Engaging the Enemy by William S. Phillips
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as well as the Doolittle Raider signatures!
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Choose from:
Signing took place during the 69th reunion in Omaha.
*Note: Canvas prints are shipped in oversized boxes and thus international orders |
On April 18, 1942 a group of 16 B-25s carrying 80 men emerged from the Pacific sky to launch an historic attack on the central island of the Japanese empire proclaiming with unexpected force that war was coming to the Japanese homeland. Lt. Richard O. Joyce and the crew of Plane 10 (#40-2250) engaged and eluded as many as seventeen Japanese fighter aircraft throughout their mission. S/Sgt. Edwin W. Horton's twin-50s in the top turret played a crucial role in keeping the enemy at bay as Lt. Joyce piloted the B-25 across the hostile skies of Japan and on to China. (Read the full story.)Sixty-nine years later, only five of the original 80 airmen that flew on the Doolittle Raid on Japan remain. Just enough to man a single B-25, one last crew. Time has been kind and granted you the opportunity to own an authentic piece of Doolittle Raider history, but that door is closing. The print and canvas editions of Engaging the Enemy will be signed by the actual Raiders attending their 69th reunion. (Read more about the signers. | Read about The Goblet Ceremony.)
Engaging the Enemy was painted specifically for the 69th Omaha reunion, home to pilot Richard O. Joyce. The fine art canvas is an exact replica of William S. Philllips’ original 24” x 24” painting. Only by spending tens of thousands dollars for the original could you possess something better. The edition is limited to just 50 copies, so only a few will have the chance to own one.
The fine art print is three pieces of art in one. Two printed remarques, original Phillips pencil renderings of a Mitsubishi Zero and Crew 10’s Mitchell B-25 Bomber, enhance the entire presentation and frame the Raider’s signing area. The reproduction quality of this Giclée paper is second to none.
You will own, with the print or canvas, a true and authentic historical document. No other artist has developed the deep relationship that Phillips has with the Doolittle Raiders. “Remembering the sacrifices of brave men and women helps us become more aware of how we should view this great country and the freedoms we so often take for granted,” says Bill Phillips. “This art helps us to keep these memories alive and gives us something to pass on to the next generation.”
Signatures:
Limited Edition Giclées (paper)
Artist's Proofs (paper) and Canvas Giclées
Signatory Bios:
Richard E. Cole, Colonel
Co-Pilot Crew 1
Cole was the co-pilot of Doolittle's plane and the first off of the Hornet's deck, around 0800 (8:00 am ship time) April 18, 1942. Close to 1330 (1:30 pm ship time), they dropped their first bombs on Tokyo. They continued on toward China. At 2120 (9:20pm ship time) after 13 hours in the air, and having covered nearly 2,250 miles, Cole and the rest of his crew bailed out over China.
Cole enlisted November 22, 1940. He completed pilot training and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, July, 1941. Cole remained in China-Burma-India until June, 1943 and served again in the China-Burma-India Theater from October, 1943 until June, 1944. Cole was relieved from active duty in January, 1947 but returned to active duty in August, 1947. He was Operations Advisor to Venezuelan Air Force from 1959 to 1962. His peacetime service included posts in Ohio, North Carolina and California. Cole rated as Command Pilot. His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal and the Chinese Army, Navy and Air Corps Medal, Class A, 1st Grade.
Robert L. Hite, Lieutenant Colonel
Co-Pilot Crew 16
Hite's plane, Bat out of Hell, slid on the Hornet's deck in the rough seas before take-off and in the process a sailor lost an arm in the propeller's blades. After bombing Nagoya they made for the Chinese coast. After he and the crew bailed out south of Hanchung, they were captured by the puppet government forces, though Hite was the last to be caught. The Japanese executed fellow crew members Lt. William Farrow and Corporal Harold Spatz. Hite and the rest of his crew spent the next 40 months in POW camps.
Hite enlisted September 9, 1940. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and rated as pilot on May 29, 1941. Hite was captured after Tokyo Raid and imprisoned by the Japanese for 40 months. He was liberated by American troops on August 20, 1945 and he remained on active duty until September 30, 1947. Hite returned to active duty during Korean War on March 9, 1951 and served overseas before relief from active duty again in November, 1955. Decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster and Chinese Breast Order of Pao Ting.
Edward Joseph Saylor, Major
Engineer Crew 15
Saylor’s plane was nicknamed TNT and bombed an aircraft factory and dock yards of Kobe. He and all his crew escaped injury when they ditched near an island west of Sangchow, China. Lt. T.R. White, M.D., who flew with Saylor, would amputate the leg of the Ruptured Duck’s Lt. Lawson in China.
Saylor enlisted December 7, 1939 and served throughout World War II in enlisted status both stateside and overseas until March, 1945. Saylor accepted a commission in October, 1947 and served as Aircraft Maintenance Officer at bases in Iowa, Washington, Labrador and England. His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Chinese Army, Navy and Air Corps Medal, Class A, 1st Grade.
Thomas Carson Griffin, Major
Navigator Crew 9
Griffin was navigator on the Whirling Dervish. After a smooth take off and bomb run over the Kawasji truck and tank factory in Tokyo the crew headed for China. They bailed out about 100 miles south of Poyang Lake.
Griffin entered service on July 5, 1939 as Second Lieutenant, Coast Artillery, but requested relief from active duty in 1940 to enlist as a Flying Cadet. He was rated as a navigator and re-commissioned on July 1, 1940. After the Tokyo Raid, Griffin served as a navigator in North Africa until he was shot down and captured by the Germans on July 3, 1943. Griffin remained a POW until release in April, 1945. His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Chinese Army, Navy and Air Corps Medal, Class A, 1st Grade.
David J. Thatcher, Staff Sergeant
Engineer-Gunner Crew 7
Thatcher flew on Lt. Lawson's Ruptured Duck. On take-off, the plane's flaps were not extended and the plane seemed as if it would fall into the water. They recovered and went on to bomb an industrial section of Tokyo. He was the only member of his crew not seriously injured when his plane crashed in the water short of the beach on which they were trying to land. Thatcher's exploits can be read in detail in Lawson's Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.
Thatcher enlisted December 3, 1940. After the Tokyo Raid, he served in England and Africa until January, 1944. Thatcher was discharged from active duty in July, 1945. His decorations include the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Chinese Army, Navy and Air Corps Medal, Class A, 1st Grade.
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