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an old photo of a woman in a pilot ' s uniform and a certificatea black and white photo of a certificate with a picture of an airplane
Maître Lydie BRIOULT

52 - ‘50-mission’ certificate awarded to Lieutenant Robert A.
See original version (French)

Estimate €100 - €150
Sale commission
Description
‘50-mission’ certificate awarded to Lieutenant Robert A. Wood, 461st Bomb Group – 15th Air Force – Italy (2 original photographs) Extremely rare document relating to the ‘Mystic & Nervous Disorder of Cheek Twitching’, dated 5 September 1944, awarded to a B-24 Liberator pilot of the 461st Bomb Group ‘Liberaiders’ following his tour of duty totalling 49 combat missions (the number of missions required for a tour of duty within the 15th Air Force having been set at 50). This certificate was modelled on the ‘Lucky Bastard Club’, famous within the 8th Air Force, which also recognised the completion of a tour of operations. It was not uncommon for a pilot to be one mission short of the total required, as some missions were counted twice due to the particular difficulty of a target. This double-counting was sometimes decided by the high command of the 15th Air Force retrospectively, well after the date of the mission in question. This is an unofficial document celebrating the end of a tour of combat missions for an airman. The term ‘Mystic & Nervous Disorder of Cheek Twitching’ refers to a humorous and honorary order created by the crews of the 461st BG to offer a tongue-in-cheek reward to airmen who had survived the extreme fear of combat missions during their tour of operations. As no specific distinction had been established to mark this event, it was in the field and within the combat units that this type of document first appeared. Printed on photographic paper (photocopied using whatever resources were available in the unit’s photo lab) and then completed on a typewriter or by hand, these documents often feature slang terms mimicking the local accent. In this instance, in the bottom right-hand corner is the drunken American eagle, its head spinning, clutching a bottle of Italian wine and a leg of lamb in its talons, surmounted by the 461st BG’s motto ‘Al Ataque’. This document bears the original signature of Colonel Frederic E. Glantzberg, who commanded the 461st Bomb Group until September 1944. This original certificate is accompanied by an original colourised photograph of Lt. Wood and a photocopy of the list of missions carried out by Wood, the total number credited being 48, including various missions over the south of France in preparation for the D-Day landings in Provence: Avignon, Salon and Anthéor. Note the typo ‘Polesti’ instead of ‘Ploesti’ for this famous refinery site in Romania. (Grégory Pons Collection)
See original version (French)
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About the sale Sale of the Grégory Pons collection and miscellaneous items (Aviation and WW2 Militaria)
Auction location
Auction time 11/14/2026 at 1:30 PM
Lot description modified on 09/02/2026 at 5:24 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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