Launch from the Lady Lex by Richard Taylor

Lt. Edward ‘Butch’ O’Hare powers his Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat away from the deck of the USS Lexington to intercept a formation of nine Japanese “Betty” bombers with his wingman Marion ‘Duff’ Dufilho. For the action that followed O’Hare was awarded the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor when, under intense fire and with his wingman’s guns having jammed, he single-handedly destroyed five enemy aircraft and damaged a sixth, 20 February 1942.

---

The historical importance of this restricted edition is highlighted by the inclusion of the extremely RARE and hard-to-come-by ORIGINAL autograph of Butch O’Hare himself which has taken a number of years to source and collect.

Alongside is a completely separate portrait of O’Hare, museum-quality reproduction U.S. Naval Aviator Wings and the original autographs of a further five veterans who all flew Gruman F4F Wildcats with the U.S. Navy during World War Two, all saw action in the Pacific Theatre, and all finished the war having achieved Ace status with at least five confirmed victories over enemy aircraft.

---

Matted Signatures:

Lieutenant Commander EDWARD ‘BUTCH’ O’HARE - Medal of Honor / 5 victories / First USN Ace of the war

Commander ALEX VRACIU - 19 victories / Fourth highest-scoring USN Ace

Commander HAMILTON ‘MAC’ McWHORTER III - 12 victories / First USN carrier-based Double-Ace

Captain E. SCOTT McCUSKEY - 13.5 victories

Captain ARMISTEAD ‘CHICK’ SMITH - 11 victories

Captain RICHARD ‘ZEKE’ CORMIER - 8 victories

---

Once called 'the busiest square mile in the world', Chicago O'Hare is one of the world's most famous airports, named after an equally famous aviator: Lt. Cdr Edward 'Butch' O'Hare, the U.S. Navy's first fighter Ace of World War II and the first Naval aviator to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his 'conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in aerial combat'. The action concerned occurred on Sunday 20 February 1942.

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, America had been at war for less than three months, Malaya and Singapore had fallen, the Philippines would follow as enemy forces swarmed south towards New Guinea and the Solomons. Amongst those tasked with stemming the tide was USN Task Force 11 formed around the imposing carrier, the USS Lexington. On Sunday 20 February 1942 they were steaming towards Rabaul when several incoming Japanese formations were detected. The flight deck of the Lexington became a frenzy of action - pilots hauling themselves into their cockpits and firing up their big radial engines then, with a great rush of power, launching into the air. Just two aircraft were left behind in reserve - Lt. 'Butch' O'Hare and his wingman 'Duff' Dufilho. It was then, with all the other fighters otherwise engaged, that Lexington picked up yet another contact; nine twin-engine 'Betty' bombers were also heading their way.

Heavily outnumbered, the two young pilots nevertheless scrambled to intercept the incoming raiders however, Dufilho's guns jammed almost immediately. O'Hare was on his own and what followed has gone down in Naval aviation folklore. In what his Medal of Honor citation recalls was a breathtaking encounter he 'repeatedly attacked this enemy formation, at close range in the face of intense combined machine-gun and cannon fire. Despite his concentrated opposition, Lt. O'Hare, by his gallant and courageous action, his extremely skillful marksmanship in making the most of every shot of his limited amount of ammunition, shot down five enemy bombers and severely damaged a sixth before they reached the bomb release point. As a result of his gallant action in one of the most daring, if not the most daring, single action in the history of combat aviation he undoubtedly saved his carrier from serious damage.'

O'Hare's heroics that day received widespread recognition and accolades, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt present at his Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House on 25 April 1942.

His final flight came on 26 November 1943, aged just 29 years old, when O'Hare volunteered to lead a mission to conduct the first USN nighttime attack from an aircraft carrier to intercept a large force of Japanese torpedo bombers. In the mêlée that followed, his Hellcat was damaged and despite an extended search, no trace of O'Hare or his aircraft were found.