FR EN
1 / 14
several old photos of men and women in military uniforms on a walla collage of old photos of people and vehiclesa group of men in military uniforms posing in front of a jeeptwo old photos of men in military uniforms on a planean old newspaper advertises the use of a pair of scissors to cut a piece of papera piece of paper that has some writing on ita picture of a piece of paper with a picture of a house on itan old newspaper clipping of a man handing a woman a medala piece of paper with a list on it on a blue surfacean old black and white photo of a plane and a buildingblack and white photo of a man in a military uniform standing next to a destroyed planean old photo of a man in a pilot ' s outfitan old photo of a man in a military uniforman old piece of paper with writing on it sitting on a table
Maître Lydie BRIOULT

Personal collection of Technical Sergeant William W.
See original version (French)

Estimate €200 - €300
Sale commission
Description
Personal collection of Technical Sergeant William W. Fahrenhold, 306th Bomb Group – 8th Air Force – England (9 original photographs, press cuttings) Sergeant Fahrenhold was posted to the 423rd Bomb Squadron of the 306th Bomb Group as a gunner on a B-17F Flying Fortress, with which he flew a tour of 25 missions from Thurleigh Airfield in England. On 1 May 1943, whilst returning from a mission against the German submarine base at Saint-Nazaire, his B-17 mistakenly flew over the Brest area, which was particularly well defended by the Luftwaffe. Several fighter aircraft attacked them, severely damaging the aircraft from the radio compartment right through to the rear of the fuselage. Fahrenhold, as the dorsal turret gunner, came to the aid of the crew members in the front of the aircraft, whilst Maynard ‘Snuffy’ Smith, the ventral turret gunner, looked after his colleagues in the rear of the fuselage. Both seized the aircraft’s machine guns and managed to drive off the German fighters. The heavily damaged B-17 managed to return to England, where it made an emergency landing. Three crew members who had chosen to bail out over the English Channel were never found. For his actions on board that day, Fahrenhold was awarded the Silver Star (the second-highest American honour), whilst Maynard Smith was awarded the highest American honour: the Medal of Honour. This collection comprises various original photographs (4x5in./10x12.5cm) showing the damage sustained by the B-17 on 1 May 1943 to the aircraft’s radio compartment, Fahrenhold in his flight uniform upon returning from his 25th mission, a portrait of one of his friends in his dress uniform, press cuttings reporting on Fahrenhold’s feat and the awarding of the Silver Star, a standard-issue 8th Air Force shoulder badge, a press photograph (Associated Press) with a typewritten caption on the reverse dated 24 July 1943 and the corresponding article featuring the same photograph in which Fahrenhold poses with his colleagues on trailers loaded with ammunition at the foot of a B-17, a large-format photograph in which Fahrenhold is pictured in dress uniform with comrades from his unit at Thurleigh Airfield, sitting in a Jeep bearing 306th BG markings on the bumper. Fahrenhold is identified in this photograph by a mark in blue ink. (A Second World War-era Silver Star in its box is being offered as part of this sale should the successful bidder wish to complete this lot with this relatively rare decoration). (Grégory Pons Collection)
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
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
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like