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This famous photo, snapped prior to takeoff for D-Day, features paratroopers of the 101st Airborne who signer Bob Noody (shown second from right) remembers as being "scared stiff."
This photo is autographed in black marker by 101st Airborne paratroopers Clancy Lyall (E/506) and Bob Noody (F/506). The photo features a caption reproduced from Bob Noody's own penmanship and an exclusively designed vintage motif.
Shipping added in checkout // photo size: 8" x 10" // ships flat in a heavy-duty envelope
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CLANCY LYALL
Item & Easy Company (506th PIR, 101st Abn.), D-Day, Market Garden, Battle of the Bulge, wounded three times, featured in David Webster's book "Parachute Infantry."
BOB NOODY
Bob Noody joined the Army in February 1943, shortly after his 18th birthday. He volunteered for the paratroopers, not knowing what that was about, except that it meant an additional $50 per month. His arrival at Ft. Benning was an eye-opener, yet he survived the “brutal training.” He joined Fox Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne at Aldbourne, England, just in time for the Normandy invasion.
On the evening of June 5, 1944, at Upottery Airfield, Noody was immortalized in a photo taken of him aboard his C-47 immediately before takeoff. The photo was first published on the cover of an Army Air Forces magazine and it took on a life of its own afterward. In the picture Bob remembers he must have weighed at least 250 lbs., encumbered with his M-1 rifle, a bazooka, three rockets, land mines, and other assorted “necessities.”
Fifty feet of rope hung from his chest, which he later used to lower his leg bag to the ground, easing his fall and ensuring he was ready to fight. He landed behind the mayor’s house at Ste. Mere-Eglise. In the ensuing days, Noody utilized his bazooka to destroy a German tank that threatened his unit outside of Carentan. It was his first and last bazooka usage, as he expended the three rockets he carried into battle. A leg wound at Carentan ended his Normandy adventure.
Noody recovered from his wounds in time to make the Market Garden jump. He fought with Fox Company from Eindhoven to the Rhine. While recovering from the exhaustive Holland campaign, Noody and his unit were rushed by truck to stem the German breakthrough at Bastogne. He froze in regular fatigues, holding the line in the Bois Jacques woods next to Easy Company, above the town of Foy. He survived the patrols and constant shelling only to be wounded during a nighttime recon patrol of Foy prior to Easy Company’s assault on the town. Noody was wounded by friendly fire when a comrade dropped a live grenade while they sought refuge in a small house outside of Foy.
Noody recovered from his wounds in time to join his unit at Hagenau. He vividly recalls lying in a graveyard on the German side of the river at night during an attempt to take prisoners. As fighting ensued a friend whispered, “Boy, what a convenient place to die.” He survived the patrol only to discover that the “Grease Gun” he carried was defective.
As the war ended, Noody celebrated with his unit in Berchtesgarden. One day, searching a train hidden in a tunnel, he retrieved a hand-crafted ceremonial sword belonging to Herman Goering. With the help of his friends he managed to get his prize home to America, where it now resides in a private museum collection.
Noody completed his wartime duty in Zell Am Zee, Austria, and returned to the US where he received his discharge in November 1945 at Ft. Dix, New Jersey.
- We recommend that all autographed items be displayed or stored using archival quality, acid free materials away from any moisture or strong light exposure. When framing art/photographs/posters, we recommend locating a framer who is familiar with archival framing, has a storefront so you can see examples of their work, is not within a big box store, and has full insurance in the event an accident occurs while framing your item.
UV blocking glass/acrylic, spacers, and acid free framing materials must be used to protect the image and signatures. Fading can occur even if an item is not displayed in direct sunlight (even a light bulb omits UV rays) so UV blocking glass/acrylic is necessary. Acid free spacers or mat board must also be utilized to prevent the signatures from direct contact with the top layer of glass/acrylic. If a signature is pressed against the clear material it will lift off the photo/poster/print and deteriorate.
In order to retain full value of your item, your art or collectible should be able to be removed from its frame or storage container and still be in the same original condition as it was when purchased from Valor Studios.
If you decide to store one of our art prints/collectibles without getting it framed, then we recommend flat storage in either an acid free art sleeve or between pieces of acid free foam core. The item should be stored in a dark and dry location, several inches off the floor. We do not recommend storing prints/posters/photos in tubes for any extended length of time.
