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AN ICONIC TRIBUTE TO THE MEN OF THE 357th FIGHTER GROUP DURING WWII
AMERICAN EAGLES
by Robert Taylor
Flying his P-51 Mustang, Glamorous Glen III, Fighter Ace ‘Chuck’ Yeager and pilots of the 357th Fighter Group, head out of Leiston in Suffolk, on escort duty to an 8th Air Force bombing mission to Germany, October 1944.
Serving primarily as fighter escorts, the 357th provided penetration target and withdrawal support for the bombers attacking strategic objectives in occupied Europe, and played a major part in the 8th Air Force’s first attack on Berlin on March 6, 1944. They also conducted fighter sweeps, strafing and dive-bombing missions, attacking enemy airfields, bridges, fuel dumps, and numerous other ground targets. They took part in the Normandy invasion, the Battle of the Bulge, and the airborne assault across the Rhine.
The 357th spawned a raft of air Aces, including Kit Carson, Bud Anderson, John England, and Robert Foy – all triple Aces. Among the Aces of the 357th was also a determined young pilot who, in spite of being shot down on his eighth mission and, with the aid of the French Resistance, evaded capture to return and fly combat, and who would end the war with 11 ½ victories. This intrepid aviator would later become the first pilot to fly faster than the speed of sound in level flight, and a legend in aviation history: Chuck Yeager.
THE EAGLES EDITION SIGNATURES
This Eagle's Edition print has been signed by three highly prominent pilots who flew in combat with the 357th Fighter Group:
MajorJAMES MCLANE
CaptainHARVEY MACE - 3 victories
CaptainCHARLES E. WEAVER - 8 victories
Released in 2005 to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the end of WW2, this iconic image conveys the indomitable spirit that pervaded throughout the US fighter groups in their quest to overcome the Luftwaffe and the German war machine over 80 years ago.
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Please note: The signatures on ourpieces are not reproductions; they are original autographs, hand-signed by theveterans involved at the time of publishing.
