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188. Anon: Airacobra - Poison to the Axis.
Swift Bell P-39 fighter blazes away as a Nazi plane goes down in smoke and flames. The P-39 was a controversial aircraft, firing a 37mm cannon positioned in the nose though the hub of the propeller.
Rare. 42x31 ML $650.
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AAF recruiting poster printed just before Pearl Harbor shows student pilots headed for their fighters. Flying cadets are described as "the pick of America's young men." The poster promises they will receive $75 a month plus amenities. After only seven months training pay jumps to over $200.
Scarce. 38x25 NML $285.
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A poster features a documentary photo of ongoing work at an American supply base in Iraq where a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine is loaded aboard a Double Wasp powered U.S. Air Transport Command plane (Douglas C-47B Skytrain) en route to the American forces blunting the German’s drive toward Egypt.
Very rare. 19x25 ML $385.
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High above Fortress Europe an 8th Air Force bombardier releases his stick of bombs at precisely the right moment. When the lead plane's bombardier dropped his bombs, all bombardiers in the formation released theirs. This dramatic air combat scene is lit up by searchlights and flack bursts.
Very scarce. 38x25 NML $1750.
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Oddball poster printed just before Pearl Harbor features a stern Uncle Sam, his face composed of a montage of scientists, workers a soldier, sailor, nurse and a pilot. Washington and defense factories running at full capacity in the background keep FDR’s arsenal of Democracy well supplied.
28x20 NML $265.
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Poster issued by General Cable "to demonstrate...the spirit and reaction of the Air Force in action...and dedicated as a tribute to the courage and skill of those who daily risk their lives - the fighting flyers of the AAF." Inspirational hard to find image.
37x27 ML $500.
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Curtiss P-40 fighter swoops low with guns blazing leaving a enemy plane plummeting to earth. P-40. Tomahawks were extensively used by Claire Chennault and his Flying Tigers based in Rangoon and charged with guarding the Burma Road. The Flying Tigers served later in China.
338x25 NML $675.
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Late and very rare Christy features a handsome pilot and beautiful blonde snuggling up under the aegis of the Statue of Liberty. Under his signature, Christy, an artist who also did his own calligraphy, wrote donated, unusual for a World War II artist.
Very small print run of only 5,000. 38x25 ANML $3850.
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Air crew studies map as B-17s roar overhead. B-17 Flying Fortresses were the spearhead of our daytime bombing raids over occupied Europe. Heavily armed with thirteen machine guns, they flew in a box formation that provided covering fire. Nonetheless they took heavy losses from flak and German fighters.
38x25 NML $435.
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Handsome pilot climbs into his P-40 fighter plane ready to test Hirohito's best. Six kill flags emblazoned on the cockpit attest to his bravery and skill. The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk had a 12 cylinder 1,360 horsepower engine and a maxim in air speed of 378 miles per hour.
Nelson 117. 28x22 NML $485; 40x28 NML $685.
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Under a title from the national anthem Schlaikjer pictures a young pilot standing in the clouds holding a bomb over a fleet of B 17s. This mix of familiar watchwords, monumental image, realistic detail, and exaggerated personal strength typical of the great Schlaikjer.
Rare. Zeman frontispiece. 25x19 NML $1450.
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Classic poster sums up the promise of the Army Air Force. With Old Glory shimmering overhead, B17Es zoom aloft The four engine heavy bomber was capable of absorbing punishment. Photos showing heavily damaged B-17s still returning to base only increased the B-17’s mythic status.
38x25 NML $950.
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Pre-war Air Corps recruiting poster features opportunities opened for training in new technologies. Mechanics service one of the two radial engines on a sleek new Douglas B-18 (Bolo) bomber. Its design later became the highly successful DC -3 commercial airliner introduced in 1936 and in some form still in
service.
38x26 NML $625.