Paul Dillon Art

The following are drawings by Paul Dillon, a friend of mine, and we are hoping to use them in the upcoming book about the 95th Bomb Group. Paul's dad, Red Dillon, was a ball turret gunner on in the 95th, as well as a POW.

Military Writer Eric Hammel Opens New Website

This book is due out this fall. Wish I had it now to use while working on my own 95th BG book!

Eric Hammel is one of my favorite military authors. I've been enjoying his books for years before I 'met' Eric via the internet. Eric has opened a new website that is visually stunning and is packed with interesting and useful information about military history books and military history in general. Drop by and take a look. You'll be glad you did.

Here's the link: www.erichammelbooks.com

Artist Profile: Scott Nelson

I ran across a print by Scott Nelson around a month ago and purchased it. Scott and I then struck up an email dialogue about our shared passion of World War Two aviation. Scott is a farmer and rancher by trade who puts in long hours tending the farm, but in his spare time, he is an artist, and a mighty good one, too. Though Scott tends to downplay his art due to the fact he is self-taught, I think it's some of the best aviation art on the market, and here's why:

1. Nelson seeks out veterans with outstanding stories, talks to them until he knows the story inside and out, and then paints the crucial moments from the vets' experiences.

2. Nelson focuses on veterans from the West, especially the Dakotas, and preserves the aviation history of this sparsely-populated region.

3. Nelson's art is packed with action, and is rendered in brilliant colors with superb attention to detail.

4. All of Nelson's prints are signed by both himself and the subject of the print. Prints that are signed in this way are standard in the aviation art world, but what makes Scott's work extraordinary is that his prints are still relatively unknown nationally and his prices are much lower than bigger-name aviation artists.

Visit Scott Nelson's website: http://www.scottnelsonart.com/

Visit Scott Nelson's eBay store: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZscott-nelson

Currently, no prints for sale, but check back often.

Art Review: Ben Bennett's Squawkin' Chicken

'Last Man Standing' by Heinz Krebs, shows DeWayne Bennett's plane trying to limp home after a mission to Schweinfurt, damaged and under heavy attack. Ben brought her home.

One of my advisors this summer on my Air Corps novel is my old friend DeWayne 'Ben' Bennett.

Ben was the command pilot on the 384th Bomb Group B-17 'Squawkin' Chicken' during World War Two. He remains dedicated to preserving the history of the air war, and currently serves as a tour guide at the 390th Museum in Pima, Arizona. His memory is sharp, his humor is always a treat.

For many years the aviation art industry has flourished through the painting of famous scenes from the air war. Artists will select a scene, research it thoroughly, and then reproduced it in incredible detail. The artist will then have participants in the battle counter-sign the print, and these signed prints sell very well to historians and collectors. The price of a signed print can run hundreds of dolllars.

This painting, entitled 'Last Man Standing' is by artist Heinz Krebs. It shows Ben's 'Squawkin' Chicken' limping home after a tough raid to Schweinfurt, Germany in 1944. German fighters attack, moving in for the kill. But Ben and the crew make it back to fight another day. This print is signed by Ben and two of the German Luftwaffe pilots who served in the JG-1, the fighter group that attacked the plane. This print is still a great bargain at a little over a hundred dollars, signed by the artist, Ben, and two Luftwaffe fighter pilots. You can see it at http://www.brooksart.com/Lastmanstanding.html.

In a side note, Ben introduced me to a friend of his named Charlie Johnson, in 2000 or 2001. Charlie was a gunner who was shot down on a mission and became a POW. He became a friend of my youngest daughter, and the class learned about him and in return wrote him a thank you letter for his service as part of a history unit. Sadly, Charlie passed away shortly after this.

Ben and crew. Ben is back row, far left.

eBay Find

Every so often something comes up on eBay that I have to get. The latest is a large, glossy magazine put out by the YMCA shortly after World War Two ended, entitled "Yankee Kriegies: How Our POWs Made Little Americas Behind Nazi Barbed Wire". What makes this book so good is its two narrators, one a wonderful artist and writer, the other a stealthy photographer who took many clandestine photos of prison camp life. Ross Greening, who did many of the illustrations and text, was one of the original Doolittle Raiders who attacked Tokyo in the early days of the war. He then flew in Europe and became a POW. He kept an art book going while in the service and after the war this was published in a limited edition, entitled 'Not As Briefed'. It is in my opinion the finest art collection produced by a POW during the war, though it covers everthing from training through the Dolittle mission and his time in Europe.

One of Greening watercolors, showing the navigator bailing out of a crippled B-17

New prisoners arrive at Stalag Luft I on a cold, blustery day, by Ross Greening.
C. Ross Greening, Tokyo Raider and later POW in Germany

The other writer, Sgt. Anthony Spinelli, managed to take many photos of life in the prison camp, and many are in this magazine.

The magazine is a real yearbook/scrapbook of kriegie life and an important piece of history. I got it for $2.99 as no one else even put in a bid on it.

To read a good article from Flight Journal about Col. Greening, follow this link http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3897/is_199910/ai_n8859543

To see more of Greening's art, go this link: http://www.merkki.com/art.htm

The book is hard to find in hardback, running over a hundred dollars on Amazon, but can be found for less if you do some searching. Paperback copies of 'Not As Briefed' are reasonable on Amazon. Here is the amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0874222397/atribtothecac-20

Greening's Book, Not As Briefed: From the Doolittle Raid to a German Stalag

William S. Phillips: Aviation Artist

I first saw this painting while visiting at the home of Gus Mencow in Worcester, Massachusetts in 2002. It was hanging on Gus's wall. The painting is by renowned aviation artist William S. Phillips, and is entitled 'When Prayers are Answered'. It shows the famous 390th Bomb Group 'Betty Boop/The Pistol Packin' Mama' coming home from a mission, with the welcome sights of a P-47 Thunderbolt escort and the White Cliffs of Dover. Gus was the navigator on this ship, and Phillips painted it and had the surviving crew members sign a limited number of prints. These are sold out but available on the secondary market.

When I prepared to publish my first book, I contacted Bill Phillips and asked him if I could use the painting on the cover, since there is a chapter in the book on Gus Mencow and the Pistol Packin' Mama. Bill graciously gave his permission.

Last summer, Bill had a series of his paintings printed as United States postage stamps. The series was one of the most popular postage stamp releases of 2006.

Bill Phillips is a true gentleman and a great artist. I have a link to his artwork in my favorites on this blog.