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Bristol Blenheim, Royal Air Force Medium
Bomber and was Bomber Command's fastest and most effective aircraft
and formed the mainstay of its offensive operations. Pressed into
numerous different roles the Blenheim had many successes, including
pioneering the first airborne interception radar for night fighting.
Even so, compared with the powerful machines of the Luftwaffe, it was
highly vulnerable and only achieved what it did as a result of the
extraordinary bravery and determination of its aircrews.
Dangerous Duty by Stan Stokes.
Some
of those most dangerous missions of WW II were the low level shipping
attacks by Bristol Blenheims carried out against Axis shipping. These
missions were important in the early stages of the War in the
Mediterranean in terms of disrupting supply lines to Rommels troops
fighting in North Africa. It was not uncommon for the RAF to lose 10-30%
of the aircraft it sent on such missions.
One of the most successful of the RAFs Blenheim pilots was Sir
Ivor Broom, who rose from the rank of Sergeant Pilot, completing three
combat tours, including thirty-one low level attacks while based on the
island of Malta. With all the officer pilots in his squadron either
killed or missing in action, Broom received his commission. Allied
interdiction efforts had become so successful that in October and
November of 1941 only 25% of the supplies destined to supply Rommels
armies in North Africa were getting through. The Germans decided to
reroute their supply ships, opting for taking a longer route, but one
which made Allied attacks much less likely. The Blenheimss of Brooms 107
Squadron had sufficient range to reach shipping targets off the Greek
coast, but this necessitated a long over water flight and precise
navigation. Brooms 43rd combat mission involved the attack on German
ships at anchor in the harbor at Argostoli which was on the island of
Cephalonia off the west coast of Greece. The ships there were forming a
convoy which would make the dash to Benghazi. Six Blenheims from 107 and
18 Squadrons took part in the raid. With Broom in the lead the six
attackers avoided the heavily armed coastal defenses by approaching the
harbor from an inland direction. This required some highly skilled low
level flying as they followed a road through a saddle in the hills. With
the advantage of surprise on their side the six attackers swept down on
the ships at anchor in the harbor at mast height. After releasing their
bomb load the group executed a sharp turn to starboard and a fast climb
up and over the hills to the west of the harbor. A-A fire greeted the
Blenheims as they made their escape, and two of the six aircraft fell
victim. This attack on December 13, 1941 is depicted in Stan Stokes
painting appropriately entitled Dangerous
Duty. The Bristol Blenheim, the most plentiful aircraft in the RAFs
inventory when WW II began, was designed by Frank Barnwell, and when
first flown in 1936 was unique with its all metal monoplane design
incorporating a retractable undercarriage, wing flaps, metal props, and
supercharged engines. A typical bomb load for a Blenheim was 1,000
pounds. In the early stages of the war Blenheims were used on many
daylight bombing missions. While great heroism was displayed by the air
crews, tremendous losses were sustained during these missions. The
Blenhiem was easy pickings at altitude for German Bf-109 fighters who
quickly learned to attack from below. To protect the vulnerable bellies
of the Blenheims many missions were shifted to low altitude, but this
increased the aircrafts exposure to anti-aircraft fire.
Blenheims Over Norfolk by Stephen Brown Bristol Blenheim IVs of 105 squadron returning at low level over
Norfolk, after one of many anti-shipping sorties carried out over the
North Sea in 1941. At the outbreak of the Second World War the
Bristol Blenheim was Bomber Command's fastest and most effective aircraft
and formed the mainstay of its offensive operations. Pressed into
numerous different roles the Blenheim had many successes, including
pioneering the first airborne interception radar for night fighting.
Even so, compared with the powerful machines of the Luftwaffe, it was
highly vulnerable and only achieved what it did as a result of the
extraordinary bravery and determination of its aircrews. |
| Bristol Blenheim by Tim Fisher.
Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Image size 20 inches x 14 inches (51cm x 36cm). Price £95.00
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. Image size 20 inches x 14 inches (51cm x 36cm). Price £135.00
Limited edition of 50 giclee canvas prints. Image size 20 inches x 14 inches (51cm x 36cm). Price £250.00 ITEM CODE DHM1221 |
| Most Memorable Day by Robert Taylor. Adolf Galland and his wingman Bruno Hegenauer break through the fighter escort of No. 303 Squadrons Spitfires to attack Blenheim bombers of No. 21 Squadron over northern France, 21 June 1941. In two missions that day Galland claimed two Blenheims and one Spitfire, survived a forced crash-landing, and later a parachute escape from his blazing Me109. That evening he learned he was to become the first recipient of the Knights Cross with oak leaves and swords - Germanys highest award for heroism. Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. Paper size 33 inches x 25 inches (84cm x 64cm). Price £375.00 Signed by General Adolf Galland, Oberst Johannes Naumann, Major Gerhard Schopfel and Hauptmann Otto Stamberger.
Limited edition of 100 prints. Paper size 33 inches x 25 inches (84cm x 64cm). Price £495.00 Signed by General Adolf Galland, Oberst Johannes Naumann, Major Gerhard Schopfel and Hauptmann Otto Stamberger. ITEM CODE DHM2051 |
| Blenheims Over Norfolk by Stephen Brown. Bristol Blenheim IVs of 105 squadron returning at low level over Norfolk, after one of many anti-shipping sorties carried out over the North Sea in 1941. At the outbreak of the Second World War the Bristol Blenheim was Bomber Commands fastest and most effective aircraft and formed the mainstay of its offensive operations. Pressed into numerous different roles the Blenheim had many successes, including pioneering the first airborne interception radar for night fighting. Even so, compared with the powerful machines of the Luftwaffe, it was highly vulnerable and only achieved what it did as a result of the extraordinary bravery and determination of its aircrews. Signed limited edition of 350 prints. Image size 33 inches x 23 inches (84cm x 58cm). Price £95.00
Limited edition of 25 artist proofs. Image size 33 inches x 23 inches (84cm x 58cm). Price £120.00
Limited edition of 25 remarques. Image size 33 inches x 23 inches (84cm x 58cm). Price £260.00
ITEM CODE DHM2480 |
| Escort by Keith Woodcock.
Open edition print. Image size 14.5 inches x 9.5 inches (37cm x 24cm). Price £16.00 ITEM CODE KW0013 |
| Dangerous Duty by Stan Stokes. Some of those most dangerous missions of WW II were the low level shipping attacks by Bristol Blenheims carried out against Axis shipping. These missions were important in the early stages of the War in the Mediterranean in terms of disrupting supply lines to Rommels troops fighting in North Africa. It was not uncommon for the RAF to lose 10-30% of the aircraft it sent on such missions. One of the most successful of the RAFs Blenheim pilots was Sir Ivor Broom, who rose from the rank of Sergeant Pilot, completing three combat tours, including thirty-one low level attacks while based on the island of Malta. With all the officer pilots in his squadron either killed or missing in action, Broom received his commission. Allied interdiction efforts had become so successful that in October and November of 1941 only 25% of the supplies destined to supply Rommels armies in North Africa were getting through. The Germans decided to reroute their supply ships, opting for taking a longer route, but one which made Allied attacks much less likely. The Blenheimss of Brooms 107 Squadron had sufficient range to reach shipping targets off the Greek coast, but this necessitated a long over water flight and precise navigation. Brooms 43rd combat mission involved the attack on German ships at anchor in the harbor at Argostoli which was on the island of Cephalonia off the west coast of Greece. The ships there were forming a convoy which would make the dash to Benghazi. Six Blenheims from 107 and 18 Squadrons took part in the raid. With Broom in the lead the six attackers avoided the heavily armed coastal defenses by approaching the harbor from an inland direction. This required some highly skilled low level flying as they followed a road through a saddle in the hills. With the advantage of surprise on their side the six attackers swept down on the ships at anchor in the harbor at mast height. After releasing their bomb load the group executed a sharp turn to starboard and a fast climb up and over the hills to the west of the harbor. A-A fire greeted the Blenheims as they made their escape, and two of the six aircraft fell victim. This attack on December 13, 1941 is depicted in Stan Stokes painting appropriately entitled Dangerous Duty. The Bristol Blenheim, the most plentiful aircraft in the RAFs inventory when WW II began, was designed by Frank Barnwell, and when first flown in 1936 was unique with its all metal monoplane design incorporating a retractable undercarriage, wing flaps, metal props, and supercharged engines. A typical bomb load for a Blenheim was 1,000 pounds. In the early stages of the war Blenheims were used on many daylight bombing missions. While great heroism was displayed by the air crews, tremendous losses were sustained during these missions. The Blenhiem was easy pickings at altitude for German Bf-109 fighters who quickly learned to attack from below. To protect the vulnerable bellies of the Blenheims many missions were shifted to low altitude, but this increased the aircrafts exposure to anti-aircraft fire. Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.. Price £37.00
Signed limited edition of 225 prints. Size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm). Price £74.00 Signed by WWII Blenheim pilot Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom, and the artist. ITEM CODE STK0134 |
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