This is the last of the skins requested by Devil for a future Guadalcanal event. It is based entirely from various profiles and models as I haven't been able to find any photos of it. It may be there is a privately held photo somewhere but more likely it was either created from a description in a history book/official document/eyewitness account or just plain invented by some profile artist. The latter happens more often than you'd think and once its in the public domain the scheme then gets copied repeatedly. I hate adding to that sort of thing so without some written or photographic evidence it actually existed this will just be an event skin and won't be submitted to the MA.
Just noticed the error with the missing red stripe on the lower fuselage, I'll correct that.
1st Lt. Robert E Gaier was serving with VMF-211 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor but he first saw action in September 1942 as CO of VMF-224 operating from the newly captured airbase at Guadalcanal. Here he would be credited with 11 confirmed kills, and despite being shot down three times, survived to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in March 1943. Not wanting to risk such a highly decorated pilot in combat he was later assigned to various rear area commands and remained with the service post war, eventually retiring with the rank of Brigadier General in 1957.
