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Cranston Fine Arts Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures United States M Mitchell, Raymond

Lt Col Raymond R Mitchell

Ray Mitchell flew 69 combat missions with the 328th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group from August 1944 until late April 1945, his P-51 was 'Carol'. He flew as George Preddys wingman many times and was in his flight on 25th December 1944 when Preddy was killed by friendly ground fire chasing after an enemy aircraft. ray is credited with 1 aerial victory.

Lt Col Raymond R Mitchell - Signed Aviation Art

Masters of the Sky by Richard Taylor. 6 editions. All 6 editions feature up to 12 additional signature(s). £110.00 - £625.00

Text for the above items :

Masters of the Sky by Richard Taylor. They were an extraordinary group of men who flew their distinctive blue-nosed P-51 Mustangs fearlessly in the savage skies over war-torn Europe. They were the pilots of the 352nd Fighter Group - Masters of the Sky. The three squadrons of P-51 Mustangs that made up the 352nd Fighter Group contained a remarkable collection of fearless young aviators who, amongst other things, provided more Aces in a Day than any other P-51 Group in any theatre. These were pilots such as George Preddy - the highest scoring P-51 Mustang Ace in the Eighth Air Force - who downed 6 Me109s in a single day, and Don Bryan with 5 victories in a day. No less than twenty nine of the USAAF's top aerial Aces in Europe were also from the 352nd, and twelve 352nd pilots scored aerial victories over the revolutionary German jet fighters. To commemorate the men who flew with the 352nd Fighter Group during World War II, Richard Taylor has created his magnificent painting, Masters of the Sky. Led by their Commanding Officer Major George Preddy, the P-51 Mustang pilots of the 328th Fighter Squadron engage in a bitter struggle with Luftwaffe fighters in the cold winter air high over eastern Germany. They have been escorting B-17 Fortresses attacking the heavily defended synthetic oil plant at Merseberg, November 1944. As the B-17s turn safely towards home above them, Preddy skilfully manages to down one of the attacking Fw190s in the ensuing melee.

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.

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Lt Col Raymond R Mitchell Squadron details

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