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Pack 633. Pack of two P51 artist proofs by Richard Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian. - Direct Art
DHM2703AP. Red Tail Escort by Richard Taylor. <p> With the words of his Group CO ringing in his ears, a pilot of the 332nd Fighter Group returns to protect a crippled American B17 bomber after downing two Me109s in quick succession.  Agonisingly, two more enemy fighters were left to escape but the pilot knew that under the strict leadership of Colonel Benjamin O Davis, his mission, and that if the other all-black pilots of the 332nd, was solely to protect the bombers.  That iron discipline was to earn this famous unit the respect and admiration of hundreds of bomber crews, and to create a legend.  Despite lingering racial prejudice and some opposition within the Air Force, President Roosevelt had ordered the USAAF to form an all-black fighter pilot unit, its crews to be trained at Tuskegee in Alabama.  To the surprise of their critics, the Tuskegee Airmen were to prove their detractors spectacularly wrong from the first day they went into action in Italy in May 1943.  Flying first with the Twelfth Air Force, then the Fifteenth, the four squadrons of the 332nd completed over 15,000 combat sorties, destroyed over 250 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and on the ground, 950 railway trucks and locomotives, and even sunk a destroyer by machine gun fire!  The Group was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation, their pilots decorated with over 1000 medals for gallantry.  But above all, with the spinners and tails of their P-51 Mustangs brightly painted red, the Red Tails as they were affectionately known, became the only US Fighter Group that never lost a bomber in their care.  The Tuskegee Red Tail pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group are a more than welcome sight as they close in to escort home a damaged B17 Fortress of the 483rd Bomb Group. Seen high over the Italian Alps during the summer of 1944 this poignant scene conveys precisely the story of the legendary Red Tails. <b><p> Signed by Colonel Charles McGee, <br>Lieutenant Colonel Leo R Gray, <br>Lieutenant Colonel George E Hardy, <br>Lieutenant Colonel William H Holloman III, <br>Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson <br>and <br>Second Lieutenant Lowell Steward. <p> Limited edition of 25 artist proofs. <p> Paper size 30 inches x 23.5 inches (76cm x 60cm)
DHM2027AP. Mustangs Over the Mediterranean by Nicolas Trudgian. <p>Mustangs of the 31st Fighter Group pass low over an Italian fishing village, heading out on another combat patrol.<b><p>Signed by Captain Jim Brooks, <br>Bob Curtis, <br>Colonel Bob Goebel (deceased) <br>and <br>George Loving.  <p> Limited edition of artist proofs. <p> Paper size 34 inches x 24 inches (86cm x 61cm)

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  Website Price: £ 210.00  

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Pack 633. Pack of two P51 artist proofs by Richard Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian.

PCK0633. Pack of two American Mustang fighter aircraft prints by Richard Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian, both of these prints are artist proofs.

Aviation Print Pack.

Items in this pack :

Item #1 - Click to view individual item

DHM2703AP. Red Tail Escort by Richard Taylor.

With the words of his Group CO ringing in his ears, a pilot of the 332nd Fighter Group returns to protect a crippled American B17 bomber after downing two Me109s in quick succession. Agonisingly, two more enemy fighters were left to escape but the pilot knew that under the strict leadership of Colonel Benjamin O Davis, his mission, and that if the other all-black pilots of the 332nd, was solely to protect the bombers. That iron discipline was to earn this famous unit the respect and admiration of hundreds of bomber crews, and to create a legend. Despite lingering racial prejudice and some opposition within the Air Force, President Roosevelt had ordered the USAAF to form an all-black fighter pilot unit, its crews to be trained at Tuskegee in Alabama. To the surprise of their critics, the Tuskegee Airmen were to prove their detractors spectacularly wrong from the first day they went into action in Italy in May 1943. Flying first with the Twelfth Air Force, then the Fifteenth, the four squadrons of the 332nd completed over 15,000 combat sorties, destroyed over 250 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and on the ground, 950 railway trucks and locomotives, and even sunk a destroyer by machine gun fire! The Group was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation, their pilots decorated with over 1000 medals for gallantry. But above all, with the spinners and tails of their P-51 Mustangs brightly painted red, the Red Tails as they were affectionately known, became the only US Fighter Group that never lost a bomber in their care. The Tuskegee Red Tail pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group are a more than welcome sight as they close in to escort home a damaged B17 Fortress of the 483rd Bomb Group. Seen high over the Italian Alps during the summer of 1944 this poignant scene conveys precisely the story of the legendary Red Tails.

Signed by Colonel Charles McGee,
Lieutenant Colonel Leo R Gray,
Lieutenant Colonel George E Hardy,
Lieutenant Colonel William H Holloman III,
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson
and
Second Lieutenant Lowell Steward.

Limited edition of 25 artist proofs.

Paper size 30 inches x 23.5 inches (76cm x 60cm)


Item #2 - Click to view individual item

DHM2027AP. Mustangs Over the Mediterranean by Nicolas Trudgian.

Mustangs of the 31st Fighter Group pass low over an Italian fishing village, heading out on another combat patrol.

Signed by Captain Jim Brooks,
Bob Curtis,
Colonel Bob Goebel (deceased)
and
George Loving.

Limited edition of artist proofs.

Paper size 34 inches x 24 inches (86cm x 61cm)


Website Price: £ 210.00  

To purchase these prints individually at their normal retail price would cost £375.00 . By buying them together in this special pack, you save £165




All prices are displayed in British Pounds Sterling

 

Signatures on this item
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare.
NameInfo


Colonel Charles McGee (deceased)
*Signature Value : £40 (matted)

Charles McGee graduated from flight school and shipped out to Italy in December 1943 as a flight Lieutenant in the 302nd fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group. He flew missions in North Africa, Italy and Germany, and got his first victory on 24th August flying escort in the Ploesti oil field raid. After the war this outstanding flyer commanded fighter squadrons throughout the United States, Italy, the Philippines and Germany, logging up more than 6,100 hours in 409 combat missions spanning World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Serving in the armed forces for 30 years he holds the record of flying more combat missions than any other USAF pilot in history. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1919, Charles MeGee, who was to become a Command Aviator who would fly combat missions in three different military conflicts, spent his childhood in Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa. Following two years attending the University of Illinois, WW 11 began, and McGee was sworn into the US Army enlisted reserves on October 26, 1942. He was accepted for pilot training in November and entered the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Training Program. McGee earned his wings and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in June 1943, as a member of Class 43-F at Tuskegee Army Air Field. He was assigned along with many of the other black pilots who had earned their wings at Tuskegee to the 332 nd Fighter Group in Italy. With the 302nd Fighter Squadron McGee trained in the P-40 and would later fly more than 82 tactical missions in the P-39. His fighter group was then transferred into the Fifteenth Air Force and he first flew the P-47 and several weeks later the P-51 Mustang. In this duty, along with other 'Tuskegee Airmen,' McGee performed admirably surmounting many of the unfortunate hurdles placed in their path. The Tuskegee Ainnen became known for their superlative effort at protecting allied bombers from attacking German fighters. McGee is credited with downing one Fw- 190, and the destruction or damage of many others on the ground. He became a flight leader, was promoted to Captain, and after flying 54 more combat missions, returned to Alabama as a twin engine flight instructor. In 1950 McGee flew 100 more combat missions with the 67th Fighter Bomber Squadron of the 18th Fighter Group. He was then made Commander of the 44th Bomber Squadron flying out of Clark Field in the Philippines. Later he would serve with an F-89 Interceptor Squadron, and following a number of interesting operational and staff assignments he would serve as Commander of the 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron deployed in Vietnam. In his year in Vietnam, McGee would fly another 173 missions. Later assignments included Air Liason Officer for USAEUR and 7th Army, Chief of Maintenance for the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing, Director of Maintenance Engineering for AF Communication Service, and Commander of Richards-Gebaur AFB, and the 1840 Air Base Wing. He retired from the USAF in 1973 with 6,300 flying hours, including 1,100 hours flown on fighter combat missions. Col. McGee earned a BA Degree in Business Administration and worked for many years in the real estate business with ISC Financial Corporation. He also served as Director of Administration forthe city of Prairie Village, Kanasas, and as Manager of the downtown Kansas City Airport. Now fully retired Charles lives with his wife, the former Frances Nelson of Champaign, Illinois. The McGees have three children, ten grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. His numerous decorations include the Legion of Merit with one cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two clusters, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with 25 clusters, the Army Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with one cluster, a Presidential Unit Citation, and the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, to name only a few. He died 16th January 2022.
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson
*Signature Value : £25 (matted)

Alexander joined the Red Tails 332nd Fighter Group at Ramitelli, Italy, flying long range escort missions for B17 and B24 bombers. On August 12th 1944, three days prior to the invasion of Southern France. he was shot down by ground fire while strafing coastal radar installations, spending the rest of the war as a PoW, and was liberated by General Pattons 3rd Army. On his return to the USA he became an instructor at Tuskegee Field.
Lieutenant Colonel George E Hardy
*Signature Value : £20 (matted)

After graduating from Tuskegee Army Air Field, George joined the 99th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group at Ramitelli, Italy in 1945, and flew 21 combat missions in the P51 Mustang on bomber escort missions in B29s, and during the Vietnam War flew 70 combat missions in AC-119K gunships.


Lieutenant Colonel Leo R Gray
*Signature Value : £20 (matted)

Leo Gray graduated as a pilot in one of the final classes from Tuskegee and was immediately posted to fly in combat with the Red Tails in the 100th Fighter Squadron. Arriving in Ramitelli, Italy, on March 14th 1945 he very quickly has a close encounter with two Me262s while escorting home a damaged P38. Flying on long range escort missions in the P51, he also flew P40s and P47s in combat. Gray flew 15 combat missions in P-51s for a total of 750 hours flying time. He left active duty in 1946, but remained in the USAF Reserves until 1984. During his 41 years of military service, Lieutenant Colonel Gray earned a Coveted Air Medal with one Oak Leaf cluster and a Presidential Unit Citation.
Lieutenant Colonel William H Holloman III
*Signature Value : £30 (matted)

Flew P51s with 99th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group during World War II, and after the war he flew P-47 Thunderbolts with the 301st Fighter Squadron. During the Korean War he was a Military Air Transport pilot picking up wounded soldiers for return to the US, and became the first black helicopter pilot in the US Air Force. After leaving the Air Force he became an airline pilot but was recalled to active duty in 1966, serving in Vietnam, Europe, and later returned to the Western Pacific.
Second Lieutenant Lowell Steward
*Signature Value : £20 (matted)

Entering the Tuskegee flight school for training in july 1942, Lowell steward graduated as a fighter and was posted to Europe to join the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd fighter Group flying P51s. During his service Lowell flew 143 combat missions with the 100th FS, and remained in the service until July 1946.
Signatures on item 2
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare.
NameInfo


The signature of Captain Jim Brooks

Captain Jim Brooks
*Signature Value : £40 (matted)

Jim Brooks joined the 31st Fighter Group in Italy in early 1944, flying the P51 against Me109s, Fw190s, and the Italian Macchi Mc202. He scored his first victory on a mission to Ploesti. Later, leading the 307th Fighter Squadron on a Russian shuttle mission, they engaged a large formation of Ju87 Stukas, shooting down 27 enemy aircraft, Jim Brooks accounting for three of them. He ended his tour with 280 combat hours, and 13 confirmed victories.


The signature of Colonel Bob Goebel (deceased)

Colonel Bob Goebel (deceased)
*Signature Value : £45 (matted)

December 1943 found Bob Goebel in North Africa flying Spitfires in preparation for joining the 31st Fighter Group. As soon as they arrived they re-equipped with P51 Mustangs and flew to Italy, where Bob flew a total of 62 combat missions, including 16 hazardous trips to the Romanian oilfields. During his combat operations he led his squadron into action seven times, and his entire Group twice, whilst still only aged 21. He ended the war with 11 air victories. Sadly, Bob Goebel passed away on 20th February 2011.


The signature of Lt Col Bob Curtis (deceased)

Lt Col Bob Curtis (deceased)
*Signature Value : £40 (matted)

Bob Curtis arrived in North Africa in 1943, moving to Sicily soon after, flying Spitfires with the 52nd Fighter Group. He scored his first air victory over an Me109 flying his Spitfire, and later survived a bail out when his fighter was badly damaged after a building he strafed exploded beneath him. Moving across to the 15th Air Force, the 52nd Fighter Group re-equipped with the P-51 and Bob Curtis became a Squadron Commander. He added 13 more to his score flying the P-51, ending his war with 14 victories. He died on 31st March 2021.


The signature of Lt Gen George Loving (deceased)

Lt Gen George Loving (deceased)
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)

General George Loving was born in Roanoke, Va., in 1923, graduated from E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Va., and attended Lynchburg College. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and holds a master's degree from The George Washington University. During the academic year 1969-70, he was a research associate with the Council on Foreign Relations. He entered military service in March 1942 as an aviation cadet and graduated from flying school in 1943 with a commission as second lieutenant and his pilot wings. He flew 151 combat missions as a fighter pilot with the 31st Fighter Group during World War II, flying Spitfires and P-51 aircraft over Italy, Southern France, Germany, Czechoslovakia and the other occupied countries of Eastern Europe. He became a fighter ace during this period, shooting down five enemy aircraft and damaging two others. He returned to the United States in October 1944 and served as a P-47 fighter pilot instructor and base armament officer at Millville Army Air Field, N.J. He was next assigned as squadron commander and instructor at Shaw Field, S.C. In July 1946 he went to Itazuke Air Base, Japan, to serve in the occupation forces. Initially assigned as a personnel staff officer, he later served as commander of the 433d Fighter Squadron and as operations officer of the 475th Fighter Group. In January 1949 he became operations officer at the Air Force Reserve Training Center, Byrd Field, Richmond, Va. He was transferred to Headquarters Ninth Air Force, Langley Air Force Base, Va., in June 1949 and assigned as a staff officer in the Personnel Directorate. Shortly after the beginning of the Korean War, he volunteered for combat duty and in July 1950 went to Taegu, Korea, where he served 13 months, initially as base operations officer, and then as commander of the 9th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. He flew 113 missions against North Korean and Communist Chinese forces and participated in five major campaigns. Between September 1951 and July 1955, he was assigned to the Air Proving Ground Command at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. As a senior project officer, he was responsible for the operational suitability testing of the F-84F, KB-29 Phase II Outing Tanker, KC-97 Drogue Tanker, and various other systems and munitions. After graduation from Air Command and Staff College in June 19569 he joined the faculty as an instructor and curriculum planner with responsibility for the college's correspondence course, which had an enrollment of more than 5,000 students. He was transferred to Taiwan in April 1960 and for two years was U.S. adviser to the Republic of China's National War College. General Loving went to Headquarters Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va., in July 1962 and served for two years as a staff officer with the Policy Division (Plans), during which time he was concerned with formulating tactical air doctrine. He attended the Air War College during 1964-65 and subsequently was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force in the Aerospace Doctrine Division, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, as a staff officer and branch chief. He was responsible for the development of Air Force and Joint doctrinal publications which form the fundamental basis for war plans and for organizing, training, equipping and employing U.S. military forces. He served as commandant, Air Command and Staff College from June 1970 to January 1973. General Loving was assigned as deputy director of plans in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and operations at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, in January 1973, and served as director of plans from April 1973 to January 1975. He was appointed Joint Chiefs of Staff Representative for Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction in January 1975 and served as the senior military member of the U.S. delegation to the international conference in Vienna on MBFR. During the period August 1975 to June 1977, he served as commander, Sixth Allied Tactical Air Force, with headquarters at Izmir, Turkey. He was reassigned to Japan and assumed command of U.S. Forces Japan and Fifth Air Force in June 1977. A command pilot, his military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 24 oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation with oak leaf cluster, and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. He was promoted to the grade of lieutenant general Sept. 1, 1975, with date of rank Aug. 26, 1975. He died on 31st December 2016.

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