Size: 10.5 x 7.25 inches

It's amazing original World War II artwork comes from the ‘Artcraft Sketch Book’ of  Lieutenant Donald Wright (0-2056313) of the 342nd Bombardment Squadron. During his service and Combat operations  Lt. Wright carried this sketch book with him in flight on long-range strategic bombardment of occupied Europe, attacking airfields, marshaling yards, industries, naval installations, and other targets in France and the Low Countries. During World War II, the 342d Bombardment Squadron was a B-17 Flying Fortress squadron, assigned to the 97th Bombardment Group, Fifteenth Air Force. It earned two Distinguished Unit Citations. While some of the more intricate colored artwork was finished post-flight, many of these rough sketches and quick pencil drawings were done in flight in the B-17 of the pilot, Gunners, and other crew members from 1944-1945. During this time the squadron was reassigned to the new Fifteenth Air Force and the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) in southern Italy, November 1943, flying a combination of B-17Fs and new B-17Gs. From Southern Italy it engaged in very long-range strategic bombardment missions, attacking targets in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Greece, attacking oil refineries, marshalling yards, aircraft factories, and other strategic objectives. It participated in the first shuttle-bombing mission to Russia (Operation Frantic) in June 1944. The squadron returned to the United States after the German capitulation in May 1945, and prepared for transition to Boeing B-29 Superfortress aircraft and deployment to Twentieth Air Force in the Pacific Theater. Japanese capitulation in August ended training activities; the squadron was demobilized and inactivated in October.

What makes this quick sketch artwork drawing so special is it appears to have been sketched while ‘in action’. While we will never know if these small thumb sketches were drawn on a combat mission or practice flight by Lt. Wright and the 342nd Bombardment Squadron they give a personal look into what these men saw everyday. This artwork was drawn by Lt. Wright and shows unknown members of his 342nd Bombardment Squadron crew dressed in full high level combat gear. Notable images in the sketch shows the aircraft aerial gunner taking aim, the pilot in his seat flying the plane, and a crew members face with the full air oxygen mask on.