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Nine Line Apparel is excited to announce that we are partnering with Savannah’s own Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum to raise awareness and funds for their reconstruction of the “City of Savannah” B-17 bomber, a.k.a. the “Flying Fortress”.

We met with CPL Richard Lamb, 11-year Army veteran and the Education Programs Coordinator at the museum.

“The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force has been here in Pooler since 1996,” Lamb told us in an interview. “Retired General Lewis Lyle (sp?) went around the country raising donations to start this museum as a way to honor the men that he served with in the 8th Air Force during the Second World War.”

What makes the Mighty 8th so unique was its immense size and, subsequently, the immense loss of life. “26,000 young servicemembers gave their lives for their country. That’s 1,000 more than the entire Marine Corps lost during the Second World War. It was the highest casualty rate of any combat unit in the Second World War for the United States.”

The museum’s pride and joy is the “City of Savannah,” a B-17 bomber also known as the “Flying Fortress,” that is currently being restored on site.

“The City of Savannah was the 5,000th airplane that was processed out of Hunter Field, Georgia,” Lamb told us. “It flew 13 combat missions, and on its 13th mission it was shot down. One man lost his life, and the other nine became prisoners of war. The aircraft itself was completely destroyed, so unfortunately this is not the actual ‘City of Savannah’. Ours was built in Long Beach, California in 1945. By the time it was done with processing, the Army Air Forces had transitioned to the B-29, so this one never flew in combat.”

The bomber is a daunting craft, with reflective plating on the exterior and remarkably complex mechanical inner workings throughout. Over 60,000 volunteer man hours have been put into the restoration of the massive bomber. Once finished, it’ll be the only B-17 anywhere in the world that’s on static display, with every single piece of the aircraft being fully functioning.

Proceeds from the sale of the “Flying Fortress” design will go to the Mighty Eighth’s restoration of this incredible aircraft.

Show your support of the Mighty Eighth

To learn more about how you can support this amazing restoration project, visit: http://www.mightyeighth.org/