February 20, 2024
 

“North Dakota’s World War II Pilots and the ‘Masters of the Air’ Connection” Scheduled at the ND Heritage Center & State Museum

BISMARCK, N.D. – Solen artist Scott Nelson is presenting “North Dakota’s World War II Pilots and the ‘Masters of the Air’ Connection” at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 3, at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum in Bismarck. Nelson will be discussing his paintings and the stories of the North Dakota pilots whose planes are depicted. This event is free and open to the public.

Among the pilots featured in the currently streaming Apple TV+ “Masters of the Air” miniseries, based on the book of the same name, is Maj. Gale “Buck” Cleven. Cleven served as the commanding officer of the 350th Bomb Squadron. He retired to Dickinson for a few years to be near George Ott, a close friend he met while the two were prisoners of war. Ott introduced Cleven to Nelson in 2003 while Nelson was working on a painting depicting Ott’s story. Cleven revealed details of his time as a bomber pilot and the day his plane was shot down over Germany. Nelson used that information to create a painting of the event, which is on exhibit in Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot.

The State Historical Society of North Dakota has two items related to Cleven. The current “North Dakota History: Journal of the Northern Plains” includes a collection feature on Cleven. The State Archives holds a videotape recorded on Nov. 11, 2003, in Lemmon, South Dakota, of Cleven, who recalls his experience of being shot down and captured. He also comments on Nelson’s painting depicting the incident. 

For more information, contact Laura Forde ljforde@nd.gov. The ND Heritage Center & State Museum is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Find additional upcoming events at statemuseum.nd.gov/events. 

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CONTACT
Kara Haff, Public Information Officer
701.328.3547

PHOTO CAPTION & CREDIT
In this 2006 photo, Solen artist Scott Nelson and former Lt. Gov. Ernest Sands discuss the painting "Drama Over Cologne," which depicts Sands parachuting from his B-24 bomber near Cologne, Germany, in 1944.  Sands spent the rest of the war as a POW. (SHSND, PROVIDED) 
 

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