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Cranston Fine Arts Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures United States B Bankey, Ernest

Lt Col Ernest E Bankey

After training in the US, Erenst Bankey arrived in England for his first combat tour with the 364th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force in February 1944. On 27th December during the Battle of the Bulge, his group ran into a large mass of Luftwaffe fighters whilst flying over the Bonn area of Germany, In the melee of dogfighting that followed, Ernest Bankey shot down 5 enemy aircraft and shared another. During his two tours in England, he flew over 110 combat missions and was credited with 11.5 aerial victories and another 5 on the ground. Sadly, we have learned that Ernest Bankey passed away in June 2009.

Lt Col Ernest E Bankey - Signed Aviation Art

Dual Victory by Richard Taylor. 3 editions. All 3 editions feature up to 4 additional signature(s). £95.00 - £150.00

Eagles on the Rampage by Robert Taylor. 2 of 6 editions available. All 6 editions feature up to 25 additional signatures. £210.00 - £375.00

Struggle for Supremacy by Robert Taylor. This single edition is sold out. The edition features 7 additional signatures.

Text for the above items :

Dual Victory by Richard Taylor. A spectacular dogfight over Eisenach on 24 March 1945 when the doughty Clyde East, returning from a recce over Schweinfurt and with photos already in the can, takes on a group of six Me109s. Flying his legendary Lil Margaret, having already dispatched one, he peels round to line up his second Me109 to add two more victories to his remarkable tally.

Eagles on the Rampage by Robert Taylor. Dominating the skies over Germany, P-51s of the 4th Fighter Group - The Eagles - sweep across the cloud tops, their pilots scanning the distant horizon for any signs of the Luftwaffe. They are ready for trouble should the enemy decide to chance their luck. The greatness of the Mustang is beyond doubt; it was the fighter pilot's ultimate machine. Tough, hard-hitting, it handled beautifully and - once the mighty Merlin engine had been included - possessed a performance unrivalled by any single piston-engined fighter of World War II. British inspired and American built, the P-51 was the aircraft the eager young pilots of the Eighth Air Force had been waiting for. Formed in September 1942 from the RAF Eagle Squadrons, the Fourth Fighter Group was the oldest fighter unit in the Eighth Air Force. Under the command of Don Blakeslee, described as probably the best fighter leader of the war, the combined air and ground victories notched up by 'The Eagles' during World War II surpassed any other fighter group. They were the first to penetrate German air space, and the first to engage the Luftwaffe over Berlin. Hermann Goering later remarked 'When I saw those Mustangs over Berlin, I knew that the war was lost'. Each print in this outstanding edition is signed by some of the most famous Mustang pilots that flew in the European Theatre during World War II. Every signatory in the edition has reached Ace status, creating a historic new collectors' edition which may never be surpassed.

Struggle for Supremacy by Robert Taylor. The scene depicted took place in January 1945 as P-51 Mustang fighters of the 357th Fighter Group have engaged a force of Messerschmitt Me109 fighters. Captain Robert Foy in Little Shrimp of the 363rd Squadron engages one of the Bf109s in a daring head-on pass as Republic P-47 Thunderbolts of the 56th Fighter Group climb to join the fray. From the right, more than a dozen Luftwaffe fighters are vectoring to the massive dogfight.