"Fourth Mission of the Day" by Gil Cohen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Gil Cohen's painting we are at Hardstand 43, Thorpe Abbotts, East Anglia, England, home base of the 100th Bombardment Group. It is a damp and chilly early morning with a fog rolling in from the nearby woods. Rosie Rosenthal, in his first tour of duty, is briefing his crew on last minute details before they board their B-17, "Rosie's Riveters" of the 418th Squadron. </font></font>

Don Blakeslee in his Spitfire during World War II

* screen colors may vary from print colors

Print Size: 25" X 20"

Fourth Mission Of The Day
by Gil Cohen

The 19th of August 1942 will be remembered as the date of the ill-fated "reconnaissance-in-force", known as "Operation Jubilee" - the joint British-Canadian amphibious assault against German troops on the French coast at the harbor of Dieppe. Air cover was provided by the greatest armada of RAF aircraft assembled for battle up until that time. That day has been described as an almost continuous melee of close aerial combat; aircraft of both sides spiralling towards the sea; planes colliding in mid-air; ships burning and sinking in the harbor and along the channel coast with a pall of smoke covering the entire scene below.

Among the many RAF Fighter Command units flying that day were three "Eagle" squadrons made up of American airmen flying MK VB Spitfires. Despite heavy allied losses, the Americans carried out their mission exceptionally well. They were credited with 10 enemy aircraft destroyed, 5 "probable" and 12 damaged. 133 Eagle Squadron was led by Flight Lieutenant Donald J. M. Blakeslee, who alone was credited with shooting down one FW190 and one DO217, as well as two FW190 "probable" in a gallant attempt to protect the allied troops below. Blakeslee, also had the distinction of being the only "Eagle" commanding officer to complete all four missions on that day.

In this Gil Cohen painting, the viewer is transported back in time to the 133 Eagle Squadron's forward airbase at Lympne, England. Don Blakeslee is climbing out of the cockpit of his Spitfire after completing his 4th sortie on this long and harrowing day. On his face we can observe the countenance of lines of exhaustion, mirroring a protracted day of deadly combat. In the background other "Eagles" are coming in to land. The following month in ceremonies at the Debden fighter base, the three RAF Eagle squadrons were transformed into the newly formed 4th Fighter Group of the US Army Eighth Air Force. Later, under the inspiring command of Colonel Don Blakeslee, the 4th Fighter Group went on to achieve great fame for the number of missions successfully completed, enemy aircraft destroyed and unit citations received.

ARTIST PROOFS:
Signed by artist Gil Cohen, Don Blakeslee, Lt. Col. Wilson "Bill" Edwards (Blakeslee's wingman) and engine fitter Edward Hayes.
Limited Edition
$250.00 + FREE SH

MAIN EDITION:
Signed by artist Gil Cohen and Don Blakeslee
450 Signed and Numbered Prints
$190.00 + FREE SH

A highly schooled fine arts illustrator, Gil Cohen studied under Henry C. Pitz at the Philadelphia College of Art. In 1955, Cohen served as artist with the SHAEF Headquarters, Military Intelligence U.S. Army in West Germany.
His subsequent career as a freelance artist included service to a multitude of clients including the U.S. Information Agency, the National Park Service, Paramount Pictures, Bantam Books, Harlequin Books, Random House, Holt Reinhart Winston, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Coast Guard, Warner-Lambert and Boeing-Sikorsky.

Truly a "gold medal artist" Gil Gohen's exhibitions and awards are numerous. They include the National Military Park system, the Kennedy Center and the Pentagon. He has been awarded gold medals and best of shows by the American Society of Aviation Artists and has received the certificate of merit from the New York Society of Illustrators, as well as the Franklin Mint Award. Cohen is a member of the Air Force Art Program, the New York Society of Illustrators and serves as Coast Guard Illustrator. As an Artist Fellow Member of the American Society of Aviation Artists, he has held the position of Vice President and Chairman of the Exhibition Committee.

He also has a great interest in history and aviation which is reflected in much of his work. His vivid interest in the human aspects of the various wars throughout the centuries zeros in on the interactions between men, which eventually have lead to confrontations and successive warring between peoples and nations. He is continually mystified by the recurring observations that some of the most beautiful mechanisms of engineering, designed by humans, are often created by man for the purpose of war.

Cohen's creative energies are excited and stimulated by the abstract and geometric shapes of structures of all kinds. He has a keen interest in outer space and related subjects.