 Ruhr Valley Raiders, by Robert Bailey This is a special release to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the 91st Bomb Group. B17's of the 91st Bomb Group are attacked over Germany by Me109's. The 91st were first over the Ruhr Valley to Hamm, and led both Schweinfurt missions in 1943. They received credit for shooting down more enemy aircraft then any other group in the Eight Air Force, and had the highest overall loss rate of any other B17 group! Only 12% of original crews survived the war. Main subject is the B17 'Nine-O-Nine.' Others shown: 'The Wild Hare,' and 'General Ike.' Standing silently today in the fields near Bassingbourn, England, one can hear the rustling stalks of grain as they sway in the gentle breezes, accompanied by the song of an occasional meadow lark. It is the picture of peace and tranquility. But it was not always so. To understand the significance of these fields, one must squint through the mists of time, back some sixty years ago, when those fields were occupied by the 91st Bomb Group (H) of the USAAC (8th Air Force). Back then, those same fields of wheat and oats lay flattened under the enormous wind generated by hundreds of radial engines, in preparation for an air armada destined for the Ruhr Valley in Germany. The ground would shake and the air would vibrate as wave after wave of B17 Flying Fortresses lumbered down the airstrip under the weight of their lethal loads as they struggled to gain altitude for the day's mission. These were strikes to targets that would soon become familiar names to the young Americans who prepared the planes and the ones who flew them. Names like Hamm, Bremen, Meresburg and Schweinfurt. They named their planes after their hometown sweethearts, or from a sense of patriotism, of just from a sense of humor. Names like 'General Ike,' 'Nine-O-Nine,' 'Outhouse Mouse,' 'The Wild Hare,' 'Hellsapoppin',' 'Memphis Belle,' and 'Mary Ruth' are some. The crews who returned to Bassingbourn were not the same as when they left. They had experienced a terror high over Germany that few can imagine. German fighters, anti-aircraft shells, sub-zero temperatures and the loss of close friends had altered their lives forever. The world has turned many times since those dark days when men of the 91st Bomb Group began building their proud history. A history based on duty, personal sacrifice and a belief in God and country. The fields around Bassingbourn have returned to their rural past as the men and machines have all but faded into the mists of time. What remains, as if distilled through the years, is the legend of the 'Ragged Irregulars.' The men who answered freedom's call with their blood, sweat and tears. In Robert Bailey's exhilarating picture, RUHR VALLEY RAIDERS, Flying Fortresses of the 91st are seen high over Germany's heartland in early 1944. Cleared from the flak corridor over the target, aircrews are set upon by waves of cannon-equipped Me109 'experten,' specifically trained to attack the multi-engine bombers. The men respond at every station with their twin fifties. It will be a long ride home.
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150 Collectors Edition Prints: $245 With THIRTEEN co-signatures Overall print size 22" x 33 1/2"
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