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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth C  Corbin, Harold |
Flying Officer Harold Corbin CGM
Harold Corbin joined the RAF in November 1940 and was sent to the United States to train as a pilot. On completion he returned to England as a Sergeant and after several positions was posted to 235 Squadron at RAF Portreath flying operations on Beaufighters. He completed many missions attacking various ports and enemy shipping on the French coast and in the Bay of Biscay. In 1944 he converted onto Mosquitos and joined 248 Squadron at RAF Banff, part of the Banff Strike Wing. The Banff Wing was to become immortalised for undertaking some of the most dangerous and concentrated attacks on German surface vessels and U-boats in the North Sea and on the Norwegian coastline. He was awarded the CGM in August 1944, and was given a full commission in December 1944. He had flown as co-pilot / observer with Maurice Webb from 1943 until the end of the war.
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| Flying Officer Harold Corbin CGM - Signed Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Strike and Strike Again by Robert Taylor. By the spring of 1945, Germanys once all-conquering submarine fleet, driven by allied forces from its bases in estern France, had fled to the relative safety of the Norwegian fjords - territory still remaining under German occupation since 1940. In one of Hitlers last stands, more than 100 U-Boats, merchant freighters, flakships, and other military vessels were hathered in the narrow fjords, laying up by day and sailing undercover of darkness. They were a menace that had to be dealt with. Tasked with the difficult job of eliminating this force were the Beaufighters and Mosquitos of RAF Coastal Commands Strike Wings based in Scotland. - Our job was to go after this shipping and sink it - recalled Wing Commader Colin Milson, C.O. of No. 455s Beaufighters. - The fjords were often just 200 - 300 yards across with cliffs rising vertically up 2000 feet, the deep water allowing the German shipping to get in beneath these high overhanging cliffs. This made for difficult and dangerous flying, exacerbated by the heavy flak and machine gun fire that always welcomed us. |
The Mosquito's Sting by Ivan Berryman. Banff Mosquito H of 404 Squadron flown on its first operational mission by Flying Officer A Catrano and Flight Lieutenant A E Foord spots a German Blohm and Voss Bv138 anchored off Kjevik. They attacked the Bv138 which blew up before going on to attack a Heinkel He115 floatplane which was in the vicinity. This drawing shows the Mosquito beginning its attack on the Bv138. |
Knockout Blow by Ivan Berryman. Banff Mosquito H of 404 Squadron flown on its first operational mission by Flying Officer A Catrano and Flight Lieutenant A E Foord spots a German Blohm and Voss Bv138 anchored off Kjevik. They attacked the Bv138 which blew up before going on to attack a Heinkel He115 floatplane which was in the vicinity. This drawing shows the Mosquito making its attack on the Heinkel as the Bv138 explodes in the distance. |
A De Havilland Beauty by Ivan Berryman. A Mosquito Mk.BIX above the clouds in late 1943. Mosquito B.IX LR503 holds the record for the most combat missions flown by a single Allied bomber in the Second World War, serving 213 sorties. |
Prowler's Return by Ivan Berryman. Rocket rails empty, Mosquito FB.VI RS619 (LA-F) of 235 Sqn races home low and fast after another successful anti-shipping strike in the Fjords of Norway. On a subsequent mission on 5th April 1945, this aircraft crash-landed in Denmark after suffering a glycol leak. Its crew, Ray Harrington and Bert Winwood, managed to get back home to the UK with the help of the Danish Resistance. |
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Harold Corbin signing the print A De Havilland Beauty |
Harold Corbin signing the print Knockout Blow |
| Flying Officer Harold Corbin CGM Aircraft details |
 Beaufighter Manufacturer : Bristol Built : 5564 | Beaufighter BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER The Bristol Beaufighter was a Torpedo Bomber and had a crew of two. with a maximum speed of 330mph and a ceiling of 29,000 feet. maximum normal range of 1500 miles but could be extended to 1750 miles. The Bristol Beaufighter carried four 20mm cannon in the belly of the aircraft and upto six .303in browning machine guns in the wings. it could also carry eight 3 -inch rockets, 1605 lb torpedo or a bomb load of 1,000 lb. The Bristol Beaufighter first flew in July 1939 and with some modifications entered service with the Royal Air Force in July 1940. In the winter of 1940 - 1941 the Beaufighter was used as a night fighter. and in March 1941 the aircraft was used at Coastal Command as a long range strike aircraft. and in 1941, the Beaufighter arrived in North Africa and used as a forward ground attack aircraft. The Bristol Beaufighter was used also in India, Burma and Australia. A total of 5,564 Beaufighters were built until production in Britain finished in 1945, but a further 364 were built in Australia for the Australian Air Force |
 Mosquito Manufacturer : De Havilland Built : 7781 | Mosquito Used as a night fighter, fighter bomber, bomber and Photo-reconnaissance, with a crew of two, Maximum speed was 425 mph, at 30,300 feet, 380mph at 17,000ft. and a ceiling of 36,000feet, maximum range 3,500 miles. the Mosquito was armed with four 20mm Hospano cannon in belly and four .303 inch browning machine guns in nose. Coastal strike aircraft had eight 3-inch Rockets under the wings, and one 57mm shell gun in belly. The Mossie at it was known made its first flight on 25th November 1940, and the mosquito made its first operational flight for the Royal Air Force as a reconnaissance unit based at Benson. In early 1942, a modified version (mark II) operated as a night fighter with 157 and 23 squadron's. In April 1943 the first De Haviland Mosquito saw service in the Far east and in 1944 The Mosquito was used at Coastal Command in its strike wings. Bomber Commands offensive against Germany saw many Mosquitos, used as photo Reconnaissance aircraft, Fighter Escorts, and Path Finders. The Mosquito stayed in service with the Royal Air Force until 1955. and a total of 7781 mosquito's were built. |
| Flying Officer Harold Corbin CGM Squadron details |
No.235 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 10th July 1945 Known Codes : , LA, VV, | No.235 Sqn RAF Jaculamur humi - We strike them to the ground |
No.248 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 30th September 1946 Known Codes : , RK, DM, WR, | No.248 Sqn RAF Il faut en finir - It is necessary to make an end of it |
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