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Cranston Fine Arts Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures United States O Older, Charles

Colonel Charles Older

Charles Herman Older, born on 29 September 1917 in Hanford, California, graduated from the University of California in 1939 with a degree in political science. No the 1st April 1940 Charles Herman Older joined the Marine Corps for flight training, he received his wings and commission at Pensacola. Resigning from the Marine Corps in 1941 to join the A.V.G., Chuck Older took part in the great 'Christmas' air battles over Rangoon shooting down 5 Japanese aircraft. With 10.25 victories to his credit he joined the 23rd F G when the A.V.G. was disbanded, flying P-51s. He led the first strike against Shanghai resulting in the destruction of 77 Japanese aircraft. He completed the war with 18.25 air victories. After leaving the Air Force Colonel Chuck Older obtained a law degree from the University of Southern California and subsequently became a superior court judge in Los Angeles, California. He gained prominence as the presiding judge in the Charles Manson mass murder trial in 1970-71. Charles Older died on the 17th June 2006.

Colonel Charles Older - Signed Aviation Art

Flying Tigers - The Stuff of Legend by Robert Taylor. 3 of 6 editions available. All 6 editions feature up to 13 additional signatures. £210.00 - £350.00

Sayonara Sally by Stan Stokes. One edition. The edition features 3 additional signature(s). £340.00

Flying Tiger by Nicolas Trudgian. 9 editions. All 9 editions feature up to 2 additional signature(s). £60.00 - £85.00

Triple Dates With Destiny by Stan Stokes. One edition. The edition features an additional signature. £160.00

Tiger Fire by Nicolas Trudgian. 2 editions. Both editions feature up to 3 additional signatures. £340.00 - £390.00

Fighting Tigers by Robert Taylor. One edition. The edition features 6 additional signature(s). £240.00

Clipped Signature - Chuck Older. One edition. £60.00

Chennault's Flying Tigers by Robert Taylor. This single edition is sold out. The edition features 7 additional signatures.

Text for the above items :

Flying Tigers - The Stuff of Legend by Robert Taylor. P-40s of the AVG Flying Tigers 3rd Pursuit Squadron - Hell's Angels - surprise the enemy with a deadly strafing attack on a Japanese forward air-base in China, summer 1942. With their Allison engines screaming at full throttle, AVG Aces Tommy Haywood and Robert Smith, lead the charge as the Hell's Angels leave a trail of havoc and destruction behind them. Robert Taylor has created a masterpiece to honor the Flying Tigers and the release is autographed by legendary Aces including four of the AVG's most respected pilots who, since signing, have sadly passed away, giving even greater meaning to this edition.

Sayonara Sally by Stan Stokes. Claire L. Chennault retired in 1937 and began a second career in China where he set up a number of flying schools and airfields. A personal friend of Chiang Kai-shek Chennault was asked to organize a unit of experienced American combat pilots to help fight the Japanese. Chennault sent recruiters to American military installations and was able to organize the American Volunteer Group or AVG by late 1941. The group later became better known as the Flying Tigers, and their distinctive shark-mouthed P-40s became a well-recognized symbol. There were three AVG squadron; the Adam and Eves, the Panda Bears, and the Hells Angels. On December 23, 1941 sixty Sally heavy bombers of the 60th , 62nd , and 68th Sentai based at Bangkok and Phnom Penh were supposed to rendezvous over Bangkok and head to Rangoon for a bombing raid. The three units failed to join up as planned and they also failed to rendezvous with their fighter escorts for the mission. As the sixty aircraft approached Rangoon they were strung out and without the benefit of escort. None-the-less the determined Japanese pilots forged ahead. The AVG Flying Tigers were alerted at 10:00 AM with the alert message clear the field! Chuck Older and Ed Overend had been released from duty for some R&R, however when they hear the commotion created by the alert they returned to Mingladon Airfield and located two unused P40s, hopped in and went flying. Reaching an altitude of 8,000 feet they began to catch up with some other aircraft from the Hells Angels Squadron. They then spotted the huge conglomeration of Japanese bombers above them. I aimed at one of the wing planes on the left side of the formation and after my first attack, smoke began streaming from the port engine. I rolled out to the side and came back.... I aimed again at the same plane and closed to about seventy-five yards. I gave it a long burst, and the bomber suddenly nosed down out of the formation with smoke streaming behind. I saw it roll over into an almost vertical dive and disappear below me. As Older further recalled I continued making attacks from below, this time aiming at the leader of the formation.... I saw the bomber explode.... and flame and smoke seemed to pour out from the bottom of the fuselage. I saw debris falling from this plane immediately after the explosion. The bomber nosed straight down with flames and smoke pouring from it. Two days later the AVG would decimate an even larger formation of Japanese bombers, forcing the Japanese to adopt a policy of bombing only at night.

Flying Tiger by Nicolas Trudgian. Part of a small print series of six American WW2 aircraft, signed by some of the great American pilots, some no longer with us. Cranston Fine Arts have purchased the last remaining stocks of this aviation series.

Triple Dates With Destiny by Stan Stokes. Chuck Older was born in California in 1914. He graduated from UCLA and entered the U.S. Marine Corps. in 1940. He earned his wings as an aviation cadet, and was assigned to VNIF-1. In mid-1941, anxious to see some action, Chuck resigned his USNIC commission and joined Claire Chennaults American Volunteer Group. He was assigned to the 3rd Pursuit Squadron Hells Angels and experienced his first combat in December of 1941. In the first two combat missions he flew on December 23 and December 25, 1941, Older would be credited with downing five Japanese aircraft becoming one of the first two AVG aces. He bagged four more enemy aircraft prior to mid-1942 when the AVG was disbanded. In mid-1942 Older returned to the States and accepted a commission with the USAAF. He commanded a P-38 squadron for a time, and in 1944, having been promoted to Major, he was sent back to China to serve once again with General Claire Chennault, this time with the 14th Air Force. Chuck served as Deputy Commander and Group Operations Officer for the 23rd Fighter Group. Flying P-5 Is for the first time, he downed as Oscar over Yochow on July 28, 1944. Promoted to Lt. Colonel, Older would down four more aircraft in December including three more Oscars and a Lilly. In January of 1945, Older bagged three different types of enemy aircraft on a single mission, including a Sonia, a Betty, and a Tess on the outskirts of Shanghai. His attack on the Sonia is depicted in Stan Stokes painting entitled Triple Dates With Destiny. Some artistic license has been utilized in the depiction. The artist has chosen to depict in the scene Olders regular aircraft, rather than the borrowed one he actually flew on the mission. Chucks regular mount had actually been destroyed the day before during a ground attack . Later, Older would lead the first attack on Shanghai with a flight of sixteen Mustangs. This successful mission caught the Japanese by surprise, and resulted in the destruction of more than seventy aircraft on the ground and five more in the air. Following the War, with a total of 18.25 aerial victories, Older left the Air Force. He earned a Law Degree from the University of Southern California, and entered the law profession. In 1952 he was recalled for the Korean War, and served with the 352nd Bomb Group based in Japan. He returned home and practiced law for fifteen years before Governor Ronald Reagan appointed him to the bench, as a Judge of the Superior Court in Los Angeles. Judge Older served the court for twenty years hearing both criminal and civil cases. He presided over the highly publicized Charles Manson murder case. Chuck retired from the bench in 1987 and continues to live in Los Angeles. His numerous decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the British Distinguished Flying Cross, the Chinese Air Force Medal and the Order of the Cloud Banner. In 1996, the USAF honored Older and other AVG members, and Chuck received the USAF Distinguished Flying Cross for his service with the AVG.

Tiger Fire by Nicolas Trudgian. In early 1941, many months before Pearl Harbor, an irrepressible bunch of American fighter pilots, together with 200 ground crew, came together and stood alone against the might of the Imperial Japanese Air Force. Under the indomitable command of General Claire Chennault, their task was to keep the vital road link open between the port of Rangoon and the city of Kunming in South West China. A treacherous unpaved track, hacked through mountain terrain and known as the infamous Burma Road, was the only lifeline for supplies into China from the outside world. With the Japanese hell-bent on its destruction, the Flying Tigers were all that stood between defeat and survival. With little support from home, and almost without replacement aircraft or spares, the P-40 Tomahawk pilots of the American Volunteer Group - the AVG - became the scourge of the Japanese Air Force and heroes to the people of China. In a six month period of combat, with no more than 50 or 60 serviceable aircraft at anyone time, and invariably heavily outnumbered in the air, they destroyed some 300 Japanese airplanes, damaging and destroying another 300, and causing incalculable damage to Japanese ground forces. During its brief existence this remarkable group became one of the most successful and famous fighter units of all time. Their short but glorious private war came to an end when on July 4th, 1942 the AVG was absorbed into the USAAF and Chennaults Flying Tigers passed into aviation folklore. Motivated by the legend of the Flying Tigers, Nicolas Trudgian has painted one of his finest pictures. Dominating the foreground is a stunning view of Chuck Olders P-40 - one of the 3rd Pursuit Squadrons, known as Hells Angels - in hot pursuit of a bunch of Zero fighters up ahead. Close by to his left another Flying Tiger finishes off a Zero, already on its way down. Below the pastoral scene is caught unawares by the sudden approach of fighters, as the fast-moving dogfight hurtles across the landscape.

Fighting Tigers by Robert Taylor. On August 5, 1944, following a successful attack on Japanese forces just north of Changsha, P-40 Warhawks of the75th and 16th Fighter Squadrons, 23rd F.G., are attacked by enemy Nakajima fighters and a massive dog-fight has developed over the Hsiang Chiang river with aircraft wheeling and turning in all directions. The action is set against the distinctive, haunting landscape of Southern China, Roberts panoramic canvas capturing all the atmosphere of a crucial aerial campaign fought in the skies above a distant land so many years ago.

Clipped Signature - Chuck Older. A legend of the American Volunteer Group, he was credited with 10.5 victories flying the Mustang before it was disbanded. He then joined the 23rd Fighter Group and scored 18.25 victories by the end of the war. After the war he became a prominent superior court judge. He died in 2006.

Chennault's Flying Tigers by Robert Taylor. P40 Tomahawks of the American Volunteer Group fought against the Japanese air force in the skies over Indo-China during World War 2 and became one of the most successful and famous fighter units of all time. Strangled by the Japanese blockade of its sea ports, and with supplies from Russia diverted to combat Hitler's invasion, China was left with one lifeline for vital supplies from the outside world: a treacherous unpaved track hacked through mountain terrain linking the port of Rangoon with the city of Kumming, in South West China - it was the infamous Burma Road. With the Impirial Japanese air force hell-bent on destroying Chinas last supply link, opposition had almost evaporated but for a tiny air force of American volunteers led by the indomitable figure of Claire Chennault. Formed in early 1941, months before Pearl Harbor, a rag-tag bunch of 100 recruited flyers supported by 200 ground personnel, known as the American Volunteer Group came together to stand alone against the might of Japanese air force in Indo-china. Blazing a trail in the skies over Burma and China they created a legend that will remain in the folklore of aviation history. They were Chennault's Flying Tigers. With little official support from home, the P-40 Tomahawk pilots of the A.V.G. became the scourge of the Japanese air force. In a six month period of combat, with no more than 50 or 60 serviceable aircraft, they destroyed some 300 Japanese aircraft, while probably destroying another 300. Their brief, glorious existance came to and end when on 4th July 1942 the A.V.G. was absorbed into the U.S Army Air Corps. Chennault's Flying Tigers passed into history. Moved by the legend of the Flying tigers, Robert Taylor has created a masterpiece. Capturing the spirit of the Flying Tigers he portrays a scene typical of the distant war fought by this tiny band of warriors. In the foreground of Robert's dramatic combat scene are two P-40s of the 2nd Pursuit Squadron, the Panda Bears, as they pull out of a driving attack just above the tree-tops of the Burmese jungle. One bomber hits the water, as two more P-40s bear down on another Nakajima bomber. In the distance the air is busy with low-level combat.

Mustang Manufacturer : North American

Mustang The ubiquitous North American P-51 Mustang, which many consider to be the best all-around fighter of WW II, owes its origins to the British Air Ministry. Following Britains entry into WW II in 1939, the RAF was interested in purchasing additional fighter aircraft from American sources, particularly the Curtiss P-40. Curtiss, which was busy, was unable to guarantee timely delivery so the British approached North American Aviation as a possible second source for the P-40. North American chose to propose its own fighter design which would use the same Allison engine as the P-40. Utilizing new laminar flow wings, the North American fighter was expected to have performance better than the P-40. Developed in record time the new aircraft was designated as a Mustang I by the Brits, whereas the USAAF ordered two for evaluation which were designated XP-51 Apaches. Intrigued with the possibility of using this aircraft also as a dive bomber, North American proposed this to the USAAF which decided to order 500 of the P-51 aircraft to be modified for dive bombing use. Designated as the A-36 Invader, this version of the Mustang utilized dive flaps, and bomb racks under each wing. Some reinforcing of the structural members was also required because of the G-forces to be encountered in dive bombing. A-36s entered combat service with the USAAF prior to any P-51s. In early 1943 the 86th and 27th Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12th Air Force began flying A-36s out of Northern Africa. Despite some early problems with instability caused by the dive flaps, the A-36 was effective in light bombing and strafing roles. It was not, however, capable of dog fighting with German fighters, especially at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks one USAAF pilot, Captain Michael T. Russo, who served with the 16th Bomb Squadron of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36, thereby becoming the first mustang ace.

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Warhawk Manufacturer : Curtiss Built : 13738

Warhawk P-40

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Colonel Charles Older Squadron details

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