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The Mighty Eighth in Art

Author and historian Roger A Freeman has written a number of books on World War II subjects but is probably best known for his authoritative Mighty Eighth series. Through the work of a wide range of artists this book loosely tells the story of the Eighth Air Force’s contribution to the war effort between 1942 and 1945. As the author explains in his introduction, the artwork was selected to try and include as many of the units as possible that contributed to the effort but also to showcase a range of artist’s styles, hence a number of works from lesser known artists sit alongside the likes of Robert Taylor, Nicolas Trudgian and John Young.

The inclusion of a number of Gil Cohen’s superb pieces, focusing on the characters rather than the hardware, gives the book a good balance. After a short introduction by the author each image is given a page with supporting text opposite. The images are arranged so that the subjects run chronologically, starting with First Mission by Nixon Galloway depicting Douglas Bostons on 4th July 1942 making the Eigthth Air Force’s first raid of the campaign.

After the Mission

The Other Half

Destination Germany

Chow-hound

Reviewer’s Pick - surely one of the finest renditions of the Mustang ever is Robert Taylor’s Home Run depicting P51s of the 361 FG low over the Rhine.

All images copyright the individual artists or publishers.

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