Short Stirling bomber of the Royal Air
Force shown in aviation art prints by leading aviation artists, Ivan
Berryman, Keith Woodcock and Geoff Lea. Short Stirling bomber art prints
available from Cranston Fine Arts.
The
Royal Air Force's first four engined monoplane Bomber, the Short Stirling
first flew in May 1939 and entered front line service in August 1940 with
no. 7 squadron. Due to its poor operational ceiling the aircraft sustained
heavy losses and by mid 1942 the Stirling was beginning to be replaced by
the Lancaster. Improved versions of the Short Stirling were built
for Glider towing, paratroopers and heavy transport. also from 1943 many
of the Stirling's were used for mine laying. A total of 2381 Stirling's
were built for the Royal air Force and from this total 641 Stirling
bombers were lost to enemy action.
Crew
7 or 8:
Speed: 260 mph (MK1) 275mph (MKIII) and 280mph (MKV)Service ceiling
17,000
feet
Range:
2330 miles. (MK1) 2010 miles (MKIII) and 3,000 miles (MKV)
Armament: two .303 Vickers machine guns.
in nose turret, two .303 in browning machine guns in dorsal
turret , Four .303 Browning machine guns in tail turret. Bomb
Load 14,000 Lbs Engines: four 1150 Hp Bristol Hercules II
(MK1) four 1650 hp Bristol Hercules XVI (MK111 and MKV)
Stirling Work by Ivan Berryman.
Tribute to the ground crew of Bomber Command. Ground crew inspect and prepare the engines of a Stirling bomber as it is refuelled in preparation for that nights mission.
Item Code : B0376
Stirling Work by Ivan Berryman. - Editions Available
Short Stirling N6086 MacRobert's Reply of 15 Sqn is shown during the bombing raid on the French Harbour of Brest on 18th December 1941. British bombers had been dispatched to bomb the German battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst that were docked there, an action that earned N6086's skipper Fl Off Peter Boggis a DFC. Stirling W7428 is also shown with her port wing ablaze, one of two Stirlings lost on this operation. The subject of the RAF's attention can be seen amid the smoke - Gneisenau in drydock and Sharnhorst alongside.
Item Code : B0459
MacRobert's Reply by Ivan Berryman. - Editions Available
The Short Stirlings WP-M and WP-O, aircraft numbers BK718 and EH907, fly together en route to Cologne in the late evening of 3rd July 1943.
Aircraft BK718, with designation WP-M, of No.90 Squadron RAF was lost over Germany in the early hours of 4th July 1943. Six of the seven crew were lost in the crash, the rear gunner surviving to be taken prisoner. Stirling WP-O was also lost on the same mission, with the loss of all seven crew.
The crew of Stirling WP-M, BK718: Sgt Hugh Murray, Flight Engineer - Sgt Robert Freeland, Air Bomber - P/O Geoffrey Smith, Air Gunner - Sgt Oliver Beard, Wireless Operator - P/O Andrew Gilmour, Navigator - F/Lt Robert Platt, Pilot - Sgt I. H. Norris, Air Gunner.
Item Code : B0237
Stirlings of No.90 Squadron by Ivan Berryman. - Editions Available
The Short Stirling was the RAFs first four-engined bomber to enter service and it served throughout WWII in many roles including bomber, minelayer, troop carrier and glider-tug. The lack of power produced by its engines severely limited the loads carried by Stirlings. On long-range trips such as Italy, even with a greatly reduced bomb load the aircraft could barely clear the Alps. Despite very large losses due to its operational limitations, those that flew this big, agile aircraft, came to respect and look upon it with it with affection.
Item Code : DHM1670
The Night Shift by Philip West. - Editions Available
Tugs of War (Stirling & Gliders) by Ivan Berryman.
Wearing the distinctive black and white identification stripes of the D-Day operations of June 1944. Airspeed Horsa MkII assault gliders, towed by their Short Stirling MkIV tugs of No.620 Squadron, make their way across a moody English Channel en route for Normandy during the tumultuous Operation Overlord.
Item Code : B0011
Tugs of War (Stirling & Gliders) by Ivan Berryman. - Editions Available
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Limited edition of 250 prints, with crew signature. Full Item Details
Stirling Q-OJ of No.149 Sqn is shown minelaying in the Batlic. It was on precisely this type of mission - minelaying in the Baltic that aircraft W7639 (shown) was lost on 8th December 1942. Developing technical problems, the aircraft turned for home, but crashed in Suffolk, killing all seven crew on board. The crew were : P/O J Philp BEM, Sgt W S Hughes, Sgt G E Hills, Sgt C W Higgins, Sgt F Craven, Sgt T H Harris, and Sgt T G Williams.
Item Code : KA0023
Stirling Mine Laying by Keith Aspinall. - Editions Available
The Short Stirling was the RAFs first four-engined bomber but was handicapped by a low operational ceiling. Thus, Stirling crews spent much of their time flying through the flak rather than above flak. However, the Stirling possessed a strong, highly complex design that gained it a reputation as a pilots aircraft to fly; it was relatively agile for a big bomber. While flying the Stirling, Mahaddie had been attacked by a Ju88 nightfighter. After evading the attack, he managed to bring the aircraft home and subsequent inspection of the aircraft revealed 174 cannon shell holes. Mahaddie appropriately named that particular aircraft C for Colander. These Stirlings were part of No.7 Sqn RAF Pathfinders, based at RAF Oakington in Cambridgeshire throughout the war.
Item Code : DHM2696
Stirlings Outward Bound by Robert Taylor. - Editions Available
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Limited edition of 1500 prints, with no artist signature. Full Item Details
Tribute to the Crews of the Stirling by Graeme Lothian.
Outward bound, Stirling III of 199 Squadron based at Lakenheath, Suffolk, heads out on another night of operations in August 1943. EE953, Sqd letters EX - E of 100 group is piloted by F/L Tom Austin DFC who finished his tour by the end of October 1944, winning the DFC with his bomb aimer F/O Jack Lawrence. Nicknamed the Queen of the Skies, the Stirling was the 1st four engined bomber to enter service with the RAF in 1941. The cockpit stood a massive 22.5 feet from the ground and had an operational ceiling of only 12,000 feet, well within the range of the enemy AA guns. By September 1944 other bombers were taking the brunt of the attack to the Germans and the Stirlings were used mainly for glider towing especially for D-day and Arnhem.
Item Code : DHM1326
Tribute to the Crews of the Stirling by Graeme Lothian. - Editions Available
