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This first-line Japanese dive bomber was first introduced to action during the war with China in the late 1930s. The Aichi Type 99 (codenamed "Val" by the Allies) was piloted by dive bomber crews which were among the best in the world, a result of intensive training. Their proficiency in dive-bombing techniques gave them a fantastic "direct hit rate" of 82 percent effectiveness during naval action in the Indian ocean. This painting portrays a Val from the Japanese carrier Soryu as its pilot lines up on a target at Pearl Harbor.
Note: like all Valiant Clan prints, the actual print has a white border with text at the bottom displaying the aircraft name and a description of the action portrayed. (See the P-51B Mustang as an example.) The above scan only shows the image (and not the surrounding border or text), and is merely meant to give you an idea of the image content.