There
was never a question that a B-17 Flying Fortress should be the
centerpiece of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum’s exhibits. Judge Ben
Smith, a Georgia native, World War II 8th Air Force veteran, and author
of the 8th Air Force classic, “Chick’s Crew,” urged 8th Air Force
museum planners to seek out and secure rights to a B-17 because of that
aircraft’s importance to the story of the Mighty Eighth Air Force. The
B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator were the chariots that took
the Mighty Eighth into battle. A real B-17, not just a picture or
replica, had to be included in the history of the men of the Eighth Air
Force in Europe.