FINAL VICTORY

Description

Flying his P-51 Scat VII Robin Olds brings down a Me109 G10 high over Germany in the late spring of 1945 while flying escort to B-17s bombers of the 381st Bomb Group. Remarkably, this Mustang survived the war and in 1958 was sold to a private owner, in 1992 it was returned to its wartime configuration.

Typical of the aggressive fighter pilots led by the great Hub Zemke was Robin Olds. He arrived at RAF Wattisham, England in May 1944, assigned to fly the remarkable P-38 fighter with the 434th Squadron. It didn’t take long for the novice pilot to make his mark and after flying interdiction missions over France and Germany with the 479th, Olds took part in the D-Day operations and then on August 13 opened his score by jumping two Fw190s at ground level. A couple of weeks later he bagged three Me109s when attacking a group of some fifty enemy fighters while escorting bombers high over Muritz Zee.

Converting to P-51D Mustangs, he completed two combat tours, flying deep penetration missions, engagements with the Luftwaffe’s new Me363 jet fighter, and strafing attacks on German facilities and airfields. By the end of the war, at 23 years of age with the rank of Major, Robin Olds was in command of 434 Squadron and his final tally was 13 air victories. He would go on to score another four victories whilst flying Phantoms in Vietnam to become a triple ace with 17 victories.

Published in 2002 this outstanding print is signed by one of the most legendary American Aces in history and is the perfect collector’s item for aviation enthusiasts and autograph hunters alike.

Brigadier General ROBIN OLDS – 17 victories