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Cranston Fine Arts Military Art and Artists World War Two Campaigns D-Day

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Through Hell to Omaha by Ivan Berryman. 7 editions. £2.90 - £1200.00

D-Day Recce by David Pentland. 6 editions. 3 of the 6 editions feature up to 3 additional signatures. £2.90 - £1100.00

Welcome Reinforcements by David Pentland. 3 of 4 editions available. The one edition featuring 4 additional signatures is available. £40.00 - £300.00

Boarding Call by David Pentland. 3 editions. £85.00 - £410.00

8th US Infantry, 4th US Division enter Sainte-Marie-du-Mont by Jason Askew. 4 of 5 editions available. £2.90 - £220.00

St Mere Eglise by Richard Taylor. 2 editions. One edition features 4 additional signatures. £20.00 - £85.00

Liberation - Sainte Mere Eglise by Richard Taylor. One of 5 editions available. All 5 editions feature up to 11 additional signatures. £180.00

Stand Easy by Simon Smith. One edition. £24.00

Advance from Arromanches by Simon Smith. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 12 additional signature(s). £110.00 - £1395.00

Overlord, Utah Beach 6th June 1944 by James Dietz. This single edition is sold out.

Advance from Utah by Simon Smith. All 4 editions sold out. All editions feature up to 6 additional signatures.

29 Lets Go by James Dietz. Both editions sold out.

Come in Fighting by James Dietz. (AP) Both editions sold out.

Silencing the Guns by James Dietz. This single edition is sold out.

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Text for the above items :

Through Hell to Omaha by Ivan Berryman. Troops of the 5th Ranger Battalion forge ahead through a hail of plummeting shells and crossfire as their British landing craft from HMS Prince Baudouin make their perilous way to Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6th June 1944.

D-Day Recce by David Pentland. Juno Beach, Normandy, 6th June 1944. Sdkfz 232 armoured cars of 12th SS Reconnaissance Battalion commanded by Obersturmfuhrer Peter Hansmann observe the Canadian beachhead at Juno Beach. His small team was tasked with finding out if an invasion was actually underway and it drove some 80km, arriving at the coast near Tracy at 7.30 in the morning to witness the landings in progress.

Welcome Reinforcements by David Pentland. St Mere Eglise, Normandy, 6th June 1944. Anti-tank guns of 80th AA battalion and glider troops of 325th GIR, 82nd Airborne, land in the fields near St Mere Egise, during the early hours of D-Day.

Boarding Call by David Pentland. Southern England, D-Day, 6th June 1944. U.S. Paratroopers of 101st Airborne Division awaiting H-hour, and the call to board their DC 3 Dakota transports.

8th US Infantry, 4th US Division enter Sainte-Marie-du-Mont by Jason Askew. After breaking through the German defences on Utah Beach, and neutralising the enemy strongpoint at La Madeleine, forward recon elements of the 8th US Infantry, 4th US Division, enter the town of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Normandy, in order to effect a link up between themselves and the paratroopers of the 101st Screaming Eagles.

St Mere Eglise by Richard Taylor. St Mere Eglise - the first town to be liberated by allied soldiers on the morning of 6th June 1944, when, at 06.30 men of the Airborne Rangers parachuted into the town.

Liberation - Sainte Mere Eglise by Richard Taylor. For nearly four years, the swastika had flown belligerently over the small town of Sainte Mere Eglise in Normandy. Suddenly, shortly after midnight on the night of 5/6th June 1944, parachutists from the 82nd Airborne Division began landing in and around the town. By 04.30, after a tough fire fight, troopers from the 505th PIR had raised another flag over the town - the Stars and Stripes - and Sainte Mere Eglise had become the first town in Normandy to be liberated by the Allies on D-Day. Sherman tanks landing on nearby Utah beach with the US VII Corps were soon passing through the newly liberated town on the way to the front.

Stand Easy by Simon Smith. During a short respite from the heavy fighting on D-Day, paratroopers from the 101st Airborne stand easy outside a recently liberated cafe as they await orders for their next objective.

Advance from Arromanches by Simon Smith. Following the successful D-Day landings on the adjacent Gold Beach, a vast pre-fabricated artificial Mulberry Harbour was quickly assembled at nearby Arromanches, allowing British and Canadian reinforcements to pour ashore. Towed piece by piece across the Channel, assembled and ready for use within days of the invasion, the harbour - nicknamed Port Winston - would enable more than two and half million men, half a million vehicles and vast quantities of supplies to be landed before it was finally decommissioned at the end of the year, by which time the ports along the Channel and North Sea had been liberated. The new 'Mulberry' is working flat out with reinforcements pouring ashore and one of the floating roadways being used to evacuate the wounded onto ships soon bound for England. In the foreground recently-arrived Sherman Firefly tanks from the 13th /18th Hussars climb away from the area as they move out towards the front line alongside infantry from The Devonshire Regiment. In the days to follow both regiments would fight with great distinction. Easily identified by the long barrel of its British 17-pounder gun whose bright muzzle flash inspired its nickname, the 'Firefly' was considered the most deadly version of the iconic Sherman tank and, being the only Allied tank in Normandy with a gun powerful enough to penetrate the thick armour of the German Panther and Tiger tanks, it was greatly feared by the enemy.

Overlord, Utah Beach 6th June 1944 by James Dietz. No text for this item

Advance from Utah by Simon Smith. It had been a rough ride for the men of 101st Airborne's Easy Company. With heavy flak tearing into the C-47s carrying the paratroopers inland, the original drop plans had gone horribly awry and the men found themselves scattered, many lost without weapons or supplies. They knew that the largest amphibious force in history would be landing on Utah Beach in only a few hours, and was counting on them to secure the area behind the beach. As the Allied landing approached, First Lieutenant Dick Winters and the small force of the dozen men he had managed to gather were ordered to take a battery of four German 105mm Howitzers at Brecourt Manor, which were zeroed in on Utah Beach. In a remarkable feat of tactics that would be studied and emulated for decades to come, Dick Winters and his tiny force destroyed not only the battery, but also the deadly machine-gun positions nearby. The latest composition from celebrated military artist Simon Smith, Advance from Utah, captures both the triumph and foreboding of the moment following this brilliant move: With the German positions smoldering behind them, Winters and his men gaze thoughtfully into the horizon and their next objective, realizing that for them the war is only beginning.

29 Lets Go by James Dietz. For over three years, since induction into active service on February 3, 1941, the National Guardsmen of the 29th Blue and Gray Division had been preparing for this moment. They were a long way from the families they had left behind in Maryland and Virginia, and about to take their place in history. It was 0630, June 6, 1944, shortly after low tide, when the first units of the Division landed on Omaha Beach on the Normandy Coast of France. Facing well prepared German positions and making their way through the extensive obstacles known as Rommels asparagus, four companies of the 116th Regional Combat Team (RCT) led the way, followed by wave after wave of determined Twenty-Niners. The going was slow and difficult, with heavy casualties in the early morning hours. The Division battle cry which had become popular during training exercises, 29 Let's Go, could be heard across the beach as leaders urged the Guardsmen forward. First a foothold, then penetration, break through, and move inland. The liberation of Europe had begun. The price was heavy though; more than 500 of the Guardsmen had lost their lives, with many times that number wounded. The 29th Division would continue to distinguish itself in the sweep across Europe, and after V-E Day, their motto became 29 Lets Go Home! Mission accomplished, the Guardsmen returned to inactive status on January 11, 1945. Today the 29th Infantry Division remains an integral part of our force structure, still a National Guard Division based in Maryland and Virginia, prepared if ever again America calls out, 29 Lets Go!.

Come in Fighting by James Dietz. (AP) June 6-7, 1944 saw the execution of operation Neptune, the airborne assault of Hitler's Atlantic Wall. Arriving by glider and parachute, three allied airborne divisions, the U.S 82nd, 101st and British 2nd landed on the Cherbourg Peninsula to secure inland routes in preparation for the Allies' massive Normandy assault. Spearheading the assault, units of the 82nd Airborne Division were to land astride the Merdert River and seize the approach roads to Utah beach. The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment (GIR) arriving by sea and air, constituted the 82nd Division's reserve. Commanded by COL Harry L. Lewis, the 325th GIR was ordered to conduct their assault on the morning of D+1 and link up with parachute infantry elements that had arrived on D-Day. Initial intelligence reports given to COL Lewis prior to the invasion indicated enemy forces to be located to the South of the Regiment's landing zone, Landing Zone W (LZ Whiskey). The enemy situation changed however, as the 325th GIR prepared to leave their departure airfields in England. Elements of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) had met stiff resistance in their fight for Ste. Mere Eglise, and enemy forces still controlled the high ground to the South of the town. As such, German forces occupied dominating positions above the 325th's landing zones and posed a serious threat to their glider assault. Division Headquarters attempted to wire COL Lewis the message Come in Fighting, but the message was never received. Therefore, the first gliders that landed in Normandy were met by intense machine-gun and mortar fire from Ste. Mere Eglise to the north. Expecting gunfire from the South, COL Lewis pulled out his compass, and checked the direction of the enemy fire. He decided the compass must be broken, but as another member of the landing party checked his compass, it also pointed north. It was not until COL Lewis met up with scouts of the 4th Infantry Division that he confirmed that the enemy was indeed in the vicinity of Ste. Mere Eglise, North of their location. Although sustaining almost 10% casualties during their glider assault, the 325th GIR was able to assemble into an effective fighting force by 10:15 on the morning of 7 June. Their efforts, along with the daring parachute drops the day prior, disrupted German resistance and allowed elements of the 4th Infantry Division to move inland without significant opposition. The efforts of the 325th GIR and other airborne units played a crucial role in the success of the Allied Invasion and the destruction of Hitler's Atlantic Wall. The painting Come In Fighting captures the valiant glider assault by the 325th GIR during Operation Neptune. COL Harry L. Lewis is depicted leading the men of the 325th GIR through the enemy machine-gun and mortar fire towards the maze of hedgerows for cover and ultimately Chef du-Pont. The officers and soldiers of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment commemorate this painting to all members of the Regiment- past, present and future. The courage and determination displayed by the glidermen of the 325th GIR serve as a constant reminder of the sacrifices of the past and our continued service in the future.

Silencing the Guns by James Dietz. In the mid-morning hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944, the deafening sounds of gunfire resounded across the French hills, along the Channel coast and against low-hanging clouds. Amidst the fields of the French farm, Brecourt Manor, a particular cacophony erupted as a German battery of four 105mm cannons shook the soil. Five miles distant, on Utah Beach, the Breourt batterys steel rained upon American soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division as they disembarked from their landing craft. Within minutes of that first salvo, an ad hoc squad of paratroopers from Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th RI.R., 101st Airborne, departed the French village of Le Grand-Chemin with a mission to silence those guns. With each shot, the Brecourt cannons belied their locations. Three of the guns had been dug into the fields hedgerows, facing northeast toward the beaches. A fourth gun lay to the west and aimed westward to guard the batterys flank. A manmade ditch connected each position. In addition to the gun crews, 50 elite German paratroopers from the 6th Parachute Regiment defended the fields expanse. Against this opposition, Easy Companys ranking officer, 1st Lt. Richard Winters, led 12 paratroopers. Normally 120 men strong, Easy Company had been scattered about Normandy that morning during the 1:30 a.m. paradrop. At approximately 8:30 a.m., Winters deployed his men for a double envelopment assault on the westernmost cannon. On cue, Lt. Buck Compton, Platoon Sgt. Bill Guarnere, and Pvt. Don Malarkey attacked from the guns front-right. Winters, Cpl. Joe Toye, Cpl. Robert Wynn, and Pvt. Gerald Lorraine, a jeep driver from battalion HQ, simultaneously attacked the first gun from its front-left. While the assault teams created a pincer, the .30-caliber machine gun crews of Pyts. John Plesha, Walter Hendrix, Cleveland Petty, and Joe Liebgott kept the Germans pinned down with fire from head-on. From the cannons left flank, Platoon Sgt. Carwood Lipton and Sgt. Mike Ranney provided covering fire; Lipton even climbed a tree for a better field of view. Years later, Lipton remembered the attacks result: ...the Germans apparently felt that they were being hit by a large force. Those defending the first gun broke and withdrew in disorganization to a far tree line and that gun was in our hands. Having sacked the first cannon, Winters cc reorganized the team. James Dietzs painting Silencing the Guns signifies this moment. While Winters confers with Guarnere, troopers Malarkey, Compton, Wynn, and Toye deploy to deliver suppressing fire to keep the Germans on their heels. Figures representing Lipton and Ranney emerge from a background hedgerow to rejoin their comrades. Soon, Guarnere will lead a charge to capture the second gun. By the engagements end, Easy Company, with a few reinforcements, had captured and destroyed three of the Brecourt cannons. Five Dog Company troopers, led by Lt. Ronald Spiers, arrived after the third gun had been taken; they then captured and destroyed the fourth gun. For valor displayed at Brecourt, the 506th RI.R. decorated the battles participants. Compton, Guarnere, Lorraine, and Toye received the Silver Star. Hendrix, Liebgott, Lipton, Malarkey, Petty, Plesha, Ranney, and Wynn received the Bronze Star. Colonel Robert Sink, the commander of the 506th RI.R., nominated Winters for the Medal of Honor. However, according to the late Stephen Ambrose, the author of Band of Brothers, . . . because Maj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor, commander of the 101 st Airborne Division had placed an arbitrary limit of one MOH for the division in Normandy, and because Lt. Col. Robert Cole was the man picked to receive the award, Winters was downgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross... During the days following the D-Day invasion, in a grassy field in Normandy, General Omar Bradley personally awarded Winters the Distinguished Service Cross, the militarys 2nd highest award, in recognition of Winters actions and leadership in the silencing of the guns at Brecourt Manor.