|
One of the stalwarts of the long hot Desert Air War, the Curtis P40 Kittyhawk was flown with extraordinary verve and courage not only by the pilots of the RAF, but also those of the Royal Australian, Canadian, and South African Air Forces.
The renowned Curtis P40 Warhawk was, by the time of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, numerically the most important American fighter aircraft and had already been supplied to the RAF in mid 1940, where it was designated first the Tomahawk, and later versions the Kittyhawk. This classic aircraft remained in continuous front line service and flew in most theatres of operation throughout World War II.
Robert Taylor's brand new limited edition has been issued specially to pay tribute to this fine robust warbird, and to all the courageous fighter pilots who flew it. The wonderfully evocative drawing depicts a P40 Kittyhawk of 112 Squadron RAF, flown by their CO Squadron Leader Clive Caldwell, the top scoring Australian fighter pilot of the war, seen over the coast of Libya in late 1941. 112 Squadron had already been in the thick of the action throughout Wavell's early encounters in the Western Desert, then in the fighting and eventual withdrawal from Greece, before returning to the Western Desert in 1941. At this time they also adopted the famous shark's teeth marking by which it was known thereafter.
With his outstanding and world-renowned talent for pencil drawing, Robert captures precisely the arid heat, dust and smoke of desert warfare, conveying an air of impending conflict. With each print signed by Squadron Leader Neville Duke, 112 fighter Ace and the Allies top-scoring pilot in the Mediterranean theatre, this is an outstanding aviation print in every sense, and with only 90 prints this new highly restricted edition is a must for all aviation art collectors.
|
