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Some other related items available from this site. | ||||
  Wide Horizons by Robert Taylor |   Messerschmitt Country by Nicolas Trudgian. |  Lockheed P-38 Lightning by Michael OLeary. |   Tactical Support by Richard Taylor. | |
| 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. | |
| Name | Info |
  Colonel Richard Willsie (deceased) Died : 2013 *Signature Value : £45 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. **Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. (One print reduced to clear) | Willsie, Dick (Colonel Richard Willsie (deceased)) Joining up in 1942, Dick Willsie was posted to North Africa with the 414th Night Fighter Squadron, where he flew 31 missions on the Beaufighter. He transferred to the 96th Fighter Squadron, 82nd Fighter Group, flying the P38 Lightning on 82 day missions through to the end of hostilities in Europe. Willsie would go on to serve in both Korea and Vietnam, and Willsie became the commanding officer of the 602nd Air Commando Squadron and retired in 1974. Dick Willsie was born on the 6th of September 1920 in Michigan USA and joined the US Air force in 1942. Dick Willsie was posted to North Africa with the 414th Night-fighter Squadron, where he flew 31 missions on the Beaufighter. He transferred to the 96th FS, 82nd Fighter Group, flying the P38 Lightning on 82 day missions through to the end of hostilities in Europe. He notched up a large number of ground attack victories as well as three aerial victories in his P38 'Snake Eyes'. On one mission Captain Richard 'Dick' Willsie's P-38 was damaged by flak near Ploesti, Romania. Lieutenant Willsie felt the bullets tearing into his aircraft, the force of the hits actually making his feet bounce on the rudder pedals. He noticed oil leaking from the left engine, and then the engine lost oil pressure. Willsie immediately feathered the propeller, turning the blades edge on to present the least resistance to the wind, and headed for home, his right engine at full power. Then he noticed coolant streaming from his remaining good engine. Within minutes he would be without power. He immediately reported over the radio that he was going down. One of the many to hear his broadcast announcement was 19-year-old Richard T. 'Dick' Andrews, who flew with the same 82nd Fighter Group as Willsie. But unlike the more experienced Willsie, Andrews had less than 100 flying hours in the P-38. Pick a good field, radioed the youngster, and I will come in after you.It was a strange message; it made no sense. But Willsie had no time to wonder about it. His remaining engine was popping loudly, a fresh hit shattered his windscreen and bloodied his forehead, and a plowed field appeared ahead. As his wounded fighter barely made it over the final obstacle he planted his forehead firmly against the padded gun sight. That did not prevent his nose taking a beating as his plane skidded to a stop with its wheels retracted. Scrambling from the cockpit as quickly as possible, he - as per instructions - destroyed his P-38 with a small phosphorous bomb. With truckloads of enemy troops approaching from beyond some trees six Me-109 German fighters appeared overhead. And a second P-38 was coming toward him with its landing gear down! Other Lightnings engaged the Me-109s and Andrews set his P-38 down, landing in line with the plowed furrows. Willsie raced to the plane, praying it might be his salvation, praying they would both be able to fit into the one small seat. Andrews threw his parachute - and everything else that was handy and not nailed down - out of the cockpit. With no time to think of how it might be done both men climbed hurriedly into the plane 'with miraculous precision,' as the older pilot would later joke. At Andrews' suggestion the more experienced Willsie took the controls. With Andrews in back, one leg slung over Willsie's shoulder, the two somehow managed to close and securely lock the canopy. They barely cleared the trees at the end of their improvised 'runway' and quickly ran into inclement weather and became separated from the other P-38s. With no map and fully expecting to be greeted by friendly fire because of their aircraft type, with which the Russians might not be familiar, they headed for an air base at nearby Poltava. Word of the rescue spread and others tried to emulate it. But so many were injured in these attempts that the USAAF had to issue orders forbidding the use of such tactics. Richard T. Andrews was awarded the Silver Star for his unique rescue. Willsie would go on to serve in both Korea and Vietnam, and Willsie became the commanding officer of the 602nd Air Commando Squadron and retired in 1974. Colonel Richard Willsie died on Febuary 16th, 2013 in Dana Point, Orange County, California. |
  Captain Larry Blumer (deceased) Died : 1997 *Signature Value : £45 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. Limited edition of 75 publishers proofs. Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. **Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. (One print reduced to clear) | Blumer, Larry (Captain Larry Blumer (deceased)) Assigned to the 393rd Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, Scrappy, nicknamed after his 'Scrap Iron' P-38, became one of the few fighter pilots to become an 'ace-in-a-day' when he shot down five FW-190s in 15 minutes of aerial combat on 25 August 1944. Scrappy rose to command the 393rd and destroyed another FW-190 before returning to the States in January 1945. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Air Medal with 22 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Belgian Croix de Guerre. In 1946, he returned to the United States and became a contractor. Later in life, he purchased a P-38, painted it like his old plane, and flew it at air shows. Sadly Captain Larry Blumer died of Leukemia on October 23rd 1997 in Springfield, Oregon. |
  Lieutenant Colonel Joseph A Dobrowolski (deceased) Died : 2006 *Signature Value : £50 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. Limited edition of 75 publishers proofs. Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. **Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. (One print reduced to clear) | Dobrowolski, Joseph A (Lieutenant Colonel Joseph A Dobrowolski (deceased)) Enlisting in June 1942, Joseph Dobrowolski was assigned to the 367th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force, and arrived the European Theater, April 1944, flying P-38s out of Stoney Cross in England. He flew his first combat mission a month later. Flying throughout the whole D-Day invasion period he notched up 175 combat hours, the majority in the hazardous ground-attack role, chalking up many ground victories before returning to the U.S. in November 1944. He retired Lieutenant Colonel in 1967. Joe Dobrolowolski passed away on 1st February 2006. |
  First Lieutenant Robert C Milliken *Signature Value : £45 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. Limited edition of 75 publishers proofs. Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. **Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. (One print reduced to clear) | Milliken, Robert C (First Lieutenant Robert C Milliken) Robert C. Milliken joined the U.S. Army Air Force in June of 1942. After training he was assigned to fly P-38s for the 429th Fighter Squadron of the new 474th Fighter Group out of Warmwell England in late April of 1944. Second Lieutenant Milliken flew his first combat mission on April 30, 1944. During his participation in D-Day operations, and thereafter, he flew a great variety of missions claiming his first of several victories when he shot down a German FW-190 in an air battle fought between Chateaudin and LeMans. Out of ammunition, Robert Milliken closed in on a damaged German Focke-Wolf 190. He called to his buddies. Could anyone help? No one answered. They were in dogfights of their own. Milliken settled his P-38 on the German's left wing, their planes buzzing through the air. He looked over at me and I looked over at him, and then he looked down at his controls Milliken said. With no more bullets, he couldn't shoot the German again, so he played his options: Tip up the 190's wing with his own to flip it over? Clip the German's tail with his propeller? Ram the nose of the P-38 into the 190's tail surface? No, all those would be foolish. If he crippled his plane, he'd be of no use to his buddies, and they'd have to nurse him back home. Milliken considered one more option: Open his right window and unload the rounds from his .45 into the plane. Also not a good idea. He veered to the right, leaving the German 190 smoking on its own course. Milliken had already destroyed two German fighter planes in that air battle. One would have to get away. Barely 22 years old, Milliken already had three victories - three German planes downed in dogfights. Two more would make him an Ace. After having completed a tour of 69 missions by November 11th, 1944 he volunteered for two more missions during the Battle of the Bulge, and in a noontime dogfight shot down a German Me-109, a fifth victory which made him an ace. He returned to the United States in July of 1945 and, after the end of the war, was relieved from active duty in December 1945. He was awarded a Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal (16 OLC) for his five victories and four damages against German forces. |
| Colonel Dick Wills *Signature Value : £45 Editions signed : Limited edition of 75 publishers proofs. Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. | Wills, Dick (Colonel Dick Wills) |
| Aircraft Related to This Print |
| Lightning (US) |
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Signature(s) value alone : £185
Signature(s) value alone : £185