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Ruby's Fortress by Stan Stokes. - Cranston Military Prints

Ruby's Fortress by Stan Stokes.


Ruby's Fortress by Stan Stokes.

The B-17 Flying Fortress, was one of the most acclaimed aircraft of WW II. It is also one of those uniquely popular warbirds which has attracted more than its fair share of romance and nostalgia over the years. Nearly 13,000 of these aircraft were produced. The origins of the B-17 dates to 1934 when the Boeing company was authorized to build a prototype of a long-range, metal, monoplane, medium bomber which was designated Model 299. During the first public exposure of the prototype a reporter from the Seattle Daily Times coined the term flying fortress in his description of the new sleek, heavily armed aircraft. Boeings public relations department liked this reference, and shortly thereafter the aircraft became known as the Flying Fortress. Boeing received an initial order for 13 aircraft, designated the YB-17, and these aircraft were delivered in 1937. Later that year Boeing obtained orders for several enhanced models, which were designated B-17Bs. These aircraft had supercharged engines permitting higher ceilings, redesigned nose sections, hydraulic brakes, and larger rudders. With the outbreak of WWII the first Flying Fortresses were used by the RAF. Early experience by the RAF underscored the need for increased defensive firepower. Boeing responded by redesigning the entire rear fuselage on the aircraft, and incorporating a rear gun and a remotely controlled under belly turret gun. The resulting B-17E was only slightly slower than its predecessor at 317 MPH, and in mid-1942 the USAAF began moving B-17 units to the United Kingdom. These were primarily B-17Fs. Flying Fortresses had the ability to take a lot of punishment. The aircrafts flying characteristics were excellent, and it was not unusual for B-17s to return to base with large sections of wing surface or tail fin missing. The first B-17G models began to see action late in 1943, and were, along with the B-24 Liberators, carried the brunt of the USAAF daylight bombing campaign against targets of strategic significance. Such missions were exceedingly dangerous until only very late in the War. Luftwaffe pilots learned to attack B-17s head-on from the 12 oclock position, as this was the most vulnerable area to attack, and one in which crew injury was the most likely. Aviation artist Stan Stokes, in his painting entitled Rubys Fortress, shows a B-17G of the 8th Air Forces 385th Bomber Group over Germany in 1945. The aircraft in the foreground was named for Cpl. Ruby Newell of Long Beach, California. Ms. Newell was voted the most attractive WAC in England in 1944. The nose art painted by Cpl. Ploss was a fitting tribute, and such nose art was a great morale booster for bomber crews and ground support staff. Many B-17s were named after women, appropriate considering the fact that during wartime the majority of the people which built these planes were women.
Item Code : STK0097GSRuby's Fortress by Stan Stokes. - Editions AvailableExtra....


A photo of an edition of the print.

DESCRIPTIONSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSPRICEPURCHASINGPACKS
Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Artist : Stan StokesSOLD
OUT		NOT
AVAILABLE
Limited edition of 100 giclee art prints. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm)Artist : Stan Stokes£145.00

Quantity:
Prints from the 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot. Image size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm)
Peterson, Carl D
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
Died : 2010
Major General Carl D Peterson (deceased)
Carl D. Peterson was born on January 19, 1924. After attending St. John's University, Peterson enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corp. in October 1942. He commenced pilot training in April of 1943, and in early 1944 was commissioned as a second lieutenant. After completing B-17 training at Hobbs, New Mexico, and combat crew training at Sioux City, Iowa, Peterson was assigned to the 549th Bomb Squadron of the 385th Bomb Group based at Great Ashfield, England. The 385th was part of the Eighth Air
Signature Value : £50
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
+ Artist : Stan Stokes

Signature(s) value alone : £50		£15 Off!Now : £95.00

Quantity:
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm)none£294.00

Quantity:


Some other related items available from this site.

With the words of his Group CO ringing in his ears, a pilot of the 332nd Fighter Group returns to protect a crippled American B17 bomber after downing two Me109s in quick succession. Agonisingly, two more enemy fighters were left to escape but the pilot knew that under the strict leadership of Colonel Benjamin O Davis, his mission, and that if the other all-black pilots of the 332nd, was solely to protect the bombers. That iron discipline was to earn this famous unit the respect and admiration of hundreds of bomber crews, and to create a legend. Despite lingering racial prejudice and some opposition within the Air Force, President Roosevelt had ordered the USAAF to form an all-black fighter pilot unit, its crews to be trained at Tuskegee in Alabama. To the surprise of their critics, the Tuskegee Airmen were to prove their detractors spectacularly wrong from the first day they went into action in Italy in May 1943. Flying first with the Twelfth Air Force, then the Fifteenth, the four squadrons of the 332nd completed over 15,000 combat sorties, destroyed over 250 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and on the ground, 950 railway trucks and locomotives, and even sunk a destroyer by machine gun fire! The Group was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation, their pilots decorated with over 1000 medals for gallantry. But above all, with the spinners and tails of their P-51 Mustangs brightly painted red, the Red Tails as they were affectionately known, became the only US Fighter Group that never lost a bomber in their care. The Tuskegee Red Tail pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group are a more than welcome sight as they close in to escort home a damaged B17 Fortress of the 483rd Bomb Group. Seen high over the Italian Alps during the summer of 1944 this poignant scene conveys precisely the story of the legendary Red Tails.

Red Tail Escort by Richard Taylor.		 With the words of his Group CO ringing in his ears, a pilot of the 332nd Fighter Group returns to protect a crippled American B17 bomber after downing two Me109s in quick succession. Agonisingly, two more enemy fighters were left to escape but the pilot knew that under the strict leadership of Colonel Benjamin O Davis, his mission, and that if the other all-black pilots of the 332nd, was solely to protect the bombers. That iron discipline was to earn this famous unit the respect and admiration of hundreds of bomber crews, and to create a legend. Despite lingering racial prejudice and some opposition within the Air Force, President Roosevelt had ordered the USAAF to form an all-black fighter pilot unit, its crews to be trained at Tuskegee in Alabama. To the surprise of their critics, the Tuskegee Airmen were to prove their detractors spectacularly wrong from the first day they went into action in Italy in May 1943. Flying first with the Twelfth Air Force, then the Fifteenth, the four squadrons of the 332nd completed over 15,000 combat sorties, destroyed over 250 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and on the ground, 950 railway trucks and locomotives, and even sunk a destroyer by machine gun fire! The Group was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation, their pilots decorated with over 1000 medals for gallantry. But above all, with the spinners and tails of their P-51 Mustangs brightly painted red, the Red Tails as they were affectionately known, became the only US Fighter Group that never lost a bomber in their care. The Tuskegee Red Tail pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group are a more than welcome sight as they close in to escort home a damaged B17 Fortress of the 483rd Bomb Group. Seen high over the Italian Alps during the summer of 1944 this poignant scene conveys precisely the story of the legendary Red Tails.

Red Tail Escort by Richard Taylor. 		Nine O Nine awaits her next mission over occupied Europe. Part of the 91st Bomb Group, 323rd Squadron, this B-17 went on to complete a record mission tally of 140 without an abort or loss of a single crew member. She started operations in February 1944. By April 1945 Nine O Nine had flown an extraordinary 1,129 hours. This aircraft and crew represented just one of many who fought in war-torn skies for the freedom we now enjoy.

Nine O Nine by Philip West. 		The B-17 Flying Fortress, was one of the most acclaimed aircraft of WW II. It is also one of those uniquely popular warbirds which has attracted more than its fair share of romance and nostalgia over the years. Nearly 13,000 of these aircraft were produced. The origins of the B-17 dates to 1934 when the Boeing company was authorized to build a prototype of a long-range, metal, monoplane, medium bomber which was designated Model 299. During the first public exposure of the prototype a reporter from the Seattle Daily Times coined the term flying fortress in his description of the new sleek, heavily armed aircraft. Boeings public relations department liked this reference, and shortly thereafter the aircraft became known as the Flying Fortress. Boeing received an initial order for 13 aircraft, designated the YB-17, and these aircraft were delivered in 1937. Later that year Boeing obtained orders for several enhanced models, which were designated B-17Bs. These aircraft had supercharged engines permitting higher ceilings, redesigned nose sections, hydraulic brakes, and larger rudders. With the outbreak of WWII the first Flying Fortresses were used by the RAF. Early experience by the RAF underscored the need for increased defensive firepower. Boeing responded by redesigning the entire rear fuselage on the aircraft, and incorporating a rear gun and a remotely controlled under belly turret gun. The resulting B-17E was only slightly slower than its predecessor at 317 MPH, and in mid-1942 the USAAF began moving B-17 units to the United Kingdom. These were primarily B-17Fs. Flying Fortresses had the ability to take a lot of punishment. The aircrafts flying characteristics were excellent, and it was not unusual for B-17s to return to base with large sections of wing surface or tail fin missing. The first B-17G models began to see action late in 1943, and were, along with the B-24 Liberators, carried the brunt of the USAAF daylight bombing campaign against targets of strategic significance. Such missions were exceedingly dangerous until only very late in the War. Luftwaffe pilots learned to attack B-17s head-on from the 12 oclock position, as this was the most vulnerable area to attack, and one in which crew injury was the most likely. Aviation artist Stan Stokes, in his painting entitled Rubys Fortress, shows a B-17G of the 8th Air Forces 385th Bomber Group over Germany in 1945. The aircraft in the foreground was named for Cpl. Ruby Newell of Long Beach, California. Ms. Newell was voted the most attractive WAC in England in 1944. The nose art painted by Cpl. Ploss was a fitting tribute, and such nose art was a great morale booster for bomber crews and ground support staff. Many B-17s were named after women, appropriate considering the fact that during wartime the majority of the people which built these planes were women.

Ruby's Fortress 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.
NameInfo


Major General Carl D Peterson (deceased)
Died : 2010
*Signature Value : £50

Editions signed :

Prints from the 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot.


Peterson, Carl D
(Major General Carl D Peterson (deceased))

Carl D. Peterson was born on January 19, 1924. After attending St. John's University, Peterson enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corp. in October 1942. He commenced pilot training in April of 1943, and in early 1944 was commissioned as a second lieutenant. After completing B-17 training at Hobbs, New Mexico, and combat crew training at Sioux City, Iowa, Peterson was assigned to the 549th Bomb Squadron of the 385th Bomb Group based at Great Ashfield, England. The 385th was part of the Eighth Air Force, which was under the command of General james Doolittle, the great aviation pioneer who had led the daring B-25 raid on Tokyo only a few short months after Pearl Harbor. Peterson arrived in England in late September 1944 in time for the 200th mission celebration. While undergoing his final training the 549th lost eleven aircraft on a single mission to Berlin during an all out attack by 75 German fighters. Peterson's rookie crew became the fifth oldest in the squadron before they had flown their first mission. Peterson participated in a bombing raid of the Cologne rail yards during his third mission. On this mission, Peterson's aircraft lost two engines because of flak hits. A third engine was lost on return and he was forced to make a crash landing in Belgium, only two miles behind the front. In November Peterson took part in the largest air battle of all time when 1100 bombers and 900 fighters of the Eighth Air Force took on 500 Luftwaffe fighters during an attack on Meresberg. Peterson flew a total of thirty-five B-17 missions. On more than half of those missions he lost one or more engines. On four of those missions they were attacked by German fighters, and on four occasions they were forced down on the European Continent due to battle damage. Carl Peterson flew Ruby's Raiders as a back-up aircraft on more than one occasion. Peterson was also present when Cpl. Ruby Newell visited the 385th for the dedication of the aircraft, named in her honor. Peterson also served in Korea as Squadron Commander of the 339th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, which flew the F-94B. In 1961 while stationed in Saudi Arabia, Peterson organized an acrobatic team flying the F-86. General Peterson served in Vietnam where he piloted the A-1 Skyraider. In 1973 Peterson was promoted to Brigadier General and put in command of the USAF Defense Weapons Center at Tyndall Air Force Base. General Peterson flew his last operational flight in an F-106 in May of 1977. This was the culmination of more than 5,400 hours of military flying in 28 different aircraft. For two years prior to his retirement in 1979 General Peterson was third in command of land, air, and naval forces assigned to the NATO mission. Peterson received more than 20 decorations during his distinguished career. He and his wife Twy-la Jean have been married for more than 44 years, and have seven children and 16 grandchildren. Carl Peterson died on 23rd December 2010.
Squadrons Related to This Print
385th Bomb Group
Aircraft Related to This Print
Flying Fortress

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