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Signatures on this item | |
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare. | |
Name | Info |
George H Maynor *Signature Value : £25 | Aviation Machinist 1st Class aboard USS Hornet at the time of the Doolittle Raid. As Plane Captain he was directly involved with the B-25 Mitchell bombers and was on the flight deck when the Raiders took off. Entering the US Navy in May 1941 he joined the crew of the recently commissioned USS Hornet CV-8 immediately after training. As a Plane Captain assigned to GQ he was in charge of a team responsible for the maintenance of TBD Devastators and then TBM Avengers of Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8). He was directly involved with the preparation of the B-25 Mitchells for the Doolittle Raid and was on the Hornet's flight deck to witness their departure. As a crew member of the Hornet he saw action at the Battle of the Coral Sea, Guadalcanal and Midway and during the Hornet's final battle, when she was sunk at Santa Cruz on October 26th 1942., he was lucky to escape when the destroyer that rescued him was strafed by a Japanese fighter. He subsequently served on the USS Juneau and USS Nassau (CV-16) and was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation. |
Lieutenant Colonel Edward J Saylor *Signature Value : £45 | Ed Saylor was born on March 15, 1920, in Brusett, Montana. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on December 7th, 1939. Ed Saylor trained in aircraft maintenance and as a flight engineer. Sgt Saylor was serving as a B-25 Mitchell flight engineer with the 34th Bomb Squadron of the 17th Bomb Group when he was selected for the Doolittle Mission in February 1942. Sgt Saylor was the flight engineer aboard the 15th B-25 to take off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) on April 18th, 1942. After bombing their assigned targets in Kobe, Japan the crew ditched their B-25 Mitchell in the water off the coast of China. After returning to the United States, Sgt Saylor was deployed to England before accepting a commission as a 2nd Lt in the Army Air Force on March 4th, 1945. Lt Saylor served as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer until leaving active duty on March 29, 1946. The B-25 used of the Doolittle Raid, from 89th Reconnaissaince Squadron, was #40-2267. Aside from Saylor, the crew were : Pilot - Lt. Donald G. Smith - b 15 Jan 1918, Oldham, SD - d 12 Nov 1942 (killed/action, British Isles) Co-Pilot - Lt. Griffith Paul Williams - b 10 Jul 1920, Chicago, IL (P.O.W., Germany, 2 years) Navigator-Bombadier - Lt. Howard Albert Sessler - b 11 Aug 1917, Boston, MA Gunner - Lt. Thomas Robert White - b 29 Mar 1909, Haiku, HI (Medical Corps) - d 29 Nov 1992 |
Lieutenant Colonel Richard E Cole *Signature Value : £50 | Richard E Cole was born in Dayton Ohio on 7th September 1915. Cole graduated from Steele High School, Dayton, Ohio and completed two years college at Ohio University. On 20th November 1940 Richard Cole enlisted with the USAF. Cole completed pilot training and commissioned as Second Lieutenant, July, 1941. Cole was co-pilot of General Jimmy Doolittles B-25 plane #1, their Mitchell attacked the city of Tokyo and they bailed out over China. Cole remained in China-Burma-India flying bombing and transport missions over the Hump untill June 1943, and served again in the China-Burma-India theater from October, 1943 until June, 1944. Relieved from active duty in January, 1947 but returned to active duty in August 1947. Was Operations Advisor to Venezuelan Air Force from 1959 to 1962. Peacetime service in Ohio, North Carolina, and California. Rated as command pilot. Decorations include Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, and Chinese Army, Navy, Air Corps Medal, Class A, 1st Grade. |
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