Tuskegee Airmen Over Italy, 1944
Originally released by Valor Studios, the legend on the bottom of the print reads… “September 12, 1944 . . . low over Northern Italy, the pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group shepherd home a wounded B-24 Liberator of the 455th Bomb Group after a bombing raid on the Me-262 test airfield at Lechfeld, Germany. The men of the 332nd, the first African American combat pilots, would be known as the “Tuskegee Airmen.” But, in the sky, they were simply called the “Red Tails.” On this day, the Red Tails will return to their base at Ramitelli. To them, this escort was just another day’s work. But, to the bomber crew below, they were the difference between life and death.”
The Story
From their base at Ramitelli Airfield, located on the Adriatic coast of Italy, the Tuskegee airmen of the 332nd Fighter Group—the only African-American air unit to see combat—flew escort missions for the Fifteenth Air Force’s heavy bomber raids into Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Hungary and Germany.
The 99th Fighter Squadron led the way to Europe for the Tuskegee airmen and flew its first combat mission on June 2, 1943 as part of Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, for which it was awarded one of the squadron’s three Distinguished Unit Citations. Eventually forming the 332nd Fighter Group, the Tuskegee airmen consisted of the 99th Fighter Squadron, 100th Fighter Squadron, 301st Fighter Squadron and the 302nd Fighter Squadron. The pilots transitioned to P-51 Mustangs in July of 1944 after having flown the Curtis P-40 Warhawk and the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. A total of 335 Tuskegee pilots were deployed overseas with eighty-four losing their lives: sixty-eight pilots killed in action or accidents, twelve killed in training and non-combat missions and thirty-two captured as prisoners of war. Ninety-five of the pilots were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The 332nd Fighter Group flew a total of 1,578 combat missions, 179 of which were bomber escort missions.
Depicted here are two Tuskegee pilots, Lieutenant Roscoe Brown, flying his P-51D, “Bunnie,” named after his daughter, and Captain Charles McGee flying “Kitten,” which was his wife’s nickname. Also featured is a damaged B-24 Liberator of the 455th Bomb Group based out of San Giovanni, an airfield about twenty miles southwest of Foggia.
Behind the Art
332nd Fighter Group
The “Red Tails” were credited with 112 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air and another 150 on the ground while damaging at least 148 more. The group earned its third Distinguish Unit Citation on March 24, 1945 for an escort mission to bomb Berlin, during which pilots of the 332nd shot down three German jet aircraft, the Me-262.
The Red Tails
The Allies called the Tuskegee airmen “Red Tails” or “Red-Tail Angels,” because of the distinctive crimson unit identification marking predominantly applied on the vertical stabilizers and tail section of the unit’s P-47s and later, P-51s.
455th Bomb Group
This wounded B-24 is from the “Vulgar Vultures” of the 455th Bomb Group, easily recognized by its unique yellow identification markings. The 455th suffered heavily with only about forty percent of the original crews successfully completing their mission quota. The 455th earned two Distinguish Unit Citations during the war.
Project Details
Faithfully reproduced from the original artwork, Return of the Redtails by Matt Hall, depicts the Tuskegee Airmen over Italy. In addition to the caption, the bottom margin of the print includes a tactical insignia of the 332d Fighter Group.
Editions
- Originally printed by Valor Studios:
- 300 Victory Editions
- 200 Artist Proofs
- 200 Main Editions
- 180 Publisher Proofs
- 100 Signer Proofs
- 100 Gallery Editions
- Each print is hand-signed by the artist
- Each print includes a Certificate of Authenticity
Lithograph
- This limited edition lithograph is printed on acid-free, archival quality, 100 lb. stock
- Print size: 31″ x 19″
- All prints are sold unframed
- Print color may vary from screen color
Purchase
Matt has a limited number of Signer’s Proofs of this print. Please contact us for availability.