Rare "Fortress Alone" (B-17) Lithograph Framed and Autographed by LeMay, Doolittle, Lawley and artist Ashurst Among the thousands of American aviators who launched from England on February 20, 1944, the first day of historic "Big Week," was William Lawley. Lawley was a quiet southerner from Leeds, Alabama. Flying a newly painted B-17 as a member of the 305th Bomb Group, Lawley's target for the day was an aircraft engine factory near Leipzig...deep in Germany. As the group neared the target, a crisis occurred on Lawley's WD-P. Unable to drop its bombs...the heavily loaded B-17 soon fell behind the formation and received the Luftwaffe's full attention. This painting depicts the stricken Fortress alone an instant after a 20mm cannon shell had mortally wounded the copilot. A second later the aircraft will nose over out of control. Thousands of feet lower, Lawley will regain control and then nurse the badly damaged aircraft and its dead and wounded crew back to a crash landing at the first available English airfield. For this feat, Lawley would receive his nation's highest award...The Medal of Honor. This Limited Edition Lithograph Print is: 18 of 1000 signed/numbered by artist Jay Ashurst and also signed by Curtis LeMay, J.H (Jimmy) Doolittle, Wm R. Lawley. Only 250 of these were signed by the four before mentioned. 17” x 23” Print. Framed 22’ x 28”. Brushed bronze metal frame, double matted and under glass. Very slight wave at the top of print next to mat. Could easily be straightened if you remove the backing. Not really that noticeable. We will be putting up another photo of the framed print as the shadows are excessive on this first shot. There are no imperfections on the print, matting, or glass except as noted above. There was a legend in the 8th Air Force about a Flying Fortress with the call sign George 309. After a raid deep into Germany, cut off from the rest of its formation, slashed and battered, the lone straggling Fortress crawled through the air back to England. Approaching its home base the pilot radioed the control tower: "Hello, Lazy Fox. This is G for George, 309, calling Lazy Fox. Will you give me landing instructions please? Pilot and copilot dead, two engines feathered, fire in the radio room, vertical stabilizer gone, no flaps, no hydraulics, no brakes, control cables shot away, crew bailed out, bombardier wounded and flying the ship. Give me landing instructions." After a brief pause the tower replied:
"I hear you, G for George. Here are your landing instructions. Repeat slowly, please, repeat slowly... "Our Father who art in heaven......." |
© 1992-2012 Lee Payne
This Document was created using recycled electrons
