P-38 Lightning twin engine fighter of the US Air Force. Aviation art prints
of the P38 Lockheed Lightning by leading aviation artist Ivan Berryman, Robert
Taylor. Aviation art prints available from Cranston Fine Arts.
Designed
by Kelly Johnson the P38 made its maiden flight on the 27th January 1939
and introduced into service in 1941. they cost $134,284 at the time each
and a total of 10,037 were built. The Lockheed P-38 was introduced as a
inceptor fighter but soon proved a valuable long range bomber escort for
the 8thUS Air Force's B-17 and-24 bombers as they bombed targets further
into Germany.
Mission Accomplished by Roy Grinnell.
arbers fourth victory, April 18th 1943, Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
Item Code : AX0067
Mission Accomplished by Roy Grinnell. - Editions Available
A B-24 has been hit and is losing touch with the main bomber formation, as Luftwaffe pilots concentrated their attentions on the unfortunate aircraft. Two Fw190s, are zooming up for the kill on the damaged B-24. Seeing the desperate situation, a P-38 escort pilot has made a head-on attack, splitting the pair of Fw190s, and thwarting their attempt to finish off the B-24. Another P-38, aware of the situation, is turning into the path of the Fw190s, and Robert makes it clear in his dramatic portrayal that the action has some way to go before any conclusion will be reached.
June 1944, dawn is breaking over a sleepy English village, and P-38 Lightnings shatter the silence as they climb out from a nearby air base, en route to the Normandy beach heads.
Item Code : DHM2665
Dawn Chorus by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) - Editions Available
Fighter, bomber, night-fighter, reconnaissance together with many other variants made the P-38 Lightning one of the most adaptable and respected aircraft of World War 2. The P-38 serving in Europe and the Mediterranean theatre, earned it the German nickname The fork-tail devil. The total production of the P-38 was 9,924.
The highest scoring US pilot of the Second World War, Richard Bong, is depicted in his personal P.38J Marge, claiming just one of his 40 confirmed victories. Insisting that he was not the greatest of marksmen, it was Bongs habit to manoeuvre to impossibly close distances before opening fire on his opponents. His eventual total may well have been greater than 40, as a further 8 probables could be attributed to him, together with 7 damaged. He was killed whilst testing a P.80 jet for the USAF in August 1945.
Item Code : DHM1883
Richard Bong by Ivan Berryman. - Editions Available
In Robert Taylors panoramic painting, P-38J Lightnings of the 364th Fighter Group return from a strafing mission over France in the summer of 1944. Making their land-fall at just 100 feet, they skim across an estuary on Englands south coast, near the old village of Bosham. With his unmistakable skill and vivid imagination Robert cleverly contrasts the exhilaration of the low-level combat flying, with the peaceful atmosphere of a quiet coastal setting, emphasising that curious blend of war and peace that was the daily lifestyle of the World War II flyer. This classic aviation painting provides collectors with a wonderful study of a memorable warbird.
Item Code : DHM2134
Coming In Over the Estuary by Robert Taylor. - Editions Available
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.
Item Code : DHM2026
Lightning Encounter by Nicolas Trudgian. - Editions Available
On April 18, 1943, in one of the more interesting, daring, and ultimately controversial missions of WW II, a flight of P-38s under the command of Major John Mitchell, intercepted and destroyed the aircraft carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander in Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, and the mastermind of the attack on Pearl Harbor. American code breakers had intercepted and translated a message indicating that Adm. Yamamoto would fly from Rabaul to an airfield on the southern tip of Bouganville on the morning of April 18, 1943. Because of the great distances to be covered during this intercept mission the P-38s would have very limited time over the rendezvous area. Fortunately for the Army Air Force pilots, Yamamoto was noted for his punctuality, and if he departed Rabaul on time the mission might just work. Major Mitchell led his flight of 16 P-38s to the rendezvous, with twelve of his fighters acting as high cover to fend off escorting fighters, while four pilots were design.........
In 1936 the Lockheed Aircraft Company won a contract to produce a high altitude interceptor for the USAAC. This contract was won despite the fact that the company had been nearly bankrupt in 1932, and had never produced a fighter aircraft. Mr. Kelly Johnson, Lockheeds chief designer on the project, settled on a design incorporating a twin engine scheme utilizing twin booms to house the aircrafts supercharged engines, and a central nacelle which housed the pilot and all the armament. Despite an unfortunate crash of the prototype, the USAAC was impressed with the aircraft, and a production order was placed for the first P-38 Lightnings. The P-38 was to prove to be one of Americas top fighters of WW II. The Lightning was fast, very heavily armed, had excellent range, and a great rate of climb. The aircraft was capable of flying with only one engine, and this proved advantageous in improving long range reliability. The two most effective models were the J and the L, of which more than 6,.........
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.
Item Code : DHM2595
Thunderbolts and Lightnings by Nicolas Trudgian. - Editions Available
TYPE
DESCRIPTION
SIZE
SIGNATURES
OFFERS
PRICE
PURCHASING
PRINT
Limited Edition : Signed limited edition of 350 prints. Full Item Details
Print paper size 30.5 inches x 23.5 inches (77cm x 59cm)
By any military standards, it is difficult to imagine the Supreme Commander of the largest air force of the day, piloting himself over the battlefront during the early moments of one of historys greatest military operations. But General Jimmy Doollittle was no ordinary commander. Already awarded Americas highest decoration for valour, General Doolittle was, by the summer of 1944, in command of the American 8th Air Force. On the morning of 6 June, D-Day, he dispatched 1350 bombers together with his entire fighter force to attack enemy ground installations near the beachheads. Sitting around waiting for intelligence reports was not Jimmy Doolittles style. He was going to see for himself what was happening! With Pat Partridge as wingman, they took off flying P-38 Lightnings - chosen for their distinctive profile in the hopes they would deter friendly fire - and climbed above the overcast. Having observed the 8th Air Forces operations at first hand, as they turned for home, Doolittl.........
Doug Canning breaks radio silence to call the sighting of Admiral Yamamotos flight over the pacific island of Bourganville, 18 April 1943. After a two and a half hour, four hundred mile flight just above the waves, mission leader John Mitchell and his 16 ship raiding party push their P-38s to full power to complete one of the most remarkable ambushes in aviation history.
Item Code : DHM2075
Bogeys Eleven O Clock High by Robert Taylor - Editions Available
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning, called the Fork-Tailed Devil by Luftwaffe pilots in Africa, was one of the largest fighter aircraft to see service during WW II. Flight-testing of the YP-38 prototype was completed in 1941. The first P-38s put into service were dedicated to the defense of the West Coast following the attack on Pearl Harbor. In the spring of 1942 plans were laid to deploy P-38s in Europe. By adding drop tanks the maximum range of the Lightnings were increased to a whopping 2200 miles, making ferry trips to Europe possible. All three P-38-equipped fighter groups in Europe (82nd FG, 1st FG, and 14th FG) were transferred to North Africa in late 1942. These P-38 fighter groups were soon seeing serious combat action in the Mediterranean & North African theaters. The experienced Luftwaffe pilots learned that the P-38s should be attacked at altitudes below 15,000 feet, where they had difficulty maneuvering with the Bf-109s they frequently encountered. Despite these limitations the.........
