WW-2 Reproduction Photo WWII Hawker Hurricane World War Two Free French 8 X 10

Description

Hawker Hurricane Free French pilot James Denis shot down Hans-Joachim Marseille.
Hawker Hurricane V7859 of 73 Squadron RAF being refueled prior to a mission.
Piloted by Free French pilot James Denis. He was involved in a dogfight over the western desert with Germany’s top ace Hans-Joachim Marseille and shot him down, not once but twice in a month. Hans-Joachim Marseille scored all but seven victories over the British Commonwealths’s Desert Air Force. No other pilot destroyed as many Western Allied aircraft as Marseille.
He (Marseille) scored two more kills on 23 and 28 April, his first in the North African Campaign. However, on 23 April, Marseille himself was shot down during his third sortie of that day by Sous-Lieutenant James Denis, a Free French pilot (8.5 kills)flying a Hawker Hurricane. Marseilles Bf-109 received almost 30 hits in the cockpit area, and three or four shattered the canopy. As Marseille was leaning forward the rounds missed him by inches. Marseille managed to crash-land his fighter. Just a month later, records show that James Denis shot down Marseille again on 21 May 1941, Marseille engaged Denis, but overshot his target. A turning dogfight ensued, in which Denis once again bested Marseille.
After the war Denis described his encounter.
"When we arrived near the target, I dived quite steeply and realized my wing man was fallowing shyly. Pompei was a very good pilot but had never trained as a fighter pilot. Worried to see how he was fallowing so far behind, I kept looking back and noticed a ME 109 attacking him. Having no radio I could not warn him. He was hit and then the ME 109 flew in my direction. I acted as if I hadn't seen him. but never stopped watching, and when he was in range I throttled back violently and skidded to the left. Since I was going very fast. my Hurricane (V7859) reacted violently.I saw the hail of bullets pass on my right. and the ME109 could not slow down and flew in front of me. We then started a dogfight, for which the Hurricane was quite good and due to its maneuverability. At that moment my plane was flying nose up, hooked to its propeller, when I saw the ME109 in the sun I fired a burst so close that we almost collided. I noticed my bullets enter its fuselage"
I copied as it was written.
Condition is New. 8
X 10 reproduction from my original photograph. NOT A SCAN.
Shipped with USPS First Class cardboard envelope.