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Clipped Signature - Cole Windham. - Cranston Military Prints

Clipped Signature - Cole Windham.


Clipped Signature - Cole Windham.

A pilot in the US Navy, he flew the PBY Catalina pre-WW2 on the west coast of the USA and from Panama. After war broke out he was posted to Florida, then in 1941 took part in the search for the German battleship Bismarck. He was posted to Hawaii after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and then transferred to USS Coral Sea for a spell before taking a Staff role in 1942. Post-war he was a pilot for Pan-American Airways.

Please note that this particular signature has been written in pen - not in pencil like most of our signatures.
Item Code : CLP1162Clipped Signature - Cole Windham. - Editions Available
DESCRIPTIONSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSPRICEPURCHASINGPACKS
Clipped Signature.
Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item!
Windham, Cole
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
Cdr Cole Windham USN
Cole Windham was born in West Columbia, South Carolina on April 29, 1912. At the age of six Cole remembers standing on a brick wall in front of his home and watching a platoon of WW1 soldiers marching toward him. As they came abreast he saluted, and the platoon leader returned the salute. It was a vivid memory that lasted a life time. His family moved to Gastonia, North Carolina in the early 1920s. Cole finished high school there, and was awarded a full academic scholarship to attend Davidson Co
Signature Value : £40
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Signature(s) value alone : £40		£10 Off!Now : £30.00

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Jimmy Doolittles attack on Japan with B-25s launched from the USS Hornet was a blow to Japanese morale, and it gave Admiral Yamamoto the leverage he needed to push for a grandiose plan to inflict a decisive military blow to American forces in the Pacific. Yamamotos grand scheme would have several elements. A huge fleet would be sent to Midway Island to lure American carrier forces into combat. The force would include seven battleships, ten aircraft carriers, some two dozen cruisers and more than seventy destroyers. A separate strikeforce would be sent to the Aleutians under the command of Vice Admiral Hosogaya Moshiro. The plan was for the the northern force to strike first and divert American carrier forces northward away from Midways air support forces where they could be dispatched by Yamamotos overwhelming force. Fortunately for the US Navy a highly skilled group of cryptographers had broken portions of the Japanese Navys secret code. The Americans sent a bogus message to trick the Japanese into revealing the true target of their massive force. While not surprised, the American forces in the Midway area were sadly outnumbered, and good fortune would be needed to offset the Japanese advantage in numbers. The three primary US carriers in the Pacific (Enterprise, Hornet and Yorktown) were readied for the action. Shortly after 9:00 AM on the morning of June 3, 1942, Ensign Jack Reid of VP-44, piloting a PBY Catalina flying boat, spotted the main Japanese invasion force, and shadowed the fleet at low altitude for several hours. Later that day B-17s from Midway Island would attack the invasion fleet followed by a torpedo attack by other PBYs. Early in the morning of June 4 the Japanese launched their first aerial attack on Midway. As the 108 Japanese aircraft approached the island a hodgepodge of all air worthy American aircraft were launched including PBYs, B-17s, Wildcat and Buffalo fighters, Vindicator bombers, B-26 Marauders and SBD Dauntless divebombers.

Main Body by Stan Stokes.		 In early May 1941, in conditions of strict secrecy because the United States was not yet at war, seventeen pilots of the US Navy had arrived in Britain and been attached to Catalina squadrons of Coastal Command. These experienced PBY pilots were there to assist the Royal Air Force to become familiar with the Catalina, and also to gain operational experience for the US Navy. On 26th May 1941 Catalina Z of No.209 Sqn, commanded by Flying Officer Dennis Briggs RAF, with Ensign Leonard B Smith USN as co-pilot, joined the search for the Bismarck. At 1015 the aircraft was being flown in poor visibility at an altitude of 500ft when Ensign Smith sighted the Bismarck at a range of eight miles. The Catalina was flown towards the contact so that a positive identification could be made and emerged from the cloud only 500 yards from the German ship. The aircraft met a hail of anti-aircraft fire but was able to make its escape. As a result of the sighting report from Catalina Z the Bismarck was again engaged by ships and aircraft of the Royal Navy and was sunk at 1040 on 27th May 1941. Leonard Smith can be considered therefore, the first American to be directly involved in action in World War Two. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (American) for his actions.

The Aircraft That Found the Bismarck by Ivan Berryman.		 A Catalina flying boat of the Royal Air Force shown at anchor in the Indian Ocean at night.

Black Cat, Indian Ocean, 1944 by David Pentland. 		A Catalina flying boat of the Royal Air Force shown at anchor in the Indian Ocean at night.

Black Cat, Indian Ocean, 1944 by David Pentland.
Signatures on these products
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature and is for the unmatted version where available. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare.
NameInfo


Cdr Cole Windham USN
*Signature Value : £40

Editions signed :

Clipped Signature.


Windham, Cole
(Cdr Cole Windham USN)

Cole Windham was born in West Columbia, South Carolina on April 29, 1912. At the age of six Cole remembers standing on a brick wall in front of his home and watching a platoon of WW1 soldiers marching toward him. As they came abreast he saluted, and the platoon leader returned the salute. It was a vivid memory that lasted a life time. His family moved to Gastonia, North Carolina in the early 1920s. Cole finished high school there, and was awarded a full academic scholarship to attend Davidson College. Following his graduation in 1936, Cole joined the Navy as an aviation cadet. After earning his wings, Cole's first assignment was with VP-19 flying P2Y-3s out of Seattle, Washington and Sitka, Alaska. In 1939 he was reassigned to VP-33 flying PBYs out of Panama. When war broke out in Europe in 1939, President Rooselvelt, fearing for the safety of American shipping in neutral waters, organized 'The Neutrality Patrol'. Cole was sent with a detachment of aircraft to Key West, Florida. There he remained busy, flying every day, and reporting the positions and information on all shipping in the area. In 1940 he was transferred to VP-71 flying the PBY-5. This squadron operated from British Guyana to Iceland. Cole flew a number of antisubmarine patrols around lend lease convoys carrying supplies to England and Russia. He also flew survey flights out of Guyana to recommend a location for a search and rescue seaplane base. In May of 1941 eleven aircraft in Cole's squadron were enlisted in the search for the German Battleship Bismarck. In an unsuccessful flight of more than seventeen hours in duration, Cole experienced some very difficult weather conditions which required constant instrument flying. The aircraft were only able to return safely by radioing their ship for a bearing. Under the conditions, it was remarkable that all eleven aircraft and crews made it back safely. With America's entry into the War in December of 1941, Cole was assigned to Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii. There he would fly long 700 mile patrols to protect the islands from any additional attacks. He was then transferred to the Coral Sea to fly patrols for the U.S fleet prior to the Battle of the Coral Sea. Upon return to Hawaii in 1942, Cole was transferred back to the States and given Staff Duty with the Amphibious Forces. At war's end in 1946, he returned to civilian life, and joined Pan American Airways as a pilot. Following a successful career in commercial aviation, Cole has settled down in Asheville, North Carolina with his bride of fifty years. He enjoys telling his treasured 'sea stories' to his two daughters, three grandchildren and great grandson.
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