Fifty Missions From Broadway Nose Art Medal

First Release In The Nose Art Series

During World War II, American B-24 Liberator bombers featured distinctive “Nose Art” that was often painted by members of the military. Largely considered a military tradition, nose art painting began for practical reasons—to identify friendly aircraft. The practice soon evolved to express the individuality of the planes and their crews. The obverse of this medal features a “scandalous” pose of a scantily clad woman wearing a thin dress and leaning against a cocktail glass that was painted on the Fifty Missions From Broadway bomber that conducted a series of missions out of its base in Italy during 1944. The reverse features Fifty Missions in the skies over Europe with another B-24 Liberator in mission formation.

Ten Men And One Racy Pin-Up

Piloted by Lieutenant Arthur W. Rasco, the Fifty Missions From Broadway crew arrived at Venosa, Italy in August 1944. On September 10, 1944, while on its third mission over heavily defended Austria, Fifty Missions from Broadway was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire. Severely damaged by flak and spewing smoke, she went down somewhere in Yugoslavia. Fortunately, the entire aircrew was able to bail out and were found by Partisans and returned to their airbase. Most of the crew were still in Italy at war’s end. Co-pilot Robert Walcotte would go on to complete 35 sorties and ball gunner Harold “Red” Kempffer, who entered the Army Air Corps in 1944 as a green 18-year-old kid from Minnesota, went on to complete 50 missions as a seasoned member of the 485th Bomb Group.

Pay Tribute To The Fifty Missions From Broadway and its Distinctive Nose Art

This medal pays tribute to the Fifty Missions From Broadway and its unique nose art. It was struck in base metal and layered in silver. It’s also the first release in the Nose Art Series and comes in Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) condition. Pay tribute to the Fifty Missions from Broadway bomber’s incredible story of heroism and bravery and order yours today. It also makes a great gift for any World War II collector or fan of 1940s Americana. Plus, each piece will come with an informative storycard that tells the story of the historic plane and its heroic crew.