MORE PRINTS BY OTHER ARTISTS
Gil Cohen's "The Mighty Eighth - Russian
Shuttle" signed by Don Blakeslee. In June 1944, Colonel Don Blakeslee, leader of the Fourth Fighter Group, learned that his P-51 Mustangs were to escort B-17 Flying Fortresses from Debden, England, across Europe to the Soviet Union. Gil Cohen's painting captures the historic scene at Piryatin Airfield as Blakeslee is greeted by his Russian hosts. He is pointing to his watch to indicate that he has landed "on time to the minute" after his long flight of seven and half hours across hostile Europe. While the young woman welcomes Don with her simple bouquet of flowers, suspicion and wariness can be seen on the faces of the others present, signalling the decades of Cold War to come between the two Superpowers. Blakeslee's Fourth Fighter Group would accompany the bombers back home through dangerous territory, as they destroyed their enemy targets. The operational diary of Blakeslee's Group shows that the entire shuttle mission covered 6000 miles, 10 countries and twenty nine and a quarter hours of operational flying!
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Tiro Vorster's "The Sailor 1940"
signed by 'Johnnie' Johnson Signed by 'Johnnie' Johnson who commissioned this painting as a tribute to the South African, 'Sailor' Malan, who scored a total of 35 victories. The print depicts the dogfight on 28 July 1940 between Malan and the German ace, Major Werner Mölders, who was wounded but managed to crash land safely near his base at St. Omer.
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Michael Swanson's "Evening Flight" signed
by 'Johnnie' Johnson In 1942, the Focke-Wulf 190 completely outclassed the Spitfire V, but later that year the legendary Spitfire IX, depicted here, came into service and proved to be superior to both the FW190 and the ME109F.
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Graeme Lothian's "General's Command" signed
by 'Dolfo' Galland and 'Count' Krupinski, in tribute to 'Macky' Steinhoff. Under Galland's command, the "Squadron of Experts" (JV 44) flew into history in the final months of WWII. Its pilots were, without exception, high-scoring and highly decorated fighter aces who flew the revolutionary ME262 twin jet fighter.
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Graeme Lothian's "Ranger" signed by 'Johnnie'
Johnson In early 1944, 'Ranger' operations were devised for Spitfire finger-fours to fly at tree-top height, below radar detection, and intercept enemy fighters who were threatening Allied bombers. This print shows 'Johnnie' leading a 'Ranger' operation of 144 Wing, RCAF.
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Alan Holt's "Return to France" signed by Danny
Browne, Larry Robillard, Rod Smith and 'Johnnie' Johnson "The distinction" writes 'Johnnie' Johnson "of being the first RAF unit to operate from French mainland soil following the Liberation went to my 144 Canadian Wing. The Construction Wings came ashore on 7 June, and by that evening had created an emergency landing strip. On 10 June, a proper airfield at St. Croix-sur-Mer was ready and on that day we landed there after a patrol of the beaches; after refuelling, we took off again and swept deep into France. No other honour has ever filled me with such immense pleasure!"
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Frank Wootton's "The Straggler" signed by
'Dolfo' Galland and 'Johnnie' Johnson This magnificent print by the 'father' of aviation art commemorates the bravery of American bomber crews. In the late summer of 1943, the US Eighth Army Air Force was striving to prove its long-held theory of daylight bombing over Germany, suffering heavy casualties. Despite the lack of a long-range escort - for the splendid P-51 Mustang did not make its appearance until the following year - the 'Mighty Eighth' pressed on against formidable German fighter defences. On every daylight raid there were a few stragglers who, damaged by fighters or flak or both, tried to make the hazardous flight back to the UK. The further they fell back from the main formation, the more vulnerable they became to prowling and aggressive German fighters. In this classic painting, Frank Wootton captures superbly all the drama and skill of air fighting as the General of Fighters himself, 'Dolfo' Galland and his worthy adversary, 'Johnnie' Johnson, circle warily over a damaged B-17, each watching for an opening and both very aware that other fighters - friendly or hostile - could at any time join the party.
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