over Germany during WW2, but she didn't lose a single member of her crew. The loss rate of a plane, especially a bomber of the USAAF, would be around one in every ten planes. Sometimes, it was one in four or five. Very very few planes actually made it to twenty five missions, with even fewer crews doing that. |||The crew of the 'Belle' was one of first (of many) to complete the mandatory 25 mission rule to earn rotation back to the states. The losses of bombers and their aircraft in the course of the day light bombing (US bombed at day-British bombed at night) campaign were incredibly high through out the entire war. Pin point bombing often required flying well within the range of 88mm and 128mm anti-aircraft cannons over most targets as well as defending themselves against German fighter planes such as the FW190, ME109, ME110, ME163 (Komit-Rocket powered plane) and the ME262 fighters (Sparrow - 1st Operational Jet fighter).





The crew of the 'Belle' were living proof that it was possible to survive and they were used to help sell war bonds when they initially returned home, later they assumed duties as instructors in their fields and some returned to active flight status with new crews. Mostly they help to build up the morale of Americans because the darkness days of the American bombing campaign in Europe were still ahead. The raids into the deepest heart of Germany to help retard or stop German War Production was still to come. |||Memphis Belle (B-17), a USAAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress whose aircrew was the first in the U.S. Eighth Air Force to complete 25 missions in Europe and return to the United States.


It also refers to two films based on the aircraft and its story:


The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, a 1944 documentary film about the real aircraft and crew on its final mission


Memphis Belle (film), a 1990 fictional film inspired by the 1944 documentary