First Response by Brian Bateman. [Original Painting]

7th December 1941, Pearl Harbor. Ken Taylor and George Welch took off in their P-40 Warhawks from the isolated Haleiwa airfield in western Oahu in an attempt to intercept Japanese aircraft. In the first US action of the war (excluding American Volunteer Group pilots), Ken Taylor is seen diving on to a group of Aichi D3A 'Val' dive bombers making their way to the already battered US fleet at Pearl Harbor. Ken was slightly wounded during the action, and without George covering his tail, he would likely have been shot down. Both George and Ken claimed to have shot down three enemy aircraft.

Original oil on canvas painting by Brian Bateman.

Size 12 inches x 9 inches (31cm x 23cm)