Sting of the Yellowjackets,

by Robert Bailey

Spring of 1944. P¬51D Mustangs of the 361st Fighter Group defends a crippled B¬17 high over Germany.

The supportive relationship that developed between bomber crew and fighter pilots of the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces in the ETO is legendary. It was a tight bond between the 'Big Friends' and their 'Little Friends,' the latter acting in a defensive role out of a desperate need to stem rising casualties among the bomber crews in the bleak years of 1942 and 1943.

In those dark days, bomber crews often had to face seasoned Luftwaffe pilots when they went beyond the limited range of USA and RAF fighters being used at that time. Crew and bomber losses rose alarmingly to unacceptable levels.

The air doctrine that grew out of this dilemma envisioned and achieved full escort coverage for the bomber crews, both to and from their continental targets. Additionally, newer and more potent fighter planes that had increased range, coupled with proven aggressive fighter tactics learned in the early years of the air war, wrestled the enemy skies from the Germans. This left the Luftwaffe as a shell of its former self.

Still, for the crippled stragglers in the wake of bomber streams who fell back from the protective pack of other 'heavies,' the prospect of being alone in the skies over Germany was nerve-wracking, to say the least. Marauding Focke-Wulfs and Messerschmitts often targeted these unfortunate crews as easy prey. Little Friends who responded to the radio pleas of these cripples, often beat back the aggressors and then escorted the bombers as they limped westward and home.

In Robert Bailey's painting STING OF THE YELLOW JACKETS, just such a scenario had unfolded. A single Flying Fortress finds itself all alone in enemy skies, damaged by flak during its bomb run. One engine has been shut down, control surfaces are shredded and there are wounded airmen aboard. Struggling to maintain altitude, the B­17 is attacked by two Me­109's bent upon its destruction. Fighters from the 361st Fighter Group, 375 Fighter Squadron enter the fray, destroying one of the attackers and driving off his wingman. The journey home will be uneventful, now that the injured crew has their own private escort of determined Little Friends.

225 Collectors Edition Prints:  $175

Overall print size 23" x  33"