Early Launch James Dietz Print Doolittle Raiders on USS Hornet 1942

WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND COUNTRY. THE ARTIST - JAMES DIETZ. The growing popularity of aviation art has brought before the public eye the works of a number of professional aviation artists. Among these one artist stands out for his unique approach to this genre. The people, settings, and costumes are what make aviation history exciting and romantic to me.

It is this feeling that makes James Dietz, and his artwork, so different from that of his contemporaries. Rather than simply illustrate aviation hardware, Dietz prefers to portray human involvement.

After graduation from Art Center College of Design in 1969, Jim began a successful career as a commercial illustrator in Los Angeles. The subject matter varied from automobiles to action scenes to romantic book covers. A steady flow of work from New York enabled the Dietz' to move to Seattle in 1978. It was at this time that he took his first concrete steps toward fulfilling his dream to specialize in aviation art, at that time an almost unheard of genre.

Since then, aviation art has played an increasingly large part in his career. Jim Dietz's clients include Boeing, Bell Helicopter, Allison, and Flying Tigers, to name just a few. Jim has also branched out into the fine arts field with his aviation art. A strong following has developed for his originals and a growing number of limited edition prints have introduced Jim's name to print collectors worldwide.

Four of Jim's originals were put on display in the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Naval Aviation; one of the paintings was presented by the Navy League to then Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman. A regular contributor to the Air Force Art Program, Jim's work has been featured on the cover of AIR FORCE magazine.

Jim Dietz has been honored with several gold medals from the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators and has won Best in Show in three successive years in the EAA Aviation Art Show. In 1988, at the second American Society of Aviation Artists forum, Jim was awarded the "People's Choice Award" for his painting selected by forum attendees. Major showings of Dietz's originals have recently been held at the EAA Museum and the San Diego Air Museum. His work is found in a number of private and corporate collections.

"Early Launch" James Dietz Signed & Numbered Limited Edition Print. One of the most daring aviation exploits of the Second World War took place on the 18th of April 1942. "Jimmy" Doolittle, sixteen Army B-25s took off from the crowded deck of the U.

Hornet and headed for their targets in Japan. This guts-and-glory mission was the culmination of four months of planning, hard work and training for the 90 volunteer crewmembers that would fly the extremely dangerous mission. It was designed not just to strike at the heart of Japan, but to bolster the sagging morale of the United States in the dark early months of World War II.

It would also force Japan to reconsider its defense of the empire and lead its military into its first strategic mistake, the decision to take Midway. Assisted by Naval experts, principally Lt. Henry Miller, the "Army Crows, " as they were called, started practicing carrier deck take-offs in March 1942, with their medium bombers at Elgin Field in Florida. They would need all the practice they could get.

It would be the first time such large bombers would be launched from a Navy carrier on a combat mission. By the end of the month, they were ready and flew cross-country to hook up with the Navy task force waiting for them in Alameda, California. On April 1, the aircraft carried U. Hornet had been loaded with the bombers and set sail from its berth to meet the rest of its task force in the Pacific.

During the next tension-filled days its proceeded to the desired launch site for the Army bombers, and for the next seventeen days, the task force sailed deep into the Japanese controlled waters. The bombers were to be launched late in the day on the 18th, close enough to Japan that they could continue east and conduct emergency landings on makeshift airfields set up for them in China.

Unfortunately fate had other plans. A Japanese picket vessel sighted the task force at 7:38 a.

The B-25s had been "spotted" on the stern of the Hornet, to give them the longest possible distance for the deck launch. Frantic last minute preparations were made including additions to armament, topping off gasoline tanks and giving out extra fuel cans in hopes of making up for the additional distance they would have to fly. Navigators reviewed their maps to make the necessary adjustments in their flight plans, while pilots and co-pilots worried about their first actual carried takeoff with fully loaded B-25s. In Early Launch, Colonel Doolittle and his co-pilot, Lieutenant Richard E. Cole, who were to be the first to take off, discuss last minute instructions with Lieutenant U. Edgar Osborne, who was to be Launch Officer for the take-off. Other Army personnel scramble to their planes while Navy deckhands man their assigned positions for launch. All the aircraft were successfully launched off the pitching deck of the Hornet and, despite some opposition in route, reached their targets. The Japanese cities of Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka and Kobe were completely surprised by the sting of U. The entire empire of Japan was shocked by the first of what was to become many U. Bomber raids over its cities. The B-25s continued southeast to China where, late at night, the crews bailed out of the aircraft that were nearly out of gas. Two crews were captured by the Japanese and made to endure torture, imprisonment and death at the hands of their captors.

One crew was interned in Russia, but the other crews, with heroic help from the Chinese, eventually found their way to Chungking. From their they were flown out of China and back to the United States. Many details of the raid had to be kept secret from the American people.

Roosevelt even quipped that the bombers had been launched from Shangri-La, the mythical kingdom in Last Horizons. But news of the first bombing raid on Japan, even with minimal damage, was a tonic to all Americans, who were just getting over the shock and humiliation of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and subsequent losses all over the Pacific. It was as it to signal the changing tide. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, It was not the Beginning of the End, but perhaps the End of the Beginning.

This 28" by 14-1/2" image size print, limited to 500, is signed by the artist. All Limited Edition prints are signed and numbered (S/N) by the artist. Limited Edition prints are restricted to a certain number.

For example, if 400 prints are made from an original painting, once theyre gone, thats it. There is no limit to the number of open edition prints of a particular painting. Thats why Limited Edition prints are more expensive and more valuable to collectors than "open" edition. Rare objects are more valuable. An Artist Proof (AP), generally, is the first 5% - 10% of the Limited Edition prints that come off the press.

If the Limited Edition is 400 s/n, there would be 20 - 40 APs. This status is noted on the print. Collectors prefer APs because their value increases even more than a Limited Edition as time goes by. All Limited Edition artwork is subject to availability at time of order. The item "Early Launch James Dietz Print Doolittle Raiders on USS Hornet 1942" is in sale since Thursday, August 19, 2010.

This item is in the category "Art\Art Prints". The seller is "airplanesandmore" and is located in Flower Mound, Texas.

This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Dominican republic, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, El salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Viet nam, Uruguay, Russian federation.

Original/Reproduction: Original Print
Edition Type: Limited Edition
Edition Size: 500
Print Type: Lithograph
Signed?: Signed
Artist: James Dietz
Style: Realism
Listed By: Dealer or Reseller
Size Type/ Largest Dimension: Medium (Up to 30")
Framed/Unframed: Unframed
Subject: Doolittle Raiders on deck of USS Hornet 1942
Print Surface: Paper