1."Zero Encounter" by Robert Taylor. An F-4F and a Zero tangle over Henderson Field, Guadalcanal in 1942.
2. "Number 20 For Joe" by Roy Grinnell. Marine Capt. Joe Foss leads his flight of 8 Wildcats down in an attack on 30 Japanese Betty Bombers, and scores his 20th victory. Later in this same battle he got another Betty and a Zero.
3. "First Marine Ace" by Roy Grinnell. Marine Capt. Marion Carl leads his men against Japanese bombers on August 24th. His four victories in this battle (plus his one at Midway) made him the first ace in Marine Corps history.
4. Painting by artist Tom Lea of pilot A.C. Emerson flying his Wildcat in defense of the carrier Hornet during the naval battle of Santa Cruz on October 26, 1942.
5. P-39 Aircobra by artist Tony Weddel (part of the Valiant Clan series by Glenn Illustrators). Subtitled "Down on the deck where it hurts", it shows P-39s of the USAAF 67th Pursuit Squadron strafing enemy positions.
6. (detail of) Painting by artist Don Greer showing Captain Joe Foss downing one of five Zero fighters in an action on October 25, 1942.
7. "When You See Zeros, Fight 'Em!" by Bill Phillips. Seeing a fellow Wildcat pilot being attacked by a Zero, Marine Capt. Joseph Foss brought his F4F up close behind the Japanese plane and opened fire. The Zero burst into flames and the pilot bailed out, clearing Foss' plane by inches.
8. "Cactus Scramble " by David Poole. Loaded with 3 bombs each, a pair of Dauntlesses rise up from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal for yet another strike mission.
9. "Warm Reception" by James Dietz - January 25, 1943, Joe Foss returns to Guadalcanal after a mission in which he led eight Wildcats and four P-38s in a series of manuevers around an inbound Japanese aerial attack force of 100 aircraft, faking them into believing that they were outnumbered, so that they abandoned their attack. Having saved the island once again, Foss returned to a deservedly warm welcome. (Though this happened after 1942, it captures the flavor of the Guadalcanal airfield very well.)
10. "F4F Wildcat" by R.G. Smith. Two Wildcats in flight over Henderson Field. A good view of looking down on the airstrip, similar to Robert Taylor's painting.
11. "Attack on the Hiei" by Robert Taylor. A relatively new painting by Robert Taylor shows the Japanese battleship under attack by U.S. warplanes.
12. "Fogerty's Fate" by A. M. Leahy. From the U. S. Marine Corps Art Collection, this scene portrays a true story involving a crashed Dauntless on October 22, 1942.
13. "John Smith scores again" by Jon Amper. Captain John Smith of VMF-223 scores his eighth kill by downing a Zero in a head-on pass over Henderson Field on August 30, 1942.
14. "Tough As Nails" by Stan Stokes. Captain Joe Foss's F4F Wildcat engages a Japanese "Pete" floatplane, which he shot down.
After the campaign for Guadalcanal, the interception of Admiral Yamamoto by P-38 Lightnings that took off from Henderson Field can be seen in an excellent painting by Jim Laurier. It gives you another good idea of what the field looked like in color. His website is currently down, but here is a webpage showing the print: Brooks Aviation Art.
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