P-51 Mustang "American Air Superiority" 8X10 matted Art Prints by Willie Jones

Description: American Air Superiority by artist Willie Jones Jr. American Air Superiority is done in graphite pencil and is highly detailed. The matted prints measure 8X10 inches and will fit most ready-made frames.Donald H. Bochkay was from Ashtabula, Ohio. He entered service in the United States Army in 1940 as a member of the 7th Infantry Division.After US entered the War, he applied for and was accepted into aviation cadet training. Bochkay received his wings and was assigned to the 357th Fighter Group.Don Bochkay entered combat flying P-51 Mustangs while assigned to the 363rd Fighter Squadron in early 1944. All of his Mustangs had the winged Ace of Clubs on them. He scored his first kill on 5 March with a shared destruction of an FW-190. 1Lt. Bochkay would become an ace on 29 June 1944 when he shot down a Bf-109. He would add four more kills before going to the United States on leave.Newly promoted Captain Bochkay returned from leave with dogfighting skills still intact. He shot down two FW-190s on 5 December 1944.On 9 February 1945, Capt. Bochkay scored a victory over the vaunted Me-262 jet fighter. During a mission escorting B-17s to Leizig, Germany, one of his flights called out a flight of four Me-262s in the Fulda area. He and Capt. James Browning dropped tanks and dove on the Me-262s. The Me-262s broke into two flights with two jets diving to the left and the other two diving to the right. Bochkay and Capt. Browning could not catch the jets. Bochkay firewalled his Mustang and climbed for altitude. He leveled off at 28,000 feet and after spotting the jets again, Capt. Bochkay dove to gain speed. He dove out of the sun to conceal his attack but could not get his guns on the lead Me-262. Bochkay passed under it and broke hard right, coming out on the second jet’s tail at about 300 yards behind him. He fired and got in a good burst that slowed the jet down enabling him close in and finish it off. The pilot was hanging out of the cockpit and fell free of the Me-262 when it rolled over and went straight down. The pilot did not deploy his chute and fell to the ground.Major Donald Bochkay’s last victory of the war was another Me-262 on 18 April 1945. He was one of five American pilots to shoot down two Me-262s. During this encounter, he was leading Cement Blue Flight when they arrived in the Target Area at 15,00o feet. Cement White Flight called out boggie at 1100 o’clock low. Maj. Bochkay identified the Me-262 and they dropped tanks and dove from 15,000 feet to 13,000 feet pulling up behind the jet. He fired on the Me-262 from 400 yards getting good strikes on the right engine and canopy. The jet broke right into a very tight diving turn, pulling streamers from its’ wing tips. Bochkay partially greyed-out pulling 9G’s to stay with the jet. He came within 250 yards behind him going at about 475MPH as the jet straightened out at 7,000 feet. Bochkay fired another burst, getting good hits on the right engine again. The pilot popped his canopy as Maj. Bochkay hit him with another burst. Large pieces came off the jet and it caught fire. Maj Bochkay pulled off to miss pieces coming off the Me-262 and he watched the jet fall apart. The tail came off, it rolled over, and crashed into some woods next to a river. The pilot never got out of the aircraft.Major Donald H. Bochkay finished the war with 13.83 air to air victories. He completed 123 combat missions for a total of 510 combat hours. Donald Bochkay returned to civilian life for a short time but returned to the US Air Force in 1956. He stayed in the Air Force until he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He passed away unexpectedly in February 1981.

Price: 24.99 USD

Location: Traverse City, Michigan

End Time: 2024-12-26T19:19:59.000Z

Shipping Cost: 8.95 USD