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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art World War Two Veteran Signatures United States B  Bond, Charles |
Gen. Charles R. Bond
Bond was born in 1915 in Dallas, Texas. His military career began in the Texas National Guard, and he was commissioned in 1939 at Randolph Field, Texas. His first assignment was flying B-17s based at Langley Field, Virginia. During this period, he participated in one of the first good-will flights to South America in 1939. After joining the AVG, he was assigned to the Adam & Eves, and recalls being the first to introduce the painted shark mouth motif on AVG P-40s. One of the Tigers great aces, he was credited with shooting down three Japanese aircraft in one mission in the defense of Rangoon. While serving with the AVG, Bond was shot down twice, and was ultimately credited with 8.77 victories. In 1942, Barld rejoined the U.S. Army Air Corps and began teaching combat skills to new pilots. A year later he served as an Ambassadors aide in the U.S. Military Mission to the U.S.S.R. in Moscow. In 1949, Bond graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Management Engineering. He then completed nearly 20 years in military leadersnip positions throughout the United States, Europe and Far East. After serving as Commander 12th Air Force, USAF, he retired with at the rank of Maj. General in 1968. Sadly, Charles Bond passed away on 18th August 2009.
| Gen. Charles R. Bond - Signed Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Shark Sighting by John D Shaw. Before the pilots of the legendary American Volunteer Group could take to the skies against the enemy, the all-important task of Bore Sighting the .30 caliber wing guns of their P-40s had to take place! The ingenious armourers of the AVG were often forced to improvise, but as the Tigers incredible combat record can attest, these great Americans got the job done! |
Clipped Signature - Charles R Bond. An Ace of the American Volunteer Group, he was credited with 8.77 victories flying P-40 Warhawks with the Flying Tigers. By 1942 he was instructing in combat skills, and served 20 years in military leadership positions until retiring in 1968 as Major General. He died in 2009. |
Flying Tigers and Buffalos by Stan Stokes. Claire Chennaults American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) continue to capture the imagination and interest of aviation history buffs more than fifty years after they flew combat missions for the Chinese Air Force. Composed of about ninety pilots and another 200 ground support personnel, the Tigers arrived in China in mid-1941. Flying Curtiss P-40s which had been rerouted from Britain to China, the Tigers flew from December of 1941 until mid-1942. Engaging a numerically superior Japanese force over a very wide front, the AVG was officially credited with downing 299 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat, and an additional 240 aircraft destroyed during ground attack missions. The Flying Tigers slowed the Japanese conquest in China, and caused Japan to focus more resources on this theater of operations than they had planned. Charles R. Bond was Vice Squadron Leader for the AVGs 1 Pursuit Squadron, the Adam and Eves. Bond was born in Dallas, Texas in 1915. He joined the Texas National Guard, and was commissioned following aviation cadet training in 1939. Bond joined the AVG in September of 194 1. The bulk of his aerial combat took place over Burma, and he was credited with downing three Japanese aircraft on one mission over Ragoon to become an ace. Charlie rejoined the USAAF in 1942. He earned a degree in Management Engineering from Texas A&M University, and he retired from the USAF in 1968 with the rank of Major General. Carl K. Brown, a 1 Pursuit Squadron Flight Leader, was born in 1917, and joined the USN as an aviation cadet in 1939 after attending Michigan State University. He was assigned to a Torpedo squadron initially based on the USS Saratoga. Brown joined the AVG in mid- 194 1. Brown volunteered to fly night patrols over Toungoo, Burma. Following the disbandment of the AVG in 1942, Carl continued to fly with the CNAC until 1945. Following the War, Brown was involved for a while with the upstart Flying Tigers Airline. He later would attend medical school, graduating from USC in 1952. He had a lengthy career as a doctor specializing in neurology and anaesthetics. Camille Joe Rosbert, a I Pursuit Squadron Flight Leader, was born in Philadelphia in 1917. He graduated summa cum laude from Villanova University, and joined the USN as an aviation cadet. He was awarded his naval aviator wings and his commission at Pensacola in 1940. He became a commander of a PBY, but decided to join the AVG in hopes of becoming a fighter pilot. Rosbert became an ace on June 12, 1942 when he downed a pair of Japanese bombers. Following the War, Rosbert joined eight other AVG pilots in forming the Flying Tiger Airline. Later he joined Claire Chennault with his newly formed Civil Air Transport. Rosbert and his wife spent more than a decade operating a hotel in Spain before returning to the States in 1972. John R. Dick Rossi, a Flight Leader with the I Pursuit Squadron, was born in Placerville, California in 1915. He attended the University of California at Berkley prior to joining the Navy in 1939. He left the Navy in 1941 to join the AVG. He became an ace with the AVG, and remained in China for the balance of the war flying more than 700 missions over the hump. Since the end of the War, s been involved in a number of aviation-related undertakings. He currently serves as President of the Flying Tigers Association. |
Opening Sky by Robert Taylor. With the morning sun glinting on their fuselages, P-51 Mustangs of the 78th Fighter Group cross the Dutch coastline far below, as they head back towards their base at Duxford, England at the end of a long sweep east of the Rhine crossing, Spring 1945. The final months of the war in Europe lie ahead, and for the P-51 pilots victory is within sight. Finally, after years of toil, the sky was theirs. |
Flying Tiger by Nicolas Trudgian. Part of a small print series of six American WW2 aircraft, signed by some of the great American pilots, some no longer with us. Cranston Fine Arts have purchased the last remaining stocks of this aviation series. |
Summer of 42 by John D Shaw. In this superb tribute to one of the most famous fighter units of WWII the serenity of the beautiful Li River is broken as P40 Tomahawks of the AVG Flying Tigers, bearing their famous shark-mouth motif, return to base at Kweilin. |
Flying Tigers - The Stuff of Legend by Robert Taylor. P-40s of the AVG Flying Tigers 3rd Pursuit Squadron - Hell's Angels - surprise the enemy with a deadly strafing attack on a Japanese forward air-base in China, summer 1942. With their Allison engines screaming at full throttle, AVG Aces Tommy Haywood and Robert Smith, lead the charge as the Hell's Angels leave a trail of havoc and destruction behind them. Robert Taylor has created a masterpiece to honor the Flying Tigers and the release is autographed by legendary Aces including four of the AVG's most respected pilots who, since signing, have sadly passed away, giving even greater meaning to this edition. |
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