Discount Aviation Art Prints
Home ] Up ]


Customer Helpline (UK) : 01436 820269

You currently have no items in your basket

Choose a FREE print if you spend over £150!
See Choice of Free Prints


Buy with confidence and security!
Publishing historical art since 1985



Aircraft :

Squadrons :

Aviation Artists :

Signatures :
Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes

Aviation Art Special Offers :
Product Search         
(Exact match search - please check our other menus above first)
 

Discount Aviation Art Prints

£50 Off Aviation Art Prints!

 Typhoon IBs of No.181 Squadron attack a German supply vessel off the coast of northern France during the run up to D-Day in 1944 using cannon and 60il rockets. This unique aircrafts amazing speed at low level and awesome fire-power proved formidable and, after a shaky start to its service career, proved itself beyond all doubt to be an essential tool in the softening-up operations against German defences prior to allied invasion in June 1944. Typhoon Season by Ivan Berryman. (APB)Click For DetailsB0006
 Developed from the hawker Typhoon, the first hawker Tempest MkV took to the air during September 1942 and immediately showed great promise as a most versatile aircraft. During the build up to Overlord in 1944, tempests raged across northern France softening up the enemy defenses and blocking or destroying arterial supply routes. This Hawker Tempest V is engaged in knocking out a German train as part of Roland Beamonts No.3 Squadron operations prior to D - Day. Raging Tempest by Ivan Berryman. (APB)Click For DetailsB0007
 Routine, though essential, maintenance is carried out on a 501 Sqn Hurricane at the height of the Battle of Britain during the Summer of 1940.  Hurricane P3059 <i>SD-N</i> in the background is the aircraft of <a href=http://www.military-art.com/mall/profiles.php?SigID=1236>Group Captain Byron Duckenfield</a>.Ground Force by Ivan Berryman. (E)Click For DetailsB0099
 Wing Commander Bob Doe in his Spitfire is shown attacking Heinkel He-111s during the Battle of Britain. Wing Commander Bob Doe during the Battle of Britain by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0247
 A Spitfire of No.19 Sqn returns from a sortie during the Battle of Britain, summer 1940. Supermarine Spitfire - Job Well Done by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0260
 Blenheim IVs of No 21 Squadron, here being attacked by Adolf Gallands Bf 109 on 21st June 1940.  Galland claimed two Blenheims and a Spitfire that day before he, too, was shot down by the defending Spitfires of 303 Sqn. Tribute to the Blenheim Crews by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0287
 Group Captain Billy Drake in Hurricane JX-P of No.1 Sqn scoring his first victory, an Me109 during the Battle of France, on 20th April 1940. Billy Drake - First of Many by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0294
 Hans-Ekkehard Bob, Bf109F by Ivan Berryman. (B)Click For DetailsB0347
 Spitfire N3289 of F/O John Wilson was shot down over Dunkirk on 29th May 1940 by a Messerschmitt Bf109. Lost Over Dunkirk by Ivan Berryman. (B)Click For DetailsB0362
 WW2 Ace Johnnie Johnson in his Spitfire <i>JE-J</i>, shown with black and white D-Day invasion stripes. D-Day Spitfire - Johnnie Johnson by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0380
 Pete Brothers in GZ-L leads Hurricanes of No.32 Squadron on patrol during the Battle of Britain. 32 Squadron Hurricanes - Battle of Britain by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0381
 Hurricanes of the Royal Air Force scramble to take on the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. Battle of Britain Hurricanes by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0382
 Hawker Hurricanes of No.85 Sqn RAF take off to intercept another enemy raid during the Battle of Britain. Hurricanes - 85 Squadron by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0383
 A soldier of the Home Guard watches over a downed Me109 fighter as a squadron of RAF Hurricanes fly overhead.  More Hawker Hurricanes flew during the Battle of Britain than Spitfires, guarding Britain against the might of the Luftwaffe. Standing Guard by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0384
 Battle of Britain Ace Wing Commander Bob Doe in Spitfire AZ-D and his wingman hurry to intercept incoming enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain. 234 Squadron Scramble by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0385
 Hurricanes of 85 Squadron scramble during the Battle of Britain. Battle of Britain - 85 Squadron Hurricanes by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0386
 The Mk.IX Spitfire <i>9G-K</i> of Flt Lt Frederick Wilson waits on the airfield with two other Spitfires from No.441 Squadron RCAF in May 1944. Spitfire Mk.IX - No.441 Sqn RCAF by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0387
 Wing Commander Bob Doe in Spitfire AZ-D of No.234 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. Battle of Britain Ace - Bob Doe, 234 Squadron by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0388
Urban <i>Ben</i> Drew claims his first victory in his Mustang as he makes a strafing run of a Luftwaffe JU-52 transport at Toussus-Le-Noble in France in mid 1944. Major Urban 'Ben' Drew - First Victory by Brian Bateman. (P)Click For DetailsB0403
 Urban <i>Ben</i> Drew scores his second victory, and his first aerial victory, as he claims a Bf109G over Lisieux, France in 1944.  His wing leader, Martin Johnson, had his guns jammed as the twisting turning low level dogfight took place, so the frustrated leader quipped to Ben - <i>take him Blue Two</i>.  With all four guns in working order Ben took over and shot him down as they passed over a French farmhouse. Take Him, Blue Two by Brian Bateman. (P)Click For DetailsB0404
 On August 25th 1944, Ben Drew found himself locked in a stalemate with the Bf109 of an experienced Luftwaffe pilot.  Circling each other to try and force an advantage, the two pilots spiraled towards the ground until the German finally broke away from the Lufberry circle to escape the guns of the Mustang.  With 5 of his 6 guns jammed from the extreme forces encountered while circling, Ben Drew chased his opponent, raking the fuselage with the one remaining gun.  The enemy aircraft started to smoke then nosed into the ground at full throttle.  As he flew over the resulting fireball, Ben remembered how his mother always ended her letters - <i>good hunting, son.</i>. Urban 'Ben' Drew - Good Hunting by Brian Bateman. (P)Click For DetailsB0405
On 11th September 1944, Urban <i>Ben</i> Drew claimed his third aerial victory claiming another Me109 in his P-51 Mustang. Urban 'Ben' Drew - Aerial Hat-Trick by Brian Bateman. (P)Click For DetailsB0406
 Urban <i>Ben</i> Drew in his P-51 Mustang <i>Detroit Miss</i> claiming his fifth victory to become an Ace.  The German Heinkel He111 was over the Baltic Sea on 18th September 1944 when it was spotted by Ben.  Attempting to escape Ben and the two other Mustangs with him, the German aircraft made for the coast, but was shot down and plunged into the sea before making landfall. Detroit Miss by Brian Bateman. (P)Click For DetailsB0407
 Urban <i>Ben</i> Drew in his P-51 Mustang makes his strafing run on the monster German BV-238 flying boat.  A one of a kind prototype, the BV-238 was strafed and sunk on Lake Schaal by the three Mustangs led by Drew on 18th September 1944.  When it first flew earlier in 1944, the BV-238 was the heaviest aircraft ever to have flown, and was the largest axis aircraft of the war.  After being destroyed by the Mustangs, it was the single largest aircraft to have been destroyed in the war. Historic Victory by Brian Bateman. (P)Click For DetailsB0408
 Walter Schuck claims one of two P-51 Mustangs shot down as his first two victories in his new Me262 jet fighter.  Flying with JG7, Walter Schuck claimed his first two victories in the jet on 24th March 1945, and eventually went on to claim eight jet victories, and over 200 enemy aircraft in total. Jet Ace by Brian Bateman. (P)Click For DetailsB0409
 Major Erich Rudorffer claims one of three Airacobra's shot down on 10th October 1944 as he claims seven victories in a single day in his Fw190 of JG54.  One of the greatest Aces of World War Two, Rudorffer scored a total of 222 victories including over 75 on the western front, making him the 7th highest scoring Ace of all time. Erich Rudorffer - Eastern Front Ace by Brian Bateman. (P)Click For DetailsB0410
 Despite crippling damage to their Lancaster ED925 (G), the crew of AJ-M continued to press home their attack on the Mohne Dam on the night of 16th/17th May 1943. With both port engines ablaze, Flt Lt J V Hopgood forced his blazing aircraft on, releasing the Upkeep bomb just precious seconds too late to strike the dam, the mine instead bouncing over the wall and onto the power station below with devastating results. ED925 attempted to recover from the maelstrom, but the fuel fire was too intense and the aircraft was tragically lost, just two of her crew managing to escape the impact to spend the rest of the war as PoWs. No Way Back by Ivan Berryman. (GS)Click For DetailsB0417
 The Lancaster B MkIII of Flt Lt J V Hopgood was the second aircraft to make an attempt at breaching the Mohne Dam on the night of 16/17th of May 1943, ED925(G) (AJ-M) encountering intense flak and 20mm fire from the shore and from the towers of the dam itself. Just moments from the release of the Upkeep bomb, both of Hopgood's port engines took direct hits and burst into flames as other rounds ripped through the starboard wing. Despite these fatal strikes, the brave crew pressed home their attack, but released their bomb just seconds too late to be effective. The bomb bounced over the dam wall, landing on the power station below where it exploded with devastating results. With blazing fuel now engulfing the wing of his crippled aircraft, Hopgood climbed to about 500ft where the wing failed, sending ED925 into a dive from which it would never recover. By jumping clear just moments before impact, two of her crew survived to become prisoners of war. Determined to the Last by Ivan Berryman. (GS)Click For DetailsB0418
 Having survived the bombing raid on Karlsruhe, it was the cruelest of ironies that Halifax III LK789 (MP-L) of 76 Sqn should fall victim to a lone German fighter that was lurking in the night skies above Norfolk.  Witnessed by another Halifax, LK785 (MP-T), the upward firing waist guns of Lt Wolfgang Wenning's Messerschmitt Me410 of II/KG51 found their mark, expertly exploiting the blind spot of the Halifax, sending LK789 down in flames near Welney, killing all but one of her crew.  Wenning's victory was to be short lived, however, the German being killed in a mid air collision with an RAF Airspeed Oxford just three days later during another intruder operation over the midlands. Unseen and Deadly by Ivan Berryman. (AP)Click For DetailsB0503
 Halifax B.II Series 1 (Special) JP254 of 148 Special Duties Squadron, RAF is depicted over the drop zone near to the Alt Aussee salt mine in the Austrian Alps as two of the four SOE agents exit the bomber via the crew access door.  Their mission was to secure and protect 6,755 items of the world's greatest works of art that had been looted and stored by the Germans as they swept across Europe.  With the allied forces closing in, the Germans had planned to blow up the entire store to prevent the artworks from falling into the hands of the liberators. Once on the ground, the four agents linked up with local resistance fighters and the mine and its valuable contents were eventually secured, the explosives made safe and the entire cache taken into the safe keeping of the 80th US Infantry Division as the German occupation of Europe crumbled. SOE Drop by Ivan Berryman. (AP)Click For DetailsB0504
 The flight to the Ruhr dams on the night of 16th/17th May 1943 as part of Operation Chastise was fraught with peril as each wave of three aircraft hugged the ground across Holland and into Germany to avoid detection.  Having flown particularly low to avoid the flak and searchlights near Dulmen, ED864 (AJ-B) piloted by Flt Lt W Astell sadly hit high tension wires and immediately burst into flames, the aircraft rearing into the air before hitting the ground, it's Upkeep mine exploding moments later, killing all the crew instantly. These were the first victims of the Dambuster raids, the first of eight aircraft that failed to return of the nineteen that took off on this heroic mission. The Horror and the Glory by Ivan Berryman. (GS)Click For DetailsB0514
 The Avro Lancaster B MkIII ED932(G), AJ-G, of Wing Commander Guy Gibson was the first aircraft to make an attempt at breaching the Möhne Dam on the night of 16/17th of May 1943 as Operation Chastise got underway.  Having already made one 'sighting' run over the target, Gibson turned and began his second run, the flak and 20mm fire from the shore and from the towers of the dam now throwing up a hail of fire. Undeterred, the Upkeep mine was released, skipping across the water as planned, but striking the dam wall off centre with no visible effect. Gibson made several passes over the Möhne, each time escorting the attacking aircraft in an attempt to draw the enemy fire.  With the Möhne finally breached, he led the remaining aircraft on to the Eder dam with similar success before returning safely to Manston. First Strike by Ivan Berryman. (GS)Click For DetailsB0520
 Whilst flying with other Hawker Tempests of 274 Sqn on 11th February 1945, Sqn Ldr David Fairbanks spotted a lone Arado Ar234 of the Kommando Sperling 1 (F) / 123 flown by Hauptmann Hans Felde returning to its base at Rheine.  A desperate chase commenced through the cloudbase until the German jet prepared to land, whereupon Fairbanks sent 4U+DH down in flames after a single short burst of his four 20mm cannon. Tribute to Sqn Ldr David Fairbanks by Ivan Berryman. (GS)Click For DetailsB0525
 Gunther Rall scored almost all of his huge tally of 275 victories on the eastern front.  Here, his Me109 <i>Black 13</i> is shown over the snowy landscape that JG52 often operated in. Black 13 - Gunther Rall by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0529
 Two Hawker Hurricanes ME11D tank busters of No.6 Shiny Six Squadron about to attack retreating axis mechanised units, November 1942 at El Alamein. Can Openers by David Pentland. (E)Click For DetailsDHM0576
 Wing Commander Roland Beamont in his personal Tempest V, intercepted and downed his first V1 Buzzbomb on the night of June 22nd, 1944, over south east England. As Commander of 150 wing and others he went on to shoot down a total of 30 V1 flying bombs, 8 enemy aircraft and 35 locomotives destroyed plus one minesweeper sunk. A Buzz for Beamont by David Pentland. (B)Click For DetailsDHM0577
 Oberleutenant Schalls ME 262 of JG7 catches the Australian crewed Lancaster from 5 group dead astern as it lines up for its bombing run on the Hamburg U-Boat pens. Even at this angle the speed of the jet made it difficult to get off more than a few bursts of cannon fire before it passed through the British formation. The episode was witnessed by navigator Cecil Keys in the leading Lancaster QR/Y from 61 squadron on his last raid of the war. Lt. Schall, an ace with 117 kills, and 2nd highest jet ace of the war with 14 victories was killed the following day when his aircraft hit a bomb crater on landing at his base of Parchim. Jet Attack by David Pentland. (C)Click For DetailsDHM0582
 Gloster Gladiators flown by Flt. Lt. M.T. Pattle and Flying Officer Johnny Lancaster surprise a flight of Breda 65s from 59A Squadriglia over Bit Taob El Essem, North Africa. Pattle went on to be top Commonwealth Air Ace of all time. Pattles First Victory, 4th August 1940 by David Pentland. (GL)Click For DetailsDHM0590
 Hawker Hurricane IIc of top Czech ace Flt. Lt. K.M. Kuttlewascher, No.1 Fighter Squadron on a night intruder sortie from RAF Tangmere. On this mission he destroyed three Heinkel IIIs over their own airfield, St. Andre, in occupied France. Night Reaper, 4th May 1942 by David Pentland. (AP)Click For DetailsDHM0859
 Spitfire of 761 Training Squadron (attached to the Royal Navy) flies over the Forth Railway Bridge on the eve of World War Two, also shown is HMS Royal Oak departing Rosyth for the open sea. Land, Sea and Air by Ivan Berryman. (APC)Click For DetailsDHM0965
A lone  Royal Air Force Spitfire is shown high amongst the clouds over the southern counties of England during the hieght of the Battle of Britain.In the Playground of the Gods by Ivan Berryman. (APB)Click For DetailsDHM1034
 After taking part in the Battle of France early in 1940, 85 Squadron moved to Croydon on the 19th August, where, led by renowned squadron leader Peter Townsend DSO DFC, the squadron played a notable part in the Battle of Britain. Thirty Hurricane squadrons participated in the Battle of Britain compared to only eighteen Spitfire squadrons, claiming 80 percent of the RAF victories. Sir Sidney Camms innovative design ensured the Hurricane became a classic fighter. Hurricane Patrol portrays Squadron Leader Peter Townsend leading 85 Squadron on a high altitude sortie during the long hot summer of 1940. Hurricane Patrol by Graeme Lothian. (D)Click For DetailsDHM1177
 Germanys primary fighter during World War II, the Daimler-Benz DB601A powered BF109E-4 was much loved by its pilots, combining good speed and manoeuverability with a powerful armament, namely two 7.9mm MG17 machine guns in the top decking, two wing mounted 20mm MGFF/M canon and a further 20mm MGFF/M canon mounted in the engine, firing centrally through the propeller spinner. Nearest aircraft is that of the 109s greatest exponent, Major Adolf Galland, Gruppenkommander III/JG26 Schlageter, Luftflotte 2, depicted during a sortie from Caffiers, France in 1942. Adolf Galland / Messerschmitt Bf109 E-4 by Ivan Berryman. (APC)Click For DetailsDHM1321
 Two Hawker Furies of No.1 Sqm, based at Tangmere in 1937. Cloud Dancers by Ivan Berryman. (C)Click For DetailsDHM1357
 Handley Page 0/400s are attacked by German Albatross fighters as they return home from a raid during 1918. Difficult Journey Home by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1429
 On the night of 16/17th May 1943,under a full moon, 19 specially modified Lancaster bombers from 617 Squadron carried out one of the most daring and effective air raids of the Second World War. Led by wing commander Guy Gibson the 19 aircraft took off and headed for Germany at extreme low level.. Their mission, code named Operation Chastise, was to destroy the Ruhr dams which supplied water and electricity to the industrial heart of Reich. Each aircraft carried the ingenious Upkeep mine, developed by the engineer Barnes Wallis. Shaped like a large oil drum, the bomb was spun prior to release at exactly 60ft above the water and 150 yards from the dam wall. This caused the weapon to bounce across water and on impact would also make it stay close to the wall of the dam as it sank. The bomb, technically a mine, was fitted with a hydrostatic fuse similar to a depth charge causing detonation at the required depth.The correct height above the water was achieved by aligning the beams of two spotlights to meet on the surface of the water. Delivering such a weapon on target at night at such low altitude and under enemy fire was thought by many to be impossible.  The nineteen pilots,some as young as eighteen had been hand picked by Gibson only two months before and formed into 617 squadron whose first mission was to remain top secret and unknown to them up until the last moment. The Mohne Dam was attacked first and several attempts were made under heavy fire with one lancaster being shot down as it flew over the target.Guy Gibson then attempted to draw fire away from the attacking aircraft by switching on his navigation lights and flying to one side of Mick Martins aircraft ,the scene depicted in Simon Smiths painting.Just as another aircraft was about to go in,excited shouts came over the intercom - its gone! The main target achieved, Gibson led the remaining aircraft on to the Eder Dam deep amongst the mountains of the Eder valley. Here, although no flak defenses, the terrain made the approach extremely hazardous. Two bombs were released yet still the target remained unbreached leaving only one last aircraft ,that of Les Knights to attack. A steep descent from a thousand feet then a dive over a spit of land left very little time to line up and release the bomb.Worse still there was a huge mountain on the far side of the dam! Added to this Edward Johnson the bomb aimer recalled that the spinning bomb had an alarming gyroscopic effect on the handling of the aircraft,so it was with superb flying and teamwork that their bomb struck and finally destroyed the massive stonework of the Eder Dam. Gibsons leadership and bravery led to the award of the VC and many other decorations were bestowed upon the other crews.The squadron however paid a heavy price with 8 lancasters being lost.The Dambusters by Simon Smith.Click For DetailsDHM1460
 Two Me109s of Adolf Gallands famed JG26 breaking away after a head on attack against Johnnies Johnsons Spitfire formation. Combat over the Pas de Calais by Simon Smith. (B)Click For DetailsDHM1465
144 Wing RCAF, Normandy, 1944. Wing Commander Johnnie Johnson DSO**, DFC* by Graeme Lothian. (AP)Click For DetailsDHM1553
 Situated 40 miles south west of Leningrad, the German occupied airfield at Siverskaya is now home to the famous Grünherz or Green Hearts of Jagdgeschwader 54. The harsh Russian winter of 1941 is starting to take hold as three Messerschmitt Bf109F-4 Friedrichs from III Gruppe take off into early morning sunshine to act as fighter escort to Stuka attacks on the Soviet fleet in Kronstadt Harbour. With its wheel covers removed to prevent snow jamming the undercarriage, lead aircraft Yellow 5 already shows signs of weathering to the partial whitewash hastily applied over summer camouflage. Green Hearts by Ivan Berryman. (D)Click For DetailsDHM1705
 A pair of Focke Wulf 190A4s of 9./JG2 Richthofen based at Vannes, France during February 1943. The nearest aircraft is that of Staffelkapitan Siegfried Schnell. The badge on the nose is the rooster emblem of III./JG2 and the decoration on Schnells rudder shows 70 of his eventual total of 93 kills. Looking for Business by Ivan Berryman. (APB)Click For DetailsDHM1706
 Squadron Leader H C Sawyer is depicted here flying his 65 Sqn Spitfire Mk.1a R6799 (YT-D) in the skies above Kent on 31st July 1940 at the height of the Battle of Britain. Chasing him is Major Hans Trubenbach of 1 Gruppe, Lehrgeschwader 2 in his Messerschmitt Vf109E-3 (Red 12) . The encounter lasted eight minutes with both pilots surviving. High Pursuit by Ivan Berryman. (APB)Click For DetailsDHM1707
 Two Spitfire Mk1Bs of 92 Squadron patrol the south coast from their temporary base at Ford, here passing over the Needles rocks, Isle of Wight, in the Spring of 1942. In Them We Trust by Ivan Berryman. (AP)Click For DetailsDHM1708
 A pair of Spitfire Mk.IXs of 402 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force, based at Kenley, practise combat manoeuvres in the skies above Kent in May, 1943. Spitfire Alley by Ivan Berryman. (APB)Click For DetailsDHM1709
 One of 6,176 Halifaxes built during World War II, NA337(2P-X) was shot down over Norway on 23rd April 1945. In 1995 it was recovered from the lake that had been its watery home for fifty years and has now been restored by the Halifax Aircraft Association in Ontario, Canada. Halifax Mk.III NA337 by Ivan Berryman. (D)Click For DetailsDHM1712
 Pushing the concept of the Spitfire almost to the limit, the sleek F Mk212 represented the ultimate in fighter design at the end of the Second World War.  Powered by the mighty Griffon 61 engine driving a five blade propeller, its armament consisted of four 20mm British Hispano Cannon, two in each wing.  This example is LA200 (DL-E) of 91 Sqn in 1945. Spitfire F Mk21 by Ivan Berryman. (AP)Click For DetailsDHM1720
 A pair of Spitfire Mk.IXEs of 611 Squadron make their way home from a patrol during the summer of 1942. At this time 611 Squadron were based at Kenley and were the first squadron to receive the new Mk.IX putting it on equal terms, for the first time, with the formidable Focke-Wulf 190. Spitfire Mk.IXE by Ivan Berryman. (C)Click For DetailsDHM1721
 Under the watchful eye of his more experienced tutor a trainee pilot gets his first taste of the Spitfire Mk.IIa, airborne from Tangmere early in 1941.  the nearest aircraft is P7856 (YT-C) which enjoyed a long career, surviving until 1945. The Fledgling by Ivan Berryman. (AP)Click For DetailsDHM1722
 A pair of P51D Mustangs of the 361st Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, escort a damaged B17G Flying Fortress of the 381st Bomb Group back to its home base of Ridgewell, England, during the Autumn of 1944. Last One Home by Ivan Berryman. (I)Click For DetailsDHM1724
 September 1940: The Battle of Britain reaches a crescendo as Me109s of the 1./JG52, their bright yellow noses glinting in the sun, gather speed and altitude as they form up after take-off from their base at Coquelles, near Calais. Led by Hauptmann Wolfgang Ewald, the Scharwm settle into their loose, finger-four formation, the pilots alert for danger and ready for yet another raid on England, just a few miles across the Channel.Dawn Eagles Rising by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM1810
 Depicting the No.19 Sqn Spitfire Mk.IIA of <a href=aces.php?PilotID=3798>Flt Lt Walter Lawson</a> attacking a a Bf.109 E-4 of JG.3 in the Summer of 1940. The final tally of Lawson before he was listed as missing in August 1941 was 6 confirmed, 1 shared, 3 probables and 1 damaged.  The Bf.109 shown here was flown by Oberleutnant Franz von Werra. He survived this encounter, but was shot down over Kent in September 1940. Flt Lt Walter Lawson by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1855
 <a href=aces.php?PilotID=169>Adolf Galland</a> claimed his 16th victory on the afternoon of 25th July 1940 when Spitfires of 54 Sqn were bounced by Messerschmitt Bf.109s of Gallands III/JG26.  A fierce battle ensued off Dover during which F/Lt Basil <i>Wonky</i> Way, flying R6707, found himself the subject of the great German aces attention, his stricken aircraft being observed to plunge into the sea after receiving numerous hits from the Bf.109s guns. F/Lt Way lost his life in the crash, presumed drowned. Victory Above Dover by Ivan Berryman. (APB)Click For DetailsDHM1866
 With the Battle of Britain won, and the first chinks in Goerings armour exposed, RAF Fighter Command is at last able to carry the war to the enemy.  It is the bittersweet winter of 41.  Mk Vb Spitfires, having taken off as the first streaks of dawn spread across the morning sky, return to a snow-covered airfield after a dawn patrol over the Channel.  Inhabitants of the sleepy English village begin to stir with the familiar sound of Merlin engines, counting each and every one of their fighter boys home. Winter of 41 by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM1880
 The afternoon of 25th July 1940 was a desperate one for the already exhausted fighter pilots of the RAF defending the South coast of England.  As convoy CW8 made its way through the English Channel, sixty JU.87 Stukas and forty JU.88 bombers launched a brutal attack on the ships below, backed up by fighter cover of over 50 Messerscmitt Bf.109s.  Eight Spitfires of 64 Sqn (Kenley) were scrambled, together with twelve Spitfires of 54 Sqn (Hornchurch) and Hurricanes of 111 Sqn from Croydon.  The British pilots found themselves massively outnumbered, but nevertheless put up a spirited fight against the teeming enemy.  This painting shows Spitfires of 54 Sqn entering the fray, the pilots scattering as they choose their targets and go after the JU.87s. To the right of this, Bf.109Es of JG.26 are roaring in to join battle, whilst Adolf Gallands aircraft engages a Hurricane of 111 Sqn. A Day for Heroes by Ivan Berryman. (AP)Click For DetailsDHM1891
 A Mosquito Mk.BIX above the clouds in late 1943.  Mosquito B.IX LR503 holds the record for the most combat missions flown by a single Allied bomber in the Second World War, serving 213 sorties. A De Havilland Beauty by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1910
 Hawker Hurricane Mk 1s of No 242 Sqn patrol a glorious September sky as the Battle of Britain reaches its climax in the Summer of 1940. The nearest aircraft is that of Sqn Ldr Douglas Bader, flying V7467 in which he claimed four victories, plus two probables and one destroyed. P/O W L McKnight (LE-A) and P/O D W Crowley-Milling (LE-M) are in close attendance. High Patrol by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1912
 With their brightly coloured checkertail tails there was no mistaking the P.51 Mustangs of the 325th Fighter Group. Escorting B-24s over Austria in August 1944, tangled with a group of Fw190 fighters. The ensuing dogfight spiraled down below the mountain peaks as Herky Green led the Checkertails in a low-level chase. Herky nails one Fw190. Behind him his pilots will take out the two Fw190. When all is done this day the 325th will be credited with 15 enemy fighters destroyed. Checkertail Clan by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsDHM2023
 On February 15, 1944, a force of B-24s, B-25s and A-20s hammered the heavily defended Japanese base at Kavieng. Several aircraft, however, were forced to ditch; three downed B-25 crews from 345th Bomb Group floating helplessly in life-rafts within a thousand yards of the beach, and the Japanese troops were in no mood to take prisoners. Their only chance of survival was the air-sea rescue PBY Catalina. Nicolas Trudgians dramatic reconstruction depicts Lt. Commander Nathan Gordons PBY Catalina making its final take-off, the intense enemy gunfire from the shore making his mission seemingly impossible. But the young pilot got all 25 men aboard safely home, and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for what is one of the bravest actions of the war in the Pacific. Flight Out of Hell by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2024
 In a scene that was repeated almost daily throughout the long war years, the pilots of the 357th Fighter Group have returned from a gruelling mission to their base in Leiston, Suffolk. As they clamber out of their aircraft, all eyes are turned anxiously skyward, awaiting the return of the last man home. Last Man Home by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2025
 P-38 Lightnings launching a surprise attack on a German freight train as it winds its way through the hills of Northern France towards the battle front, shortly before D-Day, 1944. Lightning Encounter by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2026
Mustangs of the 31st Fighter Group pass low over an Italian fishing village, heading out on another combat patrol.Mustangs Over the Mediterranean by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2027
 The success of Operation Bodenplatte, on January 1, 1945, was to be achieved by mass surprise attacks on British and American bases in France, Belgium and Holland. It was a battle fought at great cost to the Luftwaffe. During the battles some 300 Luftwaffe aircraft were lost. Though 200 Allied aircraft were destroyed, most on the ground, pilot losses were light. Nicolas Trudgians brilliant painting takes us right into the action above the Allied air base at Eindhoven. Me262 jets join a concentration of Me109s and Fw190s of JG-3 fighter wing, as they hurtle across the airfield in an assault that lasted 23 minutes, while Spitfires from 414 Sqn RCAF do their best to repel the attack. On the ground Typhoon fighters of 439 Sqn take a hammering. Operation Bodenplatte by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2028
 Throughout four long years of war Allied air and naval forces endeavoured to sink the German battleship Tirpitz. The mighty warship was a constant threat to Allied shipping, even while lying at anchor in her lair among the fjords of Norway. Her very presence demanded constant attention and hampered all naval decision making till she was sunk at the end of 1944. Without so much as weighing anchor, Tirpitz could disrupt the north Atlantic convoys by tying up urgently needed escort vessels in readiness in case she made a run for the open sea. Churchill was exasperated and called upon RAF Bomber Command to make a decisive bid to finish her off once and for all. On November 12, 1944 Lancasters of Number 9 and 617 Squadrons set forth towards the Norwegian fjord of Tromso where Tirpitz lay at anchor surrounded by a web of protective submarine nets. Armed with the 12,000lb Tallboy bomb devised by Barnes Wallis, the Lancaster crews arrived in clear skies overhead the fjord to see the great battleship sharply contrasted against the still deep waters some 10,000ft below. As flak from the ships heavy armament burst all around them, one by one the 31 Lancasters rolled in for the attack. In a matter of three minutes the devastating aerial bombardment was completed, and eleven minutes later, her port side ripped open, the Tirpitz capsized and sank. The Coup de Grace was complete. <br><br><b>Published 2000.</b>Sinking the Tirpitz by Nicolas Trudgian (AP)Click For DetailsDHM2031
 Me109s of I/JG2, under the command of the brilliant Helmut Wick, setting out on a mission across the English Channel in September 1940. Wick, seen in the foreground, with Gunther Seeger off his starboard wing, was the top-scoring Luftwaffe Ace in the Battle of Britain with 56 victories. <br><br><b>Published 2000.</b>Stormclouds Gather by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)Click For DetailsDHM2033
 As the Allied invasion of northern France drew nearer, the entire length of southern England had seemingly become one huge army camp. While the local population went about its daily business as best it could, British and American troops massed at every point near the coast in readiness for the imminent crossing of the Channel. Though the RAF fighters of 10 Group were tasked in the Air Defense role, like all RAF squadrons that could be spared, they became involved with the softening up process, a pre-requisite of any large scale landing on enemy occupied territory. Under the leadership of Wing Commander Peter Brothers, 10 Groups Spitfire Wing based at Culmhead was heavily involved flying shipping patrols over the beachhead and Rhubarbs - low-level strikes of opportunity - disrupting enemy movements and communications.Nicolas Trudgians comprehensive painting Summer of 44 recreates with such realism a scene in southwest England just a few days before the Normandy landings in June 1944. Mark IX Spitfires of No. 126 Squadron, returning from combat over France, sweeps low over the local branch line railway station on their way back to Culmhead. Below, as the GWR Prairie tank engine pulls out of the station, American troops are assembling their equipment in readiness for the impending invasion. Adding great atmosphere to his composition, Nick has painted a classically peaceful English landscape, highlighting the unique contrast between war and peace that pervaded Britain during that summer of 44.  <br><br><b>Published 2000.<br><br>Signed by two of the most outstanding Spitfire Wing Leaders of World War II.</b>Summer of 44 by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2034
 The Black Widow is a formidable creature.  It lurks in the dark, carefully chooses its moment of attack and strikes unseen, cutting down its prey with deadly certainty.  Northrop could not have chosen a more apt name with which to christen their new night fighter when the P61 Black Widow entered service in the spring of 1944.  The first aircraft designed from the start as a night fighter, the P61 had the distinction of pioneering airborne radar interception during World War II, and this remarkable twin engined fighter saw service in the ETO, in China, the Marianas and the South West Pacific.  Under the command of Lt Col O B Johnson, one of the P61s greatest exponents, the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron was the leading P61 outfit in the ETO, destroying 43 enemy aircraft in the air, 5 buzz bombs and hundreds of ground based vehicles, becoming the most successful night fighter squadron of the war.  Flying a twilight mission in his P-61 Black Widow on October 24, 1944, Colonel Johnson and his radar operator have picked up a formation of three Fw190s, stealthily closing on their quarry in the gathering dusk, O.B. makes one quick and decisive strike, bringing down the enemy leader with two short bursts of fire. Banking hard, as the Fw190 pilot prepares to bale out, he brings his blazing guns to bear on a second Fw190, the tracer lighting up the fuselage of his P-61. Twilight Conquest by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2036
 Frustrated by the absence of Luftwaffe aircraft over the Normandy beaches on D-Day, Allied fighter pilots were spoiling for a fight. When a dozen Ju88s appeared over Gold Beach on the following morning, June 7, 1944, the patrolling Spitfires of 401 Squadron wasted no time in getting into the fray.  At just after 0800 hours twelve Junkers Ju88s appeared out of the 2000ft. cloud base, intent on making a diving attack on the heavily populated beachhead. Wheeling their Spitfires into the on-coming attack, Squadron Leader Cameron, C.O. of 401 Squadron, called his pilots to pick their own targets, and all hell broke loose. In the ensuing dogfight 401 Squadrons Canadian pilots destroyed no fewer than six of the Ju88s, and the attack on the beach was averted.  Nicolas Trudgian recreates the scene as Flying Officer Arthur Bishop, son of WWI Ace Billy Bishop, brings down one of the Ju88s that day. With its starboard engine on fire, and its hydraulics shot away, the doomed Luftwaffe fighter-bomber begins its ultimate uncontrollable roll. F/O Arthur Bishop hurtles past the stricken bomber, Nicks superb study showing every detail of his Mk IX Spitfire.  Below the pockmarked landscape and beachhead is packed with detail and activity: No fewer than fifty vehicles of all description can be counted, with as many ships and landing craft offshore. Some thirty aircraft are visible in the sky. A massively comprehensive image that will keep collectors endlessly absorbed in a wholly realistic atmosphere, created by a hugely talented and highly respected aviation artist. Victory Over Gold by Nicolas Trudgian (B)Click For DetailsDHM2037
 The tension is electric; slowly they climb to circle the airfield while the entire squadron gets airborne. Below, the countryside reverberates with the sound of roaring Merlin engines. RAF Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron. Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2050
 They came across the English Channel at wave top height, their propeller slipstreams leaving wakes on the surface of the water.  Nine Dornier Do17Z bombers of 9th Staffel, KG76, detailed to attack the RAF airfield at Kenley as part of Reichsmarshal Gorings prelude to Operation Sealion - the invasion of Britain.  Hitler knew that RAF Fighter Command had to be destroyed in the airand on the ground if his plans were to succeed, but the German High Command failed to take into account the resilience of the young Hurricane and Spitfire pilots, and their determination to hold this last vital line of defence.  The Dorniers were spotted as they approached the English coast, and Hurricanes were scrambled to intercept.  The German bombers cleared the North Downs with feet to spare and spread out into attack formation as they lined up on the hangars at Kenley.  As they came in over the airfield Hurricanes of 111 Squadron came diving upon them.  Suddenly all hell broke loose.  Bombs rained down on to the airfield and buildings went up in flames.  One Dornier was brought down and tow more, badly damaged by ground fire, were finished off by the Hurricane pilots.  Now the chase was on to catch the others before they could escape back to their base in Northern France. Only one of the nine Dorniers that set out will return to base on that 18th day of August, 1940. Holding the Line - The Battle of Britain by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2054
 A Heinkel 219 and a Messerschmitt 110 of NJG-1 climbing out from their base a Munster Hansdorf, as they set out on a deadly mission. Ten aircraft took off to intercept a major raid on Dusseldorf, the night witnessing a fierce battle high above the darkened city. NJG-1 crews assisted with the downing of 19 RAF bombers, one Luftwaffe pilot being credited with no fewer than 6 victories that night. Below them the spectacular Ruhr Valley is vibrant in its mantle of winters first snowfall on the night of November 2, 1944 Into The Cloak of Darkness by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsDHM2055
 The first successful daylight raid on Berlin. Nicolas Trudgians painting relives the fearsome aerial combat on March 6, 1944, as B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 100th B.G. are attacked. Screaming in head-on, Fw190s of II./JG I charge into the bomber stream. With throttles wide open, 56th Fighter Group P-47 Thunderbolts come hurtling down to intercept. B-17 gunners are working overtime, the air is full of cordite, smoke, jagged pieces of flying metal and hot lead. We are in the midst of one of the fiercest aerial battles of the war. First Strike on Berlin by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2057
 When the American Army reached the Rhine at Remagen on March 7, 1945, such was the speed of their advance, they arrived before the retreating Germans had time to blow the vital bridge. The Americans seized the bridge intact. Realising the threat to the German defences, the Luftwaffe were ordered into destroy the bridge at all costs. Desperate efforts were made to attack the bridge, and over the course of the following days the fighting became one of the legendary battles of the war. Two RAF Tempests have flown right through the Luftwaffe formation of Me262 and Arado 234 jets bombers, the high speed aircraft missing each other by feet. The concentration of the desperate attackers is broken momentarily, sufficiently so that their bombs miss the target - but more Luftwaffe aircraft can be seen streaming into attack Clash Over Remagen by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2109
 In the summer of 1940, JG3, under the command of Hans von Hahn, scramble their Me109s from their French countryside base at Colombert, near Calais. With the deafening sound of their piston-engined aircraft, sporting the groups colourful Dragon emblem on their cowlings, they head for the battle front. <br><br><b>Published 2000.</b>Dragons of Colombert by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsDHM2112
 HM Stephen - one of the Battle of Britains top scoring fighter pilots, brings down two Me109s in quick succession over the White Cliffs of Dover, early on August 11, 1940. Flying a Spitfire with 74 Squadron, HM shot down five German aircraft on this day, and damaged a further three. The note in his log book starts First flap of the day at 0600 hrs ... <br><br><b>Published 2000.<br><br>Sadly, all of the pilots who signed this edition have since passed away.</b>First Flap of the Day by Nicolas Trudgian. (D)Click For DetailsDHM2115
 A classic head-to-head combat between Squadron Leader Sandy Johnstone in his Spitfire and an Me109 over the south coast of England on 25th August, 1940. With 602 Squadron scrambled to intercept an approaching raid. The Commanding Officer notches up his second victory of the day. <br><br><b>Published 2000.</b>Head to Head by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsDHM2122
 Based at a temporary formed airfield at Lille Marc, Hurricanes of No. 87 Squadron - showing the strains of battle - taxi in from a skirmish during heavy fighting in the Battle of France, May 1940. Front Line Hurricanes by Robert Taylor. (B)Click For DetailsDHM2149
 Leading 433 (Canadian) Squadron, top Allied Fighter Ace Johnnie Johnson -Greycap Leader - has already bagged an Fw190, and is hauling his MKIX Spitfire around looking for a second in heavy dog-fighting over the Rhine, September 1944. In the distance more enemy fighters appear, they too will receive the attention of the Canadians. Greycap Leader by Robert Taylor. (B)Click For DetailsDHM2151
17th May 1943, Sqn Ldr Frank (Jerry) Fray in his Spitfire PRX1 of 542 Squadron operating out of RAF Benson, Oxfordshire, returned alone and unarmed to gather photographic evidence from 30,000 feet of the Möhne dam having been breached earlier the same day by 617 Squadron Lancaster bombers.Mission Accomplished by Philip West.Click For DetailsDHM2191
 Flying low level at high speed through intense ground fire was all part of the daily task of the pilots of the Typhoon ground attack squadrons. Armed with rockets, 1000lb bombs and four 20mm cannon, this formidable fighter played a leading role in the Allied advance through occupied Europe. Leading up to, and following the Normandy landings through to the end of hostilities, the Typhoon, flown by determined hard hitting pilots, became the scourge of the German Panzer Divisions, and wrought havoc with enemy road and rail communications. Targets along the Rhine, over one of Germanys arteries of supply and communication and last line of defence, were given special attention by the Typhoon squadrons. Barges carrying vital supplies, munition trains on railroads hugging the river bank, and the ever present movement of troops and armour toward the battlefront were constantly attacked from the air. Led by Squadron Leader B. G. Stapme Stapleton, Mk1B Typhoons of 247 Squadron, 2nd Tactical Air Force, based at Eindhoven in Holland, make a low-level attack on enemy river transport on the Rhine in November 1944. Twisting and turning to avoid ground fires as best they can, the Typhoon pilots power their way through the valley with cannons blazing, pressing home their attack by strafing every German military target in their path. The supply cargo aboard the freight train is unlikely to reach its destination today! Typhoons Over the Rhine by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2200
After having shoot down an Albatros DV over Ypres, captain Billy Barker in his personal aircraft B6313 leads his flight of novices in loose formation back to Allied Lines. Flying West into the early evening sun against the back drop of a dramatic skyline the four Sopwith Camels head back to their base at St Omer. Patrolling the Line by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsDHM2216
 Few fighter units in World War II gained the notoriety of Pappy Boyingtons Marine Corps VMF-214 Black Sheep Squadron. Equipped with the Chance Vought F4U Corsair, under Boyingtons spirited leadership, the Black Sheep pilots were accorded one of only two Presidential Unit Citations awarded to Marine Corps squadrons during the war in the Pacific.  With the American forces pushing up through the South Pacific, the First Marine Air Wing was urgently looking for a seasoned fighter pilot to form a unit to take the brand new F4U into combat. Boyington had the experience - he had become an Ace flying with Chennaults Flying Tigers in China - and the rank to lead a squadron; he also had a reputation as an aggressive fighter leader, and was a natural choice for the job. Recruiting pilots from the reserve pool, together with others awaiting assignment to squadrons, the 30 year-old Boyington - dubbed Pappy by his group of young pilots - knocked them into one of the most effective fighter units in the South Pacific. In their first twelve weeks of operation they brought down 97 Japanese aircraft, no fewer than 95 of which were enemy fighters. During this period they lost only 11 pilots.  VMF-214 saw action at Guadalcanal, the northern Solomons and Vella Lavella; they were the first to strafe Kahili, the first to operate from the field at Munda while it was still under enemy artillery fire, and the first to lead fighter sweeps over Rabaul. Nicolas Trudgians outstanding painting captures the scene at Vella Lavella as Pappy Boyington leads his VMF-214 Black Sheep Squadron off the island strip to escort a B-17 Fortress raid on Rabaul in December 1943. Boyington led his Black Sheep pilots through two combat tours before being brought down himself and taken prisoner. On his last mission he shot down three Zeros, bringing his final tally to 28. He was to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Nicks fine image pays tribute to one of the US Marine Corps most illustrious fighter squadrons and to its remarkable leader. The Black Sheep by Nicolas Trudgian (AP)Click For DetailsDHM2225
 For bomber crews, any daylight-bombing mission almost certainly meant combat. If it werent the attentions of determined Luftwaffe fighter pilots, it would be an aerial carpet of flak that welcomed the bombers en route to the target - and again on the journey home. On most missions the Eighth Air Force aircrews had to contend with both. Enduring up to ten hours of concentrated flying under cramped conditions, extreme cold, with the constant noise and vibration produced by four powerful engines, made every mission uncomfortable enough without being shot at. But the USAAF aircrews confronted the odds - a one in three chance of completing a 25-mission tour of operations - cheerfully and with gallant resolve. Playing a major role in the great raids on Germany and other targets in occupied Europe from early in 1944, equipped with the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, the USAAF Second Air Division flew no fewer than 95,048 sorties. Based in Norfolk, England, the crews also attacked targets far distant in Norway, Poland and Rumania, unloading almost 100,000 tons of bombs and claiming over 1000 enemy fighters shot down. <br><br><b>Published 2001.</b>End Game by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2261
 No single raid during World War Two has attracted more discussion, analysis, features, books, interviews, or been the subject of more films, documentaries, and TV programmes than the famous attack mounted by the RAFs 617 Squadron upon the mighty hydroelectric dams in Westphalia, on the night of 16/17 May, 1943. Led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, nineteen specially adapted Lancaster bombers, manned by 133 aircrew, culminated months of secret training when they made one of the most audacious raids of the war. Flying at tree-top height in darkness, and doing their best to avoid electricity pylons and other obstructions, they navigated their way deep into occupied territory. Their targets were the huge Mohne, Sorpe, Ennepe, and Eder Dams that powered Germanys huge industrial factories in the heartland of the Rhur. Each bomber had to avoid enemy flak and fighters en route, locate their target, descend to precisely 60 feet above the water then, in the face of a barrage of anti-aircraft fire, release their single unique 10,000 lb hydrostatic bomb at exactly the right moment. There was no margin for error, and there was no place for faint hearts. Eight of the crews that left RAF Scampton that night were never to return. Of the fifty-six aircrew on board only two survived. Though nearly half the skilled crews that made up 617 squadron were lost, they recorded one of the most successful and daring air raids of the war- a costly endeavour, but one that has become legend in the annals of aerial warfare. Nicolas Trudgians emotive painting Homeward Bound depicts Dave Shannons Lancaster AJ-L, dodging the searchlights low over the Dutch landscape, as he returns from the Eder Dam following the part he and his crew played in the famous raid on that moonlight night in May, 1943. <br><br><b>Published 2000.</b>Homeward Bound by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2263
There was never a greater concentration of air power deployed in an active theater of war as over the English Channel in May and June 1944. As D-Day approached, the USAAFs Ninth Air Force had assembled over 3500 aircraft a day, they were pounding enemy positions all the way from Pas de Calais to the coast of Normandy. 6 June 1944, arguably the most decisive single day in modern military history, saw the sky filled with waves of troop carrying aircraft towing gliders, dropping over 20,000 highly trained men in support of the massed sea-borne landings on the beaches below. Grabbing all the airspace they could find, the combat wings of the Ninth Air Force were creating havoc among the German ground forces as they scrambled to get troops and armor to the battlefront. D-Day Armada by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2275
 Spitfires of No. 132 Squadron rush towards the Front to give ground support to the advancing Allied forces following breakout from the Normandy beaches, June 1944. <br><br><b>Published 2003.<br><br>Signed by three highly decorated fighter pilots who flew combat missions on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and during the Battle for Normandy.</b>Normandy Breakout by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2277
Big Brothers and Little Friends : the enduring bond between the bomber crews and fighter pilots of the USAAF Eighth Air Force in their prolonged and hotly contested air war against Hitlers Nazi Germany, 1942-1945. Top Cover by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsDHM2303
 Set in a spectacular mountain scene, Nicolas Trudgians print records the last days of air combat as World War II drew to a close. The most feared of the Luftwaffes remaining units were those equipped with the remarkable Me262 fighter jet, but they were vulnerable to attack during take-off and landing. Commanding JV-44, General Galland countered the threat by employing Fw190 Dora 9s to fly top cover. Nicolas Trudgians painting depicts the colourful Fw190 of Hptm Waldermar Wubke of JV-44 as he prepared to scramble Red Three at Ainring airfield in may 1945. <br><br><b>Published 2000.<br><br>Signed by two Luftwaffe Knights Cross holders who flew the Fw190D-9 operationally during World War II.</b>Mountain Wolf by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsDHM2431
 Leutnant Klaus Bretschneider, Staffelkapitan of 5./JG300 kicks up the dust as he taxies his Fw190 A-8 Red One from its forest hiding place into the sunlight in preparation for take-off. The scene is northern Germany, November 1944. The Staffelkapitan will lead his 190s in a massed sturm intercept upon incoming American bombers. With Allied fighters dominating the skies, Luftwaffe fighter units took desperate measures to conceal their whereabouts. Commonplace were these hurriedly prepared strips, often near dense forests. Timber Wolf by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2432
 Hurricanes of 87 Squadron return to their West Country base after repelling attacks by Luftwaffe bombers on nearby aircraft factories, August 1940. Flight Lieutenant Ian Gleeds Hurricane, in which he scored 20 victories, leads the Squadron pilots back to base to refuel, re-arm, and get airborne without delay. <br><br><b>Published 2000.<br><br>Signed by three famous Hurricane pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain.  These are three fantastic rare  signatures to have on one art print  and sadly all three have since passed away.</b>Hurricane Heroes by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2439
 Herbert Ihlefelds personal He162 White 23 - the revolutionary Heinkel Peoples Fighter - on patrol with JG1.This aircraft was captured intact and is today preserved in the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC. <br><br><b>Published 2000.</b>Jet Interceptor by Nicolas Trudgian (AP)Click For DetailsDHM2441
 A dramatic low-level attack on a Japanese base near Rabaul is in progress by F-4U Corsairs of 16 Squadron, RNZAF. Taking the lead is Bryan Cox, as the Corsairs leave a trail of smoke and debris in their wake. Water vapor is squeezed out of the humid atmosphere as Coxs wingman banks sharply to avoid groundfire. The Kiwi Corsairs buccaneered their way through the intensly fought campaigns in the Solomons and Guadalcanal.Kiwi Strike by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2443
 Messerschmitt Me110s and 109s of the Luftwaffes 210 Gruppe based at Calais-Marck in northern France, make a low-level run across the Kent countryside after a surprise attack on R.A.F. Biggin Hill, August 30, 1940 One - Tens Over Kent by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsDHM2448
 At first light on August 1st, 1943 a force of 178 B-24 Liberator bombers lifted off dusty airstrips in the Libyan desert.  They were to fly a 2000 mile round-trip deep into enemy territory, bomb a heavily defended target, and return to their North African base - without fighter escort.  So began one of the bloodiest and heroic missions in the annals of aerial warfare.  The target - the oil refineries at Ploesti.  One third of Germany's petroleum products were supplied from Ploesti, situated deep in Rumania and well beyond the range of Allied bombers based in England.  Deprived of this vital supply of fuel, Germany's mighty war machine would grind to a halt.  The high command were aware of this and the installations at Ploesti were defended accordingly.  To attack such a heavily defended target with the required degree of accuracy it was necessary to bomb from a perilously low level, a task for which the B-24 was notoriously unsuited.  The mission called for inspired leadership, cool determination and courage beyond the call of duty - and all of these were given in plenty.  As the first wave of bombers roared into the target, some as low as 50 feet, the German defenses opened up with a barrage of fire. Within moments the entire area erupted with exploding bombs, bursting shells, gushing flames and billowing palls of smoke.  One by one the gallant crews took their aircraft through the intense wall of Ack-Ack and 88mm ground fire, and into the burning inferno to deliver their deadly cargo.  Of the 178 B-24s dispatched, 52 were lost and all but 35 aircraft suffered damage, one limping home after 14 hours and holed in 365 places.  Ploesti witnessed countless acts of heroism, for which the crews received more decorations for bravery than any other mission of the war.Operation Tidal Wave by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2449
 When the seasoned B-26 crews of the 386th Bomb Group took delivery of their Douglas A-26 Invader aircraft in September 1944, the arrival of their new fast attack bombers neatly coincided with a move to France. Now based at Beaumont-sur-Oise, they were able to penetrate deep into enemy territory. The three man crews took part in the Battle of the Bulge, their twin engined aircraft being well suited to their task of destroying strategic bridges and cutting vital supply lines. After the Ardennes Campaign, now fully equipped with the A-26, the 386th BG continued to strike hard against important targets in Germany, the nimble handling characteristics of the aircraft making low-level attacks a speciality. As the Allies advanced upon Germany the 386th moved to St. Trond in Belgium, their base at the time of Nicolas Trudgians dramatic painting. Arriving at high speed over the busy German rail yard in the heart of the Ruhr Valley, barely skimming the nearby factory chimney stacks on the way into the target, the A-26 crews on the 386th deliver a devastating blow, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. With bombs away, the Invader crews strafe the area with their battery of ten forward-firing .50 cal. machine guns, the roar of their twin 2000hp engines heightening the tension and confusion on the ground. <br><br><b>Published 2000.<br><br>Signed by three distinguished A-26 Invader aircrew who flew the A-26 in combat during World War II.</b>Ruhr Valley Invaders by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2450
 It is August 1944, barely two months since the Allies landed their first troops on the beaches of Normandy. Already the German Panzer Divisions are in full retreat, and it is critical to halt them before they can regroup. Caught in the Gap at Falaise, the battle was to be decisive. Flying throughout a continuous onslaught, rocket-firing Typhoons kept up their attacks on the trapped armoured divisions from dawn to dusk. The effect was devastating: at the end of the ten day battle the 100,000 strong German force was decimated. Typhoons of 198 Squadron RAF, deliver their deadly rocket and cannon fire, a tank column has been brought to a standstill, their reign of terror now almost at its end. Typhoons at Falaise by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)Click For DetailsDHM2454
The Boeing Stearman PT 17 is a picture painted by Gerald Coulson essentially for the American Market and as a little self-indulgence.  The U.S. equivalent to the Tiger Moth, it was typically larger and more powerful, being based around a comparatively large radial engine.  Tough and easy to fly the Stearman still exists in large quantities and is used by fun fliers on both sides of the Atlantic, it being an extremely agile aerobatics machine capable of exciting continuous manoeuvres pulled along by its tremendous power.  The sound of the Stearman, like the Harvard, is unmistakable with its propeller tips going supersonic at maximum revs.  As trainers they were painted in the most attractive colours and against the typical Coulson sky this machine makes a brilliant impact and striking print as U.S. Army trainer 530 buzzes angrily through the sunlit skies probably taking yet another potential World War II ace on his first solo flight.  Stearman PT17 by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsDHM2511
Of the many famous combat aircraft to serve their respective countries in the Second World War, two perhaps more than any others, created huge impact and consternation upon seasoned opposing pilots when they first appeared on the battlefront - the Supermarine Spitfire and the Messerschmitt Me262.  Both in their day represented enormous advances in aircraft design and power, and both have continued to capture the imagination of aviation enthusiasts ever since.  As the war progressed the Spitfire continually upgraded its performance and by the time the Luftwaffes new Me262 turbo-jet arrived on the scene the sleek new Mk XIV, powered by the awesome Griffon engine, was among the fastest piston-engine fighters of the war.  The stage was set for a clash between the most powerful piston-engine fighter and the worlds first turbojet, and it was not long before the pilots of these two most advanced combat aircraft met in the hostile skies over western Europe. Ill-advisedly employed by Hitler as the wonder-bomber, the Me262 was initially issued to Bomber Units, one of which being KG51. Tasked with undertaking lightning fast raids upon advancing Allied ground forces, the shark-like jets employed their spectacular speed advantage to surprise, strike and escape. Not to be outdone, the RAF responded with their supremely fast Spitfire XIVs which had already proven themselves highly effective against Germanys V1 flying bombs. In his painting, Nick Trudgian recreates a typical moment: Spitfire Mk XIVs of 41 Squadron have intercepted and damaged a Me262 of KG51 and, with smoke and debris pouring from its damaged Jumo 004 Turbojet, the stricken Luftwaffe jet will be lucky to make it home. A dramatic painting and a fine tribute to the RAFs contribution to the Victory in Europe. Victory Over the Rhine by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2585
 Released on the 65th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain a new limited edition to commemorate Churchills famous few. Stalwart of the Battle of Britain, the Hawker Hurricane equipped the majority of the RAF squadrons that defended Britain during that epic and decisive air battle in the summer of 1940. At the forefront of the air fighting over the southern counties of England, the young Hurricane pilots of 501 Squadron covered themselves in glory. Nicolas Trudgians painting sets the scene: a victim of yesterdays aerial conflicts, a crashlanded German Ju88 of KG30 lies on the edge of a Sussex field; the attention of two members of the local Home Guard is drawn to the Hurricanes of 501 Squadron as the fighters race back at low-level to Gravesend for fuel and ammunition. Within minutes they will scramble aloft again to rejoin the fray. <br><br><b>Published 2005.</b>Hurricane Country by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)Click For DetailsDHM2586
 One of the most successful of the P-38 equipped units was the 475th Fighter Group, Satans Angels, and it is the P-38s of this famous unit that Nicolas Trudgian has portrayed in his tribute to the American Air Forces that made Victory in the Pacific possible. It is March 1945 and the P-38s of the 475th FG are involved in a huge dogfight with Japanese Zeros over the coast of Indo-China. Flying Pee Wee V is Lt Ken Hart of the 431st Fighter Squadron, who has fatally damaged a Zero in a blistering head on encounter. The second P-38 – Vickie – belongs to Captain John Rabbit Pietz, who would end the War an Ace with six victories. Pacific Glory by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2589
 B-17 Fortresses of the Bloody Hundredth- the Eighth Air Forces 100th Bomb Group - return to Thorpe Abbotts following a raid on enemy oil refineries, September 11, 1944. Nicolas Trudgians moving tribute to the Bloody Hundredth shows the imaginatively named B-17, Heaven Can Wait, on final approach to Thorpe Abbotts after the intense battle on September 11, 1944. Skilfully piloted by Harry Hempy, the seriously damaged B-17G has struggled 500 miles home on two engines to make it back to England. They lost their tail gunner that fateful day. Below the descending bomber stream, an agricultural traction engine peacefully ploughs the wheat stubble in preparation for next year's vital crop, the farm workers oblivious to the unimaginable traumas so recently experienced by the crews of the returning B-17 Fortresses. Heaven Can Wait by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2592
 The relief of Bastogne turned the tide in the Battle of the Bulge and Hitlers final great offensive of World War II lay in ruins. P47 Thunderbolts of the 406th Fighter Group, in company with P38 Lightnings, support the advancing armor of General George Pattons US Third Army as they prepare to relieve the battered 101st Airborne Division from their heroic defence of Bastogne during the final climax to the Battle of the Bulge, 24 December 1944. The Battle of the Bulge was one of the largest land battles of WWII with more than a million American, British and German troops involved, incurring huge casualties on all sides and this release pays tribute to the sacrifice of Allied Forces, during this important milestone in World War II. <br><br><b>Published 2005.</b>Thunderbolts and Lightnings by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2595
 By late April 1945 most of the Third Reich had been cut to shreds by the advancing Allied forces and those units remaining intact were regrouping in southern Germany and Austria. With American advance units nearing the outskirts of Munich, on 28th April Adolf Galland took the decision to evacuate his precious jets to Salzburg, deep in the mountains. Bad weather prevented their departure until the following morning and they only just managed to escape under the noses of the encircling Americans. Galland had hoped to battle on with JV44 but the unsuitable mountain airfields prevented the famous fighter wing from doing much to delay the inevitable. So the beautiful Alpine meadows became the final resting place for what was potentially the most formidable fighter unit of the war. In just a few days the jets were left abandoned. Their short, exhilarating war, consigned to history. Alpine Thunder by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2600
Just after midnight, on the night of 16/17 May 1943, Lancaster crews of 617 Squadron undertook what was to become the most remarkable and probably best remembered air raid of the Second World War. Flying all the way from their base in England in darkness at tree-top height, with just the light of the moon to guide them, the specially selected crews made a surprise attack on the mighty hydro-electric dams in the Ruhr.  Flying specially modified aircraft, each Lancaster was equipped with the unique cylindrical hydro-statically detonated bomb as conceived by Barnes Wallis. This huge device when released from the aircraft flying at exactly 230mph and at the precise height of 60 ft spun onto the surface of the water. To achieve the critical height above the water at moment of release, two beams of light, from front and aft, were projected from the aircraft on to the surface of the water, creating a neat figure-of-eight on the surface below. As each bomb bounced across the water towards its target, it struck the dam wall, sank to the pre-set depth, and exploded. The results were devastating.  Led by the mercurial Squadron Leader Guy Gibson, ignoring furious defensive gunfire while flying perilously close to the water, each crew made their precision run at the target, released their deadly bomb, and those lucky enough to survive the barrage of tracer shells and anti-aircraft fire, escaped into the darkness. Not all of them did.  In the space of those few, highly charged minutes, the Lancaster crews of 617 Squadron wrote their names into history. Sixty-four years on, the memory of their exploits and the courage displayed by the crews on that historic raid, together with the genius of Bames Wallis, remain undimmed.  Gerald Coulsons painting shows a single Lancaster of 617 Squadron, one of the lucky ones having made it safely back to base, proudly standing alone as if in tribute to those that didnt return. Dambusters - The Morning After by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsDHM2641
 Even the most faithful of Messerschmitt Me 109 pilots that also flew the Focke-Wulf Fw190 grudgingly admitted the well-proportioned and aesthetically pleasing Fw190 was the finest single-seat fighter in the Luftwaffes armoury during World War II. Soon after its arrival on the Channel Front in 1941, when initial bugs were ironed out, this superb fighter came close to fighter design perfection by the standards of the day. Just as the Mk IX Spitfire held the mantle as Britains most outstanding combat fighter of the war, so was the Fw190 regarded by experienced Luftwaffe pilots. Within months of its operational debut the Fw190 was causing widespread consternation among RAF pilots, the new fighter equal to the Mk IX Spitfire in all but its ability in the tightest of turning circles.  By 1944 the technically superb Fw190 came into its own in the great air battles against the USAAFs massed daylight raids. The defence of the Reichs western airspace rested on the shoulders of a few Jagdgschwarden who, against steadily increasing odds, were tasked with interception and destruction of the attacking American heavy bombers. Flying alongside the two established Channel fighter wings JG2 Richthofen and JG26 Schlageter, equipped with Fw190s and led by the great fighter ace Oberst Walter Oesau, JG1 joined the battle in defence of northern Germany. Nicolas Trudgians painting Storm Chasers depicts the Fw190As of I./JG1, distinguished by their distinctive black and white striped cowls, scrambling from the snow-covered Dortmund airfield on 10 February 1944 to intercept another inbound American daylight raid. Nicks dramatic view of this technically supreme fighter conveys its true class as it hurtles over the airfield, its undercarriage retracting as the Fw190 accelerates into the climb. Below, sharing the airfield with I./JGI, are the Fw190s of the newly formed Sturmstaffel 1, identified by their black-white-black tail bands, seen taxiing out to join in the interception. Despite bad weather conditions the Luftwaffes defending fighters scored heavily that day, inflicting severe losses on the Americans, claiming 29 bombers and 8 fighters shot down in the action. Storm Chasers by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2658
 Like the Messerschmitt 109, its great adversary throughout almost six years of aerial combat, the Spitfire was a fighter par excellence. Good as many other types may have been, these two aircraft became symbols of the two opposing air forces they represented. Their confrontation, which began in 1940 during the Battle of Britain, continued without interruption until the last days of World War Two. From an air force teetering on extinction in the dark days of 1940, by the summer of 1944 the pilots of RAF Fighter Command had fought their way back to become top dogs. And when the invasion of northern France came, they swept over the beaches in force, cutting deep into enemy occupied territory, hammering the enemy in the air and on the ground. Key to this air superiority was the supreme performance of the Spitfire, its ability to out-fly the Luftwaffes best, and the wily leadership of the pilots who had survived the early air battles of the war. Among the best was 26 year old Pete Brothers, by 1944 a highly successful and experienced fighter pilot commanding his own Wing. Having fought through the battles of France and Britain, now with a clutch of air victories to his credit, in 1944 he took command of first the Exeter Wing, and then the Culinhead Wing, ideally placed to support the coming invasion of Normandy. Nick Trudgians striking painting recreates a typical scene as Mk IX Spitfires of 126 Squadron, led by Wing Commander Pete Brothers flying his Mk V11 Spitfire wearing high altitude paint scheme, race back to base at RAF Culinhead after a low-level attack on enemy transport in Normandy. The Culinhead Spitfire Wing flew constant armed Rhubarb attacks in support of the invasion from D-Day - June 6 1944 - till the first improvised strips were established in France a few weeks following the invasion.  This beautiful aviation print, contrasting the frenetic pace of war with a restful English coastal landscape, evokes the memory of a legendary fighter aircraft that, flown by gallant pilots, helped change the course of history. Prints are signed by Pete Brothers and two other pilots who flew Spitfires in combat during World War II. Back from Normandy by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2659
 MK1 Hurricanes of No. 601 Squadron refueled and rearmed, climb to rejoin the battle during the summer of 1940. As the great air battle rages high above, life goes in the countryside as a Southern Railway train pulls out of a local village station, capturing the resilient mood of the people. Tangmere Hurricanes by Nicolas Trudgian. (AP)Click For DetailsDHM2679
 Nicolas Trudgians painting Desert Victory recreates all the atmosphere of the North African desert war with a stunning portrayal of the Me109s of 3./JG-27. The wing is depicted being led by Staffelkapitan Gerhard Homuth as they escort Afrikakorps armor heading for the front line at Gazala, Libya, on February 21, 1942. Flying alongside Homuth, the great Luftwaffe Ace Joachim Marseille scored his 49th and 50th victories on this day, earning his Knights Cross. Below, the crew of an SdKfz 10 light half-track stop to investigate a crashed P-40 Kittyhawk belonging to No 112 Squadron RAF, brought down during an earlier contest. Desert Victory by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2692
DHM2707C. Alpine Scramble by Nicolas Trudgian. Alpine Scramble by Nicolas Trudgian. (C)Click For DetailsDHM2707
Thunderstorms can be unpredictable.  Sometimes they'll block an aircraft's way with curtain of lightning.  Other times, you can fly through holes in the storm wall and into a strange, beautiful cloud cathedral.  Here an F-14 is in this quiet, awesome area surrounded by the vast power of thunderstorms.  This is God's throne room - where, occasionally, fighter pilots and artists pay their respects. Into the Throne Room of God by William S Phillips.Click For DetailsDHM5004
 Curtiss Tomahawks of No.414 Sqn RAF supplied from the United States under the <i>lend-lease</i> program. Curtiss Tomahawks by Roy Cross.Click For DetailsDHM5021
 Two Spitfires - the world's most famous fighter aeroplane and the mosy outstanding success of British wartime aviation.  The whole production lifespan is encapsulated in this image.  The prototype machine K5054, built in 1936 is seen flying behind the final Mk24 of 1946.  From the first flight in March 1936, it took over two years before the first RAF squadr (No.19) was equipped with the production Mk.I version in August 1938, and by June 1940 there were only nineteen Spitfire squadrons.  They formed a significant part of the force that fought and won the Battle of Britain against the Luftwaffe. Spitfire - The Last and the First by Roy Cross.Click For DetailsDHM5022
 Lancasters of 617 Sqn <i>Dambusters</i> get airborne from their Scampton base at the start of their journey to the Ruhr Valley on the night of 16th May 1943 under the codename <i>Operation Chastise</i>.  These are aircraft of the First Wave, led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, the Second Wave having already departed some ten minutes earlier to negotiate a more northerly route to their targets.  On this momentous night, both the Möhne and Eder dams were successfully breached, whilst the Sorpe was also hit, but without serious damage.  Of the nineteen aircraft that took part in the mission, eleven returned safely. The Dambusters by Ivan Berryman. (APB)Click For DetailsDHM6007
 Gerald Coulson's dramatic painting Bolt for the Blue, published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the Lightning, captures the very essence of this formidable fighter.  Seen climbing out of RAF Wattisham, a Lightning F.3 of Treble One Squadron scrambles to intercept an unidentified intruder plotted on the RAF's early warning radar.  Almost certainly it will be Russian, probably he will be escorted out of harms way, but the interceptor is armed with a pair of air-to-air missiles just in case.  A superb collector print for all who remember one of the greatest British fighters ever built. A Bolt for the Blue by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsDHM6076
Josef Kiss is depicted attacking a flight of Caproni Ca.III bombers above the Alps in a Hansa-Brandenburg C.1 of Flik 24 in 1916.  He and his observer, Georg Kenzian successfully forced down two of these aircraft and returned to base safely, his own aircraft riddled with over 70 holes sustained during the combat.  The Austro-Hungarian ace was to end the war with a total of 19 confirmed victories. Battle Above the Alps by Ivan Berryman. (GS)Click For DetailsDHM6176
 Savoia-Marchetti SM.79s, of the 281a Suadriglia based in Libya in 1940, begin their journey home after another successful mission against Allied shipping in the Mediterranean.  Nearest aircraft is 281-5, that of Capitano Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia.  Hunters Homeward Bound by Ivan Berryman. (GS)Click For DetailsDHM6178
 Among the most celebrated of Italian bomber pilots was Capitano Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia, seen here claiming another victim in his Savoia-Marchetti SM.79, 281-5, of the 281a Suadriglia based in Libya in 1940.  Their daring daylight attacks on Allied shipping in the Mediterranean caused havoc with the convoys that plied between Malta and Allied territories, with thousands of tonnes of shipping being sent to the bottom. Defender of the Med by Ivan Berryman. (GS)Click For DetailsDHM6179
 Having been initially intercepted by just three aging Gloster Gladiators, who gallantly gave both the Germans and Italians the impression of a much bigger resistance in the skies above Malta, the Italian Air Force was suddenly confronted by the more capable Hawker Hurricanes of 261 (F) Sqn, commanded by Sqn Ldr D W Balden.  The previously unescorted bombers of the Regia Aeronautica suddenly required the presence of fighters to protect the marauding bombers, as depicted here, where Macchi  200s of 6° Gruppo 1° Stormo, reel around the sky to chase off the Hurricanes from the attacking Savoia Marchetti SM.79s above Grand Harbour in the Summer of 1940.  The Struggle for Malta by Ivan Berryman. (GS)Click For DetailsDHM6183
 The Winter of 1943-44 saw Hawker Typhoons operating from Tangmere, equipped with 500lb or 1000lb bombs against radar installations and V1 sites in northern France.  Wing Commander J R Baldwin is depicted getting airborne with others of his squadron for just such a mission early in 1944, before the squadron moved to Needs Oar Point in readiness for the D-Day landings. Winter Warriors by Ivan Berryman. (GS)Click For DetailsDHM6184
 Portland, England, 30th September 1940.  Already an accomplished Spitfire ace with at least 10 confirmed kills, Bob Doe had just transferred from 234 squadron to 238 Hurricane squadron when he intercepted and brought down a  Heinkel He111P-2 from I/KG55 <i>Griffin</i> Geschwader. Doe's Griffin by David Pentland. (P)Click For DetailsDP0188
 Lancaster AJ-T of No.617 Sqn being towed by tractor to its dispersal slot by a Women's Auxiliary Air Force driver at Scampton, May 1943, in preparation for Operation Chastise. Tractor Girl by David Pentland. (P)Click For DetailsDP0198
 The image shows Lancaster AJ-G attacking the Mohne dam.  Alongside is the portrait of AJ-G pilot Wing Cdr G P Gibson.  The very first aircraft to attack the dams, AJ-G dropped its bomb short of the Mohne, but drew anti-aircraft fire away from the following Lancasters, before returning home safely<br><br><b>Crew of <i>G for George</i> :</b><br><br>Pilot : Wing Cdr G P Gibson<br>Flight Engineer : Sgt J Pulford<br>Navigator : Plt Off H T Taerum<br>Wireless Operator : Flt Lt R E G Hutchison<br>Bomb Aimer : Plt Off F M Spafford<br>Front Gunner : Flt Sgt G A Deering<br>Rear Gunner : Flt Lt R D Trevor-Roper. Tribute to the 617 Sqn Dambusters Crew of Lancaster AJ-G by David Pentland. (P)Click For DetailsDP0209
Heavily damaged by flak and with one engine out, a Lancaster slowly makes its way home far behind the main force.Alone at Dawn by Gerald Coulson (AP)Click For DetailsGC0003
  Its a cold, misty winters day early in 1943 and a pair of Mosquitoes B. Mk IV return from a low level precision bombing raid over Occupied Europe.  As the sun rises over the East Anglian countryside the unmistakable sound of Merlin Engines shatter the silence as these magnificent aircraft emerge from the mist skimming across the landscape, heading back to their Norfolk base.  Gerald Coulson has captured the scene perfectly, once again proving that he is a true Master in his field, combining the technical accuracy of this powerful aircraft with his ability to capture the mood and feeling of a cold winter landscape. Country Life 43 by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsGC0102
On July 21st 1951 WB188, the Hawker PIO67 Prototype, made its first flight from Boscombe Down, flown by Hawker Chief Test Pilot and WWII fighter ace, Squadron leader Neville Duke DSO, OBE, DFC**, AFC. This historic aircraft went on to become the Hunter, one of Britains most successful fighter aircraft. Created under the guiding hand of famed Hawker designer Sydney Camm, the PI067 Hunter became the RAFs standard single seat fighter from 1954 until 1960. It was also the first British produced swept-wing fighter to serve in large numbers in the RAF. The maiden flight was successful with only minor problems. Due to the undercarriage light staying on Neville Duke took the decision not to exceed 19,000 ft or 350 knots. The P1067 was Hawkers first application of powered controls but British experience of this was very limited at that time. Consequently the elevator hydraulic power boost was disconnected but the ailerons remained in use.This meant that the pilot struggled to maintain control especially on landing.  Neville Duke has fond memories of the aircraft, which has become synonymous with his name:  Of the multitude of designs from the board of Sydney Camm over a period of 43 years the Hunter is arguably the most graceful of all. The saying if it looks right it will fly right applies to the Hunter and can be illustrated by the fact that within some ten test flights the aircraft was flying in excess of 700mph, as demonstrated at the SBAC Farnborough Show shortly after the first flight. Sydney Camm proclaimed it to be his most beautiful design and I am not alone in claiming it to be a pilots aeroplane, a view expressed amongst the fighter pilots of the 21 nations who flew this aircraft in operational service up until 1995. Our aim was to give the pilots a fighter without limitations and this unique clearance was obtained. Long may we see them in the air as a tribute to the genius of Sydney Camm and his design team. Some 2000 Hunters were produced in the UK, Holland and Belgium and many more refurbished for 14 nations and returned to service through-out the world. The Hunter continues to serve in non-operational roles in various services and establishments as well as in private hands. WB 188 now resides in the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, West Sussex.  This superb release by one of the masters of aviation art, Gerald Coulson, depicts the prototype on its historic first ever flight from Boscombe Down.  First Flight by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsGC0103
 Royal Flying Corps SE5As of 56 squadron engaged in air combat with flying circus Fokker Dr1s commanded by the great German ace Baron von Richthofen, France 1917. Brief Encounter by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsGC0524
 Halifaxes of No.76 Squadron RAF en route to another night bombing raid over Germany.  The lead aircraft here has code MP-L.  Serial numbers for aircraft were unique, but codes like MP-L were transferred after an aircraft was lost.  A total of 10 aircraft carrying the codes MP-L were lost from No.76 Squadron.  <br>These aircraft were : <br><br>L9530 : Shot down 12th-13th August 1941. <br>R9452 : Crashed 12th-13th April 1942.<br>W7660 : Shot down 19th-20th August 1942. <br>W7678 : Lost 3rd-4th March 1943.<br>DK172 : Shot down 23rd-24th May 1943.<br>DK200 : Crashed 11th-12th June 1943.<br>LK922 : Shot down 21st-22nd January 1944.<br>LK789 : Shot down 24th-25th April 1944.<br>MZ622 : Crashed 24th-25th May 1944.<br>LL579 : Crashed 27th February 1945. No.76 Squadron Halifax by Ivan Berryman. (AP)Click For DetailsIBF0003
 From the day they began their aerial campaign against Nazi Germany to the cessation of hostilities in 1945, the USAAF bomber crews plied their hazardous trade in broad daylight. This tactic may have enabled better sighting of targets, and possibly less danger of mid-air collisions, but the grievous penalty of flying daylight missions over enemy territory was the ever presence of enemy fighters. Though heavily armed, the heavy bombers of the American Eighth Air Force were no match against the fast, highly manoeuvrable Me109s, Fw190s and, late in the war, Me 262 jet fighters which the Luftwaffe sent up to intercept them. Without fighter escort they were sitting ducks, and inevitably paid a heavy price. Among others, one fighter group earned particular respect, gratitude, and praise from bomber crews for their escort tactics. The 356th FG stuck rigidly to the principle of tight bomber escort duty, their presence in tight formation with the bombers often being sufficient to deter enemy attack. Repeatedly passing up the opportunity to increase individual scores, the leadership determined it more important to bring the bombers home than claim another enemy fighter victory. As the air war progressed this philosophy brought about an unbreakable bond between heavy bomber crews and escort fighter pilots, and among those held in the highest esteem were the pilots of the 356th. Top scoring ace Donald J Strait, flying his P-51 D Mustang Jersey Jerk, together with pilots of the 356th Fighter Group, are seen in action against Luftwaffe Fw 190s while escorting B-17 bombers returning from a raid on German installations during the late winter of 1944. One minute all is orderly as the mighty bombers thunder their way homeward, the next minute enemy fighters are upon them and all hell breaks loose. <br><br><b>Published 2003.<br><br>Signed by three of the top pilots from the 356th Fighter group.</b>Ace of Diamonds by Nicolas Trudgian (AP)Click For DetailsNT0008
The Green Heart Warriors carried their famous emblem throughout almost every European theatre during World War Two.  Having fought with distinction in the Battle of Britain, JG54 transferred to the Eastern Front, where it was to acheive historic success.  Becoming one of the most successful combat wings of the war, JG54 spawned a succession of top fighter Aces, no fewer than 20 achieving more than 100 air victories, its pilots collecting an impressive 58 Knights Cross awards.  Flying both Fw190s and Me109s, JG54 took part in the heavy air fighting in the northern region of the Russian Front, where conditions were not for the faint hearted and demanded exceptional piloting skills.  One young Austrian pilot, Walter Nowotny, won a reputation even among Allied pilots, and during the summer of 1943 became a virtual one-man air force in the skies above the Eastern Front.  In June 1943 he shot down 41 aircraft, 10 in one day.  In August he collected a further 43 air victories, and another 45 the following month.  In a dgo-fight in October Nowotny shot down a P-40 fighter to record an astounding 250 air victories, becoming the first fighter pilot in history to acheive this score. It is February 1943, the countryside deep in snow, and the temperature well below freezing as Leutnant Walter Nowotny, Staffelkapitän of 1./JG54, taxis White One out from a crowded dispersal on to the snow covered runway at Krasnogvardeisk. With their temporary whitewash colour scheme glinting in the early morning sunlight,  the FW190A-4s pose a menacing spectacle as they line up to follow the fighters of 2./JG54, already airborne, into the cold morning air. <br><br><b>Published 2002<br><br>Signed by three famous Luftwaffe Aces who flew with JG54 Green Hearts.</b>Ice Warriors by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsNT0239
 Base to the legendary Douglas Bader Fighter Wing during the Battle of Britain, Duxford became home to the 78th Fighter Group in April 1943. Today it appropriately houses the American Air Museum, and hosts the many summer air-shows where crowds thrill to the sight and sound of the glorious WWII warbirds. First equipped with P-47 Thunderbolts then P-51Ds, the 78th Fighter Group was credited with 688 enemy aircraft destroyed, 474 in the air, and another 406 destroyed on the ground during low-level strafing missions. Charles London of the 78th became the 8th Air Forces first fighter ace of the war and a 78th pilot, Quince Brown, was the first to down a Me262 jet in August 1944. It is March 1945. Led by Colonel John Landers flying Big Beautiful Doll, one of the 8th Air Forces most flamboyant fighters, the 78th P-51D Mustangs roar off the field to begin an escort mission taking B-17 Fortresses already airborne in the background all the way to Hamburg. Duxford Eagles by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)Click For DetailsNT0316
 It is January 1945, and its cold. The German advance in the Ardennes is nearly over, but the Panzer Army is desperately throwing more troops into the breach who try to keep their momentum going in The Battle of the Bulge. Tasked with preventing German reinforcements from reaching the battle front, the Ninth Air Force launched a series of low-level attacks on enemy ground forces as they wind their way through the Ardennes. Flying conditions were not easy, cloud bases were low, and snow was in the air. Nicolas Trudgians new painting recreates an attack on January 23, 1945, by Douglas A-20 Havocs of the 410th Bomb Group. Locating an enemy convoy in open space near the German town of Blankenheim, the Havoc pilots make a swift attack diving from 8000 feet, catching the German force by surprise: Hurtling down the line of vehicles at 320mph they release their parafrag bombs from 300 feet then, dropping just above the roofs of the army trucks continue down the column blasting everything in sight with their forward-firing .50mm caliber machine guns. In the space of a few minutes the attack is completed and the convoy decimated.  With ammunition expended and fuel running low the A-20 Havocs climb out of the zone and head for base in France. A 20mm shell has hit the lead aircraft wounding the Bombardier/Navigator Gordon Jones, which will seriously hamper their return through a blizzard, but all aircraft make it safely home - the lead aircraft, on landing, counting over 100 holes of various sizes. For their part in leading the successful attack the Lead Pilot Russell Fellers and Bombardier/Navigator Gordon G. Jones received the Silver Star.<br><br><b>Published 2001.<br><br>Signed by A-20 Havoc combat aircrews, including two Silver Star recipients, from World War Two.</b>Raising Havoc in the Ardennes by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsNT0322
 Nobody, least of all Allied aircrew, ever doubted the tenacity of the Luftwaffe, more particularly that of the German fighter pilots.  From the early encounters during the Battle of Britain to the greeat air battles in defence of their homeland late in the war, at all times they were held in high regard, even if resented as a foe.  At no time was their dedication, determination, and courage better demonstrated than during the final stages of World War Two.  By the summer of 1944 the Allies had gained a foothold in Normandy, and total air superiority above northern France.  German installations and ground positions were being pounded daily from the air, and the Ruhr, the heartland of industrial Germany, was under constant siege.  Even the factories in southern Germany were not safe from the attentions of the USAAF bombers by day, and the RAF by night.  But in spite of the pressures of mounting losses and diminished supplies, the Luftwaffe fought doggedly on in best traditions of the fighter pilot.  The morning of 19th July 1944 saw the USAAFs 8th and 15th Air Forces mount an attack of awesome proportion against the aircraft factories in the region of Munich.  To combat a seemingly overwhelming force of 1400 bombers and almost as many fighter escorts, the Luftwaffe were able to put up just three Gruppen from JG300 and one from JG302, flying a mix of Me109Gs and Fw190s - barely 50 serviceable fighters between them.  They were joined by a dozen Me109s of II./JG27, these fighters desperately trying to defend the very factories in which they were made. Messerschmitt Country by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsNT0326
Adolf Gallands Fighter Wing JG-26 (Me109s) taking off to do combat with R.A.F. Spitfires and Hurricanes.  If ever a fighter commander led the front, Adolf Galland did. He flew throughout the war, achieving over 100 air victories all on the Western Front aginst the top aces of the RAF and the USAAF, and when the end came he was still flying and fighting, leading a wing of Me262 jets.  Perhaps the most memorable period of the war for Adolf Galland came after he took command of the III/JG-26 fighter wing in June 1940. In true fashion he scored two aerial victories on his first day and in no time transformed JG-26 Schlageter into an elite formation that became known as the Abbeville Boys.  Robert Taylor has recreated a scene from those heady days in 1941, when the Abbeville boys were at the height of their reputation, doing daily combat with the Spitfires and Hurricanes of the RAF. Adolf Galland leads his pilots in a typical loose formation take-off, the Messerschmitt Bf109F fighters roaring across the runway for yet another clash with the foe. The Abbeville boys are on the Warpath!Abbeville Boys by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsRST0001
Douglas Bader is shown in combat with Adolf Galland.Duel of Eagles by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsRST0023
 Flying his Messerschmitt Me109G6, Major Günther Rall, Group Commander of II./JG11 with over 200 air victories already to his credit, clashes with a P-47 Thunderbolt of the 63rd Sqn, 56th Fighter Group high over the Rhine south of Koblenz, May 12, 1944. Led by Colonel Hub Zemke, the 56th Fighter Group played advance guard to a deep penetration bomber raid to central Germany. As his forty eight P-47 Thunderbolts arrived to sweep the sky around the Koblenz –Frankfurt area, the Me109s of II./JG11 pounced from a 5000 feet height advantage. Simon Atacks high-impact painting shows Major Günther Rall bringing down Hub Zemkes wingman, the first of two victories he claimed before himself being brought down by 56th Fighter Group P-47s later in the combat. Günther Rall returned to combat flying, commanding JG300 until the end of hostilities by which time, with 275 air victories, he became the third highest scoring Ace in history.  Eagle Strike by Simon Atack.Click For DetailsSA0001
 At the time of the attack of Pearl Harbor the Japanese had superior aircraft and plenty of experienced pilots fresh from combat in China. By 1944 the roles were reversed. Anxious to commence B-29 bombing missions against the Japanese homeland Rear Admiral Marc Mitschers Task Force 58 was given the assignment of supporting the recapture of the Marianas. This proved to be the last major carrier battle of World War II. On June 11, 1944 large formations of Hellcats were dispatched to lure Japanese land-based fighters into combat. Enough Japanese fighters were destroyed to allow the Fifth Fleet to land 140,000 troops on Saipan and Guam on June 15th. Also on June 15th the Japanese main fleet joined up with its mobile fleet about 300-400 miles from Task Force 58. Vice Admiral Ozawa detached a force to use as bait to lure the Americans within range of the main fleet. His bait not taken, on June 19th Ozawa launched three air strikes with about 250 aircraft. The relatively inexperienced Japanese pilots now flying technically inferior aircraft were decimated by the Grumman Hellcats of Task Force 58. By days end Ozawa had lost 218 aircraft, and while unprotected his fleet had been attacked by American submarines resulting in the sinking of two of his carriers. Late in the afternoon of June 20th American Hellcats, Helldivers, and Avengers were launched at Ozawas fleet, resulting in the loss of one more carrier and severe damage to another two. As his airwings returned after dark Admiral Mitscher ordered his fleet to light-up, which enabled many of the American aircraft to return safely. About a third of the planes were forced to ditch with the loss of thirteen crewman. The Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat pictured, became the Navys primary carrier borne fighter plane during World War II. Over 12,000 Hellcats were produced, and the Hellcat was credited with 4,947 of the 6,477 kills of enemy planes downed by carrier pilots during the War. The Hellcat had a top speed of 375 MPH, a range of 1,089 miles and was armed with six machine guns. The aircraft was powered by an 18-cylinder Pratt and Whitney, air-cooled, radial engine which generated 2,000 horsepower. As depicted by Stokes is the aircraft of Squadron Commander David McCampbell of the USS Essex. McCampbell is the highest scoring US Naval aviator of all time. Off to the Turkey Shoot by Stan Stokes. (C)Click For DetailsSTK0076

£45 Off Aviation Art Prints

 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1As of No.610 (County of Chester) Sqn RAAF, intercept incoming Heinkel 111H-16s of the 9th Staffel, Kampfgeschwader 53 Legion Condor during the big daylight raids on London of August and September 1940 – the climax of the Battle of Britain. Spitfire N3029 (DW-K) was shot down by a Bf109 on the 5th of September 1940 and crash-landed near Gravesend, Kent, thankfully without injury to Sgt Willcocks, the pilot. For the record, N3029 was rebuilt and, following some brief flying in the UK, was sent overseas by convoy to the Middle East. Ironically, the ship carrying this aircraft was torpedoed en route and both ship and all its cargo were lost.  Close Encounter by Ivan Berryman. (F)Click For DetailsB0094
 A pair of ME109 G-14s of 9th Staffel, Jagdgeswader 54 (Greenheart Wing) make a final sortie during the last days of March 1945. The Last Patrol by David Pentland. (H)Click For DetailsDHM0581
 Spitfire of 761 Training Squadron (attached to the Royal Navy) flies over the Forth Railway Bridge on the eve of World War Two, also shown is HMS Royal Oak departing Rosyth for the open sea. Land, Sea and Air by Ivan Berryman. (C)Click For DetailsDHM0965
 Spitfire of 610 Squadron which has been damaged during combat during the height of the Battle of Britain is shown over the white cliffs of Dover.  No. 610 (County of Chester) Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force's first major combat with the Luftwaffe was on 27th May when a Heinkel bomber protected by about 40 Me110s, was engaged.  The combat which followed saw the Heinkel and three Me110 fighters being shot down.  Throughout August 610 Squadron was involved in bitter fighting over the Channel and Home Counties of England.  During the Battle of Britain No.610 Squadron operated from Biggin Hill, Hawkinge, and, on one occasion, from Croydon.  The Squadron put up a terrific show and 40 enemy aircraft were confirmed as having been destroyed by 610 Squadron during August.  The loss to the Squadron was eleven pilots killed during the battle. Return of the Heroes by Ivan Berryman. (B)Click For DetailsDHM1211
Germanys primary fighter during World War II, the Daimler-Benz DB601A powered BF109E-4 was much loved by its pilots, combining good speed and manoeuverability with a powerful armament, namely two 7.9mm MG17 machine guns in the top decking, two wing mounted 20mm MGFF/M canon and a further 20mm MGFF/M canon mounted in the engine, firing centrally through the propeller spinner. Nearest aircraft is that of the 109s greatest exponent, Major Adolf Galland, Gruppenkommander III/JG26 Schlageter, Luftflotte 2, depicted during a sortie from Caffiers, France in 1942. Adolf Galland / Messerschmitt Bf109 E-4 by Ivan Berryman (B)Click For DetailsDHM1321
 Von Richthofens Fokker DR 1 Triplane (Serial No 425/17) in company with his wingman in a Fokker D.VII over the fields of the Western Front early in April 1918, peeling off to attack a flight of three British fighters. In For The Kill by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1427
Two 85 squadron Hurricanes returning to base after a battle over the skies of southern England in the summer of 1940.Return From Combat by Simon Smith.Click For DetailsDHM1462
 Situated 40 miles south west of Leningrad, the German occupied airfield at Siverskaya is now home to the famous Grünherz or Green Hearts of Jagdgeschwader 54. The harsh Russian winter of 1941 is starting to take hold as three Messerschmitt Bf109F-4 Friedrichs from III Gruppe take off into early morning sunshine to act as fighter escort to Stuka attacks on the Soviet fleet in Kronstadt Harbour. With its wheel covers removed to prevent snow jamming the undercarriage, lead aircraft Yellow 5 already shows signs of weathering to the partial whitewash hastily applied over summer camouflage. Green Hearts by Ivan Berryman. (C)Click For DetailsDHM1705
 Two Spitfire Mk1Bs of 92 Squadron patrol the south coast from their temporary base at Ford, here passing over the Needles rocks, Isle of Wight, in the Spring of 1942. In Them We Trust by Ivan Berryman. (D)Click For DetailsDHM1708
 A pair of Spitfire Mk.IXs of 402 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force, based at Kenley, practise combat manoeuvres in the skies above Kent in May, 1943. Spitfire Alley by Ivan Berryman. (D)Click For DetailsDHM1709
 One of 6,176 Halifaxes built during World War II, NA337(2P-X) was shot down over Norway on 23rd April 1945.  In 1995 it was recovered from the lake that had been its watery home for fifty years and has now been restored by the Halifax Aircraft Association in Ontario, Canada. Halifax Mk.III NA337 by Ivan Berryman. (C)Click For DetailsDHM1712
 Halifax glider tugs of 644 Squadron, Tarrant Rushton, 1944. Halifax Tugs Towing Hamilcar Gliders by Ivan Berryman. (D)Click For DetailsDHM1713
 A pair of Spitfire Mk.IXEs of 611 Squadron make their way home from a patrol during the summer of 1942.  At this time 611 Squadron were based at Kenley and were the first squadron to receive the new Mk.IX putting it on equal terms, for the first time, with the formidable Focke-Wulf 190. Spitfire Mk.IXE by Ivan Berryman. (AP)Click For DetailsDHM1721
 If the German and Italian forces were to succeed in their campaign in North Africa something had to be done about Malta. British submarines and torpedo carrying aircraft based on the tiny Mediterranean island were wreaking havoc with Axis shipping, severely hampering their efforts to get supplies and reinforcements through. The German High Command had had enough and the order came to obliterate the island. Malta immediately came under continual day and night aerial bombardment from the combined strengths of the Luftwaffe and Italian Regia Aeronautica. So intense was the onslaught that by the end of 1942 Malta had become the most heavily bombed place on earth.  Too far away for fighters to fly from Gibraltar, any reinforcements would have to be brought part way by aircraft carrier. Until Churchills order to send the latest Spitfires came in March 1942, the island had to defend itself as best as it could with what remained serviceable of the few obsolescent Hurricanes flown to the island off HMS Argus in 1940, and from Ark Royal and Victorious in 1941.  Gerald Coulsons painting Merlins over Malta shows Hurricanes of 126 Squadron, based at the islands Ta Qali airfield, diving to intercept a force of Junkers JU88 bombers as they make an attack on the port at Valletta. In the foreground of this powerful reconstruction is Hurricane Z3055, which is currently undergoing restoration for the Malta Aviation Museum. A memorable collector print in support of a truly memorable passage of history.  Gerald Coulsons painting Merlins over Malta was specially commissioned to help raise funds for the Merlins over Malta Appeal, which aims to bring a Spitfire and Hurricane back to the scene of their epic defence, each print has been signed by famous Malta fighter pilots, and importantly every copy sold will directly benefit the Appeal.Merlins over Malta by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsDHM1782
RAF Pathfinder founder and Commander signs print featuring the four engined Halifax bomber.Halifax Legend by Robert TaylorClick For DetailsDHM2094
On August 15th 1942, under the leadership of Don Bennet, a new group was formed from Bomber Command to develop specialised target finding and target  marking. Made up purely from experienced volunteers, this elite and highly trained group of men were known as the Pathfinders. Up until this point the means available to Bomber Command of accurately finding their targets were totally lacking and the task of the Pathfinders was to develop techniques to precisely define these targets ahead of the main force.  Initially made up of four Squadrons  Nos. 7 (Stirlings) 35 (Halifax) 83 (Lancaster) and 156 (Wellingtons)  they were based at a clutch of airfields between Cambridge and Huntingdon. Originally part of No.3 Group Bomber Command the Pathfinder Force was directly answerable to C-in-C Air Marshal Arthur Harris until January 1943 when it became a separate group, No.8 (PFF)  .  Personally selected for the task by Arthur Harris, the Australian born Don Bennet, just 32 years of age proved to be and inspired choice to form the Pathfinders. A navigation expert without peers he was widely experienced in flying all types of aircraft including fighters, flying boats and bombers and already an experienced operational bomber captain. Along with many of his colleagues, such as Hamish Mahaddie and John Searby he was responsible for instilling in his men the Pathfinder Spirit - an intangible quality of dedication which bonded them together.  Pathfinder crews used a combination of personal skill and technical equipment to locate their targets. Often flying against overwhelming odds and in appalling conditions they transformed the performance of a bomber force that in 1941 was dropping almost half its bombs on open countryside.  The first Pathfinder unit to fly the Halifax was 35 Squadron based at Graveley. With some of the greatest Bomber Aircrew amongst their number the unit quickly gained a reputation for excellence that was second to none.  This superb painting from one of the worlds most highly regarded Aviation Artists, Gerald Coulson, depicts a Halifax B.MkII series 1A of 35 (PFF) Squadron on an operation over occupied Europe. Flying at around 20,000 feet and completely alone and unprotected, the crew navigate their bomber well ahead of the main force, leading the way to their target.  Leading the Way by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsDHM2250
 With the familiar Lincolnshire countryside beckoning, a Lancaster of the famous 617 Dambusters Squadron, makes its final approach after a raid on Germany, late summer 1944. Gerald Coulsons painting Summer Harvest winds the clock back sixty years, recreating a typical East Anglian countryside scene in late 1944. With the sun well above the horizon, a Lancaster comes thundering in on finals after a gruelling night precision bombing mission over Germany. Below, farm workers busy gathering the summer harvest, stop to marvel at the sheer power and majesty of the mighty aircraft, and to dwell briefly on what horrors its crew may have endured on their perilous journey. Summer Harvest by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsDHM2584
 Released on the 65th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain a new limited edition to commemorate Churchills famous few. Stalwart of the Battle of Britain, the Hawker Hurricane equipped the majority of the RAF squadrons that defended Britain during that epic and decisive air battle in the summer of 1940. At the forefront of the air fighting over the southern counties of England, the young Hurricane pilots of 501 Squadron covered themselves in glory. Nicolas Trudgians painting sets the scene: a victim of yesterdays aerial conflicts, a crashlanded German Ju88 of KG30 lies on the edge of a Sussex field; the attention of two members of the local Home Guard is drawn to the Hurricanes of 501 Squadron as the fighters race back at low-level to Gravesend for fuel and ammunition. Within minutes they will scramble aloft again to rejoin the fray. <br><br><b>Published 2005.</b>Hurricane Country by Nicolas Trudgian. (AP)Click For DetailsDHM2586

£40 Off Aviation Art Prints