December 15, 2020 Edged Weapons, Armor & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/15/2020
This is a very nice WWII Air Medal and Purple Heart grouping that is identified to Captain Robert T. Lowe, a B-17 pilot in the 15th Air Force, 463rd Bomb Group, 775th Bomb Squadron. Captain Lowe flew his first combat mission on November 19, 1944 against oils storage facilities in Vienna, Austria. The 463rd Bomb Group flew many notable combat missions and received two Distinguished Unit Citations for the Ploesti Raid and the Daimler-Benz tank works Raid. Captain Lowe was present in the 463rd when the Unit was awarded its second DUC. After flying many combat missions with the 463rd BG, Captain Lowe was tragically killed on May 26th, 1945, just over 2 weeks after VE Day when the B-17 he was piloting crashed in Pomigliano, Italy. This is a very sad end to a young pilot who had just survived harsh combat in the Air War over Europe. The lot consists of (A) Cased Air Medal engraved on the reverse "Robert T / Lowe / Capt / AC". The engraving is still legible with imperfections on the R and O but the engraving appears to be period. The medal is complete with its original case, ribbon bar with 2 oak leaf clusters, an additional oak leaf cluster, and lapel device. (B) Cased Purple Heart engraved on the reverse "Robert T. Lowe". The government style engraving is very crisp with no imperfections. The medal is complete with its original case, ribbon bar, and lapel device. Tucked away in the case was a presentation card that reads "It is an honor for me to forward this decoration" and is signed by Robert P. Patterson, who was the Secretary of War. (C) 50+ photos of Lowe and his family. About half of the photos are the home front with content including Lowe as a kid, his family, and sweetheart. The other photos depict Lowe in uniform, flying gear, Lowe in a B-17 cockpit, and one where he is receiving his Captain's bars from a friend. (D) An aluminum plate with Lowe's name and serial number. (D) Gold Star Citation for the surviving kin of Captain Lowe. (E) Miscellaneous ephemera including poems, a small service book, and a newspaper clipping describing Captain Lowe receiving his first air medal. CONDITION: The medals are all in excellent condition with no major blemishes. Photos and Ephemera have all been wonderfully preserved but have slight imperfections that are to be expected of old paper material. This is a wonderful time capsule medal grouping that deserves to be preserved and honored in a collection. JD
Item Dimensions: Length: 14" Height: 4"