April 5, 2024
ORIGINAL WWII ARMY AIR FORCE 40 MISSION A-2 JACKET B-26 HELL'S BELL II GUNNER
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UP FOR SALE IS AN ORIGINAL 40 MISSION I SPIEWAK & SONS A-2 JACKET. BEFORE I TELL YOU ABOUT THE JACKET, I'D FIRST LIKE TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE MAN WHO OWNED IT. HIS NAME IS LOUIS B SYKES AND HE WAS A TOP TURRET GUNNER ON THE FAMOUS B-26 MARAUDER HELLS BELLE II. HELLS BELLE II WAS THE FIRST MARAUDER TO COMPLETE 100 MISSIONS AND HAD A TOTAL OF 132 BUY THE END OF THE WAR. LOUIS JOINED THE AIR CORPS ON THE 4TH OF FEBRUARY 1942 IN ALBANY NEW YORK, JUST 8 WEEKS AFTER PEARL HARBAR. HE WAS TRAINED BUY THE ARMY AIR CORPS TO BE A TOP TURRET GUNNER THEN SENT TO THE MEDITERRANEAN THEATER WHERE HE FLEW 40 MISSIONS OUT OF NORTH AFRICA AND SARDINIA WITH THE 319TH BOMB GROUP IN THE 438 BOMB SQUADRON. DURING HIS THREE AND A HALF YEARS OF SERVICE, MR SYKES RECEIVED THE AIR MEDAL WITH 7 CLUSTERS THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 2 BRONZE STARS AND THE WWII VICTORY MEDAL. ALONG WITH THE JACKET I'VE INCLUDED PHOTO'S OF LOUIS SYKES WITH HIS FELLOW CREW MEMBER'S AND HIS PLANE HELLS BELLE II. IN THE FIRST PHOTO LOUIS IS KNEELING FRONT LEFT AND THE PLANE HELLS BELLE II HAS A 19 MISSION SCORE, THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN AT THE DJEDEIDA AIR FEILD IN TUNISIA ON AUG 10TH OR THE 11TH 1943 BEFORE THE MORNING MISSION. BOB HOPE AND FRANCES LANGFORD HAD PERFORMED A ONE HOUR SHOW AT THE BASE ON THE DAY OF THE
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