Description
FOLLOWING HORRIDO! THIS RELEASE IS THE SECOND EDITION IN ROBERT TAYLOR’S ACE OF ACES SERIES
PART II: PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE USAAF P-51 ACES IN EUROPE
Dominating the skies over Germany, P-51s of the 4th Fighter Group – The Eagles – sweep across the cloud tops, their pilots scanning the distant horizon for any signs of the Luftwaffe. They are ready for trouble should the enemy decide to chance their luck. . .
The greatness of the Mustang is beyond doubt; it was the fighter pilot’s ultimate machine. Tough, hard-hitting, it handled beautifully and – once the mighty Merlin engine had been included – possessed a performance unrivalled by any single piston-engined fighter of World War II. British inspired and American built, the P-51 was the aircraft the eager young pilots of the Eighth Air Force had been waiting for.
Formed in September 1942 from the RAF Eagle Squadrons, the Fourth Fighter Group was the oldest fighter unit in the Eighth Air Force; Under the command of Don Blakeslee, described as ‘probably the best fighter leader of the war’, the combined air and ground victories notched up by ‘The Eagles’ during World War II surpassed any other fighter group. They were the first to penetrate German air space, and the first to engage the Luftwaffe over Berlin. Hermann Goering later remarked ‘When I saw those Mustangs over Berlin, I knew that the war was lost’.
It is fitting therefore that Robert Taylor has chosen the Fourth Fighter Group for his classic new painting Eagles on the Rampage to represent all the pilots who flew P-51s with the USAAF.
Following on from the great success of Roberts previous piece Horrido! which was a tribute to the Luftwaffe Aces of WWII – each print in this outstanding edition is signed by some of the most famous Mustang pilots that flew in the European Theatre during World War II. Every signatory in the edition has reached Ace status, creating a historic new collectors’ edition which may never be surpassed.
THE AMERICAN ACES EDITION signed by TEN P-51 Mustang Aces
Each print has been individually hand-signed by TEN of the USAAF’s Aces who flew Mustangs in Europe during World War II. Together they clocked up many thousands of hours flying P-51s on operational combat missions, and amassed almost ONE HUNDRED VICTORIES between them:
Colonel CLARENCE ‘BUD’ ANDERSON 16¼ victories
Captain JAMES BROOKS 13 victories
Lieutenant Colonel DONALD CUMMINGS 6½ victories
Colonel BARRIE S. DAVIS 6 victories
Lieutenant Colonel CLYDE B. EAST 13 victories
Colonel ARTHUR ‘ART’ FIEDLER 8 victories
Lieutenant Colonel ROBERT ‘BOB’ KARR 6 victories
Lieutenant General GEORGE G. LOVING 5 victories
Colonel STEVE PISANOS 10 victories
Major General DONALD STRAIT 13½ victories
600 Limited Edition prints
25 Artist Proofs
Overall Print Size: 30½” wide x 26¾” high
Acid Free Permanent Paper
