Robert Bailey "Tuskegee Trigger Time" Signed Lithograph

Collection — oversize: folder 1

Identifier: 2022-05-13

Contents of the Collection

This single-item collection consists of a lithograph titled "Tuskegee Trigger Time" reproducing a painting done by aviation artist Robert Bailey in 2005. The 23 x 34" print is numbered (78/100) and depicts the Tuskegee Airmen of the 301st Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group in North American P-51 Mustangs fending off a Luftwaffe attack while escorting a Royal Air Force de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito during a photo reconnaissance mission above Germany during early 1945. It features "Creamer's Dream," flown by 1st Lieutenant Charles L. White. The print is signed by 16 Tuskegee Airmen, although some signatures are illegible or partially illegible. Confirmed signatures include Howard L. Baugh, Edward P. Drummond, Jr., Leo R. Gray, William H. Holloman III, Ted Lumpkin, Robert L. Martin, James A. Sheppard, George A. Taylor and Roger E. Terry.

Dates

Creation: 2005

Creator

Bailey, Robert (Artist, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Historical Note: Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black military aviators in the United States Armed Forces. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). The name also applies not only to the pilots but to all support personnel, including navigators, crew chiefs, nurses and other support personnel. They were subject to racial discrimination in and out of military service.

The first aviation class of 13 cadets began July 19, 1941, with ground school training. Successful cadets then transferred to the segregated Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF) to complete the Army Air Corps pilot training. The Army Air Corps (Army Air Forces) provided facilities, equipment and supplies for men and planes at TAAF, the largest of the flying training bases. In all, 992 pilots were trained in Tuskegee from 1941 to 1946. Three hundred and fifty five were deployed overseas, and 84 lost their lives. The Tuskegee Airmen earned many honors during World War II, including three Distinguished Unit Citations and 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses.