Author Talk: "Monty's Flying Fortress" by Zita Ballinger Fletcher
Wed, Oct 7, 2026 at 6:00pm EST
Elaine's, Washington, DC
208 Queen StreetAlexandria, VA 22314
Free
Event Description
Learn the story of U.S. bomber crews on a special mission and dive into controversies about World War II generals over dinner & refreshments
Zita Ballinger Fletcher, an award-winning author and military historian, bring us “Monty’s Flying Fortress”
When: Wednesday, October 07, 2026 from 6-9pm
Where: 208 Queen Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Our agenda for tonight’s event:
- 6pm: Meet, greet, and order food and drinks from Elaine’s award-winning menu - 7pm: Our 45-minute interview begins, followed by a 15-minute Q&A with the audience to be produced on our popular podcast and video series - 8pm: Guests talk with the author, buy the books, and get them signed!
Meet the Author: Zita Ballinger Fletcher is an award-winning author and military historian. She is a graduate of the Honors College at the University of South Florida and earned her Master’s Degree in Military History with Distinction from the University of Birmingham in the U.K. She has written over 10 books, including both fiction and nonfiction, and over 100 military history articles. She is fluent in German.
As defense reporter and Forbes contributor, she writes on national security, military affairs and emerging weapons technology. She has covered NATO, the Pentagon’s integration of autonomous systems into U.S. military forces and emerging approaches to counter-drone warfare.
Zita was previously the first female editor managing Military History Quarterly (MHQ) and Vietnam magazines. After receiving her BA she became the author of the first published collection of Field Marshal Rommel’s wartime photography. In her early writing career she published books using the creative pen name Zita Steele.
She served proudly as the official historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and has written in German as a guest historian for the German War Graves Commission, which she supports.
She has done research about war history across the US and internationally, visiting many key historic war-related sites including The Museum of Military History in Vienna, Austria; The Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg; The Munich Stadtmuseum, and many more places. She was awarded the 2026 USF Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizing exceptional career achievement, service to the community and innovation.
About Monty’s Flying Fortress: As Luftwaffe fighters preyed on British aircraft during World War II, the unconventional General Bernard Law Montgomery was determined to acquire a formidable American B-17 Flying Fortress bomber aircraft for his travel security.
In 1943, Monty made a daring wager with American leadership to win a Fortress as a prize in exchange for victories in North Africa. Monty’s quest for the Fortress would see him defy official channels and fight a series of bloody battles across Tunisia with ruthless precision.
A motley assortment of young American aviators from diverse walks of life were destined to join Monty in his
Get tickets · Browse all events · More events in Washington, DC