Aviation artist Simon Atack.
Aviation art print. Aviation print 'Final Victory' by Simon Atack
depicting a USAF P-51 Mustang taking down an Me-109.
Typical of the aggressive American fighter pilots to fly with the
8th Air Force in WWII was Robin Olds, the son of a First World War
pilot. Having completed his training on the P-38, Olds arrived at
RAF Wattisham, England in May 1944, assigned to fly the remarkable
twin-boomed fighter with the 434th Squadron. It didn't take long for
the novice pilot to make his mark.
On August 13th he opened his score by jumping two Fw190s in a ground
level attack. After a brief but hectic flight, he brought both down.
A couple of weeks later he bagged three Me109s - his wingman got another
two - when attacking a group of some fifty enemy fighters while escorting
bombers over Muritz Zee.
Converting to P-51D Mustangs, Olds completed two combat tours,
flying virtually every type of fighter mission. by the end of the
war, at 23 years of age with the rank of Major, Robin Olds was in command
of 434 Squadron. his final tally was 13 air victories, and he was
credited with a further 11.5 enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground.
The painting depicts Robin Olds last air victory of the second world
war. Flying Scat VII he is seen bringing down an Me109 G10 high over
Germany in the late spring of 1945 while flying escort to B-17 bombers of
the 381st Bomb Group. Remarkably, this P-51 survived the war and in 1958
was sold to a private owner for the princely sum of $1196. In
1992 it was returned to its old wartime configuration.
