Classic Aviation & War Art has donated the signed and numbered, limited edition print, Fighting Red Tails by artist Robert Taylor.

This print is sold out at the publisher and the retail value of this print is $320.00. This print is in mint condition.

FIGHTING RED TAILS
(Tuskegee Edition)
by Robert Taylor

Overall Print Size: 33¼" x 23½"
Edition Size: 800

"The P-38s always stayed out too far. Some Mustang groups stayed in too
close, other groups we felt just wanted to go off and shoot down 109s? but
the Red Tails were always out there where we wanted them to be... we had no
idea their pilots were Black; it was the Army's best kept secret," recalled
a grateful B-24 pilot paying tribute to the Tuskegee airmen of the 332nd
Fighter Group, whose pilots were made up entirely of black Americans.
Contending with prejudice from certain quarters within their own air force
and much of the American press, the young black pilots of what was to become
famously known as the Tuskegee Airmen, first went into action in Italy in
May 1943. It was a revolution. At a time when racial prejudice was still
rife the idea that black pilots could equal the endeavors of their white
counterparts seemed out of the question - to some too ludicrously stupid to
contemplate. These critics were soon to be proven wrong. After cutting their
teeth as the 99th Squadron, first with the 324th then with the 79th Fighter
Groups, flying fighter-bomber missions attacking railroads, bridges, and
communication centers, in July 1944 they joined the 100th, 301st, and 302nd
to form the 332nd Fighter Group - the USAAF's first all-black unit, its
pilots all trained at Tuskegee. Equipped with P-51 Mustangs, their spinners
and tails decorated in bright red paint, they became lastingly known as the
"Red Tails". Their dedicated task was to protect the bomber forces, and that
is precisely what they did: Flying till the end of hostilities, and at
considerable sacrifice, uniquely they never lost a single bomber to enemy
aircraft. The Red Tails recorded more than 15,000 combat sorties destroying
or damaging over 250 enemy planes, covering themselves in glory - their
pilots between them being awarded over 1000 medals for gallantry. When the
war was over they had earned the undying respect of bomber crews, fellow
fighter pilots, and a grateful group of nations.

"FIGHTING RED TAILS" depicts the red-tailed P-51 Mustangs of the 332nd
Fighter Group - the famed Tuskegee Airmen - climbing to operational height
as B17 Fortresses from the 483rd Bomb Group maneuver into formation at the
start of another long and dangerous mission over Germany, October 1944. A
welcome sight for the Fortress crews, the renowned all-black Tuskegee pilots
were credited for never losing an escorted bomber to enemy aircraft. For the
first time ever Robert Taylor pays tribute to the Tuskegee Fighter Pilots in
this stunning portrait of one of the most famous fighter units of WWII.

In addition to the artist this print has been personally signed in pencil by
three of the famed Tuskegee airmen and two flyers from the 483rd Bomb Group
who were regularly escorted by the 332nd and who are featured in Robert
Taylor's painting, for a total of FIVE signatures:

Brigadier General CHARLES McGEE
Second Lieutenant ELBERT HUDSON
First Lieutenant ARTHUR SHERMAN
Second Lieutenant LOWELL STEWARD
Staff Sergeant LEON WALDEN

President Trump recently promoted Colonel Charles McGee to the rank of
Brigadier General, making this print even more special.

Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

You can find this and more at the Classic Aviation & War Art store, located in the SJAFB Exchange Mall, directly across from Subway.