During the final months
of World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen were extremely active escorting
bombers, knocking down German fighters and strafing important ground
targets. Here we see P-51 Mustangs of the 99th. Squadron, 332nd.
Fighter Group, destroying a convoy of German heavy armor and trucks.
In the lead is F/O Charles A. Lane, flying 'Meatball Rap II.'
As the Allied juggernaut rolled on toward
the final collapse of the Third Reich in the spring of 1945, fighter
aircraft of the 8th, 9th, 12th and 14th Air Forces fanned out in all
directions, seeking targets of opportunity.
It was evident to all that the last days
of the global struggle to end tyranny was near. It had taken four
and a half years to arrive at this stage of the world war at great
cost in human lives, both civilian and military against Germany,
Italy and Japan. For the Germans, it had finally come down to this:
a retreat back to its own borders, and a collapse into anarchy and
foreign occupation. Faced with the Russians approaching the
outskirts of Berlin in the east and the Allied armies crossing the
Rhine in the west, the German army began its final retreat in
disarray. By now, it was short of motivated foot soldiers and was
desperate for supplies ranging from food and ammunition, to petrol.
Challenged with all this, they still had
to face the 'Jabos,' which roamed the countryside, looking for
anything and everything that moved and which could be interpreted as
a target. It was at these times that the Germans paid their dearest
price. Tanks, ground troops and armored personnel carriers were hit
almost daily. These encounters were no piece of cake for the pilots
either. It was serious business, often at very low altitudes and
more dangerous than air to air combat.
In Robert Bailey's action drama, TUSKEGEE
TITANS, P51's of 99 Fighter Squadron, 322nd Fighter Group, have set
upon an unfortunate armored column headed back to Germany in broad
daylight.
Companion Print
Each Group comes with a matching number
print of
DESTROYER ATTACK.
THE
SIGNATURES:
|
·
Flight Officer
Charles A. Lane
Jr.
·
Staff Sergeant James A. Sheppard
·
1st Lieutenant Robert L. Martin
·
2nd Lieutenant Leo R. Gray
·
1st Lieutenant Richard D. Macon
·
Captain Robert W. Lawrence
·
F/O James C. Warren
·
1st Lieutenant William H. Holloman
III
·
1st Lieutenant George A. Taylor
·
1st Lieutenant William B. Ellis
·
1st Lieutenant Alexander Jefferson
·
2nd Lieutenant George E. Hardy
·
1st Lieutenant
Theodore G. Lumpkin |
|
|
Overall Print Size: 22" x 33 1/2"
100
Group Edition Prints with 13 co-signatures
$325
|
|
|
Overall Print Size: 22"
x 33 1/2"
200
Limited Edition with 3 co-signatures
$175
|
|
