Limited edition prints (run of ten) available in A2 and A1 only.
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1/10 Every copy signed and numbered by the artist, Rob Wisdom
Original illustration of Mustang IV KH855 (RF-A) of No. 303 Squadron Royal Air Force. The P-51 Mustang was one of the finest fighter planes of the Second World War. Designed by Edgar Schmued of North American Aviation, the Mustang entered RAF service in January 1942. The Mustang continued to be developed throughout the war, and in late 1944 the RAF received its first Mustang Mk. IVs (designated P-51D by the USAAF), recognisable by their bubble canopies. One squadron to receive the Mustang IV was arguably the most famous squadron in Fighter Command: No. 303 (Polish) Squadron.
No. 303 Squadron were one of a number of Polish Air Force squadrons within the Royal Air Force, and had distinguished themselves during the Battle of Britain, producing some of the conflict's leading aces including John A. Kent ('Kentski', to his Polish comrades), Josef František, Witold Urbanowicz, and Jan Zumbach. They served with distinction throughout the war, including during Operation Jubilee (the Dieppe raid), Operation Overlord (the Normandy landings), and on escort duties as part of the Combined Bomber Offensive.
Julian Krok, the pilot of Mustang KH855, was born in 1920, and joined the fight initially in the army, before successfully applying for pilot training in 1941. Krok's first posting was to No. 17 Independent Photo-Reconnaissance Squadron in the Middle East; he was transferred to No. 303 Squadron in 1944, and remained there until the squadron was disbanded in December 1946. After the war he returned to Poland, but was forced to flee by Soviet persecution. He found his way to Australia, where he lived until his death in 2012. He is buried in Bowen Hills, Queensland.
The illustration was produced in partnership with the Polish Heritage Flight, which honours the memory of the Polish pilots who served with the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. You can learn more about them and their mission here.
This illustration by Rob Wisdom is a high quality Giclée art print on cotton-rich fine art paper.
12x16" art print shown. Cropping and title position (if applicable) may differ slightly on 'A' size art prints.
