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Cranston Fine Arts Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Countries UK

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Spitfires of No.611 West Lancashire Squadron by Ivan Berryman. 7 editions. 5 of the 7 editions feature up to 3 additional signatures. £2.90 - £400.00

HMS Valiant and HMS Phoebe at Alexandria, 1941 by Ivan Berryman. 8 editions. One edition features an additional signature. £2.50 - £5300.00

Operation Manna by Ivan Berryman. 10 editions. 4 of the 10 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures. £2.90 - £1000.00

Victory Above Dover by Ivan Berryman. 10 of 11 editions available. All 6 editions featuring up to 4 additional signatures are available. £2.90 - £520.00

Yorkshire Relish by Keith Woodcock. One edition. £20.00

Bader Legend by Robert Taylor One of 2 editions available. Both editions feature 4 additional signatures. £325.00

Towards Victory by Philip West. 3 editions. All 3 editions feature up to 2 additional signature(s). £80.00 - £150.00

Out of the Night - The First To Go In by Robert Taylor. 2 of 3 editions available. All 3 editions feature up to 10 additional signatures. £95.00 - £135.00

A Spot of Gardening by Ivan Berryman. 7 editions. £2.90 - £500.00

Low Flying Mosquito by John Young. 2 editions. £70.00 - £110.00

Stirling - 1940s by Barry Price. One edition. £10.00

Leading the Way by Gerald Coulson. 3 of 5 editions available. All 5 editions feature up to 11 additional signatures. £140.00 - £295.00

Strike and Return by Robert Taylor. One of 5 editions available. All 5 editions feature up to 17 additional signatures. £220.00

Tragedy at the Eder by Ivan Berryman. 7 of 8 editions available. All 2 editions featuring up to 3 additional signatures are available. £2.90 - £300.00

Forgotten Hero by Stan Stokes. One of 3 editions available. £35.00

Battle of Britain - 85 Squadron Hurricanes by Graeme Lothian. (P) One edition. The edition features an additional signature. £380.00

Tribute to the Blenheim Crews by Ivan Berryman. 3 of 4 editions available. All 4 editions feature up to 3 additional signatures. £60.00 - £400.00

Operation Chastise - The Dambusters by Philip West. 4 editions. 2 of the 4 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures. £100.00 - £240.00

The Dambusters by Simon Smith. 2 editions. Both editions feature up to 5 additional signatures. £165.00 - £225.00

Seastrike by Ivan Berryman. 6 editions. 2 of the 6 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures. £2.90 - £400.00

Battle Line by Philip West. One edition. The edition features an additional signature. £115.00

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Text for the above items :

Spitfires of No.611 West Lancashire Squadron by Ivan Berryman. Spitfire Mk.IXs of No.611 Sqn including aircraft FY-F belonging to the Commanding Officer of 611 Squadron, Sqn Ldr Hugo Armstrong, on patrol late in 1942. Armstrong scored a victory in this aircraft on 2nd November 1942, bringing down an Fw190 for his only victory with this squadron. With a total of nine victories, he was awarded the DFC in May 1942, and the Bar to the DFC in January 1943, before being shot down and killed over the English Channel in February 1943.

HMS Valiant and HMS Phoebe at Alexandria, 1941 by Ivan Berryman. A pair of 272 Squadron Bristol Beaufighters roar over the extensively rebuilt battleship HMS Valiant as she lies at anchor at Alexandria late in 1941, accompanied by the cruiser HMS Phoebe and Valiants sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth (in the extreme distance)

Operation Manna by Ivan Berryman. During the years of the German occupation of Holland in World War II, more than 20,000 Dutch civilians perished through starvation and lack of basic provisions. Operation Manna was set in motion on Sunday, 29th April 1945 when Lancasters of the Royal Air Force began the first of 2,835 sorties, dropping 6,672 tons of food, to relieve the crisis in the Netherlands. These humanitarian missions continued until 8th May, saving many thousands of civilians from certain death by starvation and malnutrition. Here, Lancaster 4K765, LS-Z of 15 Sqn piloted by Flying Officer Jack Darlow, releases its precious cargo over a sports field north of The Hague. Also in the crew was Alistair Lamb the Rear Gunner.

Victory Above Dover by Ivan Berryman. Adolf Galland claimed his 16th victory on the afternoon of 25th July 1940 when Spitfires of 54 Sqn were bounced by Messerschmitt Bf.109s of Gallands III/JG26. A fierce battle ensued off Dover during which F/Lt Basil Wonky Way, flying R6707, found himself the subject of the great German aces attention, his stricken aircraft being observed to plunge into the sea after receiving numerous hits from the Bf.109s guns. F/Lt Way lost his life in the crash, presumed drowned.

Yorkshire Relish by Keith Woodcock. Halifax bombers are prepared for another mission.

Bader Legend by Robert Taylor The legendary Wing Leader Douglas Bader high above the south coast of England, flying his beloved Mark Va Spitfire. Baders inspired leadership spawned some of World War IIs greatest fighter leaders- Johnnie Johnson, Denis Crowley-Milling, Cocky Dundas and many others.

Towards Victory by Philip West. The Avro Lancaster was undoubtedly the RAFs greatest bomber of World War 2. Stemming from the unsuccessful Avro Manchester, the Lancaster carried the night bomber offensive deep into occupied Europe. Over 7,300 Lancasters were built with the last being delivered in 1946.

Out of the Night - The First To Go In by Robert Taylor. Silently out of the night they came. With flaps deployed, three timber and plywood Horsa gliders swept swiftly down through the night skies, rapidly closing with their objective - Pegasus Bridge over the Caen Canal. On board, with tension etched deep into their blackened faces, men from the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, part of the British 6th Airborne Division, braced themselves for landing. They, and sappers from the Royal Engineers, were about to become the first fighting force to land in France on D-Day. They were about to make history.

A Spot of Gardening by Ivan Berryman. Wellington Mk.III X3671 of 156 Sqn piloted by P/O Fox is depicted laying mines in the Estuary of the Loire on the night of 16th April 1942 in the Bay of Biscay. Just three days later, P/O Fox failed to return from a similar 'Gardening' sortie whilst flying Wellington X3485.

Low Flying Mosquito by John Young. Flying over the flat lands of Holland, the amazing Mosquito just catches the sunlight re-emerging from the clouds after the heavy shower, the sky brightened further with an as yet incomplete rainbow. The aircraft shown here carries the code GB-S or GB-J, and is from either No.105 Sqn or No.139 Sqn.

Stirling - 1940s by Barry Price. No text for this item

Leading the Way by Gerald Coulson. On August 15th 1942, under the leadership of Don Bennet, a new group was formed from Bomber Command to develop specialised target finding and target marking. Made up purely from experienced volunteers, this elite and highly trained group of men were known as the Pathfinders. Up until this point the means available to Bomber Command of accurately finding their targets were totally lacking and the task of the Pathfinders was to develop techniques to precisely define these targets ahead of the main force. Initially made up of four Squadrons Nos. 7 (Stirlings) 35 (Halifax) 83 (Lancaster) and 156 (Wellingtons) they were based at a clutch of airfields between Cambridge and Huntingdon. Originally part of No.3 Group Bomber Command the Pathfinder Force was directly answerable to C-in-C Air Marshal Arthur Harris until January 1943 when it became a separate group, No.8 (PFF) . Personally selected for the task by Arthur Harris, the Australian born Don Bennet, just 32 years of age proved to be and inspired choice to form the Pathfinders. A navigation expert without peers he was widely experienced in flying all types of aircraft including fighters, flying boats and bombers and already an experienced operational bomber captain. Along with many of his colleagues, such as Hamish Mahaddie and John Searby he was responsible for instilling in his men the Pathfinder Spirit - an intangible quality of dedication which bonded them together. Pathfinder crews used a combination of personal skill and technical equipment to locate their targets. Often flying against overwhelming odds and in appalling conditions they transformed the performance of a bomber force that in 1941 was dropping almost half its bombs on open countryside. The first Pathfinder unit to fly the Halifax was 35 Squadron based at Graveley. With some of the greatest Bomber Aircrew amongst their number the unit quickly gained a reputation for excellence that was second to none. This superb painting from one of the worlds most highly regarded Aviation Artists, Gerald Coulson, depicts a Halifax B.MkII series 1A of 35 (PFF) Squadron on an operation over occupied Europe. Flying at around 20,000 feet and completely alone and unprotected, the crew navigate their bomber well ahead of the main force, leading the way to their target.

Strike and Return by Robert Taylor. Winter in Northern Europe brings short days, long nights and, for the most part, appalling weather making navigation difficult and flying hazardous, even by todays electronically sophisticated standards. Throughout RAF Bomber Commands arduous six year World War II campaign, as if atrocious weather were not enough to contend with, day and night bomber crews faced interceptions by enemy fighters, constant flak over occupied territory, and the real and ever-present danger of mid-air collision. Add snowstorms, gale force winds, freezing temperatures and the comparatively rudimentary navigational aids available at the time, it seems a miracle they were able to continue at all. But continue they did, and whenever there was the slimmest chance of hitting an enemy target, unhesitatingly, the aircrews of Bomber Command took up the challenge. 460 Squadron, RAAF was typical of the bomber squadrons under overall command of Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, squadrons manned by volunteer aircrews from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Rhodesia, South Africa, and many other nations opposed to Hitlers Nazi Germany. To a man they knew the frightening odds against completing a tour of duty, yet many faked their ages just to join this elite band of wartime flyers. True to their squadron motto Strike and Return, the artist shows Lancasters of 460 Squadron RAAF, returning to RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire following a daylight raid over Germany in the late winter of 1944. With the sun almost set, chill evening shadows lengthen on a magnificent winter landscape dusted with snow, Lancaster J-Squared leads the mighty bombers as they descend in the fading light.

Tragedy at the Eder by Ivan Berryman. Following the successful attack on the Mohne dam on the night of 16th/17th May 1943, three Lancasters of 617 Sqn turned their attention to the Eder, some twelve minutes flying time away, accompanied by Wing Commander Guy Gibson to oversee the next attack. After several aborted attempts to obtain the correct height and direction for their bomb run by Flight Lieutenant Shannon (AJ-L) and Squadron Leader H E Maudslay (AJ-Z), Gibson called in Maudslay to try again. During his second approach, he released his Upkeep bomb too late. It struck the top of the dam wall and bounced back into the air where it exploded right behind Maudslay's aircraft, lighting up the entire valley and causing considerable damage to the aircraft that had dropped it. Despite what must have been crippling damage, AJ-Z did manage to limp away from the scene and begin the return journey, but Maudslay and all his crew were sadly lost when their aircraft was shot down by flak at Emmerich-Klein-Netterdn. The Eder was finally successfully breached by Pilot Officer Les Knight's aircraft, ED912(G), AJ-N, which returned safely.

Forgotten Hero by Stan Stokes. Marmaduke St. John Pattle, known as Pat to his friends, was born in South Africa in 1913. Pattle came from a family with a military tradition, and upon graduation from Graemian College he joined the South African Air Force. Pattle, unfortunately, was not accepted for air crew training, and he returned to civilian life for a time. In 1936 Pattle went to England where he joined the RAF, graduating near the top of his class in pilot training. He was assigned to No. 80 Squadron which flew the Gloster Gladiator. In 1938 the squadron was moved to Egypt. When war broke out in 1939, Pattle had been promoted to Flight Commander. For the first several months of the war Pattle saw little action as his missions were routine patrols of the Suez Canal. When Italy entered the War in 1940, the situation changed dramatically, as the British were vastly outnumbered in North Africa by both Italian troops and aircraft. Pattles first victory, in a Gladiator, came on July 24, 1940. When Italy attacked Greece, No. 80 Squadron was moved north to assist the Greek army in fighting the invaders. Pattle attained several more victories before the end of 1940, and his reputation as an excellent tactician and marksman had grown. In February of 1941, Pattles squadron received the first of their Hawker Hurricanes, a vastly superior aircraft when compared to the aging Gladiators. Pattle wasted no time in adapting to his new machine, and bagged his first victory in a Hurricane on February 20. A week later the Italians mounted a massive offensive, attempting to gain as much ground as possible before Germany joined in the hostilities. No. 80, No. 33, and No. 112 Squadrons saw tremendous action during this offensive. In one 90-minute air battle during the campaign No. 80 and No. 33 attained an amazing 27 confirmed victories. Pattles score rose swiftly and steadily during this campaign, and many of his victims were CR.42 and G.50s. In April, Hitlers forces attacked both Greece and Yugoslavia. More than 1,000 Luftwaffe combat aircraft were thrown into the battle, including the high performance Bf-109. Despite the numerical superiority of the Luftwaffe, the RAF pilots fought on. Pattle destroyed two 109s in a strafing attack on April 8th, and on the next day he downed his first German bomber. Hopelessly outnumbered, and with only fifteen serviceable Hurricanes left, the RAF fought on. On April 19 Pattle and the remaining Hurricanes intercepted a flight of more than 100 German aircraft heading for Athens. Pattle downed two 110s and a 109, but his Hurricane was riddled by a 110 which had snuck up on his tail. Pattles Hurricane tumbled into the sea. While Pattles official victory total remains under some dispute, those pilots which fought alongside him during those hectic months of aerial combat, insist that Pattle, recipient of the DFC, downed more than forty enemy aircraft, making him one of the top Allied aces of WW II.

Battle of Britain - 85 Squadron Hurricanes by Graeme Lothian. (P) Hurricanes of 85 Squadron scramble during the Battle of Britain.

Tribute to the Blenheim Crews by Ivan Berryman. Blenheim IVs of No 21 Squadron, here being attacked by Adolf Gallands Bf 109 on 21st June 1940. Galland claimed two Blenheims and a Spitfire that day before he, too, was shot down by the defending Spitfires of 303 Sqn.

Operation Chastise - The Dambusters by Philip West. During the night of May 16/17, 1943, 19 Lancasters of the newly formed 617 Squadron carried out daring raids against four dams in the Ruhr. The Primary target was the Mohne dam. Here we see Flt Lt Maltby and crew in AJ-J flying clear of the Mohne before their Upkeep mine exploded against and breached the dam. Operation Chastise became a legend in the annals of the RAF and military history.

The Dambusters by Simon Smith. On the night of 16/17th May 1943,under a full moon, 19 specially modified Lancaster bombers from 617 Squadron carried out one of the most daring and effective air raids of the Second World War. Led by wing commander Guy Gibson the 19 aircraft took off and headed for Germany at extreme low level.. Their mission, code named Operation Chastise, was to destroy the Ruhr dams which supplied water and electricity to the industrial heart of Reich. Each aircraft carried the ingenious Upkeep mine, developed by the engineer Barnes Wallis. Shaped like a large oil drum, the bomb was spun prior to release at exactly 60ft above the water and 150 yards from the dam wall. This caused the weapon to bounce across water and on impact would also make it stay close to the wall of the dam as it sank. The bomb, technically a mine, was fitted with a hydrostatic fuse similar to a depth charge causing detonation at the required depth.The correct height above the water was achieved by aligning the beams of two spotlights to meet on the surface of the water. Delivering such a weapon on target at night at such low altitude and under enemy fire was thought by many to be impossible. The nineteen pilots,some as young as eighteen had been hand picked by Gibson only two months before and formed into 617 squadron whose first mission was to remain top secret and unknown to them up until the last moment. The Mohne Dam was attacked first and several attempts were made under heavy fire with one lancaster being shot down as it flew over the target.Guy Gibson then attempted to draw fire away from the attacking aircraft by switching on his navigation lights and flying to one side of Mick Martins aircraft ,the scene depicted in Simon Smiths painting.Just as another aircraft was about to go in,excited shouts came over the intercom - its gone! The main target achieved, Gibson led the remaining aircraft on to the Eder Dam deep amongst the mountains of the Eder valley. Here, although no flak defenses, the terrain made the approach extremely hazardous. Two bombs were released yet still the target remained unbreached leaving only one last aircraft ,that of Les Knights to attack. A steep descent from a thousand feet then a dive over a spit of land left very little time to line up and release the bomb.Worse still there was a huge mountain on the far side of the dam! Added to this Edward Johnson the bomb aimer recalled that the spinning bomb had an alarming gyroscopic effect on the handling of the aircraft,so it was with superb flying and teamwork that their bomb struck and finally destroyed the massive stonework of the Eder Dam. Gibsons leadership and bravery led to the award of the VC and many other decorations were bestowed upon the other crews.The squadron however paid a heavy price with 8 lancasters being lost.

Seastrike by Ivan Berryman. Without doubt one of the most outstanding and versatile aircraft in the Allied inventory during World War II, the Bristol Beaufighter was to endure a cautious reception by its crews when it first entered service, not least due to difficulties experienced by crews attempting to abandon a stricken aircraft in an emergency. Its performance and hard-hitting potential quickly overcame such doubts, however, and it went on to earn a commendable reputation - and the nickname Whispering Death. Here, two 254 Sqn TF. MkXs attack a captured Norwegian vessel in 1945.

Battle Line by Philip West. On the 6th June 1944 the invasion of Normandy commenced. The RAF was, of course, a major combatant and formed part of a dedicated Allied force tasked with freeing Europe. VE Day finally signalled the end of hostilities on the 8th May 1945. During those bitter months many great air battles were fought in the unforgiving skies and individual combats ensued. One such combat is depicted here, displaying the eerie feeling of the victor and vanquished between two of the greatest aircraft ever built. Never before in the history of war had such an impressive and awesome gathering of aircraft come together. The Allies quest was for freedom, with the Luftwaffe fighting for its very existence - the battle lines were drawn.