Gen. Stewart entered WWII's Army Air Corps as Private Stewart - after being refused on his first try for being 5 lbs. short of the 148 lb. weight minimum - and worked his way up to pilot instructor: teaching other pilots to fly B-17s.
This is the pilot's position in the celebrated B-17 'Memphis Belle'.
The Memphis Belle was the first B-17 to survive 25 bombing runs over NAZI Germany. She was retired on June 7th 1943 and she and her crew went home.
A lot of other crews never came home.
Even with 4 of these 1200 HP engines and 13 of these .50 Brownings.
It took till June 1943 for any B-17 to Survive 25 missions.
Col. Stewart did not fly B-17s over NAZI Germany.
Col. Stewart flew a B-24 on bombing missions over NAZI Germany.
In his 1951 film, Gen. - then Colonel - Stewart looked at the very concept of 'Crazy'.
"Stewart plays Elwood P. Dowd, a middle-aged, amiable (and somewhat eccentric) individual whose best friend is an invisible six-foot, three-and-a-half-inch tall rabbit named Harvey. (Originally only 6 feet tall, Jimmy Stewart had to add to Harvey's height so that he could look up to him as described in the play). Harvey is a pooka, a mischievous magical creature from Celtic mythology. As the film begins, Elwood has been driving his sister and niece (who live with him and crave normality and a place in 'society') to distraction by introducing everyone he meets to his friend, Harvey. His family seems to be unsure whether Dowd's obsession with Harvey is an attempt to embarrass them, or a product of his (admitted) propensity to drink or mental illness.
His sister, Veta Louise Simmons (played by Hull), tries to have Elwood committed to a sanitorium. In exasperation, she admits to the attending psychiatrist (Dr Lyman Sanderson played by Charles Drake) that, after so many years of putting up with it, she sees Harvey every once in a while. This causes Dr. Sanderson to let Elwood out and lock Veta up. After sorting out the mistake, Dr. Chumley (head of the sanitorium played delightfully by Cecil Kellaway) decides that to save the reputation of the Sanitorium he must bring Elwood back. Faced by many trials she doesn't understand Veta says to her daughter "Myrtle Mae, you have a lot to learn and I hope you never learn it".
When tracked down, Elwood goes through several ordeals, although he remains oblivious to the plans put in place for him by Dr Chumley, Judge Gaffney (William Lynn) and Veta Louise. In a poignant scene where Dr. Sanderson and his nurse Miss Kelly (played by Peggy Dow) follow Elwood into an alley at the back of his and Harvey's favourite haunt - Charlie's Bar, Elwood tells the incredible story of how he came to meet Harvey, and explains the way in which people react when they meet them. In a later scene, he gives Dr. Chumley an insight into his "philosophy" of life - you can be "Oh so smart, or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart; I recommend pleasant. And you may quote me".
In the final scene of the film, Elwood (along with everybody else) arrives back at the hospital, having convinced Dr. Chumley of Harvey's existence. However, Dr. Sanderson convinces Elwood to come into his office where he'll receive a serum that will "stop (him - Elwood) seeing the rabbit." As they are preparing for the injection, Elwood's sister is told by their cab driver about all the other people he has driven to the sanitorium to receive the self-same medicine, warning her that Elwood will become "just a normal human being. And you know what stinkers they are." Upset by the very thought of this, Veta halts the procedure.
At the tale's end Harvey is given the choice of remaining with Dr Chumley (and potentially spending a lot of time in Akron, Ohio) or continuing his life with Elwood, catches Elwood up at the exit to the Sanitorium and is seen (indirectly) opening the gate to the hospital to follow the others out."
Lt. Gen. Valin, Chief of Staff, French Air Force, awarding Croix De Guerre with palm to Col. James Stewart.
Thank you, General.
We recommend you see 1951s Harvey and the 1990 film "Memphis Belle", again.
Here's the 1944 40 minute version of the Real Memphis Belle's last run.
On the left is the legendary Norden Bombsight: our grandfather's response to NAZISM. On the right is Your response to today's NAZISM. Get on the horn, and cut off the funding.
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