The Art of War

An airman turned artist creates a work that memorializes the suffering—and salvation—of thousands of American bomber crews during World War II.

Robert Jordan was just a kid when he was shot down on November 26, 1944. The 19-year-old was part of a nine-member crew aboard a Consolidated B-24J that was on a bombing mission over Misburg, Germany. When the aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire, Jordan and his crewmates bailed out. They were later captured and imprisoned by the Germans.

More than 20 years later, Jordan documented the harrowing experience in an oil painting titled November 1944. The hauntingly beautiful work is notable for its depiction of light and shadow, not surprising since Jordan admired 17th-century painters Frans Hals and Rembrandt van Rijn, known for their frequent use of chiaroscuro.

When Jordan donated the painting to the National Air and Space Museum in 1976, he included a letter that explained his intentions: “The painting is by no means a true group portrait. I was working from a twenty-two-year-old memory of faces and really wanted it to be general for any crew.”

The body language of the crew evokes a sense of shared despair in the solemn painting. “I still feel some sense of ambiguity I had when I painted it,” wrote Jordan “and which I felt in 1944—the sense of adventure as well as the possibility of death—the necessity of the task as well as the madness of it all.”

In the painting, yellow life-vests serve as signs of hope, representing the survival of the entire crew, who were rescued by Allied forces in spring 1945. November 1944 honors the courage of Jordan’s crew—and others who served—giving promise that life can endure even in dire circumstances. 

Carolyn Russo is the curator of the National Air and Space Museum’s art and trophy collection.

This article is from the Spring issue of Air & Space Quarterly, the National Air and Space Museum's signature magazine that explores topics in aviation and space, from the earliest moments of flight to today. Explore the full issue.

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