During the last months of WWII, these P-47Ds, belonging to the 511th FS, 405th FG, 9th Air Force, were flying a target of opportunity mission, looking for any form of transportation, fuel and ammo depots, airfields, etc. The Dottie Mae nose art was commissioned by the pilot Lt. Lawrence "Larry" Kuhl as a tribute to his wife, and the artwork was "borrowed" from a Vargas pin up calendar by his ground crew. Kuhl flew 39 of the 90 missions flown by this P-47D-25, serial # 42-29150. "Sierra Sue" was a p-47D-30, pilot unknown. On May 08, 1945, Dottie Mae and 19 other P-47s were tasked with flying a morale building flight over the POW/concentration camp at Ebensee Austria. On the way to Ebensee, the pilot that day, Lt. Henry Mohr misjudged his altitude while flying very low over Lake Traunsee, and the propellor struck the water. The plane could not maintain airspeed, and Mohr was obliged to ditch the fighter, which rapidly sank to the bottom of the lake. Mohr survived the water landing and was rescued. The next day the war in Europe was over and Dottie Mae became the last USAAF fighter lost in the European theater. 60 years later, the aircraft was raised from the lake, and a long restoration process was begun. In 2009, the project was moved to Vintage Airframes in Caldwell Idaho and in 2017, the first post-restoration flight took place. The big, beautiful "Jug" now resides in Chino California.   
 
Original painting available.
 
24"x36", acrylic on gesso board.
 
Signed, open edition giclee prints are available for $150 plus $15 shipping USA, $30 outside USA
 
Image size 16"x22" on 18"x 24" paper.