Robin Olds - Icons of Flight by Robert Taylor

In a military career that stretched over 30 years, the breadth of Robin Olds’ combat service was long and his achievements remarkable. He retired as a ‘triple-ace’ who flew some of the great piston-engine classic fighters of World War Two, where he achieved thirteen air victories, before transitioning to one of the world’s most iconic fast jets, the F4 Phantom, in Vietnam, adding another four victories to his score.

The story behind MiG Hunters amounts to the culmination of Olds’ career during the war in Vietnam when as Commanding Officer of the USAF 8th Tactical Fighter Wing – The Wolf Pack, whose F-4 Phantoms were based at Ubon in Thailand, he devised a plan to counter the mounting losses of U.S. warplanes during Operation ‘Rolling Thunder’ and even the odds. Codenamed Operation ‘Bolo’, the ruse was implemented on 2 January 1967 and involved Olds’ Phantoms simulating the typical flight path and formation taken by F- 105 Thunderchief fighter-bombers. The North Vietnamese fell for the trap. Coming up in force expecting to intercept American bombers the MiG-21s, North Vietnam’s best fighter, were themselves pounced on by Olds’ agile Phantoms who downed seven enemy MiGs without loss.

Matted alongside MiG Hunters is a completely separate yet matching-numbered study of Robin’s P-51 Mustang Scat VI in which he scored three aerial victories during World War Two.

Genuine Matted Signature:

Brigadier General ROBIN OLDS - Air Force Cross, 2 Distinguished Service Medals, 4 Silver Stars, Legion of Merit, 6 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 40 Air Medals, Distinguished Flying Cross (RAF), Croix de Guerre (France)