The Rising Mist by Robert Taylor

Prints are signed by the artist and numbered 15 Collector's Editions....Sold out 10 Veteran's Editions....Sold out Approximate matted size (Collector's): 26" x 20 1/4" Approximate matted size (Veteran's): 26" x 21 1/4" Image size: 19 1/2" x 9 3/4" Matted artwork shipping internationally will incur an increased shipping charge. Purchaser will be notified following order. * Review the Rules and Details page for exclusions by logging in to your Rewards account.

A tribute to the bomber crews of the U.S. Eighth Air Force

The Memphis Belle wasn’t the first heavy bomber in the Eighth Air Force to complete 25 missions; that honor fell to Hot Stuff, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator with the 93rd Bomb Group who completed her 25th mission on 7 February 1943. And the Memphis Belle wasn’t the first B-17 Flying Fortress either; Hell’s Angels, a B-17F flying out of Molesworth with the 303rd Bomb Group, claimed that distinction on 13 May. But the Memphis Belle was by far the most famous – thanks to the influence and glamour of a well-oiled public relations machine.

Touching down at their base at Bassingbourne on 19 May, six days after Hell’s Angels, the Belle did have the honor of being the first B-17 in the 91st Bomb Group to complete her 25 missions, ironically two days after her usual pilot, Captain Robert K. Morgan and most of her crew had done the same since they, like many crews, occasionally flew other aircraft. Bob Morgan was now ordered to bring the Belle and her crew home to America for a high-profile, morale-boosting, War-Bond selling tour. The following year, the crew of the Memphis Belle would feature in a movie directed and produced by the acclaimed Hollywood film director, William Wyler.

It is therefore no surprise that Robert has chosen the Memphis Belle to represent all the young bomber crews who flew with the Eighth Air Force during WWII in his detailed drawing ‘The Rising Mist’. Skilfully crafted in his unmistakable style Robert depicts the Memphis Belle at Bassingbourn, her home base, whilst the crew await the signal to start engines – once the sun has burnt off an early morning mist.

Signatures:

Collector's Edition - Restricted to just FIFTEEN copies worldwide, each portfolio contains a copy of the book along with a matching-numbered print, conservation matted to include the signatures of fifteen highly-regarded veterans:

Colonel BOB MORGAN – 91st BG (Pilot of the Belle)

Lieutenant Colonel JIM BARKER – 351st BG

Captain ALVIN BROWN – 95th BG

Lieutenant Colonel ROBERT BURNS – 351st BG

Colonel WILLIAM LAWLEY MOH – 305th BG

Lieutenant Colonel HARRY MUMFORD – 95th BG

Lieutenant Colonel BOB GOSSMAN – 351st BG

First Lieutenant CHARLES ‘NORM’ STEVENS – 351st BG

Staff Sergeant PAUL CONSTANTINE ABRAHAMSON – 95th BG

Staff Sergeant RAY L. MOORE – 398th BG

First Lieutenant LEONARD SPIVEY – the 381st BG

Lieutenant Colonel ROB KLEYLA – 91st BG

Captain ROBERT SHOENS – 100th BG

Lieutenant Colonel RALPH NUTTER – 305th BG

Brigadier General JAMES KEMP McLAUGHLIN – 92nd BG

Veteran's Edition - Featuring all components of the Collector’s Edition, this highly-prized Veteran's Edition is limited to only TEN copies worldwide and includes the additional autographs of a further ten B-17 veterans, creating a total of twenty-five signatures:

Lieutenant Colonel JIM VERINIS – 91st BG (Co-Pilot on the Belle)

Captain CHARLES LEIGHTON – 91st BG (Navigator on the Belle)

Technical Sergeant HAROLD LOCH – 91st BG (Top Turret Gunner on the Belle)

Staff Sergeant CASIMER NASTAL – 91st BG (Rear Waist Gunner on the Belle)

Staff Sergeant JOHN QUINLAN – 91st BG (Tail Gunner on the Belle)

Major General BOB LANDRY – 493rd BG

First Lieutenant ‘L.A.’ MITCHELL – 401st BG

First Lieutenant DENNY THOMPSON – 487th BG

Captain ROLLAND WHITED – 34th BG

Lieutenant Colonel ROBERT DEES – 34th BG