In this painting by renowned aviation artist, Keith Ferris, B-17 Little Willie struggles home from the Abyss on two engines following a March 6, 1944, raid on Berlin. The pilot, Flight Officer Bernie Dopko, brought Willie and his crew home safely. Following several days of repairs Dopko and crew took Willie back to Berlin where they were shot down. They survived World War 2 as POWs. Artist Ferris, enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2012, was born in 1929, the son of a career Air Force Officer. He attended Texas, A&M, majoring in Aeronautical Engineering; George Washington University, and Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC. He began his art career as a civilian in Air Force Publications at Randolph Field in 1947, and in 1956 became a freelance artist in the New York area. He created the 25 foot high by 75 foot wide mural in oil Fortresses Under Fire in the World War 2 Gallery of the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and the 20 foot by 75 foot Evolution of Jet Aviation mural in the museums Jet Aviation Gallery. He has 63 major paintings in the Air Force Art Collection.
