Picadilly Lily - Bonus Battle Scene

Bonus artwork I produced for the "Bloody Hundredth 1943" kit from Eduard Model Accessories in cooperation with HK Models. Unlike the main boxart I created, the bonus image shows "Piccadilly Lily" (42-5864) and "High Life" (B-17 42-30080 ) in the heat of air battle during "Double Strike" mission on August 17th 1943. 100th Bomb Group, as part of 3rd Air Division (8th Air Force) attacked Me-109 fighter factory in Regensburg, while first division flew against ball bearing factory in Schweinfurt, later that day. Both divisions suffered huge losses from furious Luftwaffe attacks. USAAF lost 60 planes and 600 people in both raids.
"Piccadilly Lily" and "High Life" flew as second element in the high element of 100Bomb Group combat box formation. "High Life" never reached Regensburg. It lost No.3 engine, later No.2 engine and crash landed Dubendorf, near Zurich, Switzerland.
"Picadilly Lily" survived but was lost on disastrous mission against Bremen on October 8th 1943, being among all 100th Bomb Group machines, except one, that have been lost.