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Breakthrough
At Cassino
Robert Bailey
An exclusive release of only 485 signed and numbered prints,
featuring the 27th Fighter Bomber Group in Italy. May, 1944.
1st Lieutenant Ralph Giovanniello,
in his P-40 Warhawk, and Captain Robert M. Johnson, piloting his
A-36 Apache, overfly Monte Cassino after attacking German defensive
positions atop Monastery Hill. 27th Fighter Bomber Group, May 1944.
Below, American and British tanks prepare for the final battle.
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The 'soft underbelly' of the Axis
which occupied the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (MTO)
proved to be more formidable than Churchill or any of his
military commanders and his advisers thought possible. This
turn of events was due in large part to a change in the German
High Command. Field Marshall Albert Kesselring, who had been
handpicked for the Italian front by Hitler himself, proved
to be a remarkable tactician, especially at the Gustav Line
which stalled the Allied Campaign in its attempted advance
northwards to Rome.
This was particularly true in the Battle
for Monte Cassino, which languished for almost six months.
It led to misjudgments by the Allies, who misused air power
for artillery purposes and added to the length and cost of
the campaign. In addition, the spring rains of 1944 posed
a serious logistical problem which delayed their progress
northwards.
The multi-national Allied armies suffered
tremendous casualties, but were eventually victorious in breaking
through the Gustav Line and the town of Monte Cassino. The
monastery, which occupied the high ground to the west of the
town, became a casualty in the campaign and was reduced to
rubble.
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Sheet size:
24" high x 34" wide
| Breakthrough
at Cassino by Robert Bailey |
| 35 Artist's
Proofs w/ SIX co-signatures. |
US
$285 |
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New doctrines were employed, such as 'Operation
Strangle'' which denied the Germans vitally needed war material
and assisted in the advance of the allied armies. The 27th
Fighter Bomber Group of the 12th Air Force was among the groups
assigned the task of attacking and bombing enemy positions
in the Liri Valley near the town of Monte Cassino and nearby
monastery, which housed German gun and troop emplacements.
In Robert Bailey's painting, titled
'Breakthrough at Cassino,' it is early May 1944. A-36 Apaches
and P-40 Warhawks of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, overfly
the embattled town of Monte Cassino, now occupied by the Allies.
They have been striking German positions in the monastery,
seen atop the hill on the left. Castle Hill is in the center
background.
Below, American
and British heavy armor await an opportunity to advance along
Route 6 toward Rome. |
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These
prints were signed in Washington, D.C. by the artist and the
27th Fighter Bomber Group.
The Signatures:
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 1st
Lieutenant Ralph Giovanniello
was born in Ashbury Park, New Jersey,
first generation of Italian immigrants. After enlisting in the
Air Corps in 1941 he was shipped to Africa with the 27th Fighter
Bomber Group and flew missions over Sicily, Salerno, Naples,
Anzio and Monte Cassino. On June 6, 1945, he was shot down in
his P-40, "Gibroni," north of Rome near Lago Bracciano
while on his 44th mission. A P.O.W. for one year, "Tex"
Giovanniello was liberated by General Patton's troops from Stalag
A in Mooseberg, Germany. |
 Captain
Robert M. Johnson trained
in Mississippi at Camp Kilmer before being sent overseas to
Oran in May, 1943. He joined the 27th F.G. Group in Gela, Sicily
in August, 1943. He then flew from bases at San Antonio on the
north Sicilian coast, then to Salerno for the invasion. After
the Anzio invasion, he flew plenty of missions in his A-36 Apache
for ground support. He also flew a number of missions against
the Abbey atop the hill, at which time he was a Captain and
Flight Leader. During June of 1944 his Group often bombed roads,
traffic, bridges and tanks, then strafed targets on the way
back to base. Robert flew a total of 94 missions between August
1943 and July 1, 1944. He flew the A-36, P-40, P-47 and B-24.
He was credited with one FW-190 at the Salerno beach head, and
was awarded the D.F.C., Air Medal with Seven O.L.C.'s. The Group
received two Presidential Citations. |
 Second
Lieutenant Q.S. KinCannon
is from Waco, Texas. While with the 27th Fighter Bomber Group,
he flew 105 missions and racked up an impressive score against
trucks and trains. He was later promoted as Captain and as a
Flight leader, he lead an attack against a heavily defened tank
repair factory outside Rome in March of 1944 that left a column
of smoke 10,000 feet high. He was awarded the D.F.C.
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 1st
Lieutenant Leslie E. Traughber
began his military career in the Medical
Detachment of the National Guard from Jackson, Tennessee. After
Pearl Harbor he entered the Air Force and took combat training
in the A-36 Apache in Hillsboro Field, Florida. During his tour
of duty he was heavily engaged in strafing the enemy in and
around Monte Cassino, and shot down on his 36th mission but
returned to his squadron and completed 113 missions in the A-36
and P-40 aircraft. He became a Flight Leader and was awarded
the D.F.C., Air Medal with 4 O.L.C.'s and is authorized to wear
a Presidential Unit Citation with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters.
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 Second
Lieutenant Charles E. Waddell
is from Brooklyn, New York. He
joined the 27th Fighter Bomber Group as a 2nd Lieutenant in
January 1944, flying both the A-36 Apache and the P-40 Warhawk
in sorties against enemy positions at Monte Cassino from bases
at Pomigliano, Castel Volturno and Santa Maria in Italy. He
took part in 115 missions as the fighting moved to Northern
Italy and Southern France. He was awarded the D.F.C., Air Medal
with Clusters and the Presidential Unit Citation with three
Clusters. After the war, he was with the New Jersey National
Guard. Charles retired with the rank of Major. |
| Special Guest Signature
on Artist's Proofs |
 Trooper
James E. Bailey was
born in Glamorgan, South Wales. He joined the Queen's 9th Lancers
at Canterbury, England, on May 18th, 1938, at the age of 18.
Jim was a Lance Corporal, but relinquished this rank to that
of "Trooper" when he was transferred to the First
Derbyshire Yeomanry and was posted to Africa in November 1942,
where he drove a Sherman tank with the 6th Armored Division.
He was involved in many desert battles across North Africa against
Rommel's "Afrikakorps," then moved on to Italy, through
Monte Cassino to Rome. Decorations include: Africa Star, Italian
Star, Defence Medal, Victory Medal and 1939 - 45 Medal. James
Bailey is the artist's father. His tank is shown center foreground
in "Breakthrough at Cassino".
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