...The Dauntless Dotty a B-29 Superfortress was lost. On November 24 1944, the Dotty led 111 B-29’s on the first B-29 air attack on Tokyo.
She was credited with 53 missions, 880 combat hours, and 176,000 combat air miles. Tragically she did not survive the war. On June 6, 1945 a ferry crew was flying her home, on a simple route; Saipan, Kwajalein, Hawaii, and finally Mather field in CA. They left Kwajalein at 3:06 AM and 40 seconds later Dotty plunged into the Pacific Ocean, never to be seen again. Ten of the thirteen crewmembers aboard perished instantly.
The Memphis Belle is the most famous B-17 bomber to survive WWII, thanks to the movie that bears her name. The Dauntless Dotty while less famous has her own very special place in the history of WWII. Both planes had a common denominator. Colonel Robert K. Morgan flew both planes.
Colonel Morgan recently passed away.
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