The pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group shepherd home a wounded B-24 Liberator of the 455th Bomb Group after a bombing raid on the Me-262 test airfield at Lechfeld, Germany.
Details
RETURN OF THE RED TAILS
(ARTIST PROOF)
by Matt Hall
Overall Print Size: 31" x 19"
Edition Size: 200
September 12, 1944 . . . low over Northern Italy, the pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group shepherd home a wounded B-24 Liberator of the 455th Bomb Group after a bombing raid on the Me-262 test airfield at Lechfeld, Germany. The men of the 332nd, the first African American combat pilots, would be known as the “Tuskegee Airmen.” But, in the sky, they were simply called the “Red Tails.” On this day, the Red Tails will return to their base at Ramitelli. To them, this escort was just another day’s work. But, to the bomber crew below, they were the difference between life and death.
In addition to the artist, who endorsed and authenticated the print, this print was individually signed in pencil by EIGHT veterans:
- Colonel Charles McGee (Pilot - shown flying "Kitten")
- Captain Roscoe Brown (Pilot - shown flying "Bunnie")
- Lieutenant Colonel Leo Gray (Pilot)
- Lieutenant Colonel George Hardy (Pilot)
- Lieutenant Calvin Spann (Pilot)
- Sergeant Dabney Montgomery (Ground Crew)
- Lieutenant Vernon Bingham (B-24 Navigator)
- Lieutenant Colonel John Whitley (B-24 Pilot)
Also included in this special ARTIST PROOF EDITION of "RETURN OF THE RED TAILS" are:
- Color Certificate of Authenticity with "History Behind the Art" story
- 15th Air Force pin
- Photo of Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (Commanding Officer of the 332nd Fighter Group)
- photo of ground crew working on the P-51 "Bunnie"
NOTE: The pin and photos are perfect for framing. (See the framed example by clicking on the small image above.)
