WINGS OVER HOUSTON F4U CORSAIR
Wings Over Houston Airshow has been the source of a series of limited edition die-cast airplanes celebrating the annual airshow at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas for five years starting with the October airshow in 1994.
This Corsair is the fifth in the series and is the aircraft chosen to celebrate this years airshow. Aircraft #141 was flown by Colonel Archie G. Donahue, U.S.M.C.R. who was one of the top Marine Corps Aces of World War II. His astounding record and brief history are included in the Historical Note below.
Item Number: AA47503 Price: $119.95
Historical Note: Colonel Archie G. Donahue (Wolfpack) initially flew F4F-4 "Wildcats" before transitioning to the F4U-1 Corsairs in early 1943. Between September 1942 and June 1943 he shot down nine enemy aircraft over Guadalcanal, one in the F4F-4 and eight in the F4U-1 while assigned to Fighter Squadron VMF-112. In February 1945, he was assigned to VMF-451 and began combat operations from the deck of the USS Bunker Hill. For the next three months, VMF-451 took part in continuous bombing,strafing and close support missions for the landings on Iwo Jima and Okinawa and operations against the Japanese mainland. When the USS Bunker Hill was severely damaged by two Kamikaze attacks and retired, Colonel Donahue returned to the US. For his actions, he was decorated with the Navy Cross, three Distinguished Flying Crosses and five Air Medals. He flew 159 combat missions over Guadalcanal and 56 from the deck of the USS Bunker Hill and was credited with fourteen confirmed aerial victories.