| Aviation art
prints of the Flying Tigers, , Chennaults American Volunteer Group.
These great aviation art prints of the Flying Tigers by aviation artists
Stan stokes, Robert Taylor, Ivan Berryman are available direct from
Cranston Fine Arts at these great prices
Claire Chennault retired from the USAAF in 1937.
Chennault had been an outspoken supporter of advanced fighter aircraft,
but was at odds with many of his superiors who favored development of
bombers. Chennault went to China to assist Chiang-Kai-shek in
resurrecting the Chinese Air Force. In 1941 President Roosevelt
authorized a plan to allow American servicemen to volunteer for a
one-year duty assignment in China as members of Chennaults American
Volunteer Group. 100 Curtis P-40s were rerouted from the UK to Burma. A
like number of pilots and a few hundred support personnel filtered into
the group from various branches of the service. The AVG engaged the
Japanese in combat from late 1941 through mid-1942. Despite being
greatly outnumbered, and facing critical shortages of supplies and spare
parts, the AVGs official victory tally included 299 aircraft shot down
and another 240 destroyed on the ground. The Flying Tigers have a
special place in the hearts of aviation history enthusiasts.
Curtiss
had been the primary supplier of fighter aircraft to the U.S. Army Air
Corps. since its inception, and the company was dismayed when the Army
procured the Boeing P-26 Peashooter in 1932. Curtiss responded by hiring
Mr. Donovan Berlin, a bright young engineer who was working for
Northrop. Donovan developed the Hawk 75, a streamlined, low-wing,
monoplane coastal defense fighter. With an enhanced Twin Wasp engine the
Hawk 75 evolved into the P-36, which had a brief and fairly
undistinguished career with the Air Corps. In 1938 a P-36 was
retrofitted with the Allison in-line 12-cylinder, 1150 HP engine, and
the P-40 was born. This was the beginning of what would eventually be a
production run of more than 13,000 aircraft. Depending on its theater of
operation and the particular model, the P-40 was alternatively known as
the Tomahawk, the Kittyhawk, or the Warhawk. By mid-1942 P-40s were
serving in every major conflict. The aircraft excelled in ground attack
missions, but lacked the speed and maneuverability to challenge the top
Japanese or German fighters in dogfights. As a result, P-40 pilots
developed strategies which took advantage of the aircrafts structural
integrity and excellent flying characteristics, while minimizing the
aircrafts limitations. The final production version of the P-40 was the
N model, which achieved a top rated speed of 378 MPH by eliminating two
machine guns and by reducing fuel tank capacity. The American Volunteer
Group was a group of American mercenary pilots which fought for the
Chinese early in the War. Organized by Army Capt. C.L. Chennault, the
Flying Tigers, as the group was more popularly referred to, consisted of
100 pilots and 100 P-40B aircraft. Three squadrons, the Panda Bears, the
Hells Angels, and Adam and Eve, made up the unit. The primary mission of
the Flying Tigers was to keep Chinas vital supply link to the outside
world, the Burma road, open. Under Chennault the Flying Tigers utilized
diving attacks as a means of providing tactical advantage against the
lighter, faster, and more maneuverable Japanese aircraft. Prior to the
group being disbanded in 1942 the Tigers had chalked up 286 confirmed
victories with losses of only 23 aircraft. Pilots received a $500 bonus
for every Japanese plane shot down. Depicted in Stan Stokes
extraordinary painting is Ken Jernstedt, one of the 39 Flying Tiger aces
of the War, with 10.5 confirmed victories. In Stokes scene Jernstedt has
just achieved a victory over a Japanese Nakajima Ki-27, referred to as
the Nate by the USAAC. The gnat-like Nate was the first monoplane
fighter to serve with the JAAF. Although a fragile craft Chenault
described the Nate as follows: ....it climbs like a rocket and maneuvers
like a squirrel. The Flying Tigers did a lot of squirrel hunting in the
few short months of their existence |
| Summer of 42 by John D Shaw. In this superb tribute to one of the most famous fighter units of WWII the serenity of the beautiful Li River is broken as P40 Tomahawks of the AVG Flying Tigers, bearing their famous shark-mouth motif, return to base at Kweilin. Signed limited edition of 850 prints. Paper size 39.5 inches x 21 inches (100cm x 53cm). Price £200.00 Signed by 18 original Flying Tigers.
ITEM CODE DHM2633 |
| Flying Tiger by Nicolas Trudgian. Part of a small print series of six American WW2 aircraft, signed by some of the great American pilots, some no longer with us. Cranston Fine Arts have purchased the last remaining stocks of this aviation series. Signed limited edition of 450 prints. Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £65.00 Signed by Colonel Charles Older (deceased) and the artist.  Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. (Older) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £75.00 Signed by Colonel Charles Older (deceased) and the artist. Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. (Hill) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £75.00 Signed by Colonel Tex Hill (deceased) and the artist. Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. (Hill / Older) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £85.00 Signed by Colonel Tex Hill (deceased), Colonel Charles Older (deceased) and the artist. Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. (Bond) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £75.00 Signed by Gen. Charles R. Bond (deceased) and the artist. Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Signed limited edition of 450 prints. (Hill) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £65.00 Signed by Colonel Tex Hill (deceased) and the artist. Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Signed limited edition of 250 prints. (Hill / Older) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £75.00 Signed by Colonel Tex Hill (deceased) , Colonel Charles Older (deceased) and the artist. Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Signed limited edition of 450 prints. (Bond) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £65.00 Signed by Gen. Charles R. Bond (deceased) and the artist. Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE DHM2651 |
| Flying Tigers and Buffalos by Stan Stokes. Claire Chennaults American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) continue to capture the imagination and interest of aviation history buffs more than fifty years after they flew combat missions for the Chinese Air Force. Composed of about ninety pilots and another 200 ground support personnel, the Tigers arrived in China in mid-1941. Flying Curtiss P-40s which had been rerouted from Britain to China, the Tigers flew from December of 1941 until mid-1942. Engaging a numerically superior Japanese force over a very wide front, the AVG was officially credited with downing 299 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat, and an additional 240 aircraft destroyed during ground attack missions. The Flying Tigers slowed the Japanese conquest in China, and caused Japan to focus more resources on this theater of operations than they had planned. Charles R. Bond was Vice Squadron Leader for the AVGs 1 Pursuit Squadron, the Adam and Eves. Bond was born in Dallas, Texas in 1915. He joined the Texas National Guard, and was commissioned following aviation cadet training in 1939. Bond joined the AVG in September of 194 1. The bulk of his aerial combat took place over Burma, and he was credited with downing three Japanese aircraft on one mission over Ragoon to become an ace. Charlie rejoined the USAAF in 1942. He earned a degree in Management Engineering from Texas A&M University, and he retired from the USAF in 1968 with the rank of Major General. Carl K. Brown, a 1 Pursuit Squadron Flight Leader, was born in 1917, and joined the USN as an aviation cadet in 1939 after attending Michigan State University. He was assigned to a Torpedo squadron initially based on the USS Saratoga. Brown joined the AVG in mid- 194 1. Brown volunteered to fly night patrols over Toungoo, Burma. Following the disbandment of the AVG in 1942, Carl continued to fly with the CNAC until 1945. Following the War, Brown was involved for a while with the upstart Flying Tigers Airline. He later would attend medical school, graduating from USC in 1952. He had a lengthy career as a doctor specializing in neurology and anaesthetics. Camille Joe Rosbert, a I Pursuit Squadron Flight Leader, was born in Philadelphia in 1917. He graduated summa cum laude from Villanova University, and joined the USN as an aviation cadet. He was awarded his naval aviator wings and his commission at Pensacola in 1940. He became a commander of a PBY, but decided to join the AVG in hopes of becoming a fighter pilot. Rosbert became an ace on June 12, 1942 when he downed a pair of Japanese bombers. Following the War, Rosbert joined eight other AVG pilots in forming the Flying Tiger Airline. Later he joined Claire Chennault with his newly formed Civil Air Transport. Rosbert and his wife spent more than a decade operating a hotel in Spain before returning to the States in 1972. John R. Dick Rossi, a Flight Leader with the I Pursuit Squadron, was born in Placerville, California in 1915. He attended the University of California at Berkley prior to joining the Navy in 1939. He left the Navy in 1941 to join the AVG. He became an ace with the AVG, and remained in China for the balance of the war flying more than 700 missions over the hump. Since the end of the War, s been involved in a number of aviation-related undertakings. He currently serves as President of the Flying Tigers Association. Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Size 22 inches x 18 inches (56cm x 46cm). Price £124.00 Signed by four AVG 1st Pursuit Sqn pilots :- Charlie Bond (deceased), Carl Brown, Joe Rosbert (deceased) and Dick Rossi (deceased). Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE STK0164 |
| Spoiling the Party by Stan Stokes. Claire Chennaults American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) continues to capture the imagination and interest of aviation history buffs more than fifty years after they flew combat missions for the Chinese Air Force. Composed of about ninety pilots and another 200 ground support personnel, the Tigers arrived in China in mid-1941. Flying Curtiss P-40s that had been rerouted from Britain to China, the Tigers flew from December of 1941 until mid-1942. Engaging a numerically superior Japanese force over a very wide front, the AVG was officially credited with downing 299 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat, and an additional 240 aircraft destroyed during ground attack missions. The Flying Tigers slowed the Japanese conquest in China, and caused Japan to focus more resources on this theater of operations than they had planned. Stan Stokes painting depicts a three-plane raid of a Japanese airstrip near Tak, Thailand. Early in the morning of January 3, 1942, three 2 d Pursuit Squadron (Panda Bear) P-40s based at Mingaladon piloted by Tex Hill, Jim Howard, and Scarsdale Jack Newkirk attacked the airfield while the Japanese pilots appeared to celebrating the completion of their dawn attack at an RAF airfield at Moulmein. Circling around the field to get the sun at their backs the P-40s swooped low over the field at 250-MPH. A number of Japanese Army Air Force Nates were on the ground and were taken by surprise. Some ceremony was taking place and there were grandstands with spectators. The guests got quite an air show that morning! The Flying Tiger pilots were focused on the vulnerable targets on the ground, that they didnt initially realize that other Japanese aircraft were in the air, and had not yet landed. The late Jim Howard (who won the only Medal of Honor awarded to an Eighth Air Force fighter pilot later in the War) was focused on the vulnerable aircraft on the ground, and failed to notice a Nate on his tail. Tex Hill broke off a strafing attack to come to Howards aid, and downed the Japanese aircraft. Newark would also claim an aerial victory during the fracas. Near the end of the attack Jim Howards engine died, and he circled for a belly landing on the strip he had just mauled. Seconds before putting his Tomahawk on the ground, the Allison sputtered to life, and the pilot slipped away. When the three Panda Bear pilots returned to Minaladon, they celebrated their victory and relived their attack in words. Jim Howard was reluctant to admit that Tex Hill had shot a Japanese aircraft off of his tail. To solve the argument they went out to the flight line. There were eleven bullet holes in the tail end of Howards aircraft. An inspection also revealed no less than thirty-three bullet holes in the wings of Hills aircraft. Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Size 22 inches x 18 inches (56cm x 46cm). Price £124.00 Signed by Colonel Tex Hill (deceased), Colonel Ed Rector (deceased), Flight Leader Robert B Keeton, Flight Leader Robert F Layher (deceased), Flight Leader Chrles D Mott (deceased) and Flight Leader Peter Wright (deceased). Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE STK0166 |
| Pappys P-40 by Stan Stokes.
Signed limited edition of 950 prints, signed by Pappy Boyington, and the artist. Size 27 inches x 20 inches (69cm x 51cm). Price £449.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE STK0165 |
| Tiger Fire by Nicolas Trudgian. In early 1941, many months before Pearl Harbor, an irrepressible bunch of American fighter pilots, together with 200 ground crew, came together and stood alone against the might of the Imperial Japanese Air Force. Under the indomitable command of General Claire Chennault, their task was to keep the vital road link open between the port of Rangoon and the city of Kunming in South West China. A treacherous unpaved track, hacked through mountain terrain and known as the infamous Burma Road, was the only lifeline for supplies into China from the outside world. With the Japanese hell-bent on its destruction, the Flying Tigers were all that stood between defeat and survival. With little support from home, and almost without replacement aircraft or spares, the P-40 Tomahawk pilots of the American Volunteer Group - the AVG - became the scourge of the Japanese Air Force and heroes to the people of China. In a six month period of combat, with no more than 50 or 60 serviceable aircraft at anyone time, and invariably heavily outnumbered in the air, they destroyed some 300 Japanese airplanes, damaging and destroying another 300, and causing incalculable damage to Japanese ground forces. During its brief existence this remarkable group became one of the most successful and famous fighter units of all time. Their short but glorious private war came to an end when on July 4th, 1942 the AVG was absorbed into the USAAF and Chennaults Flying Tigers passed into aviation folklore. Motivated by the legend of the Flying Tigers, Nicolas Trudgian has painted one of his finest pictures. Dominating the foreground is a stunning view of Chuck Olders P-40 - one of the 3rd Pursuit Squadrons, known as Hells Angels - in hot pursuit of a bunch of Zero fighters up ahead. Close by to his left another Flying Tiger finishes off a Zero, already on its way down. Below the pastoral scene is caught unawares by the sudden approach of fighters, as the fast-moving dogfight hurtles across the landscape. Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. Paper size 35 inches x 24 inches (88cm x 61cm). Price £370.00 Signed by Colonel Tex Hill (deceased), Flight Leader Dick Rossi (deceased) and Colonel Charles Older (deceased).
Limited edition of 125 publishers proofs. Paper size 35 inches x 24 inches (88cm x 61cm). Price £420.00 Signed by Colonel Tex Hill (deceased), Flight Leader Dick Rossi (deceased) and Colonel Charles Older (deceased). Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE DHM2664 |
| Tigers Claws by Stan Stokes. Curtiss had been the primary supplier of fighter aircraft to the U.S. Army Air Corps. since its inception, and the company was dismayed when the Army procured the Boeing P-26 Peashooter in 1932. Curtiss responded by hiring Mr. Donovan Berlin, a bright young engineer who was working for Northrop. Donovan developed the Hawk 75, a streamlined, low-wing, monoplane coastal defense fighter. With an enhanced Twin Wasp engine the Hawk 75 evolved into the P-36, which had a brief and fairly undistinguished career with the Air Corps. In 1938 a P-36 was retrofitted with the Allison in-line 12-cylinder, 1150 HP engine, and the P-40 was born. This was the beginning of what would eventually be a production run of more than 13,000 aircraft. Depending on its theater of operation and the particular model, the P-40 was alternatively known as the Tomahawk, the Kittyhawk, or the Warhawk. By mid-1942 P-40s were serving in every major conflict. The aircraft excelled in ground attack missions, but lacked the speed and maneuverability to challenge the top Japanese or German fighters in dogfights. As a result, P-40 pilots developed strategies which took advantage of the aircrafts structural integrity and excellent flying characteristics, while minimizing the aircrafts limitations. The final production version of the P-40 was the N model, which achieved a top rated speed of 378 MPH by eliminating two machine guns and by reducing fuel tank capacity. The American Volunteer Group was a group of American mercenary pilots which fought for the Chinese early in the War. Organized by Army Capt. C.L. Chennault, the Flying Tigers, as the group was more popularly referred to, consisted of 100 pilots and 100 P-40B aircraft. Three squadrons, the Panda Bears, the Hells Angels, and Adam and Eve, made up the unit. The primary mission of the Flying Tigers was to keep Chinas vital supply link to the outside world, the Burma road, open. Under Chennault the Flying Tigers utilized diving attacks as a means of providing tactical advantage against the lighter, faster, and more maneuverable Japanese aircraft. Prior to the group being disbanded in 1942 the Tigers had chalked up 286 confirmed victories with losses of only 23 aircraft. Pilots received a $500 bonus for every Japanese plane shot down. Depicted in Stan Stokes extraordinary painting is Ken Jernstedt, one of the 39 Flying Tiger aces of the War, with 10.5 confirmed victories. In Stokes scene Jernstedt has just achieved a victory over a Japanese Nakajima Ki-27, referred to as the Nate by the USAAC. The gnat-like Nate was the first monoplane fighter to serve with the JAAF. Although a fragile craft Chenault described the Nate as follows: ....it climbs like a rocket and maneuvers like a squirrel. The Flying Tigers did a lot of squirrel hunting in the few short months of their existence. Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.. Price £40.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE STK0167 |
| Flying Tigers by Stan Stokes. Claire Chennault retired from the USAAF in 1937. Chennault had been an outspoken supporter of advanced fighter aircraft, but was at odds with many of his superiors who favored development of bombers. Chennault went to China to assist Chiang-Kai-shek in resurrecting the Chinese Air Force. In 1941 President Roosevelt authorized a plan to allow American servicemen to volunteer for a one-year duty assignment in China as members of Chennaults American Volunteer Group. 100 Curtis P-40s were rerouted from the UK to Burma. A like number of pilots and a few hundred support personnel filtered into the group from various branches of the service. The AVG engaged the Japanese in combat from late 1941 through mid-1942. Despite being greatly outnumbered, and facing critical shortages of supplies and spare parts, the AVGs official victory tally included 299 aircraft shot down and another 240 destroyed on the ground. The Flying Tigers have a special place in the hearts of aviation history enthusiasts. Signed limited edition of 1500 prints, signed by 24 AVG Flying Tiger pilots, and the artist. Size 27 inches x 20 inches (69cm x 51cm). Price £414.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE STK0163 |
| Sayonara Sally by Stan Stokes. Claire L. Chennault retired in 1937 and began a second career in China where he set up a number of flying schools and airfields. A personal friend of Chiang Kai-shek Chennault was asked to organize a unit of experienced American combat pilots to help fight the Japanese. Chennault sent recruiters to American military installations and was able to organize the American Volunteer Group or AVG by late 1941. The group later became better known as the Flying Tigers, and their distinctive shark-mouthed P-40s became a well-recognized symbol. There were three AVG squadron; the Adam and Eves, the Panda Bears, and the Hells Angels. On December 23, 1941 sixty Sally heavy bombers of the 60th , 62nd , and 68th Sentai based at Bangkok and Phnom Penh were supposed to rendezvous over Bangkok and head to Rangoon for a bombing raid. The three units failed to join up as planned and they also failed to rendezvous with their fighter escorts for the mission. As the sixty aircraft approached Rangoon they were strung out and without the benefit of escort. None-the-less the determined Japanese pilots forged ahead. The AVG Flying Tigers were alerted at 10:00 AM with the alert message clear the field! Chuck Older and Ed Overend had been released from duty for some R&R, however when they hear the commotion created by the alert they returned to Mingladon Airfield and located two unused P40s, hopped in and went flying. Reaching an altitude of 8,000 feet they began to catch up with some other aircraft from the Hells Angels Squadron. They then spotted the huge conglomeration of Japanese bombers above them. I aimed at one of the wing planes on the left side of the formation and after my first attack, smoke began streaming from the port engine. I rolled out to the side and came back.... I aimed again at the same plane and closed to about seventy-five yards. I gave it a long burst, and the bomber suddenly nosed down out of the formation with smoke streaming behind. I saw it roll over into an almost vertical dive and disappear below me. As Older further recalled I continued making attacks from below, this time aiming at the leader of the formation.... I saw the bomber explode.... and flame and smoke seemed to pour out from the bottom of the fuselage. I saw debris falling from this plane immediately after the explosion. The bomber nosed straight down with flames and smoke pouring from it. Two days later the AVG would decimate an even larger formation of Japanese bombers, forcing the Japanese to adopt a policy of bombing only at night. Signed limited edition of 500 prints, signed by all the surviving AVG pilots of the 3rd Pursuit Sqn, and the artist. Size 22 inches x 18 inches (56cm x 46cm). Price £124.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE STK0168 |
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