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Aviation and Military Autographs
5 Lots
 Lot 205. 25 Autographs of Medal of Honor Recipients and Other Military Heroes + a Book. Peter Collier wrote the book, Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty, and Nick Del Calzo provided superb black & white portraits of the recipients. Del Calzo also autographed the title page of the 2003 book, an apparent first edition, which is nm-m in an ex-m dust jacket. Collier presents the stories of more than 100 Medal of Honor recipients. The Medal of Honor heroes autographed various media: Gene Fluckey (photo with him image), Robert B. Nett (photo with him image, personalized autograph), Hershel W Williams (MoH citation), John D. “Bud” Hawk (2, MoH citation with two photo and a business card), Jack H Lucas (5, two photos, three photocopies, two signatures personalized), Melvin E. Biddle (3 photos, one with his image) and Jeff DeBlanc (photo with his citation). Other signers received various awards: Lyle Bouck, Distinguished Service Cross, Battle of the Bulge (2, photo without his image at Bastogne, personalized, and a letter signed “Lyle” only); Alex Vraciu, recommended for the Medal of Honor, downgraded in the bureaucracy to the Navy Cross (8” x 10” b&w photo with an addition referring to the “Turkey Shoot”); Leonard Lomell, Distinguished Service Cross, cited by historian Stephen Ambrose as the person most responsible for the success of the U.S. on D-Day except for Gen. Eisenhower (2, different photos showing scenes of Pointe du Hoc on the coast of Normandy; Leo R. Gray, W. “Bill” Holloman II and George E. Hardy, all Tuskegee Airmen (8” x 10” photo that shows two of their famous “Red Tails,” P-51 Mustangs with their tails and spinners painted red); Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, which dropped the first atomic bomb, on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945 (8” x 10” b&w photo showing him with the plane); Roger Conant, WWII ace in the Pacific (8” x 10” sheet with his photo and biography), and Fred Weyand, Army general and the last commander of U.S. operations forces in Vietnam (8” x 10” color photo, personalized signature). The autographs are overwhelmingly 9s and 10s. Great collection of American heroes. Autographs authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $113.
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 Lot 206. Autographs of 24 WWII Generals, Admirals, Cabinet Officials - Nimitz, Clay, Etc. This collection is loaded with the signatures of four-star generals and an admiral, including (Gen.) Lucius Clay (typed letter), (Gen.) Mark W. Clark (unlined index card), (Gen.) Ira C Eaker (1 ¼” x 2 ½” cut), Charles Edison (3/4” x 2” cut, Secretary of the Navy, son of Thomas Edison), (Adm.) Ernest J King (2” x 4 ½” cut), (Gen.) Curtis E LeMay, Robert Lovett (3/4” x 2” cut, served in the War Dept. in WWII and later as Secretary of Defense), (Adm.) C. W. Nimitz (return address on an envelope dated 1960), (British Rear-Adm. Reginald) R. Portal (brief handwritten letter, commander of the HMS York, 1939-41), (Gen.) Brehon Somervell, (Gen.) A. C. Wedemeyer (4” x 5” note, personalized, personalization could easily be matted out) and (Gen.) Hoyt S. Vandenberg. Other autographs are by Clark Clifford (3/4” x 2” cut, served in the Navy in WWII, as an aide to President Truman and as Secretary of Defense under President Johnson), (Gen.) J. Lawton Collins (2 ¼” x 5” cut), (Gen.) Jacob Devers (1 ½” x 3” cards with his printed name), (Gen.) Robert L Eichelberger (2” x 5 ½” cut), (Gen.) Andrew J Goodpaster (unlined index card), (Gen.) Thos Handy (1 ¼” x 4” cut), (Brig. Gen.) Frank L Howley (2” x 5 ½” cut, oversaw the Berlin Airlift), (Gen.) L. L. Lemnitzer (2 ¾” x 4 ½” card), (Gen. Peyton) P. C. March (2 ½” x 5 ½” cut), (Gen.) Joseph T. McNarney (1 ½” x 5” cut), (Gen. Matthew) M. B. Ridgway (typed note, personalized) and Maxwell D. Taylor (handwritten note, personalized, personalization could be matted out). Also, a 1 ½” c 4” cut with the signatures of Robert S. McNamara and Melvin R Laird and two others, and a handwritten note signed by Vietnam Gen. (William) W. C. Westmoreland. The autographs are overwhelmingly mint 9 and gem mint 10. Containing more than 25 signatures, primarily by four-star generals who are now deceased, this collection has significant potential break-up value. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $204.
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 Lot 207. FDC Signed by David Balme – Led the British U-110 German Sub Boarding Party. On May 9, 1941, the Royal Navy captured the German submarine U-110. The capture yielded German code books and an “Enigma” encryption machine that helped British code breakers at Bletchley Park to make advances in solving Germany’s codes. The capture of the sub serves loosely as the basis for the movie “U 571.” Balme led the team that boarded the sub, which the Germans, thinking it was sinking, had abandoned. Georg Foegel, the U-110s radio operation who sent coded messages using the Enigma machine, also signed. Their signatures are mint 9s on a 4 ¼” x 8 ½” first day cover that features an image of the submarine. Bletchley Covers issued this FDC in 2001 in an edition of 300. The original issue price was about $570 in current U.S. dollars, and the edition is sold old. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $35.
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 Lot 208. “Enola Gay Remembered” Cap Signed by Pilot Paul Tibbets and Navigator Dutch Van Kirk. Tibbets was at the controls of the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress used to drip the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. Van Kirk was the navigator. Both signed the cap of the black commemorative cap in silver. Their signatures are mint 9s. Tibbets passed away in 2007. Van Kirk is the last surviving member of the crew. Autographs authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $30.
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 Lot 209. Autograph of Donald W. Douglas (Sr.), Douglas Aircraft Co. Founder. After earning an engineering degree at MIT, Douglas held several positions in the burgeoning aviation industry. At only 23, he became the chief engineer for the Glenn Martin Co. At 28, he launched his own company, the Davis-Douglas Co. Subsequently, Davis sold out to Douglas, who then built one of the country’s largest and most successful aircraft manufacturing companies. He remained president of the company until 1957 and chairman of the board until 1967, when he merged his company with the McDonnell Aircraft Co. and retired. He remained honorary chairman of the McDonnell Douglas board until his death in1981. His signature grades nm-m 8 to mint 9 on a 7/8” x 3” section of paper adhered to a lined index card. It is accompanied by the Nov. 22, 1943 issue of “Time,” which has him on the cover. The pair would work well together matted and framed. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Winning Bid $25.
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