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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Squadrons United States 4th Fighter Group to 78th Fighter Group  19th Bomb Group |
| 19th Bomb Group Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Legend of Colin Kelly by Robert Taylor. December 10th 1941, Just three days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, captain Colin Kellys 19th BG B-17C is heavily outnumbered by Zeros as it returns to Clark Field after completing a successful bombing attack. With his aircraft on fire. Kelly remained at the controls whilst his crew bailed out. Seconds later the B-17 exploded. Colin Kelly gave his life and was posthumously awarded the DFC. A legend was born. |
They Fought With What They Had by John D Shaw. Philippine Islands, late November 1941. As the United States prepared for inevitable conflict, members of the US Army Air Corps found themselves stationed in locations throughout this area, in terrifyingly close proximity to a certain enemy far more numberous and well equipped than themselves. To the average citizen, faraway places with exotic names such as Mindinao, Java, Bataan and Corregidor held little meaning. As these young Americans would daily prepare their shiny new B-17 bombers and P-40 fighters for practice missions, none knew the exact day or hour their light heated cameraderie would be interrupted by the sound of approaching Japanese combat aircraft, and how savagely devastating the first surprise attacks would be. On December 8th, shortly after receiving the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the skies over American bases throughout the Philippines were darkened as well. In the following few months, these once obscure sounding places would become world famous for both the infamy wrought, and for the gallant heroism shown by the American forces isolated there. Some would gain tragic fame throughout the world, such as Colin Kelly, Harl Pease, and many of their countrymen who would make the ultimate sacrifice during combat, on the infamous Bataan Death March, or from the inhuman treatment inflicted on them by their captors. |
| 19th Bomb Group Aircraft details |
 Flying Fortress Built : 12677 | Flying Fortress In the mid-1930s engineers at Boeing suggested the possibility of designing a modern long-range monoplane bomber to the U.S. Army Air Corps. In 1934 the USAAC issued Circular 35-26 that outlined specifications for a new bomber that was to have a minimum payload of 2000 pounds, a cruising speed in excess of 200-MPH, and a range of at least 2000 miles. Boeing produced a prototype at its own expense, the model 299, which first flew in July of 1935. The 299 was a long-range bomber based largely on the Model 247 airliner. The Model 299 had several advanced features including an all-metal wing, an enclosed cockpit, retractable landing gear, a fully enclosed bomb bay with electrically operated doors, and cowled engines. With gun blisters glistening everywhere, a newsman covering the unveiling coined the term Flying Fortress to describe the new aircraft. After a few initial test flights the 299 flew off to Wright Field setting a speed record with an average speed of 232-mph. At Wright Field the 299 bettered its competition in almost all respects. However, an unfortunate crash of the prototype in October of 1935 resulted in the Army awarding its primary production contract to Douglas Aircraft for its DB-1 (B-18.) The Army did order 13 test models of the 299 in January 1936, and designated the new plane the Y1B-17. Early work on the B-17 was plagued by many difficulties, including the crash of the first Y1B-17 on its third flight, and nearly bankrupted the Company. Minor quantities of the B-17B, B-17C, and B-17D variants were built, and about 100 of these aircraft were in service at the time Pearl Harbor was attacked. In fact a number of unarmed B-17s flew into the War at the time of the Japanese attack. The German Blitzkrieg in Europe resulted in accelerated aircraft production in America. The B-17E was the first truly heavily armed variant and made its initial flight in September of 1941. B-17Es cost $298,000 each and more than 500 were delivered. The B-17F and B-17G were the truly mass-produced wartime versions of the Flying Fortress. More than 3,400 B-17Fs and more than 8,600 B-17Gs would be produced. The American daylight strategic bombing campaign against Germany was a major factor in the Allies winning the War in Europe. This campaign was largely flown by B-17 Flying Fortresses (12,677 built) and B-24 Liberators (18,188 built.) The B-17 bases were closer to London than those of the B-24, so B-17s received a disproportionate share of wartime publicity. The first mission in Europe with the B-17 was an Eighth Air Force flight of 12 B-17Es on August 12, 1942. Thousands more missions, with as many as 1000 aircraft on a single mission would follow over the next 2 ½ years, virtually decimating all German war making facilities and plants. The B-17 could take a lot of damage and keep on flying, and it was loved by the crews for bringing them home despite extensive battle damage. Following WW II, B-17s would see some action in Korea, and in the 1948 Israel War. There are only 14 flyable B-17s in operation today and a total of 43 complete airframes |
| 19th Bomb Group Pilot and aircrew signature details |
Staff Sergeant Robert E Altman Our estimated value of this signature : £35 | Staff Sergeant Robert E Altman Robert Altman had joined up in October 1939, serving with the 42nd Bomb Squadron in Hawaii. December 41 found him at Clark Field in the Philippines with the 14th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb Group. He was radio operator and belly gunner on Kellys B- 17. Robert was captured by the Japanese after bailing out, and taken as POW for the remainder of the war. He spent 36 months of that captivity in Tokyo, Japan. |
Lt Col Joe M Bean USAF Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 1999 | Lt Col Joe M Bean USAF Born in Kim, Colorado in 1916, Joe Bean enlisted in the Army Air Corp. in early 1940. He completed his basic training in California and his advanced training at Maxwell Field, Alabama. Joe went through navigator training at Coral Gables. He flew to Hawaii in September of 1941 where he was assigned to the 14th Bomb Squadron of the 19th Bomb Group. Captain Colin Kelly personally selected Joe as his navigator, and the crew made the long journey in their B- 17 from Hawaii to Clark Field in the Philippines. Joe's total air training consisted of this long distance flight. On December 8, 1941 (December 7th in the U.S.) the B- 17 under Kelly's command, and with Joe as its navigator, flew a reconnaissance mission northward from Clark Field towards Formosa. On their return leg of the mission they observed a large number of Japanese ships escorted by aircraft. On the following day Joe and his crewmates were assigned an older B-17C model and were ordered to fly this aircraft on a mission to seek out and bomb an enemy aircraft carrier situated off the north coast of Luzon. While no carrier was found they were successful on an attack on a large capital ship believed to be the Cruiser Ashi,-ari. This was the first loss of a capital ship by the Imperial Navy since the War had begun. On the way back to Clark Field the B-17 was jumped by a large number of Japanese fighter aircraft. Sgt. Delchanty was killed in the attack, and with the ship in bad shape, Captain Kelly ordered the crew to bail out. Kelly went with the ship. Bean was picked up and returned to Clark Field. In late January Joe left the Philippines by ship which was bombed by the Japanese. Joe's squadron mates were sent to Lake Lanau, and then on to Australia in the bomb bay of a B-24. Joe eventually ended up in Perth, Australia where General Royce organized a task force of three B-17s and ten B-25s. This group flew a number of missions out of Perth and later flew out of Charters Towers. Joe returned to the States in June of 1943. He married the former Janc Danielsen of Ripon, Wisconsin in April of 1944. Joe remained in the Air Force until 1964 when he retired. He was on the Bikini atomic bomb mission from Kwajalein in 1946. Most of Joe's Air Force career was spent with the Strategic Air Command. His numerous decorations include the Purple Heart, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Force Commendation Medal and Commendation Ribbon. After his retirement Joe relocated to Colorado Springs where for more than twenty years he was active in the real estate business. In May of 1994 Joe, accompanied by his son and his wife of fifty-two years, attended the Second Dedication of the Four Freedoms Monument in Captain Colin P. Kelly's hometown of Madison, Florida. At the dedication were Kelly's son, the Rev. Colin P. Kelly II of Las Alamos, New Mexico, and Kelly's grandson Colin P. Kelly, III. He died on 8th December 1999. |
John Davy Crockett Our estimated value of this signature : £35 | John Davy Crockett John Davy Crockett was trained as a navigator by Pan Am in mid-1941 because the USAAF did not have its navigator school in operation. Davy was assigned to the 36th Bomb Squadron of the 19th Bomb Group flying the new B-17C Flying Fortress. Davy found that most Air Corps pilots were used to doing their own navigating, so his job would be easy. Davy experienced a crash in a B-17 while training, but the crew walked away from the wreck. In late 1941 his crew was informed that they would be flying to Clark Field in the Philippines. On December they left Albuquerque and flew to Hamilton Field in California. They received a briefing on expected weather and left on the evening of December 6 for their first stop at Hickham Field, Oahu Hawaii. Flying into the darkness over the vast Pacific, the pilot for the first time in Crocketts career turned the navigation over to Davy. Realizing that the Hawaiian Islands were only small dots on the charts of the vast Pacific, and that his aircraft would have little fuel reserves left when it arrived, sent chills up Crocketts spine. As dawn broke Davy saw lots of islands where there were not suppose to be any. His panic subsided when he realized that they were only clouds. The pilot, Earl Cooper, came on the intercom at that moment to ask for an ETA. As Davy responded, the gunners in the back came on the intercom to report a large formation of aircraft about ten miles north of their position. They must be Navy aircraft. Minutes later they had descended to about 1200 feet when eight fighter aircraft came straight at them with their guns blazing. As the aircraft flew by the flight engineer, Jesse Broyls, yelled out, Rising Sun ! The zeros reformed behind the unarmed B-17, and as Cooper dove the lumbering giant towards the wave tops, Crockett could hear the thump of bullets hitting his plane. The No. 2 engine was hit and Cooper shut it down. Rounding Diamond Head at about 300-feet the crew saw smoke and fire everywhere, and Japanese planes all over the sky. They passed over Hickham Field at about 1000-feet, realizing that this was no time and place for a landing. They turned towards Ford Island and passed directly over the USS Arizona minutes after the ship had exploded. Crocketts B-17 now became a target for nervous anti-aircraft gunners on the ground, and the B-17 had its No. 4 engine shot out. Cooper prepared the crew to bail out, but he then saw an opportunity to bring the big bird into Wheeler Field. He came straight in and belly-landed the B-17 with almost no fuel left. The plane slid to a stop on the turf just short of a group of P-40s. The entire crew got out of the B-17 and ran for cover in a patch of nearby woods. The B-17s on the flight from the mainland were scattered all over the island, with most of them seriously damaged. Fortunately, there were only two casualties, a flight surgeon who was killed and a bombardier who was injured when they were strafed while running from their plane. Crockett would survive a third crash in another B-17 on December 25th when he would spend six days in a life raft. |
Master Sergeant James E Halkyard Our estimated value of this signature : £40 | Master Sergeant James E Halkyard James Halkyard was right waist gunner on Kellys B-17 that day in December 1941. He joined the service back in January 1937 and the outbreak of war found him in the Philippines with the 14th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb Group. After being shot down he was picked up and served for a time with the local Philippine guerrillas. Evading capture he returned to US forces and later served at Bataan. |
Edward Jackfert Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Edward Jackfert 19th Bomb Group, 28th Sqn |
Col Edward M Jacquet Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Col Edward M Jacquet 19th Bomb Group, 93rd Sqn. Clark Field B-17 copilot, 47 combat missions with the 19th Bomb Group. |
Lt Col Melvin A McKenzie Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Lt Col Melvin A McKenzie 19th Bomb Group, 30th Sqn. |
Robert Phillips Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Robert Phillips 19th Bomb Group, 28th Sqn |
Col John A Wallach Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Col John A Wallach 19th Bomb Group, 14th Sqn. Clark Field B-17 and later part of 'Swoose' crew and fighter pilot. |
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