Rosie's Crew/Thorpe Abbotts 1943
by
Gil Cohen
Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal was one of the most decorated pilots in the Eighth Air Force and a legend within the "Bloody One-Hundredth" Bombardment Group. The B-17 that Rosie and his copilot Winfrey Lewis flew October 10, 1943 on a bombing mission over Munster was the only plane in their entire group to return to their home base at Thorpe Abbotts on that tragic, fateful day.
Rosie had volunteered and completed two tours of duty and was on his third when, leading the entire Third Air Division, his plane was hit by flak over Berlin on February 3, 1945. With dead and wounded aboard, Rosie held the controls of the crippled ship as long as possible in order for his crew to bailout until, at approximately 1000 feet, Rosie finally parachuted near the Russian lines. At that time he had competed 52 missions, having been shot down and wounded twice while evading capture.
Only months after Germany's surrender, Rosie, as a young Attorney, was back in Germany as an assistant to the U.S. Prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials.
The print depicts the scene at hardstand 43, Thorpe Abbotts, East Anglia, England, home base of the 100th Bomb Group. It is a damp and chilly early morning with a fog rolling in from the nearby woods. Rosie Rosenthal, on his first tour of duty, is briefing his crew on last minute details before they board their B-17 "Rosie's Riveters" of the 418th Squadron. As the men sit there in the cold chill of the morning and listen to Rosie speak, what is really going through their minds? Do they mutter a silent prayer of wonder if the mission will be scrubbed because of the weather? Will something go wrong on takeoff or will the fighters or flak have their numbers today? Will they all make it back safely of just some of them? Above all, can they overcome that inner fear that each man faces and promise themselves, "they will not let their crew-members down"?
The print is a testament to every 8th Air Force crew who flew the deadly skies of Hitler's "Fortress Europe". May we all remember the heroism and sacrifice these men gave when the balance of liberty and freedom rested on their young shoulders.
Colonel Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal - Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star with Clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross with Clusters, Purple Heart with Clusters, 7 Air Medals, Distinguished Flying Cross (British), Croix de Guerre (French). Each print signed by Robert Rosenthal and the Artist.

Edition Size: 900 Limited Edition S/N & 100 Artist's Proofs
Image Size: 26" x 15 1/2"
Limited Edition Price: Sold Out
Artist Proof Price: Sold Out
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