|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Signatures on this item | |
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare. | |
Name | Info |
2nd Lt Brunson Bolin *Signature Value : £40 | Co-pilot of B-17 Flying Fortress 'Lazy Baby'. Brunson Bolin was just 18 years old when he volunteered for the Army Air Force. Within months, he was training to be a pilot and flew the B-17 named the Lazy Baby. 2nd Lt Brunson Bolin was on his seventh mission - flying as a co-pilot. Their mission was to bomb the ball-bearing factory on the Schweinfurt Raid. They had just dropped their bombs when the plane was attacked. The left board engine was on fire, communication systems were destroyed and the navigator was mortally wounded. The situation looked grim and the pilot ordered everyone to bail out. With the plane in distress, Brunson Bolin jumped from the bomb bay - he slammed into one of the doors breaking most of his ribs. As he tumbled towards the earth, Brunson stretched back and noticed holes popping up inside his parachute. He looked down to find a group of German farmers taking shots at him. The only thing that saved his life was a German Army Corporal who got to him before the farmers did. And in the middle of a huge hay field, Brunson Bolin was captured. He would spend the next 18 months at Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Poland as a prisoner of war. When 2nd Lt Brunson Bolin returned after the war he was awarded a Purple Heart and the Air Medal for his service to our nation. After the war, he took a job with Delta Air Lines. |
Leo Thuring *Signature Value : £10 | Schoolmaster, Aesch, Switzerland. Was at the scene as B-17 Flying Fortress 'Lazy Baby' came down and assisted the crew out of the aircraft. |
Lt Edward Dienhart *Signature Value : £35 | Pilot of B-17 Flying Fortress 'Lazy Baby'. |
S/Sgt Christy Zullo *Signature Value : £35 | Waist Gunner of B-17 Flying Fortress 'Lazy Baby'. |
S/Sgt Raymond Baus *Signature Value : £20 | Ball Turret Gunner of B-17 Flying Fortress 'Lazy Baby'. |
S/Sgt Robert Cinibulk *Signature Value : £35 | Waist Gunner of B-17 Flying Fortress 'Lazy Baby'. |
The Aircraft : | |
Name | Info |
Flying Fortress | In the mid-1930s engineers at Boeing suggested the possibility of designing a modern long-range monoplane bomber to the U.S. Army Air Corps. In 1934 the USAAC issued Circular 35-26 that outlined specifications for a new bomber that was to have a minimum payload of 2000 pounds, a cruising speed in excess of 200-MPH, and a range of at least 2000 miles. Boeing produced a prototype at its own expense, the model 299, which first flew in July of 1935. The 299 was a long-range bomber based largely on the Model 247 airliner. The Model 299 had several advanced features including an all-metal wing, an enclosed cockpit, retractable landing gear, a fully enclosed bomb bay with electrically operated doors, and cowled engines. With gun blisters glistening everywhere, a newsman covering the unveiling coined the term Flying Fortress to describe the new aircraft. After a few initial test flights the 299 flew off to Wright Field setting a speed record with an average speed of 232-mph. At Wright Field the 299 bettered its competition in almost all respects. However, an unfortunate crash of the prototype in October of 1935 resulted in the Army awarding its primary production contract to Douglas Aircraft for its DB-1 (B-18.) The Army did order 13 test models of the 299 in January 1936, and designated the new plane the Y1B-17. Early work on the B-17 was plagued by many difficulties, including the crash of the first Y1B-17 on its third flight, and nearly bankrupted the Company. Minor quantities of the B-17B, B-17C, and B-17D variants were built, and about 100 of these aircraft were in service at the time Pearl Harbor was attacked. In fact a number of unarmed B-17s flew into the War at the time of the Japanese attack. The German Blitzkrieg in Europe resulted in accelerated aircraft production in America. The B-17E was the first truly heavily armed variant and made its initial flight in September of 1941. B-17Es cost $298,000 each and more than 500 were delivered. The B-17F and B-17G were the truly mass-produced wartime versions of the Flying Fortress. More than 3,400 B-17Fs and more than 8,600 B-17Gs would be produced. The American daylight strategic bombing campaign against Germany was a major factor in the Allies winning the War in Europe. This campaign was largely flown by B-17 Flying Fortresses (12,677 built) and B-24 Liberators (18,188 built.) The B-17 bases were closer to London than those of the B-24, so B-17s received a disproportionate share of wartime publicity. The first mission in Europe with the B-17 was an Eighth Air Force flight of 12 B-17Es on August 12, 1942. Thousands more missions, with as many as 1000 aircraft on a single mission would follow over the next 2 ½ years, virtually decimating all German war making facilities and plants. The B-17 could take a lot of damage and keep on flying, and it was loved by the crews for bringing them home despite extensive battle damage. Following WW II, B-17s would see some action in Korea, and in the 1948 Israel War. There are only 14 flyable B-17s in operation today and a total of 43 complete airframes |
Contact Details |
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com |
|