Robert John Hanson served on board the B-17 bomber aircraft the Memphis Belle during the Second World War.
The "Memphis Belle" crew shown at an air base in England after completing 25 missions over enemy territory on June 7, 1943. Left to right: Tech. Sgt. Harold P. Loch, top turret gunner; Staff Sgt. Cecil H. Scott, ball turret gunner; Tech. Sgt. Robert J, Hanson, radio operator; Capt. James A. Verinis, co-pilot; Capt. Robert K. Morgan, pilot; Capt. Charles B. Leighton, navigator; Staff Sgt. John P. Quinlan, tail gunner; Staff Sgt. Casimer A. Nastal, waist gunner; Capt. Vincent B. Evans, bombardier and Staff Sgt. Clarence E. Wichell, waist gunner.
The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress is a 1944 documentary film which provides an account of the final mission of the crew of the Memphis Belle, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. In May 1943 it became the third U.S. Army Air Forces heavy bomber to complete 25 missions over Europe, but the first to return to the United States.
