P-36A, 1940 USAAC Pursuit Gp, Ken Walker , Hawaii (1:48)

General Kenneth Walker was one of the men who prepared an under-equipped US Army Air Corps for war during the 1930's and early 1940's. Walker enlisted in 1917 and gained his wings and a commission in 1918. He served in Texas, Oklahoma, the Philippines, Virginia, Alabama, and Kansas before promotion to major in 1933. As a bombardment instructor at the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field, Alabama, Walker developed and articulated dynamic bombing tactics and techniques that would be implemented in WW2 and continue to influence the US Air Force in the 21st century. He was posted to Hawaii in 1938, where he served as Commanding Officer of the 18th Pursuit Group, based at Wheeler Field on the island of Oahu. As Group CO, Walker trimmed his P-36 with metallic gold paint, and he dubbed the plane, "Goldbug." The yellow, blue, and red stripes designated the squadrons which constituted the group. He returned to Washington, D.C. in January 1941 and participated in the creation of the HQ Army Air Force in July 1941, with the rank of colonel. His plans for organizing wartime bombing against Germany and Japan were approved and implemented by General Hap Arnold and President Franklin Roosevelt. Walker's influence on Air Force war planning was tremendous and completely out of proportion to his rank. He was promoted to Brigadier General in June, 1942, before being sent to the south Pacific to direct the 5th Bomber Command. Walker was the kind of general who led from the front, experiencing the same risks as the men he commanded. He flew the low altitude missions he had planned in B-17's and B-25's. General George Kenney, Walker's commander, ordered him to cease flying combat missions. But, on 5 January 1943 Walker disobeyed orders to lead an unescorted formation of twelve B-17's in an low level daylight attack on Japanese shipping at Rabaul-the most heavily defended target in the Pacific. Some of the participants expressed the opinion that this was a suicide mission, but only two planes failed return, one of them Walker's. He and his crew were missing in action. His son Kenneth, Jr., received his father's Medal of Honor from President Roosevelt on 25 March 1943. Kenneth Walker's remains were never recovered, and there was no memorial to him until one was dedicated to him at Arlington on 7 December 2006.

Frank Dalton-Copyright � 2008 by Carousel 1 -Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

We are happy to offer this Carousel 1 die-cast, 1:48 scale replica of the famous P-36A.

With this model you'll see Carousel 1's dedication to authenticity and detail. The model is 1:48 SCALE and has:

* Model wingspan is 9-1/4"/235mm

* Full cockpit detail

* Glazed instruments

* Removable Pilot Figure

* Retractable or Extended Landing Gear

* NO Exposed screws