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| THIS ITEM IS INCLUDED IN OUR BUY ONE GET ONE HALF PRICE OFFER ! Choose any two prints in this special offer and the lower priced item is half price. (Any free bonus prints already supplied with an item are separate and will also be included !) Hundreds of items across our websites are included in this offer! |
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| 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. | |
| Name | Info |
| Col Edwin A Loberg (deceased) *Signature Value : £35 | Edwin A. 'Ed' Loberg was born in Tigerton, Wisconsin on February 20,1915. Like many children in Wisconsin, Ed grew up on a dairy farm. After graduating from High School Ed attended Central State Teacher's College at Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He joined the Army prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps in the Spring of 1941. Loberg graduated with the Class 41-D from Kelly Field near San Antonio, Texas. He was assigned to the 26th Bomb Squadron of the 11th Bomb Group. Based at Hickharn Field during the Pear Harbor attack, Ed is a member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. During the War Ed flew approximately 90 combat missions with the B-17 Flying Fortress. His bases ranged from Hawaii to Guadacanal and New Guinea. Ed had many memorable missions, and as he recalls, four of the Fortresses he returned in never flew again, having sufficient battle damage to warrant their use as spare parts. On one mission which involved bombing a Japanese task force, a 5 inch shell from one of the ships ripped through the tail and stabilizer of Ed's B-17. Fortunately, the shell didn't detonate, but it did rip away a good portion of Ed's aircraft. After dropping several thousand feet in altitude, Ed regained control of the aircraft. By using the trim tabs he was able to get the ship back to his airfield. One of Ed's most interesting missions was the one depicted in Stan Stokes' painting when he had a frantic forty-five minute dog fight with a four-engine Mavis Flying Boat. That mission became well known because a war correspondent was onboard at the time. Loberg returned to the States in 1943. He was assigned to one of the first B-29 units, the 769th Bomb Squadron of the 462nd Bomb Group, as Squadron Commander. A combat tour followed to China and India where Ed would pilot the B-29 Super Fortress for another 40 missions in 1944. Ed piloted the lead pathfinder aircraft on the first B~29 attack on Japan. Following the War, Ed remained in the new USAF and served in various staff and command positions, the last being that of Executive Officer of Headquarters Command at Bolling Air Force Base. He retired with the rank of Colonel. Ed then pursued a civilian career with Martin Marietta where he was involved with both the Apollo and Skylab programs. Ed lost his wife, June, following forty-two years of marriage. Two of their three sons are alive, and Ed enjoys his visits with his grandchildren. His oldest son, Bruce, has a private pilots license. Ed, who still retains a commercial pilots rating, flys regularly with his son, and continues to enjoy the thrills of piloting an aircraft. When asked about the B-17, Ed reflected, 'They were great airplanes - really tough!' Sadly, Edwin Loberg died on 28th February 2004. |
| The Aircraft : | |
| Name | Info |
| Flying_Fortress | In the mid-1930s engineers at Boeing suggested the possibility of designing a modern long-range monoplane bomber to the U.S. Army Air Corps. In 1934 the USAAC issued Circular 35-26 that outlined specifications for a new bomber that was to have a minimum payload of 2000 pounds, a cruising speed in excess of 200-MPH, and a range of at least 2000 miles. Boeing produced a prototype at its own expense, the model 299, which first flew in July of 1935. The 299 was a long-range bomber based largely on the Model 247 airliner. The Model 299 had several advanced features including an all-metal wing, an enclosed cockpit, retractable landing gear, a fully enclosed bomb bay with electrically operated doors, and cowled engines. With gun blisters glistening everywhere, a newsman covering the unveiling coined the term Flying Fortress to describe the new aircraft. After a few initial test flights the 299 flew off to Wright Field setting a speed record with an average speed of 232-mph. At Wright Field the 299 bettered its competition in almost all respects. However, an unfortunate crash of the prototype in October of 1935 resulted in the Army awarding its primary production contract to Douglas Aircraft for its DB-1 (B-18.) The Army did order 13 test models of the 299 in January 1936, and designated the new plane the Y1B-17. Early work on the B-17 was plagued by many difficulties, including the crash of the first Y1B-17 on its third flight, and nearly bankrupted the Company. Minor quantities of the B-17B, B-17C, and B-17D variants were built, and about 100 of these aircraft were in service at the time Pearl Harbor was attacked. In fact a number of unarmed B-17s flew into the War at the time of the Japanese attack. The German Blitzkrieg in Europe resulted in accelerated aircraft production in America. The B-17E was the first truly heavily armed variant and made its initial flight in September of 1941. B-17Es cost $298,000 each and more than 500 were delivered. The B-17F and B-17G were the truly mass-produced wartime versions of the Flying Fortress. More than 3,400 B-17Fs and more than 8,600 B-17Gs would be produced. The American daylight strategic bombing campaign against Germany was a major factor in the Allies winning the War in Europe. This campaign was largely flown by B-17 Flying Fortresses (12,677 built) and B-24 Liberators (18,188 built.) The B-17 bases were closer to London than those of the B-24, so B-17s received a disproportionate share of wartime publicity. The first mission in Europe with the B-17 was an Eighth Air Force flight of 12 B-17Es on August 12, 1942. Thousands more missions, with as many as 1000 aircraft on a single mission would follow over the next 2 ½ years, virtually decimating all German war making facilities and plants. The B-17 could take a lot of damage and keep on flying, and it was loved by the crews for bringing them home despite extensive battle damage. Following WW II, B-17s would see some action in Korea, and in the 1948 Israel War. There are only 14 flyable B-17s in operation today and a total of 43 complete airframes |
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Loberg, Edwin A 
Loberg, Edwin A 
