Colonel William B Bailey USAF - Signed Aviation Prints

Colonel William B Bailey USAF

William Bradford Bailey was born in Lynn, Massachusetts on August 20,1918 as WW1 was winding down. Bill graduated from Duke University in 1940, and earned his Private Pilots License under a program sponsored by the Civil Aeronautics Administration. He was selected for advanced training in a PT-17. In September of 1940 Bill reached an important fork in his future career road. Instead of attending Harvard Business School he chose Army Flight Training instead, graduating with Class 41-E at Maxwell Field in Alabama. His first assignment was at Mitchel Field in New York flying P-40s with the 58th Pursuit Squadron. With America's entry into WW II the Army Air Corps grew rapidly and Bill received numerous assignments of increasing responsibility. This culminated with his posting as C.O. of the 352nd FS equipped with P-40s. The squadron was deemed combat-ready in August 1943 following 6-months of training with the P-47 Jug. Assigned to the 8th Air Force in East Anglia, UK, Col. Bailey lead the 352nd in conducting its primary mission of bomber-escort and ground attack. In July of 1944 Bailey assumed the post of Executive Officer and Deputy Commander of the 353rd Fighter Group. The Group converted to the P51 Mustang in September, and Bailey continued in that capacity until September of 1945. In his two combat tours Bill Bailey flew 186 combat missions totaling 454 hours. He flew 32 missions and 129 hours in the P-51. He was credited with 3 enemy aircraft destroyed in aerial combat and an additional 3 destroyed on the ground. Like most military pilots in WW II, Col. Bailey was a team player who was more conservative in his flying than some other fighter pilots who were more focused on attaining personal fame or glory. On March 2, 1945 Bailey led a group of fifty-two P-51s in support of a major bombing mission of a refinery in the Eastern Ruhr. Shortly after joining up with the bombers, Bailey noticed a large group of German fighters to the East. With the sun at their back, the P-51s gained altitude and attacked the German fighters from behind as they prepared to turn into the bomber formation. The Germans were caught by surprise and fifteen Jerrys were downed. In the melee that followed Bailey lost contact with his wingman and followed a group of about six Fw-190s diving for cover in the overcast below. Bailey caught up with them as he ducked in and out of clouds at 12,000 feet. He caught two of them with a concentrated burst at about 50 yards from their tails. Low on fuel and facing a 400-mile return trip, Bailey broke off the attack and returned to England. Following WWII, Bailey accepted a regular commission in the Air Force and was sent to Columbia University Graduate School of International Affairs. After graduation, his successive assignments included Assistant Air Attache, U.S. Embassy, Paris, and Director for Arms Control, Disarmament and United Nations Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Air Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, student at the National War College, Office of the Chief of Staff, USAF, and Air Attache, US Embassy, Paris. Following his retirement from the Air Force he became Director of European Operations for Rohr Industries, the leading manufacturer of nacelles and thrust reversers for transport aircraft including the European Airbus. Col. Bailey's decorations include the Silver Star, The Distinguished Flying Cross with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters, the French Legion of Honor, and the Swedish Royal Order of the Sword. He died on 15th May 2012.

Colonel William B Bailey USAF - Signed Aviation Art

Top Cover by Stan Stokes.
2 of 3 editions available.
1 of 2 editions featuring an additional signature are available.
£45.00 - £120.00

Text for the above items :

Top Cover by Stan Stokes.

The painting depicts a P-51D Mustang (flown by William Bailey of the 353rd Fighter Group) flying escort for B-17 Flying Fortresses of the U.S. Armys Eighth Air Force. The scene is over the French countryside during late 1944, and several more hours of high altitude flying lies ahead of these pilots before the days work is over. Bombing played a major role in the Allies victory in Europe. The RAF relied primarily on night bombing which was also called strategic bombing. Day time bombing was a necessity for hitting specific targets such as munition plants, dams, and submarine pens. The Mighty Eighth took on responsibility for most of the day time bombing missions. The hazards and discomforts of high altitude flying, the perils of enemy flak batteries, and the threat of enemy fighters made these missions exceedingly dangerous until only very late in the war. Fighter escort was critically important in improving the odds of a successful mission, and the P-51 became arguably the premier aircraft for providing that cover. The P-51 is generally acknowledged as Americas top fighter plane of World War II. The first Mustangs were ordered by the British Government in 1940. The USAAF was initially reluctant to order the Mustang, having already committed itself to the P-38 Lightning, the P-47 Thunderbolt, the P-40 Warhawk, and the P-39 Airacobra. In 1944 an improved version of the Mustang, the D, came off North American Aviations assembly line in California. It was dramatically altered from earlier versions, as major changes in fuselage design were incorporated to improve pilot visibility. The P-51D was powered by a Packard-built, Rolls Royce-designed, liquid cooled V-12 engine which generated 1,612 HP. The Mustang had a top speed of 436 MPH, a range of 949 miles, and an operational ceiling in excess of 42,000 feet. Nearly 8,000 P-51Ds were produced. In service with the USAAF Mustangs flew in excess of 200,000 missions, and were credited with destroying nearly 5,000 enemy aircraft. The Mustang was unique in its ability to provide long range fighter escort, and this greatly enhanced the effectiveness of Allied bombing missions. On returning from their escort missions Mustangs would generally split into squadrons and take varying routes home looking for targets of opportunity.

Mustang
Manufacturer : North American

Mustang
The ubiquitous North American P-51 Mustang, which many consider to be the best all-around fighter of WW II, owes its origins to the British Air Ministry. Following Britains entry into WW II in 1939, the RAF was interested in purchasing additional fighter aircraft from American sources, particularly the Curtiss P-40. Curtiss, which was busy, was unable to guarantee timely delivery so the British approached North American Aviation as a possible second source for the P-40. North American chose to propose its own fighter design which would use the same Allison engine as the P-40. Utilizing new laminar flow wings, the North American fighter was expected to have performance better than the P-40. Developed in record time the new aircraft was designated as a Mustang I by the Brits, whereas the USAAF ordered two for evaluation which were designated XP-51 Apaches. Intrigued with the possibility of using this aircraft also as a dive bomber, North American proposed this to the USAAF which decided to order 500 of the P-51 aircraft to be modified for dive bombing use. Designated as the A-36 Invader, this version of the Mustang utilized dive flaps, and bomb racks under each wing. Some reinforcing of the structural members was also required because of the G-forces to be encountered in dive bombing. A-36s entered combat service with the USAAF prior to any P-51s. In early 1943 the 86th and 27th Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12th Air Force began flying A-36s out of Northern Africa. Despite some early problems with instability caused by the dive flaps, the A-36 was effective in light bombing and strafing roles. It was not, however, capable of dog fighting with German fighters, especially at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks one USAAF pilot, Captain Michael T. Russo, who served with the 16th Bomb Squadron of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36, thereby becoming the first mustang ace.

Stearman
Built : 10

Stearman
he importance of the Stearman PT-13/PT-17 to the US war effort cannot be overemphasized. Approximately 50% of all US military pilots, who fought in WW II received their initial flight training in this sturdy aircraft. A further 10,000 RAF and Fleet Air Arm pilots used the Stearman trainer for primary training, at British Flying Training Schools throughout the United States, between 1941 and 1944. 8,430 Stearmans were built before manufacturing ended in 1944. No other biplane was ever produced in such numbers. Over 1,000 Stearman trainers remain in flying condition today. The RCAF was supplied with 300 PT-17s in the summer of 1942, to expand its fleet of basic trainers. They served with No. 3 Flying Instructors’ School, Arnprior, Ontario and four Elementary Flying Training Schools, in the Prairies. After about four months they were traded n for Fairchild Cornells, because the open cockpit was found unsuitable for winter training. Many Stearmans are still flying today

Thunderbolt
Built : 15683

Thunderbolt
Alexander Kartveli was a engineer with Seversky Aircraft who designed the P-35, which first flew in 1937. With Republic Aviation Kartveli supervised the development of the P-43 Lancer. Neither of these aircraft were produced in large numbers, and neither was quite successful. However, the Republic Aviation P-47 Thunderbolt, also nicknamed the Jug, was quite a different story. The Jug was the jewel in Kartvelis design crown, and went on to become one of the most produced fighter aircraft of all time with 15,683 being manufactured. The P-47 was the largest and heaviest single seat fighter of WW II. The P-47 immediately demonstrated its excellent combat qualities, including speed, rate of climb, maneuverability, heavy fire power, and the ability to take a lot of punishment. With a wingspan of more than 40 feet and a weight of 19,400 pounds, this large aircraft was designed around the powerful 2000 HP Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine. The first P-47 prototype flew in May of 1941, and the primary variant the P-47D went into service in 1943 with units of the U.S. Armys Eighth Air Force. The Jug had a maximum speed in excess of 400 MPH, a service ceiling in excess of 42,000 feet, and was heavily armed with either six or eight heavy caliber machine guns. With its ability to carry up to a 2,500 pound bomb load, the Jug saw lots of use in ground attack roles. Until the introduction of the N model, the P-47 lacked the long range required for fighter escort missions which were most often relegated to P-51 Mustangs or P-38 Lightnings. In his outstanding painting entitled Bridge Busting Jugs, noted aviation artist Stan Stokes depicts Eighth Air Force Jugs in a ground attack mission in the Alps in June of 1944. The top P-47 ace was Francis Gabreski who had flown with the 56th Fighter Group, the first unit to be equipped with the P-47. In August of 1943 Gabreski attained his first aerial combat victory (over an Fw-190) and by years end he had reached ace status with 8 confirmed victories. As Commander of the 61st Squadron, Gabreski continued to chalk up victory after victory, and on seven different occasions he achieved two victories during the same mission. However, in July of 1944 Gabreski damaged the prop on his Jug during a low level attack on an airfield near Coblenz. Forced to make a crash landing, he was captured and remained a prisoner of war until Wars end in 1945. Following the War Gabreski returned to military service with the Air Forces 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing in Korea. Flying the F-86 Sabre Jet, Gabreski attained 6.5 more aerial victories in 1951 and 1952 becoming an ace in two different wars

Warhawk
Manufacturer : Curtiss
Built : 13738

Warhawk
P-40

Colonel William B Bailey USAF
Squadron details