MIGHTY EIGHTH COMING HOME - Framed Collector's Piece

A flak damaged B-17 Fortress sheds debris as it struggles to keep up with the Group; B-24 Liberators have joined the formation as they approach the Belgian coast, and a P-51, low on fuel, provides escort for the North Sea crossing. The U.S. 8th Air Force, its mission almost complete, is coming home.

In three years of continual combat, the bomber crews of the USAAF faced enormous risks on a daily basis. They often flew in atrocious weather, ran the gauntlet of the Luftwaffe fighter Aces, and yet still they pressed on through all the flak that anti-aircraft gunners could throw up at them.

In tribute to these brave airmen, this atmospheric piece was signed for posterity by SIX famous 8th Air Force bomber crew: