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The Vought F4U Corsair was arguably the best American fighter of World War Two, and it is generally accepted to have been the best carrier-borne fighter of the war. Its pilots destroyed well over 2000 enemy aircraft achieving an 11-1 victory ratio - an outstanding record for a fighter that didn't enter service until early 1943.
The first carrier-borne F4U Corsairs were operated by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during attacks against the Tirpitz, and the distinctive gull-winged fighter saw service with nineteen FAA Squadrons, mostly in the Far East. But it was in the hands of the US Navy and Marine pilots in the Pacific that this outstanding aircraft made its greatest contribution to the Allied war effort, the 400 mph single-seat fighter proving a formidable opponent in any role its pilots chose.
Robert Taylor's magnificent painting features a gaggle of F4U IAs on a low-level strafing run during Allied landings in the Marshall Islands in 1944. Below an AM6 Zero lies decaying on the beach, the victim of an earlier aerial contest. In the distance Allied shipping bombard enemy positions while landing-craft bring the invasion force ashore.
The unmistakable ingredients of a Robert Taylor masterpiece bring a significant piece of history to life again, his canvas singing with the roar of the F4Us' Pratt and Whitney engines and the distant clatter of battle. Yet amidst the crescendo of war there is a subtle peace and calm, with beautifully painted palm trees, an idyllic sandy beach, and a vivid sky so typically seen in the balmy Pacific Islands. Full of wonderful tropical colours, this truly beautiful picture will grace the wall of any room in any home.
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