The P-51 Mustang Mk. III was a variant of the North American Aviation P-51 Mustang, which was a fighter aircraft used during World War II and the Korean War. The Mk. III was powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and had a top speed of over 440 mph. It was primarily used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and played a key role in the air war over Europe during World War II.
Captain Eugeniusz Horbaczewski was a Polish fighter pilot who flew for the RAF during World War II. He is one of the most highly decorated pilots in the history of the RAF and is known for his service in the Battle of Britain. Horbaczewski flew the P-51 Mustang Mk. III during the war and was credited with shooting down 16 enemy aircraft.
Horbaczewski was born in Poland in 1917 and joined the Polish Air Force in 1938. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Horbaczewski fled to Romania and eventually made his way to France, where he joined the Free Polish Air Force. He flew with the French Air Force and later the RAF during the war, earning numerous awards and honors for his service.
In 1992, he began working as a painter, graphic designer, and illustrator of military books. He produces artwork in physical media, with brush and airbrush, and using the range of software for digital art so necessary to graphic design today. Since he took up art, Zbigniew has created over 5,000 colour profiles of aircraft, tanks and ships, published in more than 150 books. He has also created artwork for around 100 magazine and book covers. Zbigniew is also an amateur historian, specialising in military American WW2 aircraft camouflage and markings of. He has worked for numerous publishers in Poland, Czechia, Germany, Canada and the UK.