Robert Taylor SPECIAL MIDWAY TURNING OF THE TIDE 2 Prints Aviation Art

  

Lot is for 2 Prints. Print Number May Very #/1250 TOTT #/750 SFTN.

MIDWAY - TURNING OF THE TIDE. This stunning aviation panorama vividly brings to life the minutes just prior to the Battle of Midway, the decisive battle that wrote the name of the SBD Dauntless dive-bomber into military history.

The date was 4 June 1942; the time was 10.10 hours; and the place was 20,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, 200 miles north-west of Midway Island. It was the calm before the storm. The Dauntless pilots are in luck; by a stroke of fortune they have found the Japanese carrier fleet at its most vulnerable, decks packed with aircraft re-fuelled, re-armed and almost ready for take-off, But as the Akagi, Kaga, Hiryo and Soryu begin to turn into the wind to range the flight decks for take-off, the unthinkable happens. Plummeting out of the skies above them came the SBD Dauntless dive-bombers, flown by many of the most experienced pilots in the US Navy. Within seconds they will devastate the Japanese fleet, destroying half of the entire enemy carrier force. It was the beginning of the end for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Midway turned out to be one of the most strategically decisive victories fought in the Pacific, and this truly great collector's piece carries the signatures of four outstanding Dauntless pilots who flew in that historic Midway attack: Commander Dick Best, Captain Edward Anderson, Commander Don Ely and Rear Admiral Wilbur Roberts. This never-to-be-repeated combination of dramatic image, distinguished pilots and historical accuracy means that'Midway - Turning of the Tide' is greatly sought after on the secondary market and can therefore reach high values. Each print has been personally signed by the Artist as well as.

Commander DON ELY - Rear Admiral WILBUR ROBERTS - Flight Lieutenant EDWARD H. ANDERSON - Lieutenant Commander DICK BEST.

Print Size: 34 x 26 inches. This Photo does not do the print justice.

This Print is in Excellent Condition, Never Framed and Stored Flat. This was the mission that faced Major John Mitchell, Commanding Officer of the USAAF 339th Fighter Squadron, on April 18th, 1943. Naval Intelligence had learned that Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander in Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet and architect of the infamous Pearl Harbor attack, was to tour his forward air field installations in the South Pacific. One of his stops would be Bougainville, a location with striking distance of USAAF long-range fighters on. Using only airspeed indicator, wristwatch, and a borrowed Navy compass hastily installed the night before.

Major Mitchell led his group of sixteen P-38's toward the interception point off the coast of. The slightest unanticipated wind or a few minutes change in the schedule of the Japanese formation would spell failure; it seemed an impossible task. After more than two hours of tense, low altitude flying in confusing ocean haze, and fearing the worst for their mission, Mitchell's formation began to climb. And above, right on time, was the flight of Japanese aircraft carrying Admiral Yamamoto. Proceeding as briefed Major Mitchell's hand picked "shooters" succeeded in scrambling the six escorting Japanese fighters and downing both Betty bombers, thus assuring the success of the mission.

English aviation artist John Young was commissioned by the publisher, Aerodrome Press, to create this painting. John Young has selected for his subject what was certainly the most critical aspect of the mission: leading a formation of fighters over miles of open sea, remaining undetected, and locating the two enemy bombers. This mission was certainly one of the most important of the Pacific War and its success is a tribute to its leader and all who participated. This depiction of the mission was personally approved by Col. It is a signed and numbered edition limited to 750 prints.

Mitchell, Commanding Officer of the 339th FS and leader of the mission, as well as the members of his lead flight. A single edition limited to 750 prints. On Quintessence Acid Free Art Stock. Each print signed and numbered by the artist.