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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Squadrons United States 4th Fighter Group to 78th Fighter Group  23rd Fighter Group |
| 23rd Fighter Group Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
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. |
| 23rd Fighter Group Aircraft details |
 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. |
 Warhawk Manufacturer : Curtiss Built : 13738 | Warhawk P-40 |
| 23rd Fighter Group Pilot and aircrew signature details |
 Major General John Alison Our estimated value of this signature : £40 Died : 2011 | Major General John Alison John Alison served as Assistant Military Attache in England and later Russia. His first combat tour was with the Flying Tigers in China, serving with the 23rd F G where he became an Ace. He returned to China for a 2nd tour as Commander of the 1st Air Commando Force and led the glider assault carrying General Orde Wingate's forces behind enemy lines in Burma. He finished the war with 8 victories. Sadly, John Alison passed away on 6th June 2011. |
  Colonel Tex Hill Our estimated value of this signature : £75 Died : 2007 | Colonel Tex Hill Tex Hill was born in Korea on 13th July 1915. Tex Hill graduated as a Naval Aviator in 1939, and after serving as a Navy Pilot, Tex Hill volunteered for the A.V.G., becoming Squadron Leader in the 2nd Sqn (Panda Bears) until disbandment in 1942, by which time he had 12.25 air victories, making him the second highest ranking Ace in the American Volunteer Group. He remained in China, as the first squadron commander of the 75th F S /23rd F G before returning to the U.S. He went back to China to command the 23rd F G, increasing his total to 18.25 victories. In late 1943 he led a group of 30 aircraft on the first strike against Formosa. During this mission, 42 enemy aircraft were confirmed destroyed, with a possible 12 more, while all 30 aircraft under Tex Hill's command returned safely. Returning to the US, he commanded the 412th Fighter Group, the first jet aircraft group. Here, he flew P-80 Shooting Stars and YP-59 Airacomets. His decorations include a Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, 4 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 2 Air Medals, 2 Presidential Unit Citations, 6 decorations awarded by China, and a Distinguished Flying Cross from the UK. Sadly, Tex Hill died on 11th October 2007. |
 Lieutenant Wayne G Johnson Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Lieutenant Wayne G Johnson 23rd Fighter Group Flying Tigers pilot. Whitey Johnson enlisted in the Air Corps on 8th December 1941, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and trained as a fighter pilot. After completing training he was posted to China to join the 23rd Fighter Group - The Flying Tigers - where he flew with the 188th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. He was one of the sixteen P-51 Mustang pilots who participated in the first strike against Japanese airfields near Shanghai, where they destroyed 97 planes on the ground without any losses. |
 Lt Colonel Don Lopez Our estimated value of this signature : £40 Died : 2008 | Lt Colonel Don Lopez In October 1943, Don was assigned to the 75th Fighter Squadron/ 23 F G Flying Tigers, in Hengyang, China, and was soon in the thick of the fighting, scoring a victory in his very first air combat. he completed his tour in 1945 as Squadron Operations Officer, having scored 5 air victories. He later became Deputy Director of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington. |
  Colonel Charles Older Our estimated value of this signature : £70 Died : 2006 | 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. |
 Captain Ronald M Phillips Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Captain Ronald M Phillips 23rd Fighter Group Flying Tigers pilot. Ron Philips was drafted a few months after Pearl Harbor, graduated from the Airplane and Engine School in Glendale, Caligornia and began training as a pilot. Commissioned in 1943 he was posted to the 23rd Fighter Group - The Flying Tigers - and part of the 14th Air Force. Arriving in Kweilin in the summer of 1944 he flew with the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron - the Black Lightnings - the fourth squadron of the 23rd Fighter Group, equipped with P-51 Mustangs. |
 Colonel Ed Rector Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 2001 | Colonel Ed Rector Born 28th September 1916, Ed Rector originally flew dive bombers off carriers before being recruited into the A.V.G. flying with the 2nd Squadron. Ed Rector was one of the five pilots who volunteered for continuous service in China after 4th July, 1942 and joined the 23rd Fighter Group. He returned to China later for a 2nd tour of duty. He had a total of 10.5 air victories. He died on 26th April 2001. |
 Brigadier General Wiltz Segura Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 1999 | Brigadier General Wiltz Segura After combat training with the Army Air Corps in 1943, Wiltz Segura joined the Flying Tigers in China, serving with the 75th Fighter Squadron/ 23rd Fighter Group. Glying over 102 combat missions he was twice shot down by ground fire but managed to parachute from his disabled P-40 and evade capture by the Japanese. He finished the war with 6 air victories. General Segura was born in 1921 in New Iberia, La., where he graduated from New Iberia High School in January 1940 and attended Louisiana State University and the University of Southwestern Louisiana prior to entering the Army Air Corps in 1942 as an aviation cadet. He received his flying training in the Southeastern Training Command and graduated at Craig Field, Ala., with a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps and his pilot wings in April 1943. He then attended a three month fighter transition training at Sarasota, Fla. Sadly, he died on 9th April 1999. |
