Collection

The painting depicts the 6 March 1944, Eighth Air Force, inaugural mission to put Berlin put 702 bomber and 832 fighter sorties over enemy territory. This was to be the worst day of the war for the 100th Bomb Group which had 14 B-17s destroyed. Sixty-nine U.S. bombers and 11 fighters were lost on this mission. More than a hundred German fighters made a series of devastating head-on attacks on the 100th Bomb Group enroute to Berlin. This painting shows the action around the 351st Bomb Squadron as III/JG54 Messerschmitt 109 pilots, Feldwebel Friedrich Unger in "6", and Unteroffizier Erwin Mueller in "4", pass close aboard Lt. Richard Helmick's undamaged B-17, letter "M", and the mortally wounded B-17s of Lt. George Brannon, letter "D", a Lt. Merril Rish, letter "R". These two B-17s both went down. The two Messerschmitts were also hit and made forced landings below the action. The Germans had put up 528 fighter sorties against the bomber force and lost 68 aircraft and 16 damaged. Mission 250 on 6 March 1944 was the first all out attack on the German capital by the US Army Air Forces and during action both sides suffered heavily. Of the 702 bomber and 832 fighter sorties which crossed into enemy territory, 69 US heavy bombers and 11 fighters failed to return. A further 317 bombers and 4 fighters returned with damage. For the 100th Bomb Group it was the worst day of the war; fourteen B-17s destroyed, one seriously damaged and forced to land in Sweden, twelve others made it back to England with lesser damage. The German Luftwaffe put up 528 fighter sorties against the raiders and lost 68 aircraft destroyed or damaged beyond repair; 16 others returned with less serious damage.