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Japan Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings

Tigers Claws by Stan Stokes.


Tigers Claws by Stan Stokes.
One edition.
£35.00

Pressing Home the Kill by Randall Wilson.


Pressing Home the Kill by Randall Wilson.
7 editions.
£2.20 - £3100.00

Combat Over New Guinea by Nicolas Trudgian.


Combat Over New Guinea by Nicolas Trudgian.
3 editions.
All 3 editions feature an additional signature.
£60.00 - £120.00


Yamamoto's Last Flight by Stan Stokes.


Yamamoto's Last Flight by Stan Stokes.
5 editions.
2 of the 5 editions feature an additional signature.
£35.00 - £400.00

Threatening Skies by Richard Taylor.


Threatening Skies by Richard Taylor.
4 editions.
All 4 editions feature up to 3 additional signature(s).
£95.00 - £625.00

Birth of a Legend  by Stan Stokes.


Birth of a Legend by Stan Stokes.
6 editions.
4 of the 6 editions feature an additional signature.
£35.00 - £400.00


Legend of Colin Kelly by Robert Taylor.


Legend of Colin Kelly by Robert Taylor.
2 editions.
Both editions feature up to 2 additional signatures.
£150.00 - £225.00

Pacific Glory by Nicolas Trudgian.


Pacific Glory by Nicolas Trudgian.
6 editions.
5 of the 6 editions feature up to 5 additional signatures.
£2.00 - £290.00

Battleship Row by Stan Stokes.


Battleship Row by Stan Stokes.
3 editions.
2 of the 3 editions feature an additional signature.
£35.00 - £110.00


Tough as Nails by Stan Stokes.


Tough as Nails by Stan Stokes.
3 editions.
2 of the 3 editions feature an additional signature.
£35.00 - £164.00

Angels of Okinawa by Stan Stokes.


Angels of Okinawa by Stan Stokes.
3 editions.
2 of the 3 editions feature an additional signature.
£35.00 - £160.00

Scratch One Flat Top by Stan Stokes.


Scratch One Flat Top by Stan Stokes.
3 editions.
2 of the 3 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures.
£35.00 - £115.00


Fighting Tigers by Robert Taylor.


Fighting Tigers by Robert Taylor.
One edition.
The edition features 6 additional signature(s).
£240.00

America Strikes Back by Robert Taylor


America Strikes Back by Robert Taylor
One of 2 editions available.
Both editions feature 5 additional signatures.
£250.00

Hobo Queens by Stan Stokes.


Hobo Queens by Stan Stokes.
4 of 7 editions available.
All 2 editions featuring an additional signature are available.
£35.00 - £145.00


Midway: The Turning Point by Stan Stokes.


Midway: The Turning Point by Stan Stokes.
4 of 6 editions available.
All 2 editions featuring an additional signature are available.
£35.00 - £140.00

Lance of the Samurai by Stan Stokes.


Lance of the Samurai by Stan Stokes.
One edition.
£35.00

Mission to Yokohama, Japan, June 1944 by David Pentland.


Mission to Yokohama, Japan, June 1944 by David Pentland.
7 editions.
One edition features 2 additional signatures.
£2.20 - £4500.00


Rabaul - Fly For Your Life by Robert Taylor.


Rabaul - Fly For Your Life by Robert Taylor.
3 editions.
All 3 editions feature up to 7 additional signature(s).
£210.00 - £395.00

Last Voyage of the Yamato by Stan Stokes.


Last Voyage of the Yamato by Stan Stokes.
5 of 6 editions available.
All 2 editions featuring an additional signature are available.
£35.00 - £400.00

Zero Hour by Ivan Berryman.


Zero Hour by Ivan Berryman.
5 editions.
One edition features an additional signature.
£2.70 - £400.00


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Text for the above items :

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.


Pressing Home the Kill by Randall Wilson.

Dauntless Dive Bombers Dive on the Battleship Musashi in the Sibuyan Sea, October 1944.


Combat Over New Guinea by Nicolas Trudgian.

Australian Ace Dick Cresswell tangles with a Japanese Zero in the humid air of the tropics over New Guinea during an encounter in 1942. Flying a P-40E Kittyhawk with the insignia of 77 Squadron, RAAF blazoned on his aircraft, Cresswell makes a head-on pass leaving the enemy aircraft streaming smoke. Immortalised by the Flying Tigers, the P-40 was a fine combat aircraft that operated in the Pacific, European and Middle East theaters.


Yamamoto's Last Flight by Stan Stokes.

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 designated as the killer flight by Mitchell and were to destroy the Mitsubishi Betty which would be carrying the Admiral. Two betty bombers and six Zero fighters were encountered. Both Bettys were downed by the killer flight and one of the four P-38s in the killer flight was lost. Unfortunately, this marvelous mission has also been surrounded by more than its share of controversy. One of the three surviving pilots of the killer flight was Thomas Lamphier. Lamphier claimed that only he fired the fatal shots into Yamamotos Betty. In 1972 the Air Force reviewed all relevant information surrounding the flight, including testimony from a surviving Japanese fighter pilot on the mission and a surviving passenger on the second Betty. The official Air Force decision in 1972 was that both Lamphier and his wingman Rex Barber should share equal credit. In March of 1985 another Victory Credit Board of Review was convened, and it too concluded that the victory should be shared. Later that year new evidence was put forward in the form of a taped interview with one of the surviving Zero pilots, Kenji Yanagiya. Yanagiyas testimony clearly supported the Rex Barber account of the mission and not that of Lamphier. Lamphier, who died in 1987, continued to be outspoken until his death in his claims. In 1993, The noted aviation historian, Carroll Glines published an excellent book entitled Attack on Yamamoto. The bulk of the evidence presented in Glines book supported the conclusion that only Rex Barber probably deserves credit for the victory. More recently a board assembled by the American Fighter Aces Association met and reviewed all available facts. That Board decided that only Rex Barber deserves the official credit for downing Yamamoto. Despite all this unfortunate controversy one cannot deny that the mission to intercept Yamamoto was the longest successful mission of its type in WWII. Yamamotos death boosted morale in the United States, shocked the Japanese public, and was ultimately symbolic of the turn around in the War in the Pacific, which began at Midway in 1942, and gathered momentum in 1943.


Threatening Skies by Richard Taylor.

Richard Taylors painting recreates an encounter on 19th February 1945. As dawn breaks over the Pacific, a determined force of Japanese Ki-44s launch a surprise attack on a large formation of USAAF B-29 Superfortresses as they approach the Japanese mainland. B-29 gunners let rip as one fighter flashes past, with a second fighter closing at high speed. Chunks of the B-29s port wing and aileron have been taken out in the initial attack, and with another Japanese fighter fast on its tail, the outcome of this particular encounter hangs in the balance. A total of ten Superfortresses fell victim that day.


Birth of a Legend by Stan Stokes.

Colin P. Kelly, Americas first hero of WW II, was born in Florida in 1915. He was accepted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and following graduation Kelly married the former Marian Wick. Kelly received his primary flight instruction at Randolph Field in San Antonio, and after earning his wings he moved across town to Kelly Field for advanced pilot training. Unlike many would-be fighter pilots, Kelly was not disappointed with being assigned as a bomber pilot. Kelly received a letter of commendation from The Secretary of War when he crash landed a Northrop A-17A he was ferrying to Mitchel field in a vacant street in Brooklyn. In September of 1940 Kelly was promoted to Captain, and was assigned to the 42nd Bomb Squadron as commander of a B-17. Kelly trained in Hawaii, and was later made Operations Officer for the 14th Bomb Squadron. In September of 1941 Kelly and his crew flew from Hawaii to Clark Field in the Philippines. The B-17s were an important addition to the woefully inadequate and obsolete air forces which America had in the Philippines. The Japanese Imperial forces attacked the Philippines only hours following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Mitsubishi Zero fighters, flying to maximize their range, were able to accompany Japanese bombers from bases in Formosa. The initial attack on Clark Field damaged or destroyed many American aircraft. Kellys squadron had been moved south to another field and had escaped damage. On December 10, Kellys squadron was ordered to fly north to Clark Field where they would refuel and arm their aircraft for attacks on the Japanese invasion fleet. Kellys regular B-17D was out of service, so his crew was assigned a B-17C. At Clark Field three 600-pound armor piercing bombs were loaded on Kellys B-17 when an air raid hastened their departure. Kelly flew northward to the northern most tip of the island of Luzon. Kelly spotted a number of Japanese ships which were supporting an amphibious landing. The young Captain dropped his three bombs hoping to destroy the largest of the Japanese ships. One bomb struck the vessel, igniting a tremendous blaze. On returning to Clark Field, the B-17 was attacked by a number of Japanese fighters, including a Zero flown by Saburo Sakai. Sakai would become the highest scoring Japanese ace to survive the War with 64 victories. Amazed by the speed of the Flying Fortress, the Zeros needed full throttle to make passes at the B-17. Kellys B-17 was eventually hit and set afire. Captain Kelly ordered his crew to abandon ship. Kelly remained with the aircraft, and he did not survive the crash landing. With America desperate for any good news on the war front, and with Army brass in the Philippines anxious to claim some positive results, Colin Kellys exploits became exaggerated in many news accounts. By the time the story was publicized stateside, many believed he had dived his B-17 down the funnel of a Japanese battleship. While Kelly was indeed an American hero, the unfortunate gross exaggeration of his exploits, should not tarnish the fact that Kelly, like many that would follow him in the years ahead, had made the ultimate sacrifice for his country in the line of duty.


Legend of Colin Kelly by Robert Taylor.

December 10th 1941, Just three days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, captain Colin Kellys 19th BG B-17C is heavily outnumbered by Zeros as it returns to Clark Field after completing a successful bombing attack. With his aircraft on fire. Kelly remained at the controls whilst his crew bailed out. Seconds later the B-17 exploded. Colin Kelly gave his life and was posthumously awarded the DFC. A legend was born.


Pacific Glory by Nicolas Trudgian.

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.


Battleship Row by Stan Stokes.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto attended Harvard University where he gained a good understanding of American culture and developed an avid interest in the game of poker. Yamamoto played his cards when he outlined a plan to attack Pearl Harbor in January 1941. In April the Japanese organized a First Air Fleet with Vice Admiral Nagumo as its Commander in Chief. Commander Minoru Genda was appointed air staff officer, and because Nagumo was unfamiliar with air tactics, Genda was given responsibility for planning the attack on Pearl Harbor. Cdr. Genda immediately began perfecting the Pearl Harbor plan, and few details were overlooked. The Imperial Navys First Air Fleet consisted of six carriers. The Akagi, flagship of the strike force, was a converted cruiser which carried 63 aircraft. The Kaga also carried 63 aircraft, and was a converted battleship. The Soryu was the first carrier built from the ground up and was similar to the Hiryu. Each carrier had a compliment of 54 aircraft. With two additional carriers, the Zuikaku and the Shokaku, the fleet had a total of 378 aircraft. Three different types of aircraft were utilized for the attack. Mitsubishi A6M2 Zeros, a highly maneuverable single seat fighter, was responsible for obtaining air control and for strafing aircraft and ground installations. Aichi D3A1 Vals, with two-man crews, were utilized for dive bombing. Nakajima B5N2 Kates were responsible for horizontal bombing and torpedo bombing. The Kate carried a crew of three and had a cruising speed of only 160 MPH. During the first wave of the attack 183 aircraft were deployed. Torpedo aircraft from the Akagi, the Hiryu, and the Kaga targeted battleship row during this first wave. As portrayed in Stan Stokes life-like painting, a Japanese Kate from the Akagi launches its torpedo from very low altitude. Not far in the distance looms the USS West Virginia and Tennessee, virtual sitting ducks. The Japanese had trained carefully, and had modified their Kai Model 2 torpedoes to accommodate the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor. While caught by surprise, the USN was fortunate that its carriers were not in port, and that the Japanese had failed to destroy many of the support and repair facilities. This stroke of good luck permitted the USN to repair many of the ships damaged in the attack quite quickly. The devastating blow Yamamoto had planned for December 7, 1941 backfired by infuriating American public opinion, and eventually lead to Imperial Japans defeat and unconditional surrender.


Tough as Nails by Stan Stokes.

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was the third monoplane to see carrier service with the Navy. It was also the fighter aircraft which would carry the brunt of the fighting in the Pacific until 1943 when the F6F Hellcat would enter service. The Wildcat was flow by both USN and USMC aviators. The Wildcat lacked the range and maneuverability of the Mitsubishi Zeros it often faced, but the Wildcat was more heavily armed and able to take a lot more punishment than the Mitsubishis. Most of the pilots which obtained ace status while flying the F4F obtained most of their victories against Japanese bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Eight individuals were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor while displaying valor while in command of an F4F. The pilots of no other aircraft during WW II were as highly decorated. One of the most outstanding of this elite group was USMC Captain Joseph Jacob Foss. Foss, a South Dakota native, had been accepted as a naval aviation cadet following his graduation from the University of South Dakota. Foss had already learned to fly on his own, and had no difficulty earning his wings. Foss flew with VMF-121 in Guadacanal in 1942 and early 1943. He was credited with 26 confirmed aerial victories, making him the first American aviator to reach the victory record of the famed Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, one of Joes boyhood heroes. The ground based fighter pilots in Guadacanal were often referred to as The Cactus Air Force. As the Executive Officer of VMF-121 flying out of Henderson Field, Joes amazing victory tally helped make VMF-121 the highest scoring Marine squadron of the War. The success at Guadacanal was not without a heavy price. More than 20% of VMF-121s pilots did not return from the campaign. The squadrons best combat day in Guadacanal was on October 25, 1942. Eighteen aerial victories were credited to the squadron, with Foss leading the way with five Zeros bagged on two combat missions. Because it was impossible to permanently assign aircraft at Guadacanal, Foss flew several different Wildcats, including those numbered 53, 50, and 84. Nicknamed Swivel-Neck-Joe by some his fellow pilots, Foss learned early that it did not pay to be surprised by the opposition. Foss also leaned that the most effective way to down an opposing aircraft was to get as close to it as possible before utilizing ones limited supply of ammunition. As depicted in Stan Stokes painting entitled Tough As Nails, Joe Foss is tangling with a F1M2 Pete on November 7, 1942. Joes first pass over the much slower float plane proves ineffective, and the Petes gunner actually stars the portside glass of Foss windscreen. Circling around, and approaching from below, the Pete would soon become his eighteenth victory. Returning from this mission Foss would have to ditch his aircraft. He was rescued by missionaries and returned to combat flying the next day. Joes second combat tour in 1943 was cut short due to the ongoing effects of a bout with malaria. Joe served in the Air Force Reserve after the War reaching the rank of Brigadier General. Following a successful career in both politics and professional sports, Foss has remained active and was instrumental in the formation of the American Fighter Aces Association, and has served as President of the NRA.


Angels of Okinawa by Stan Stokes.

In 1938 Vought won a contract for what was to become one of the last of the great propeller driven fighter aircraft, the F4U Corsair. Designed to incorporate the most powerful air-cooled radial engine available at the time, the Pratt and Whitney Double Wasp, the Corsair was powerful, heavily armed, ruggedly built, and designed from the onset as a carrier based fighter. The Corsair was fast, and became the first military aircraft to obtain 400 MPH in level flight. The Corsair incorporated the largest three-bladed propeller ever utilized on a single engine aircraft, a unique distinctive gull wing design, and its 2804 cubic inch engine developed a whopping 1800 HP, more than twice the horsepower of the Japanese fighters which dominated the early years of the War in the Pacific. Despite its design emphasis the USN was reluctant to utilize the Corsair for carrier-based operations because of the aircrafts poor pilot visibility during landings. As a result, the Corsair initially entered service with land-based USMC Squadrons in February of 1943. VMF-124, the first squadron to be equipped with Corsairs, quickly realized that they had a very special aircraft, and at the end of their tour of duty, VMF-124 had 68 confirmed kills of Japanese planes in air-to-air combat vs. losses of only 11 Corsairs. The Royal Navy, which procured over 2,000 of the 9,441 Corsairs produced, successfully overcame the pilot visibility problem by incorporating a curved angular approach to landings. Influenced by the Royal Navys success, the USN requalified the Corsair for carrier-based operations in early 1945. During the Okinawa campaign U.S. forces encountered a desperate shift in Japanese strategy which incorporated the full fury of the Kamikaze suicide attack. Lacking experienced pilots, and in hopes of slowing American advances, more than 3,000 Kamikaze planes were directed at the U.S. naval forces during the Okinawa campaign. The Corsair was instrumental in the fact the 2,600 Kamikazes did not succeed. In his spectacular painting, aviation artist Stan Stokes shows a F4U Corsair of VMF-451 of the Bunker Hill piloted by Marine Major Archie Donahue in action against an incoming (A6M2 Zero) Kamikaze attack during the Okinawa campaign. In three months during the campaign Navy and Marine pilots based on the Bunker Hill recorded 176 kills. However on April 29, 1944 the Bunker Hills luck ran out. Struck by two Kamikazes within minutes, a four hour conflagration ensued, which killed nearly 400 servicemen, and destroyed the bulk of the ships aircraft. This forced the withdrawal of the Bunker Hill from the campaign. Despite these losses, the Corsairs deservedly earned one of their nicknames, Angels of Okinawa, from the thousands of servicemen who no doubt owed their lives to these last of the great propeller driven fighter aircraft, and the courageous pilots who flew them.


Scratch One Flat Top by Stan Stokes.

The Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo-bomber was the first low-wing, all metal monoplane to see service with the US Navy. Delivered in 1937 about 100 TBDs were in service when the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into WW II. Powered by a 811-HP Pratt and Whitney radial engine, the TBD had a maximum speed of about 200 MPH and a range of about 700 miles. Unfortunately, given the design of the torpedoes used, attacks had to be made at a maximum speed of only about 110 MPH, and at an altitude of no more than 100 feet. This made the Devastator a sitting duck for both enemy fighters or anti-aircraft gunners. The highlight of the TBDs brief battle career in WW II came during the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942. This battle, the first ever waged solely between the aircraft of opposing carrier attack groups, involved air groups from the USS Yorktown and USS Lexington. Three Japanese carriers, the Shokaku, the Zuikaku, and the Shoho were involved. On May 7 the Lexington launched fifty aircraft and the Yorktown another 43. Two squadrons of TBDs were involved in the attack. This massed force located the Shoho around 11:00 AM. SBD Dauntless dive bombers initiated the attack, and were successful at fending off fighter attacks by Zeros during their near vertical dives. The large force of SBDs put several 1000-pounders into the Shoho. Minutes later the Devastators from the Lexington attacked, gaining advantage from the smoke and confusion created by the dive bombers. Coming in low and slow the Devastators put six or seven torpedoes into the Shoho. In Stan Stokes painting the TBD flown by Lt. R. F. Farrington, T.R. Wiebe, and Walter N. Nelson of VT-2 from the USS Lexington is depicted. Several more hits by the Dauntlesses sealed the fate of the Shoho which slipped under the waves while still making a headway of about 20 knots. Witnessing the Shohos final moments, Lt. Cdr. Bob Dixon reported by radio at 11:36 AM the following message, Scratch One Flat Top! Dixon to carrier. Scratch one Flat Top! This was the first loss of a significant ship by the Imperial Navy. It also foretold of an end of the era of surface war ships slugging it out in a gunnery duel within sight of each other. The era of the carrier battle group had begun, with destruction delivered to a distant enemy by carrier based aircraft. Weeks following the Battle of the Coral Sea, at the Battle of Midway, the United States Navy would destroy almost 50% of Japans carriers in a momentous battle. The Navys TBDs would be virtually wiped-out at Midway, and would be replaced in front-line service by TBF Avengers and SB2C Helldivers for the balance of the War.


Fighting Tigers by Robert Taylor.

On August 5, 1944, following a successful attack on Japanese forces just north of Changsha, P-40 Warhawks of the75th and 16th Fighter Squadrons, 23rd F.G., are attacked by enemy Nakajima fighters and a massive dog-fight has developed over the Hsiang Chiang river with aircraft wheeling and turning in all directions. The action is set against the distinctive, haunting landscape of Southern China, Roberts panoramic canvas capturing all the atmosphere of a crucial aerial campaign fought in the skies above a distant land so many years ago.


America Strikes Back by Robert Taylor

The very first air combat fought by American pilots following the surprise attack upon Pearl Harbor. In less than one hour America struck back in a war that was to end in total victory. As the assault mounted on the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, simultaneously the air base at Wheeler Field came under heavy attack. Two young USAAF pilots, Kenneth Taylor and George Walsh, quickly got their P-40 Tomahawks airborne. Winging southwards towards Ewa Field they ripped into a dozen or more enemy planes attacking the marine field. Diving into the formation they each downed Val fighter-bombers. Robert Taylors painting shows Ken Taylor in his P-40 tomahawk, with George Walsh in close company, bringing down his second enemy aircraft on December 7, 1941, an Aichi D-3Al Val dive-bomber. In the background palls of smoke rise from Hangar 6 housing the naval float planes, and the up-turned battleship Oklahoma.


Hobo Queens by Stan Stokes.

The B-32 Dominator was produced by Consolidated Aircraft in parallel with Boeings development of the B-29 Superfortress. While both of these long-range heavy strategic bomber development programs encountered some difficulties, the B-29 was completed sooner, and was ordered in far larger quantities than the B-32. About one hundred Dominators were ultimately built and the aircraft saw some service very late in WW II. Powered by the same engines as the B-29, the B-32 had a distinctive very tall stabilizer. Four B-32s from the 386th BS of the 312th BG based at Yontan, Okinawa were given a three-day photoreconnaissance mission near the end of the War. On the third day of the mission, August 18, 1945, two aircraft were forced to turn back and only two aircraft, the Hobo Queen and the Hobo Queen II made it to Japan. The mission involved photographing an area north and east of Tokyo. The aircraft were unescorted, as the War was for all practical purposes over. As the two aircraft prepared to head home they were jumped by a large group of Japanese fighters including Imperial Navy A6M2 Zeros and Army Ki44 Tojos. The first attacks occurred at 1:30 PM while the aircraft were at 20,000 feet. The enemy planes made ten passes on the Hobo Queen II with little or no damage. About twenty-five passes were made at the Hobo Queen, which was under the command of Lt. John R. Anderson. Seven passes were made at the tail of the B-32 and one of the attackers blew-up. One fighter pass was made at the ball turret from below with no success, and another six were made at the forward upper turret. About six more were made at the nose turret position, and several more at the upper rear turret. Another enemy fighter blew up, and a third was seen going down smoking. The pilots went to full mix and full throttle and power-dived the B-32 from 20,000 to 10,000 feet. The Hobo Queen absorbed a lot of damage during these attacks. The radioman got the Hobo Queen II to regroup with the badly damaged Hobo Queen to provide some cover. Three men were wounded including Sgt. Anthony J. Marchione, SSgt. Joseph M. Lacharite, and Sgt. John T. Houston. Marchione and Lacharite were at the camera hatch at the rear of the aircraft when that section of the plane was riddled. Both men were hit. Despite his own wounds, SSgt. Lacharite began administering first aid to Marchione, but a second fighter pass wounded Marchione again. Despite the valiant efforts of his crewmates to keep him alive, Marchione passed away at 2:00PM. Sgt. Marchione may have been the last USAAF combat casualty of the War. SSgt. Chevalier administered first aid to SSgt. Lacharite during the long ride home. Despite being unable to bank his aircraft due a feathered prop, Lt. Anderson got the Hobo Queen down successfully.


Midway: The Turning Point by Stan Stokes.

The Battle of Midway in June of 1942 marked the turning point in the War in the Pacific, and the Douglas SBD Dauntless was the aircraft which provided the punch in this decisive victory for America. The SBD, which earned the nickname Slow, But Deadly, entered service with the USN and USMC in 1940. Powered by a 1,000 HP, 9-cylinder, Cyclone radial engine the SBD was capable of a maximum speed of 250 MPH. The Dauntless could stay airborne for a long time with its 1,300 mile range and slow cruising speed, and it was capable of delivering a 1,200 pound bomb load. Because of its slow speed the SBD needed armament to discourage attack by enemy fighters. Two forward firing machine guns and either one or two rear firing guns mounted in the gunners cockpit behind the pilot, gave the SBD enough firepower to make it a challenging target for enemy fighters. The Japanese plan for invading Midway, a strategically-located small island about 1,100 miles northwest of Hawaii, involved the use of a decoy fleet which would feign an invasion of the Aleutians, while the main fleet consisting of approximately 100 ships and four aircraft carriers would carryout the invasion. Based on intelligence reports the US Navy was ready for Adm. Yamamoto this time. The American force totaled 25 ships including the carriers Hornet, Enterprise, and Yorktown. Air power was about even, because the U.S. could count on nearly 100 land-based aircraft on Midway itself. About 1/3rd of the U.S. air power was represented by SBDs. During the first exchanges, American attacks on the Japanese invasion fleet with both land-based and carrier-based aircraft were repulsed with substantial losses. These low-level torpedo attacks focused the attention of both Japanese fighter pilots and AA gunners on the horizon. Lacking effective radar, the Japanese fleet would prove to be unprepared for a high altitude attack by swarms of SBDs on June 4, 1942. The timing proved perfect as the Japanese carriers were laden with fully fueled and armed aircraft being readied for a second wave. As depicted in Stan Stokes dramatic painting the 1,000 pounder of Paul Lefty Holmbergs SBD penetrates the carrier deck of the Soryu while Holmberg pulls out of his dive. Right behind Holmberg is another SBD of VB-3 from the USS Yorktown. SBDs from the Yorktown and its sister ship the Enterprise destroyed three Japanese carriers in a matter of minutes during this battle. While the Yorktown was later lost in the Battle, all four Japanese carriers were eventually destroyed including many of Japans most experienced naval aviators. The rugged and effective Dauntless, the only USN aircraft to remain in service through the entire war, was responsible for destroying more enemy shipping than any other aircraft during WW II.


Lance of the Samurai by Stan Stokes.

As the war in the Pacific continued to intensify in 1943 and 1944, the naval air forces of Japan began to suffer from both quantitative and qualitative shortcomings in both aircraft and pilots that contributed to American domination of the air. The once dominant Japanese naval air arm was decimated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the defense of the Philippines, and other lesser battles. With American bombing forces now capable of reaching the Japanese islands with B-29 Superfortresses, the Japanese lacked any effective fighter defenses. In an effort to improve the situation and provide some semblance of air superiority, Captain Minoru Genda, the architect of the air operations for the attack on Pearl Harbor, formed a new elite fighter air group, the 343rd Kokutai, at Matsuyama in December of 1944. This group contained the best of Japans remaining fighter pilots which were personally selected for participation. Consisting of three squadrons, the 301st, 407th, and 701st hikotai, this fighter unit was Japans most proficient during the latter months of the war. The effectiveness of this unit was not solely attributable to the skill of its pilots, but also resulted from the aircraft which it flew. All three squadrons were equipped with the Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-kai (violet lightning) model 21 fighter. These were fast, highly maneuverable, and heavily armed fighters. Unlike most earlier Japanese designs, these aircraft also provided better armor protection for the pilot. Nicknamed the George by the Allies, the N1K2-J was derived from an earlier float plane the N1K1 Kyofu. Entering service in late 1944 the George was capable of 365-MPH armed with its four 20-mm wing mounted cannon. In the hands of experienced combat pilots, the N1K2-J was the equal to the American-made Hellcats and Corsairs it faced, and was vastly superior to the aging Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero. About 400 N1K2-Js would be produced before the end of the war. The efficacy of Gendas idea was demonstrated on March 19, 1945 when fifty-four aircraft from the 343rd attacked an unsuspecting and overconfident carrier strike group of F6Fs, F4Us, and SB2-Cs in the Kure area. In a matter of minutes the American force was shredded by Gendas elite group. The Japanese claimed the destruction of forty-eight U.S. fighters and four dive bombers vs. the loss of only sixteen of its own aircraft. On June 2, 1945 a force of twenty-one N1K2-Js attacked a similarly-sized force of Corsairs. In this battle the Japanese claimed 18 victories. It was estimated that during the six month period in which the 343rd operated that a total of 170 American aircraft were downed compared to the loss of 74 Japanese pilots. Pictured in Stan Stokes painting, entitled Lance of the Samurai, is the Shiden-kai flown by Chief Petty Officer Shoichi Sugita of the 301st hikotai. During the March 19th combat Sugita claimed four F6Fs and three probables. He was later killed in action on April 15, 1945.


Mission to Yokohama, Japan, June 1944 by David Pentland.

Boeing B29 Superfortresses of the USAAF 40th Bomb Group come under attack from a Kawasaki Ki64 Hein (Tony) of the Japanese Army Airforces 244th Sentai.


Rabaul - Fly For Your Life by Robert Taylor.

For their outstanding contribution to the war in the South Pacific, the Black Sheep were awarded one of only two Presidential Unit Citations accorded to Marine Corps squadrons during the war in the Pacific. With typical mastery, Robert Taylor has brought to life an encounter over Rabaul in late December 1943, paying tribute to one of the US Marine Corps most famous fighter squadrons, and its outstanding leader. With the Japanese airbase at Rabaul visible in the distance, Pappy Boyington and his fellow pilots of VMF-214 tear into a large formation of Japanese Zekes and a series of deadly dogfights have started, one Zeke already fallen victim to their guns.


Last Voyage of the Yamato by Stan Stokes.

The 74,000 ton Yamato and the Musashi were the two largest battleships ever built, and typified the Imperial Japanese Navys attitude that their ships should be superior to anything the United States had. As a comparison the German Battleship Deutschland displaced a mere 15,500 tons. Each of these ships carried nine 18.1 inch guns, the most powerful armament available on any ship at that point in time. The Yamato participated in the attack on Midway, serving as Admiral Yamamotos flag ship, and many of the other significant sea battles in the Pacific. By the time the Allies were preparing to invade Okinawa, the Japanese had been forced to utilize Kikusui tactics which would involve mass suicide attacks and individual suicide missions. The army had made numerous sacrifices, and senior Japanese naval officers realized that the Yamato would need to be sacrificed in the defense of Okinawa, as a matter of pride. The Yamatos 350-mile trip to Okinawa without any meaningful air cover would be a suicide mission, and the ship and its escort vessels were equipped with only enough fuel for a one-way trip. On April 6, 1945 the huge vessel departed and was immediately sighted by two American submarines, the USS Threadfin and the USS Hackleback. The information was passed on to the USN task force, and on April 7 an F6F from the USS Essex spotted the Yamato and relayed its position back to the USS Indianapolis, the flag ship of Admiral Spruance. An initial attack force of 280 USN aircraft were launched from nine American carriers, followed by a second wave of aircraft from four other carriers. Knowing that the Japanese had no air cover, the F6F Hellcats carried 500 pound bombs, and were joined by Avenger torpedo bombers and Curtis SB2C dive bombers. The Americans had learned from their earlier attack on the Musashi to concentrate torpedo attacks on one side of the giant ship. The Yamato was hit with numerous torpedoes and bombs. By 13:00 the giant battleship was listing 20 degrees to port and her antiaircraft guns were inoperative. At 14:10 another torpedo hit jammed the ships rudder, and the Yamato began to circle at about 8 knots. At 14:23 the Yamato rolled over and exploded in a giant mushroom cloud and sank with the loss of nearly 2,500 men. The Grumman TBF Avenger was the first torpedo bomber produced by that company. It bore a resemblance to the F4F Wildcat, and incorporated a unique internal bomb bay capable of carrying a 2,000 lb torpedo or four 500 lb bombs. The TBF was a big aircraft with a wingspan of 54 feet, and an empty weight of 10,080 lbs. It was capable of 271-MPH with a range of 1,215 miles. The Avenger incorporated a light weight electrically driven rear ball turret. The Avenger was so successful that General Motors was also pressed into service producing the aircraft with their version designated as a TBM.


Zero Hour by Ivan Berryman.

As dawn breaks across South Pacific skies, a group of Mitsubishi A6M5 Zeros of the 201st Air Group head outbound from their base at Rabaul on a raiding sortie in November 1944.




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