"Warbirds of the 99th FS, 332nd FG" by Jerry Taliaferro

Jerry Taliaferro

Jerry Taliaferro was born in the small southern town of Brownsville, Tennessee. After graduating high school in May 1972, he joined the Army. Almost a year later he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated four years later as a member of the Class of 1977. His real interest in photography began when he was posted to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for Special Forces training in 1981. While serving in Germany, his interest in photography continued to grow and in 1985 he was published for the first time when a Munich magazine purchased the rights to one of his images.

After returning to the United States in the Summer of 1985, Jerry began doing assignments for advertising and design firms. In July 1988, he left the military and began his pursuit of a career in commercial photography.

Over the ensuing years, his interest turned more to fine art photography. This change in direction has resulted in several projects and published pieces. Women Of A New Tribe, a photographic study of the spiritual and physical beauty of black women is one of his latest projects.

"Warbirds of the 99th FS, 332nd FG"

The 99TH Fighter Squadron (FS) and the 332ND Fighter Group (FG) used four different types of fighter aircraft. These types included the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, the Bell P-39 Airacobra, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, and the North American P-51 Mustang. The 99TH FS used the P-40 from the time it arrived in theater in April 1943 until it joined the 332ND FG in July 1944. The P-39 Airacobra was used by the 100TH FS, 301ST FS, and the 302ND FS of the 332ND FG from February to April 1944. The P-39’s were replaced by P-47’s . The P-47 Thunderbolt was the first type to have the distinctive red tail. The P-47 was used for only about one month before it was replaced with the P-51 Mustang in July 1944. Many consider the P-51 Mustang to be the best American fighter aircraft of WWII. The 332ND operated the P-51 from July 1944 until the end of the war in Europe.

Print is available in the following overall sheet sizes:

17" by 22" - $50

13" by 19" - $35

Jerry is dedicated to presenting and preserving the history of the first black aviators in the form of aviation art. After meticulous research, he uses a process in which carefully crafted special effects photographs are digitally manipulated to create realistic depictions of events and aircrafts. The final part of the process is review of the image by a group of subject matter experts which includes historians, modelers, hobbyists, and in some cases actual witnesses. His first goal is to be as historically accurate as possible.

All artwork is subject to availability at time of order. Although seller strives to remain currrent as to inventory, seller reserves the right to cancel a sale if item is no longer available at time of purchase.