Fogg in the Cockpit

Renowned for decades as the worlds foremost railroad artist, Howard Foggs career spanned half a century and some twelve hundred paintings. However, while his art has been welcomed for decades, few of his enthusiasts have been aware of his prior career, as a fighter pilot in the U.S. 8th Air Force during World War II. Fortunately Fogg left behind a detailed diary of his experiences, which illuminate this brief but exciting aspect of his life, as he engaged in direct combat with the Luftwaffe at the controls of a P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustangs.Articulate and insightful, his diary offers a frank and fascinating glimpse into the life of a fighter pilot, both in the sky and in wartime England. Written during 1943 and 1944 it offers a confidential perspective of life as a flyboy, during which Howard flew 76 combat missions and was awarded the Air Medal with three clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross with one cluster. Presented in its...

However, while his art has been welcomed for decades, few of his enthusiasts have been aware of his prior career, as a fighter pilot in the U.S. 8th Air Force during World War II. Fortunately Fogg left behind a detailed diary of his experiences, which illuminate this brief but exciting aspect of his life, as he engaged in direct combat with the Luftwaffe at the controls of a P-47 Thunderbolt.

Articulate and insightful, his diary offers a frank and fascinating glimpse into the life of a fighter pilot, both in the sky and in wartime England. Written during 1943 and 1944 it offers a confidential perspective of life as a “flyboy,” during which Howard flew 76 combat missions and was awarded the Air Medal with three clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross with one cluster.

Presented in its entirety, with supplementary material by Richard and Janet Fogg, and supporting illustrations from Fogg himself, including satirical cartoons, military and railroad artwork, Fogg in the Cockpit paints with a broad brush, from the smallest details of a pilot’s day-to-day existence. to air combat, and the strategic and political decisions that influenced the course of the war.

Renowned for decades as one of the world's foremost railroad artists, Howard Fogg's career encompassed some 1,200 paintings. While his art has been appreciated for decades, few of his admirers are aware of his service as a fighter pilot in the U.S. 8th Air Force during World War II. Based in England with the 359th Fighter Group, Captain Fogg flew 76 combat missions in P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs. Providing bomber escort and participating in ground attacks, he was awarded the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Fortunately, Howard kept a detailed diary of his experiences, proving himself as adept with a pen as with a brush. From his backstage encounter in a London theater with Lawrence Olivier and Vivian Leigh, to the pre-dawn chaplain’s benediction on June 6, 1944, to a mission escorting B-17s as they flew below the snow-capped Alps dropping supplies to French freedom fighters, the diary offers a firsthand look at his fascinating and often unexpected wartime career.

The diary, presented in its entirety, is supplemented with material by Richard and Janet Fogg, as well as excerpts from the Chaplain’s Informal Monthly Reports of Morale and the Monthly Reports of the 359th Group Historian. It also incorporates period photographs and examples of Howard’s artwork, including previously unpublished political cartoons and preliminary drawings.

From the smallest daily details of the pilot’s lives to the strategic and tactical decisions that affected their fates, Fogg in the Cockpit presents a hidden side of one of the 20th century’s great artistic geniuses, with a vivid look at the life of a fighter pilot in World War II.