A
-
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
That photo sequence of the A-20G going down has been just about everywhere. It dates back to some of the earliest memories I have reading about the air war in WWII; I recall it appeared in in the American Heritage volume entitled "Flight." The A-2 is absolutely superb and of great historical consequence. I say 2 grand or more.
Saunders
Saunders
I had a gut feeling that the celebrity of the photos would help drive this pretty high. Anyone here now the owner?
It's interesting to note that the A-2 is not the subject of the photos but it does represent a very alluring and attractive part of the history forever frozen in the images, and it may well be one of the last tangible witnesses to this moment in infamy. There are few other moments from the WWII U. S. air war as captured on film that, in my opinion, could influence the market value of a jacket to this extent when the jacket itself was not viewable in the image(s).
The only parallel of this type that immediately comes to mind pertains to the ever-famous still photo of Lt. Robert Sternfels' B-24D "Sandman" of the 98th Bomb Group, taken upon its attack on the Astra-Roman refinery at Ploesti 1 Aug. 1943. Should a jacket be on the market from the "Sandman" photo, I'd expect it to meet or well exceed the realized price of this A-20G shoot-down A-2. The key element and common denominator in the images of the shoot down of the A-20G and this image of the B-24D are the aircraft from which the jackets originate both being featured in the images and these images are widely known. While no doubt historically significant, if an A-2 was on the market that belonged to the photo aircraft in either of the photos I reference, I highly doubt the allure and realized price would be as quite as high, though a documented Ploesti jacket would certainly perform superbly on its own.
Similarly, I know of a painted A-2 grouping that belonged to the ball turret gunner (2nd crew, Schweinfurt 17 Aug. 1943) of one of the most famous B-17s of the 8th AF - "The Duchess" 303rd Bomb Group/359th Bomb Sqdrn. Again, such an A-2 from an esteemed aircraft would perform exceptionally well on its own, but this B-17F (coded BN-T) has been prominently seen in just about every documentary on the USAAF bombing campaign in the ETO, where it can be seen centered in the film, buffeting through the air while this very B/T gunner spins his Sperry around. This bit of film celebrity, if cited in the sale of the A-2, should drive the price higher yet.
Saunders
It's interesting to note that the A-2 is not the subject of the photos but it does represent a very alluring and attractive part of the history forever frozen in the images, and it may well be one of the last tangible witnesses to this moment in infamy. There are few other moments from the WWII U. S. air war as captured on film that, in my opinion, could influence the market value of a jacket to this extent when the jacket itself was not viewable in the image(s).
The only parallel of this type that immediately comes to mind pertains to the ever-famous still photo of Lt. Robert Sternfels' B-24D "Sandman" of the 98th Bomb Group, taken upon its attack on the Astra-Roman refinery at Ploesti 1 Aug. 1943. Should a jacket be on the market from the "Sandman" photo, I'd expect it to meet or well exceed the realized price of this A-20G shoot-down A-2. The key element and common denominator in the images of the shoot down of the A-20G and this image of the B-24D are the aircraft from which the jackets originate both being featured in the images and these images are widely known. While no doubt historically significant, if an A-2 was on the market that belonged to the photo aircraft in either of the photos I reference, I highly doubt the allure and realized price would be as quite as high, though a documented Ploesti jacket would certainly perform superbly on its own.
Similarly, I know of a painted A-2 grouping that belonged to the ball turret gunner (2nd crew, Schweinfurt 17 Aug. 1943) of one of the most famous B-17s of the 8th AF - "The Duchess" 303rd Bomb Group/359th Bomb Sqdrn. Again, such an A-2 from an esteemed aircraft would perform exceptionally well on its own, but this B-17F (coded BN-T) has been prominently seen in just about every documentary on the USAAF bombing campaign in the ETO, where it can be seen centered in the film, buffeting through the air while this very B/T gunner spins his Sperry around. This bit of film celebrity, if cited in the sale of the A-2, should drive the price higher yet.
Saunders
