P-40
Christmas Over Rangoon, 1941 by Grinnell
Christmas Day 1941 dawned hot and muggy in Rangoon, Burma. It would be another 11 5-degree day. Charles H. Older was one of thirteen pilots of the American Volunteer Group's Third Pursuit Squadron standing alert near their shark- Tomahawks on Mingaladon Airdrome, north of Rangoon. In his first combat two days earlier he had been credited with two Japanese bombers.
At 1130 the air raid sounded, and minutes later 13 Tomahawks, joined by 16 RAF Brewster Buffaloes, rose to meet the enemy. At 1210 the Japanese formation was sighted - three waves of bombers (90 in all) and approximately 60 escorting fighters. George McMillan, R.T. Smith and Robert P. ''Duke'' Hedman attacked the left flank of the leading -V' of bombers while Chuck Older, Tommy Haywood, and Ed Overend worked over the right flank. The other seven took on the fighters. With Haywood on his right wing, Older attacked from below and to the right of the outboard -V". Opening fire at 200 yards in an almost vertical climb, he held the trigger down until less than 100 yards, then kicked over in a hammerhead to dive away. Using this zoom and dive technique he and Haywood shot down two bombers each.
Signed by:
Chuck Older
Ken Jernstedt
Parker Dupouy
Duke Hedman
Bill Reed
Print size: 30"w X 24"h
Limited edition of: 1250 signed and numbered
