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A New Limited Edition Recording The Sinking of the Japanese Battleship HIEI by U.S. Marine Corps and Navy Pilots November 13, 1942

As dawn broke on the morning of Friday, November 13, 1942, a lone F4F Wildcat climbed out of Henderson Field on the island of Guadalcanal. The Marine pilot, Captain Joe Foss, was to assess damage to U.S. Naval ships following the previous night's bitter naval engagement.

As the morning sun streaked across the sound between Savo and Guadalcanal, Foss viewed the wreckage of one of the most furious close combat naval action of the war. But what caught the young pilot's eye was a badly damaged Japanese battleship. Protected by three destroyers, the HIEI offered the Cactus flyers a prize they would not allow to escape.

The Cactus Air Force quickly scrambled their fighters to join TBF and SBD torpoed and dive bombers. Their collective mission: sink the enemy battleship. Foss, having refueled, climbed his eight F4F Wildcats to 12,000 feet to make a diversionary attack while the torpedo bombers made their perilous run at the heavily-defended warship. From high above, Foss brought his F4Fs screaming vertically down, levelling out as they hurtled towards the HIEI through a massive barrage of defensive flak, spraying .50 caliber lead into the mighty warship.

Robert Taylor's masterpiece of reconstruction depicts a snapshot of this memorable action fought in Savo Sound against the backdrop of the spectacular mountains of Guadalcanal. Joe Foss's F4F Wildcats are viewed braving the fearsome hail of defensive fire as they distract enemy gunfire away from the vital torpedo attacks, their explosions throwing huge plumes of water skyward, presenting an additional hazard to F4F pilots.

With the 30,000-ton battleship's steering gear crippled, her fate was sealed, yet her gunners fought valiently throughout the day. By sunset, she lay sinking off Savo. She had absorbed over 80 shell hits, five bombs and ten torpedos. With her captain slain, the battered battlewagon was scuttled, adding her huge bulk to those already lying on the bed of Ironbottom Bay. HIEI, the first battleship to be sunk by Americans in World War II, fell to the small but courageous group of Marine and Navy fliers.

Prints in this importmant edition, signed by Marine Ace and Medal of Honor recipient Joe Foss and three of his surviving pilots, are restricted to just 550 copies world-wide, virtually guaranteeing their lasting value to collectors.

SIGNATURES

Joining Robert Taylor, each print of Attack On The Hiei is individually signed by Medal of Honor recipient Joe Foss and three of his U.S. Marine Corps pilots who flew on the Hiei mission. Brig.

Gen. Joseph J. Foss, USMC
Arriving at Guadalcanal on 9 October 1942 with VMF-121, Joe Foss quickly demonstrated great skills flying the F4F in combat. By the midle of his first month in action, his victories were coming at the rate of one a day. On the 23rd of the month, he accounted for four Zeros, the last of which he caught performing a victory roll after downing an F4F. He became the first American to break Eddie Rickenbacker's World War I record of 25 enemy aircraft destroyed. Joe Foss is the top-scoring living U.S. Marine Corps Ace, with 26 victories. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his outstanding feats in the South Pacific. Folowing the war, he became Governor of South Dakota and President of the American Football League.

Lt. Colonel Roger Haberman, USMC
Roger Haberman served with VMF-121 and later VMF-211. He flew at Guadalcanal from 9 October, 1942 to January 1943. Later he flew the F4U Corsair, becoming an Ace with 7 victories.

Lt. Colonel William B. Freedman, USMC
Serving with VMF-121 and later wirh VMF-115, William Freedman flew over 200 combat missions in the Pacific theater from 1942 to 1945. A highly skilled pilot, he became an Ace with 5 victories.

Colonel T.W. "Boot" Furlow, USMC
Flying the F4F on his first combat mission with VMF-121 in October, 1942, "Boot" Furlow soon downed his first Zero on the Hiei mission. He served in all the major Southwest Pacific theaters and later flew the F4U Corsair.