Hoover’s Flying Spitfire

Description

About the Print

CO-SIGNED BY BOB HOOVER! This is the second print Sam has produced that features a Bob Hoover airplane and signature. The first starred Bob’s Shrike Commander. This one immortalizes Bob’s Spitfire during World War II. On February 9, 1944, future aviation legend Bob Hoover was flying his supermarine Spitfire Mk. Vc. He and his four-plane-formation were charged with search and destroy. They were attacking enemy ships and shooting up trains along the French and Italian coasts from Cannes to Genoa. The moment captured by “Hoover’s Fighting Spitfire” is shortly before Bob was shot down and captured. (Don’t worry he escaped in an amazing feat of bravery and daring!)

The War Years

During World War II, Hoover was sent to Casablanca, where his first major assignment was flight testing the assembled aircraft ready for service. He was later assigned to a Fighter Group in Sicily. On February 9, 1944, his malfunctioning Mark V Spitfire was shot down by off the coast of Southern France, and he was taken prisoner. He spent 16 months at a German prisoner-of-war camp in Germany until his daring escape near the end of WWII.

About the Spitfire

The Spitfire was the only Allied fighter to remain in production throughout the war.

One of the most famous and beautiful fighters of World War II! The Spitfire was Great Britain’s counterpart to the German Bf 109. The aircraft was designed by R.J. Mitchell, an inspired creator of racing aircraft between the wars. The Spitfire’s distinctive wings contributed to the fighter’s superlative aerodynamic characteristics. The plane’s powerful and sleek Rolls-Royce Merlin and Griffon engines rounded out the design. This made for a speedy and agile fighter.

Pilots loved the airplane, calling it “a ballerina in flight.” Over the English Channel, Spitfires often clashed with German Messerschmitts during the Battle of Britain during World War II. The Spitfire was the most extensively produced of all the Allied fighters. In total, some 20,351 Spitfires and 2,408 Seafires were built. They served until the mid-1950s.

Order Prints

The 18” x 22.5” prints are available in a special Limited Edition size of 300 Signed & Numbered and 30 Artist Proofs.