Lot 1161 INTERESTING ARCHIVE OF ALFRED "RUSTY" RESTUCCIA
Please note that, as of 5/18/26, this item description has been updated. Please revisit this description and contact us with any questions.
A NOSE PAINT ARTIST SERVING WITH THE 494th BOMB GROUP, 865th BOMB SQUADRON. Rusty served in WWII with the official job of radio operator, airplane mechanic, & gunner (MOS 757) on a B-24 in the Pacific Theater. He flew on 43 missions aboard the B-24J "Innocence-A-Broad" with Crew 19. He was well known for the incredible nose art he painted on 18 planes. He was a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art, and he was so well known amongst other pilots in Okinawa that he was tasked with painting images on planes outside of his unit. He reached the rank of Technical Sgt. and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross that included in the lot with the original box and the Philippines Presidential Award for Liberation. His unit was one of the first to bomb Japan.
This grouping includes copied images of Rusty and other crew members of the 865th squadron, his nose art, Kelly Kobra articles, FOIA requests for his information, copies of original paintings of 1945 Okinawa, correspondences with the navigator of Crew 19, & a large photo album with about 350 images detailing much of the history of the 494th Bomber Group belonging to Rusty that began this extensive research project. An interesting side note about this extensive lot is that "Rusty" painted the nose art for the B-24 called "Sittin Pretty" that was shot down, resulting in the death of Lt. Dively from lot 1158 in this sale. CONDITION: overall very good. (02-26311/ZAL). NON-GUN. $400-600.
A NOSE PAINT ARTIST SERVING WITH THE 494th BOMB GROUP, 865th BOMB SQUADRON. Rusty served in WWII with the official job of radio operator, airplane mechanic, & gunner (MOS 757) on a B-24 in the Pacific Theater. He flew on 43 missions aboard the B-24J "Innocence-A-Broad" with Crew 19. He was well known for the incredible nose art he painted on 18 planes. He was a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art, and he was so well known amongst other pilots in Okinawa that he was tasked with painting images on planes outside of his unit. He reached the rank of Technical Sgt. and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross that included in the lot with the original box and the Philippines Presidential Award for Liberation. His unit was one of the first to bomb Japan.
This grouping includes copied images of Rusty and other crew members of the 865th squadron, his nose art, Kelly Kobra articles, FOIA requests for his information, copies of original paintings of 1945 Okinawa, correspondences with the navigator of Crew 19, & a large photo album with about 350 images detailing much of the history of the 494th Bomber Group belonging to Rusty that began this extensive research project. An interesting side note about this extensive lot is that "Rusty" painted the nose art for the B-24 called "Sittin Pretty" that was shot down, resulting in the death of Lt. Dively from lot 1158 in this sale. CONDITION: overall very good. (02-26311/ZAL). NON-GUN. $400-600.
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