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Some other related items available from this site. | ||||
  Tactical Support by Richard Taylor. |  Lockheed P-38 Lightning by Michael OLeary. |   Lightning Encounter by Nicolas Trudgian. |   A Pair of Aces by Stan Stokes. | |
| 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 John W Mitchell (deceased) Died : 1995 *Signature Value : £65 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. | Mitchell, John W (Colonel John W Mitchell (deceased)) One of the most famous fighter leaders of WWII, John Mitchell joined the Service in 1934. In a career spanning 24 years, he flew no fewer than 457 combat missions, taking part in the Campaigns of Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, and later flying jets in Korea. John Mitchell was responsible for planning, navigating and leading the most successful long distance intercept in aviation history, culminating in the demise of Admiral Yamamoto. This highly decorated Ace is credited with 16 air victories. He died on 15th November 1995. |
 Lt Colonel Roger J Ames (deceased) Died : 2000 *Signature Value : £60 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. | Ames, Roger J (Lt Colonel Roger J Ames (deceased)) Roger Ames joined the USAAF for pilot training on 24th April 1941 and was assigned to the 12th Fighter Squadron. He first saw combat in December of the following year, and logged a total of 67 hours of combat flying in P39s and P38s. Selected for the Yamamoto mission, he flew in Mitchells top cover group, sweeping the sky above Bougainville at 18000 feet. He served in the South Pacific, Solomons, and Canal Zone during WWII. He died in 2000. |
  Colonel Rex Barber (deceased) Died : 2001 *Signature Value : £65 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. | Barber, Rex (Colonel Rex Barber (deceased)) Rex Theodore Barber was born in Culver, Oregon on May 6, 1917. Barber was accepted at Oregon State University and graduated from that University in 1940. In September of that year Barber enlisted in the Army Air Corps, and served as a private first class, prior to being accepted for flight training in March of 1941. Following graduation with Class 41-H from Mather Field in California in October of 1941, now Lt. Rex Barber was assigned to the 70th Fighter Squadron of the 35th Fighter Group. He arrived in the Fiji Islands with his new unit in January of 1942. Barber's only victory in 1942 was on December 28, 1942 when he downed a twin-engine Japanese 'Nell.' Early in 1943 the 70th Fighter Squadron was integrated into the 339th Fighter Group, and converted to the Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter. The P-38 was an ideal aircraft given the long distances involved in combat in the Pacific. In April Rex got credit for downing two Zekes near Cape Esperance. On April 18, 1943 Rex participated in one of the most interesting missions of the War, the interception and destruction of the Betty bomber carrying Admiral lsoruko Yamamoto, the Commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, and mastermind of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The mission was commanded by Major John Mitchell. While a total of sixteen aircraft were involved, only four were to actually attack the Betty. With Yamamoto noted for his punctuality, and American code-breakers having deciphered his intinerary, Mitchell's flight had a fighting chance of pulling off the mission. Yamamoto's flight arrived on schedule. There were two Betty bombers and only four escorting fighters. Barber, Lt. Frank Holmes and Captain Tom Lamphier got in the heat of the action. Barber got hits on both the Bettys and also bagged a Zeke. The Army Air Force decided after the mission to give equal credit to both Lamphier and Barber for downing the Betty which Yamamoto was a passenger in. Years later Tom Lamphier lobbied hard for getting sole credit for the Yamamoto victory. The Air Force's official investigation concluded that a shared victory was still appropriate. More recent evidence, including testimony from one of the Japanese Zero pilots and a survivor from one of the Bettys which was downed, were supportive of the thesis that Rex Barber should get full credit. A book published by noted aviation historian and author Carroll Glines favors this conclusion, and a recent review panel of the American Fighter Aces Association concluded that Rex Barber deserves the sole credit for downing Yamamoto's Betty. This unfortunate controversy tarnishes the fact that this mission was the longest successful interception of its kind, and all those who participated in all aspects of it deserve credit. Barber served a second combat tour in the Pacific with the 449th Fighter Squadron in China. Following the War, Rex commanded the 29th Fighter Squadron of the 412th Fighter Group. Later he would command one of the Air Force's early jet squadrons flying the P-59A Airacomet and the P-80. Rex retired from the Air Force in 1961. His numerous decorations include the Navy Cross, the Silver Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, and the Air Force Commendation Medal. In January 1945, he returned to duty with 412th Fighter Group, 29th Fighter Squadron, testing the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. He flew jet fighters in the Korean War and retired as a Colonel after a full Air Force career. By the end of WWII, Barber had five confirmed aerial victories and three probables. Awarded the Navy Cross, Silver Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal and Veteran of foreign Wars Gold Medal of Merit, he died peacefully in his home on July 26, 2001. |
 Lt Colonel Doug Canning (deceased) Died : 2016 *Signature Value : £55 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. | Canning, Doug (Lt Colonel Doug Canning (deceased)) Doug Canning flew his first combat mission in early 1942 having joined the service the previous year. He went on to fly 63 combat missions and is one of the few pilots to have flown in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. During his combat career he survived an ocean landing, and sank a Japanese transport ship. On the Yamamoto mission he flew in John Mitchells flight, and was the first pilot to sight Yamamotos aircraft. He died on 16th February 2016. |
 Captain Delton Goerke (deceased) Died : 1999 *Signature Value : £55 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. | Goerke, Delton (Captain Delton Goerke (deceased)) Almost two years to the day after joining the USAAF, Delton Goerke found himself selected to take part in the Yamamoto Mission. He had three combat tours to Guadalcanal with 339th Pursuit Squadron and saw action also in the Solomon Islands. He flew P39 and P38 fighters and completed a total of 78 combat missions. On the Yamamoto Missions he was part of Mitchells top cover flight. He died 23rd March 1999. |
 Captain Larry Graebener *Signature Value : £55 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. | Graebener, Larry (Captain Larry Graebener) Having joined the USAAF in May 1941, Larry Graebener was posted to the 45th Squadron based in Hawaii. Transferred to the 12th Squadron he took part in his first combat in August of 1942. During his war he took part in three major Pacific battles, flew 50 combat missions, crash landed twice in the Pacific, and spent a week behind Japanese lines. Larry Graebener was in the top cover flight on the Yamamoto Mission. |
| Lt Colonel Besby F Holmes (deceased_ Died : 2006 *Signature Value : £55 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. | Holmes, Besby F (Lt Colonel Besby F Holmes (deceased_) Besby Holmes was one of only 18 fighter pilots to get airborne over Hawaii on 7th December 1941. 18th April 1943 sw him in the Attack Flight on the Yamamoto Mission. After initial difficulty releasing long range tanks, Holmes, with wingman Ray Hine, joined Barber and Lamphier in the attack on the bombers and the dog fight with the escorting Zeroes. Besby Holmes was credited with 6 air victories in his 145 combat missions. He died on 23rd July 2006. |
 Major Julius Jack Jacobson (deceased) Died : 2005 *Signature Value : £55 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. | Jacobson, Julius Jack (Major Julius Jack Jacobson (deceased)) Jack Jacobson joined the Service in March 1941, and flew his first combat missions in October 1942. Jack Jacobson was John Mitchells regular wingman, and flew in that position on the Yamamoto Mission. Flying P39s and later P38s he saw action at Guadalcanal and in the Solomons, flying a total of 111 combat missions. After leaving the Service in 1946 he rejoined to serve two years in the Korean conflict. Cracking the Japanese naval code, U.S. intelligence discovered the travel plans of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, architect of the Pearl Harbor attack. On April 18, 1943, sixteen Army Air Force P-38 fighters took off to intercept his aircraft. Flying at altitudes of 50 feet or less over 400 miles of open ocean while maintaining radio silence, they arrived at precisely the right moment - a phenomenal feat of navigation. Sixty-two years later, exactly which pilot shot down Yamamoto's aircraft in the ensuing turmoil of aerial combat remains a controversy. 'Jack' Jacobson, flew as wingman to mission leader Major John W. Mitchell. Jack Jacobson passed away on 8th April 2005. |
 Lt Colonel Louis R Kittel *Signature Value : £55 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. Limited edition of artist proofs. | Kittel, Louis R (Lt Colonel Louis R Kittel) Lou Kittel joined the Service in 1939, seeing his first combat in March 1943 in the Pacific. He pioneered night-fighting techniques useing the P38, loitering at high altitude and pouncing on enemy aircraft caught in the searchlights. On one occasion he flamed two Bettys over Guadalcanal in a spectacular interception watched by half the islands population, returning to a heroes welcome. Lou Kittel flew 78 combat missions and recorded 4 air victories and 1 probable. |
| Aircraft Related to This Print |
| Lightning (US) |
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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 |
Signature(s) value alone : £520
Signature(s) value alone : £520