D-Day The Airborne Assault by Robert Taylor.

It began in pitch darkness. June 6, 1944 was only a few minutes old when the Airborne Pathfinders drifted silently down from the sky above the fields of Normandy. At first their seemed nothing untoward about the drone of aircraft in the night sky. The German garrisons in Northern France were used to the noise of aircraft overhead after dark, but this night seemed particularly busy. Looking skyward a German sentry caught sight of parachutes floating down, clearly visible as the moon fleetingly broke through the clouds. For an instant he thought it was the crew jumping from a damaged bomber, but when he saw the mass of canopies floating earthwards, he knew it was no ordinary event. Within moments of raising the alarm the crackle of automatic gunfire confirmed his worst fears: The Invasion of France had begun. The first assault upon Hitlers Fortress Europe came from the sky. Shortly after midnight waves of aircraft and gliders delivered three Divisions of elite airborne troops into Normandy, their crucial objectives to seize vital bridges, secure strategic positions and clear the way for the coming aerial armada. As the first streaks of dawn came over the horizon on that historic day, and with American and British paratroops already engaged in furious fire fights, the mighty amphibious armada began landing on the beaches of Normandy. Above them waves of troop-carrying aircraft towing gliders stretched from the coast of France all the way back to England. Closely escorted by fighters, they delivered over 20,000 highly trained men into the battlefield of Northern France. By nightfall the first phase of the greatest military invasion in history was complete. Five Divisions were were ashore and the Allies had established a toehold in occupied Europe. For the Third Reich it was the beginning of the end. Without the advanced airborne assault, and the air supremacy achieved by the escort fighters, the amphibious landings could have been a disaster. Seen crossing the Normandy beaches are C-47 Dakotas of the 438th Troop Carrier Group towing CG-4 Waco gliders, closely escorted by P-51Bs of the 354 Fighter Group. Below, landing craft swarm ashore putting men and equipment on the beaches, and everything about this spectacular painting brings alive the events of that historic day a half a century ago.

Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. Paper size 34 inches x 25 inches (86cm x 64cm). Price £390.00

Signed by Warren Emerson, Clayton Gross, William King and Maurice Long; C-47 pilot Sid Harwell and glider pilot Miles Wagner.

ITEM CODE AX0003

Rare Pair of D-Day prints by Robert Taylor - Into Battle by Robert Taylor and Crash Landing by Robert Taylor.

Into Battle - Piling out of their C47 Dakotas, US paratroopers decent into the Drop Zone inland from Utah Beach D-Day 1944.
Crash Landing - A Glider Pilot brings his fully laden CG Glider into the Normandy battlefield - D-Day 1944.

Signed limited editions of 100 prints each. Image size 17 inches x 13.5 inches (43cm x 35cm). Price £390.00

ITEM CODE AX0038

Together we Stand by Philip West.

The Douglas Dakota was undoubtedly one of the most important allied aircraft of the Second World War. The aircraft served in a variety of roles including paratroop-dropping, glider-towing, casualty evacuation to transporting all sorts of materials from food to weapons of war. It did it all and in doing so, helped win the war.

Signed limited edition of 150 prints. Paper size 27 inches x 16 inches (69cm x 41cm). Price £95.00

Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. Paper size 27 inches x 16 inches (69cm x 41cm). Price £135.00

ITEM CODE DHM2677

C-46 Flying the Hump by Stan Stokes.

The C-46 transport was one of Americas workhorses during the War.

Signed limited edition of 950 prints, signed by two C-46 pilots - Kenneth Keisel and Clifford Barraclouth, and the artist. Size 31 inches x 25 inches (78cm x 64cm). Price £74.00

ITEM CODE STK0106

D-Day Invaders by Stan Stokes.

You are about to embark on the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other fronts, you will bring the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. These were the final words of Supreme Commander Eisenhower to the huge force assembled in June of 1944 on the eve of D-Day. Parachute infantry units would play an important role on D-Day. Although Billy Mitchell had contemplated forming airborne military forces during WW I, it was not until May of 1939 that the United States commenced a study regarding the feasibility of creating an air infantry. By 1940 an all-volunteer test platoon had been organized at Ft. Benning, Georgia. As the threat of War continued, the Army began experimenting with gliders in mid-1941. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Army established Parachute Infantry Battalions, and by early 1943 an Airborne Command was organized as well as an Air Transport Command to facilitate the training of air crews necessary for the deployment of airborne forces. By mid-1942 authorization was received to form two airborne divisions the 82nd and the 101st. With a strength of about 8,000 men, these divisions were about half the normal strength of an infantry division. The first major test for Americas new airborne forces came in North Africa during operation TORCH where the 1st Battalion of the 503rd Infantry was deployed. The 82nd Airborne was later successfully deployed during the invasion of Sicily. Operation OVERLORD, the code name for the D-Day invasion, included both of Americas Airborne Divisions as well as the British 6th Airborne Division. The plan called for numerous parachute jumps and glider landings during the evening prior to the invasion. Supplemental jumps or landings would take place later during daylight hours to reinforce these troops and bring in supplies. Although eighteen aircraft were utilized as pathfinders, the evening jumps were highly scattered and off target in many cases. Despite the massive difficulty in reassembling, the troops of the 101st and 82nd performed their missions with distinction. By June 9 nearly all airborne objectives had been secured despite heavy casualties. Both the 101st and the 82nd each lost about 1,200 men killed-in-action. By occupying German forces behind the invasion front, these airborne forces saved the lives of many on the beaches at Normandy. The 101st and 82nd Divisions continued fighting until mid-July when they were pulled back to England. During these hectic weeks of fighting casualty rates were in excess of 50%. As depicted in Stan Stokes painting, which is dedicated to all those who participated in the Great Crusade, a C-47 Skytrain (bearing white and black invasion stripes) passes over the beaches of Normandy following a drop behind enemy lines on June 6, 1944.

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 Gen Matt Matheson.

ITEM CODE STK0107