Ill Fated Convoy by Stan Stokes.
In mid-1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union opening up a second front. Despite its own wartime shortages, the UK realized a moral obligation to send supplies to the USSR. In August of 1941 the first convoy (designated PQ1) sailed from Iceland to the Arctic ports of Archangel and Murmansk. By mid-1942 12 convoys had set sail, with the loss of only merchantman out of 103 that had set sail. Admiral Raeder pressed Hitler for permission to move anti-convoy forces, including the battleship Tirpitz to northern Norway. With these forces in place, PQ16 lost five ships in May of 1942. When PQ17 assembled in Iceland in late June, an impressive force of Cruisers, Destroyers, and Corvettes was assembled under the command of Rear-Admiral Hamilton to provide close-in support. In addition, a battlefleet under the command of the Admiral of the Fleet, Sir John Tover, would shadow the convoy. The Admiralty was fearful of the Tirpitz and believed that if encountered the convoy would scatter and make a run for it. PQ17 set sail on June 27 with 35 merchantmen. On July 1 it was sighted by a Fw-200 Condor and the U-456. An attack by He-115s on July 2 sunk no ships and resulted in the loss of one He-115. Also on the second, the Tirpitz was given orders to relocate. On the 4th another attack claimed only one ship, the Christopher Newport. On the 5th a flight of 25 Ju-88s and He.111s attacked the convoy with the loss of two more ships. Fearing that the Tirpitz will soon be engaged, the British Admiralty gives the order for the convoy to scatter. Over the next few days the ships become targets of opportunity for both German U-boats and He-115 torpedo bombers. Only 12 of the 35 merchantmen make it unscathed to the Soviet Union. The Heinkel He.115 had an excellent reputation for reliability, and was capable of making takeoffs and landings in fairly high seas. The aircraft was nearly 57-feet long, and had a wingspan of 73-feet. With twin BMW engines capable of 960-HP the aircraft had a top speed of only 180-MPH. Its ceiling was 17,000-feet and its maximum range was 1,740 miles. The 115C model was produced beginning in 1940. It had a fixed 15-mm cannon mounted under its nose, and a rearward firing machine gun in the rear of each engine nacelle. The company founded by Ernst Heinkel is probably best known for it He.111 medium-bomber, but Heinkel also designed and produced a number of other notable aircraft, not the least of which was the Heinkel He.115, the biggest and most powerful seaplane to see service in WW II. Development on this seaplane started in 1935 in response to a request from the German Air Ministry for a twin-engine, floatplane, torpedo-bomber. Production aircraft came off the assembly line in 1938, but negligible initial German demand, forced Heinkel to look for orders outside of Germany. As a result a number of aircraft were purchased by Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The He.115 had a very large wing, and a very narrow fuselage. Four of the He.115s that had been purchased by Norway managed to escape to the UK when Norway was invaded. Two of these aircraft were repainted with German markings and were utilized for clandestine operations, such as flying secret agents into Norway.
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
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Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £299.00
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Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm). Price £214.00
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