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Print Size: 28" x 20"
* screen colors may vary from print colors
Returning from a raid over Lorient, France on the 17th May 1943 the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress "Memphis Belle" came under close attack from Fw190s and Me109s. Fortunately no aircraft were lost and very little
damage sustained to the 91st Bomb Group aircraft during this mission - the 25th and final one in the "Memphis Belle" for Captain Robert Morgan

Named after Capt. Morgan's wartime sweetheart, Miss Margaret Polk, the "Memphis Belle" was based at Bassingbourn, England and was the first B-17 to complete 25 combat missions and keep her entire crew alive - this at a time when eight out of ten aircraft were being shot down over Europe. During ten months of service the "Memphis Belle" dropped over 60 tons of bombs on France, Belgium and Germany, shot down eight enemy fighters, and covered over 20,000 combat miles.

RARE Col. Robert Morgan signed prints: SOLD OUT
contact us for secondary market availability
While 350 copies of "Final Encounter" were printed and sold without the signature of the Belle's skipper, Col. Morgan, he generously agreed to autograph some copies especially for Valor Studios. Less than 30 prints were hand-signed in pencil by Col. Morgan before his untimely death in 2004.

Valor Studio's remaining copies are signed by Morgan, artist Phil West, and are numbered from the regular 350 print edition. These are now available on a first come, first serve basis.

Philip West is recognised as one of the world's finest aviation artists. Collectors of his original oil paintings span the globe, many waiting patiently for his next breathtaking canvas to appear. With some twenty-eight limited editions behind him, a packed painting and personal appearance schedule both in the UK and America ahead, Philip's popularity is soaring.
Noted for his passion for detail, Philip has won many accolades for his paintings, not the least of which was the prestigious Duane Whitney Award for Excellence at the 1997 American Society of Aviation Artists Exhibition.

His work is inspired by and reflects his fascination for aircraft through the ages. Philip's knowledge of aircraft and the accuracy of his work combine to record a moment in history so perfectly, that both collectors and admirers of his work are able to feel a real sense of the excitement and drama that his work portrays.

When he is not on location or attending special events Philip lives and works with his wife Alice, and family, in a beautiful village deep in the Wiltshire countryside.

Since May 2001 Philip has been represented exclusively, worldwide, by SWA Fine Art Publishers.