Description
April 1944 – B-24 Liberators of the 789th Bomb Squadron, 467th Bomb Group, 2nd Air Division taxi out for a bombing mission during the final weeks of the war in Europe.
The 467th Bomb Group, or the “Rackheath Aggies” as they came to be known, flew B-24 Liberators from their airfield at RAF Rackheath in Norfolk, England.
From their first mission on April 10, 1944 against Bourges and the U-boat yards at Kiel and Bremen, the 467th flew 212 ops for 5,538 sorties and lost only 29 aircraft in combat. The 467th supported the Normandy landings by bombing enemy installations at Cherbourg on D-Day, and then at Montreuil as Allied soldiers moved east across France. The 789th hit enemy installations during the Battle of the Bulge, before moving through Germany flying its last combat mission on 25 April 1945 across the Rhine.
Under the command Colonel Albert J. Shower – the only group commander in the Eighth Air Force to stay with the same group from beginning to the end of the war – its air crews were well known for their skill, holding the 8th Air Force record for bombing accuracy, scoring a 100 per cent strike in 15 April 1945. It was also home to one of the most famous Liberators of WWII, Witchcraft, which held the Eighth’s record for B-24s, flying 130 missions with no turn backs.
THE SIGNATURES
The drawing is personally signed by the artist along with the following Pilots and Aircrew who flew B-24s in combat with the 2nd Air Division in Europe:
Staff Sergeant VERNON SWAIN – 93rd BG / Top Turret Gunner
Captain GEORGE HAMMOND – 389th BG / Group Bombardier
Tech Sergeant PERRY MORSE – 44th BG / Tail Gunner
Lieutenant Colonel JAMES DYKE – 453rd BG / Pilot
Colonel CHARLES BOOTH – 458th BG / Group Adjutant
Lieutenant Colonel ROBERT DUBOWSKY – 44th BG / Pilot
Staff Sergeant WILL LUNDY – 44th BG / Crew Chief
Captain EVERETT JONES – 466th BG / Pilot
Captain RICHARD BUTLER – 458th BG / Flight Engineer
Lieutenant Colonel ELMO GEPPELT – 458th BG / Lead Navigator
The drawing is framed and matted to include the original autographs of two more highly decorated B-24 Pilots
Colonel ALBERT SHOWER – Pilot and iconic Commander of the 467th Bomb Group. The only Group Commander in the Eight Air Force to command his group for the entire duration of hostilities.
Colonel WILLIAM CAMERON – Pilot with the 44th B.G he flew 38 missions including the legendary Ploesti Raid.
This superb cameo drawing is a rare opportunity to acquire an original work by Nicolas Trudgian with iconic original autographs.
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