Henry Maas Lithographs

Title: Henry Maas Lithographs
Subject: Henry Bothin Maas (1903-1994), World War II, WWII, aviation, aircraft, USAAF, Air Force, United States Army Air Force, lithographs
Description: The Henry Maas lithographs of World War II aircraft are reproductions of Maas’s original dry-point etchings and are a part of a series of 30 plates made after 1945. These lithographs were collected and printed by the artist in 1976 under the series name, United States Air Power, 1939-1945. They depict various aircraft designed and used by the United States and her allies during World War II.

Born in Wisconsin on November 4, 1903, Maas moved to the San Francisco area in the 1920s. He was actively engaged as a free-lance artist from 1924 to WWII, creating general illustrative work for various advertising agencies and publications such as Standard Oil’s Bulletin. He specialized in aviation art. After WWII, Maas established a home studio working in other types of media: pencil, watercolor, and oils, with his primary focus still being aviation. He passed away on September 22, 1994.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University donated this collection to APUS in 2013.
Creator: Henry Bothin Maas (1903-1994)
Publisher: American Public University System
Rights: The information contained on this website, including images, text, and media, is for educational use only. Users of this site are expected to comply with US COPYRIGHT LAW. Any researcher wishing to use material from this site outside of the current platform is responsible for determining the copyright status of the desired item/items.
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Type: Collection
Coverage: Located at APUS Richard G. Trefry Archives

Collection Items

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PBY Consolidated Catalina

Commonly referred to the as Cat or the Black Cat when painted all black for nighttime missions. The PBY Catalina was a widely used seaplane used by all branches in all theaters of the war. A PBY spotted the German megabattleship Bismarck, which would lead to its sinking.
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P61 Black Widow

Used mostly as a night fighter in all theaters of WWII. The Black Widow was the first aircraft designed to use radar. James Dickey, author of Deliverance, flew P-61s in the Pacific.
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B24 Consolidated Liberator

This heavy bomber was the most produced aircraft of the war, over 18,000 were manufactured. Jimmy Stewart flew B-24s and was the Commanding Officer of 703rd Bomber Squadron, 445th Bombardment Group.
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PB2Y Consolidated Coronado

The Coronado was the larger cousin to the PBY Catalina. It did not have the range of the Catalina. The aircraft was primarily used as transports and was bsolete by the end of the war and nearly all were quickly scrapped.
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C54 Douglas Skymaster

This transport plan played a large non-combat role in carrying between 26-50 troops to and from stations. After WWII, it played a vital role hauling supplies during to Berlin during the Berlin Airlift.
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C47 Douglas Skytrain

The Skytrain was developed off of Douglas’s DC-3 civilian model. A transport plane that was also used by paratroopers. 50,000 paratroopers jumped out of Skytrains during D-Day.
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C47 Douglas Skytrain

The Skytrain was developed off of Douglas’s DC-3 civilian model. A transport plane that was also used by paratroopers. 50,000 paratroopers jumped out of Skytrains during D-Day.
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B29 Boeing Superfortress

The B29 was a 4-engine heavy bomber that was highly sophisticated for the age. It included four remote controlled machine gun turrets and an onboard analog computer for the fire control system. The design and production of the aircraft cost more than the Manhattan Project.
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PBM Martin Mariner

Larger, faster and more capable than the PBY Catalina, the Mariner was a patrol bomber that was used for anti-submarine warfare, reconnaissance, and search and rescue missions.
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A20 Douglas Havoc

The Havoc was a light-bomber, attack and night-fighter and one of the first American aircraft to serve in WWII. The Soviet Air Force were the largest operators of Havocs.