This is a A2A WOP3 P-40 repaint of David Lee 'Tex' Hill's AVG Hawk 81-a2 Number '48'.
Hill learned to fly the P-40 in the AVG training program in Burma, and did well as a fighter pilot in the 2nd Pursuit Squadron (Panda Bear), as a flight leader, and then Squadron Commander, becoming one of the top aces under the tutelage of Claire Chennault. He landed his first kills on January 3, 1942 when he downed two Nates over the Japanese airfield at Tak, Thailand. He shot down two more on January 23, and became an ace on the 24th when he shot down a fighter and a bomber over Rangoon. In March, he succeeded Jack Newkirk as Squadron Leader of the Second Squadron. By the time the AVG was disbanded in the summer of 1942, Hill was a double ace, credited with 12 ¼ victories.
