Tel : UK  01436 820269
US 441436 820269

Shipping Rates
Valuation of Your Collection

You currently have no items in your basket


Product Search            

GERMAN AVIATION SECTION

YOU ARE VIEWING: AVIATION PRINTS --> GERMAN AVIATION

German Aviation Prints

WW1 German Aviation Prints

On the night of September 2nd-3rd 1916. Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson, of the Worcester Regiment and Royal Flying Corps, attacked an enemy airship under circumstances of great difficulty and danger, and sent it crashing to the ground as a flaming wreck at Cuffley, near Enfield. He had been in the air for more than two hours, and had previously attacked another airship during his flight. For this act of most conspicuous bravery he was deservedly rewarded with the VC. Lieutenant W L Robinson Attacks an Enemy Airship and Brings it Down in Flames by W Avis (P)Click For DetailsANT0131
Fokker DR.1 Triplane 425/17 of Manfred von Richthofen, accompanied by a Fokker. D.VII wingman, swoops from a high patrol early in 1918. 425/17 was the aircraft in which the Red Baron finally met his end in April of that year, no fewer than 17 of his victories having been scored in his red-painted triplane. Final Days by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0156
The Red Baron pictured with Fokker DR.1 152/17 in which he scored victories 64, 65 and 66. Manfred von Richthofen by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0281
CCP0062. Manfred Von Richthofen c.1917 by Chris Collingwood. Manfred Von Richthofen c.1917 by Chris Collingwood.Click For DetailsCCP0062
CCP0063. German Ace Ernst Udet c.1917 by Chris Collingwood. German Ace Ernst Udet c.1917 by Chris Collingwood.Click For DetailsCCP0063
The Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, observes aircraft with his younger brother Lothar at a German aerodrome during the first world war. Manfred and Lothar von Richthofen by Darren Baker. (P)Click For DetailsDBAK0041
The scene depicts an encounter between Manfred Von Richthoffen, leader of the Jasta II squadron and a patrol of Sopwith Camels. This particular battle above France took place only weeks before Richthoffen was killed as can be seen from the Balken Kreuz insignia which replaced the iron cross on German aircraft after a directive dated March 1918. Manfred Von Richthoffen (The Red Baron) by Tim Fisher.Click For DetailsDHM0417
Sopwith Camel with 65 Squadron, on routine patrol, meet head-on with the unmistakable Albatross fighters of the German air force. The Sky Warriors by Anthony Saunders.Click For DetailsDHM0435
German ace Lt. Fritz Roth of Jasta 23, flying an Albatross D.Va scores his first of three balloons in one days action. By the wars end he had accounted for 20 balloons and 8 Allied Aircraft. Balloon Buster, 25th January 1918 by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM0781
Von Richthofen brings down Ronald Hinings of 73 Squadron, making his 78th victory. Master of the Skies by Tim Fisher.Click For DetailsDHM1073
Rittmeister Karl Bolle Commander Jasta 2 early 1918. Alone in a Winter Sky - Fokker Triplane DR1 by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM1191
High above the trenches in April 1918, 74 Squadron engage the famed JG 1 led by the renowned ace baron von Richthofen in his distinctive bright red DR 1. Edward Mick mannock flying a SE5.a diving down top engage another Fokker Dr1 as the red baron flies past momentarily catching each others eyes. The new CO of 74 squadron, major Grid Caldwell MC (bar) New Zealands top ace can be seen above entering the dog fight. But it would be Mannock who would go on to great fame. with 61 confirmed victories and to win the VC, DSO (bar) and MC (bar) After 74 squadron he replaced Billy Bishop of CO 85 Squadron on the 3rd July 1918, scoring 46 victories in the Se5.a He was killed by ground fire near Lestram, France on the 26th July 1918. his Victoria Cross being gazetted on the 18th July 1919. The red baron CO of the Richthofens Flying circus didnt survive the month, also killed by ground fire on the 24th April, he was buried by the Allies with full military honours. Dawn Dog Fight, Mick Mannock VC by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM1296
Von Richthofens Fokker DR 1 Triplane (Serial No 425/17) in company with his wingman in a Fokker D.VII over the fields of the Western Front early in April 1918, peeling off to attack a flight of three British fighters. In For The Kill by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1427
Handley Page 0/400s are attacked by German Albatross fighters as they return home from a raid during 1918. Difficult Journey Home by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1429
A German Albatross D-III sees off a Bristol Fighter among the clouds over the Western Front, early in 1917. The D-III was a massive improvement over the monoplanes of the time, possessing greater manoeuvrability, a higher ceiling and synchronized guns. Many German aces thought this the best fighter of the First World War. One in the Bag by Ivan BerrymanClick For DetailsDHM1455
Germanys greatest First World War fighter ace, Baron Von Richthofen, known as the Red Baron is shown departing his Fokker DR.1 Triplane 425/17 after yet another successful sortie. 425/17 was the aircraft in which the Red Baron finally met his end in April of that year. No fewer than 17 of his victories having been scored in his red-painted triplane. Baron Von Richthofen, March 1918 by Chris Collingwood.Click For DetailsDHM1457
The air battle that took place above the trenches of France on the evening of 23rd September 1917 was to go down in history as one of the most extraordinary dogfights ever. The young German ace Werner Voss found himself engaged with no fewer than eleven SE5s of 56 Sqn, among them British aces such as James McCudden and Arthur Rhys Davids. Hugely outnumbered, the brave Voss saw off several British aircraft with his amazing airmanship and accuracy of fire. Again and again he could have fled the scene due to his Triplanes superior rate of climb, but his attacks were insistent and deadly. His final moments came when Rhys Davids found himself on the tail of Voss and fired both his Lewis and Vickers guns into the little turqoise Triplane which was seen to drift toward the ground, his aircraft inverting before impact, killing Voss instantly. The painting shows Voss distinctive pre-production Fokker F. 1, with the yellow nose of Jasta 10, being pursued by the SE5 of Rhys Davids while, high above,a Spad is helping to keep a gaggle of Albatross DVs at bay. Last Dogfight of Werner Voss by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1458
The De Havilland 2 was designed in 1915, and first used by No.24 squadron RFC and used by three RFC Squadrons in France until June 1917. A Victoria Cross was won in a De Havilland 2 by Major Lionel Rees, commanding officer of 32 Squadron. D.H.2 versus Fokker by Michael Turner.Click For DetailsDHM1469
Credited with no fewer than 80 victories, Manfred Von Richthofen, The Red Baron, became legendary, not least for the 17 kills scored whilst flying the diminutive Fokker DR1 Triplane. Contrary to popular belief, however, only one of his aircraft is known to have been painted all red. Serial no. 477/17 is shown here dicing with an SE5. Seeing Red by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1518
Bathed in the low winter sun over southern England, Gotha G.V.s are attacked by defending Sopwith Camels as the German bombers penetrate the south-eastern counties en route to London. This was, effectively, the first Battle of Britain, staged during the winter of 1917/18, during which the intruders were frequently repelled, their bomb loads falling harmlessly on English soil. Gotha G. V. by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1542
A Bristol Fighter attempted to intercept a single giant Zeppelin Staaken R.IV bomber as it approached the heart of the capital. The Brisfit failed to stop the raider and R-39, with Hauptmann Richard Bentivegni, (commander of 501 Squadron) aboard, flew on unhindered to its target. Shadow Over London, England, 28th January 1918 by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM1544
Albert Ball in his Nieuport 17 having just shot down a German LVG. His aircraft, A134, was distinctive in having a bright red spinner. He was the first Royal Flying Corps pilot to score a hat-trick (3 kills on a single mission) and, in the course of his career, scored another two on his way to his outstanding 44 victories. Albert Ball by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1557
Lieutenant Leefe-Robinsons BE2C, converted to single-seater night-fighter configuration, destroying the German SL11 over Hertfordshire on the night of 2/3 September, 1916. Robinson attacked the SL11 from below, raking it with incendiary fire, before turning and diving past the airship for another attack. As he did so, the airship exploded into flames and crashed into a field near Cuffley, killing all sixteen crew. For this action, Leefe-Robinson was awarded the VC. William Leefe-Robinson by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1559
Max Immelmanns Fokker E.1(E13/15) shooting down a Vickers Gunbus during the Summer of 1915. Immelmann is characteristically already scouring the sky above for his next victim. Max Immelmann by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1565
Major Lanoe G Hawkers Bristol Scout C 1611, the No 6 Sqn aircraft in which he shot down two enemy planes on 25th July, 1915, and sufficiently damaged a third enemy aircraft to force it to the ground. He is shown here in combat with an Albatross C.III - soon to fall as one of his victims that day. Lanoe G Hawker earned the first aerial Victoria Cross (VC) of the war for this action, but was killed in November 1916, after a lengthy battle with the infamous Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, becoming his 11th victim. Lanoe G Hawker by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1567
Hauptmann Oswald Boelcke was a shining example of everything that a fighter pilot should be, but his real legacy was his set of rules – Dicta Boelcke – that he devised for air combat, outlining techniques and tactics that became the standard for many generations of fighter pilots to come. He is shown in the aircraft in which he lost his life on 28th October 1916 when his all-black Albatross D.I was involved in a collision with his own wingman. Boelckes final tally was 40 victories. Oswald Boelcke by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1571
Flying Sopwith Snipe E8102 on 27th October 1918, Major William Barker encountered a flight of fifteen Fokker D.VIIs and decided to take them on single handed. Having downed one enemy aircraft, Barker was wounded in his left thigh and momentarily fainted. Coming to, he found another D.VII ahead of him and immediately resumed the battle. Another bullet now tore into his right leg and another shattered his left elbow. Despite his terrible injuries, Barker shot down three D.VIIs and drove the others off before crash landing his bullet-riddled Snipe in friendly territory. He survived the crash and was awarded the VC for his gallantry on this epic flight. Major William Barker VC, DSO - Nearly an Ace in a Day by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1574
The Fokker DR.1 Triplane (213/17) of Fritz Kempf swoops on a pair of unsuspecting Sopwith Camels whilst on patrol over the Western Front in 1917. Kempfs practise of having his name painted across the top wing of his aircraft was supplemented by the taunt Do You Remember Me? on the mid wing. His aircraft is depicted in the colours worn by Jasta Boelcke of the Imperial Air Service. Ltn Fritz Kempf by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1575
Wearing one of the most distinctive colour schemes of World War One, Germanys second highest scoring ace after Manfred Von Richthofen was the charismatic Ernst Udet with 62 victories to his credit. His brightly coloured Fokker D.VII carried the initials of his girlfriend (LO) on the side of his aircraft and the inscription Du Noch Nicht! (Not You Yet!) on the upper tail surfaces. Udet was badly wounded in September 1918 and did not fly in combat again, but survived the war, only to commit suicide in 1941. Oberleutnant Ernst Udet by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1577
DHM1578. Oberleutnant Hermann Goring by Ivan Berryman. Synonymous with both World Wars, the young Hermann Goring scored his first victory on 16th November 1915, shooting down a Maurice Farman over Tahure. A year later, he was injured in combat, but managed to land his bullet-riddled aircraft near a field hospital. Goring steadily increased his score to an eventual 22 victories and is shown here on patrol in his characteristic all-white Fokker D.VII. Oberleutnant Hermann Goring by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1578
Albatros DIII of Godwin Brumowski about to shoot down a Caquot balloon. Oberleutnant Godwin Brumowski by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1581
The Jasta was part of the Flying Circus, and one of the first units to receive and be fully equipped with the new Pfaltz DIII aircraft. In their capable hands this elegant aircraft proved an effective weapon. Jasta 10, Northern France Early September 1917 by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM1583
Germays greatest exponent of the Fokker Dr1 Triplane, Leutnant Josef Jacobs is depicted chatting with colleagues of Jasta 7 before a sortie in the spring of 1918. His black Triplane became well known to allied pilots, not least because of his formidable kill rate. By the end of the war, still aged just 24, Jacobs had claimed 48 enemy aircraft destroyed. The unusual practice of applying the black cross to the upper sides of the lower wings was to counter friendly fire from other German aircraft who frequently mistook the Dr1 for a Sopwith Triplane. Leutnant Josef Jacobs by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1584
Formidable commander of Jasta Boelcke, Karl Bolle, breaks off the attack on a 73 Sqn Sopwith Camel as its fuel tank begins to ignite - another undeniable victory in a career which saw him take an eventual 36 confirmed kills. The yellow band on the fuselage paid homage to his former unit, flanked by the black and white Prussian stripes Bolles Fokker DR.1 also sported an Oigee telescopic gunsight mounted between the guns. he survived two World Wars and died in Berlin in 1955. Rittmeister Karl Bolle by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1586
On the evening of 7th May 1917, a fierce battle took place involving aircraft of Jasta 11 and 56 Sqn RFC, the former led by the brother of the Red Baron, Lothar von Richthofen. As the sun dipped beneath the heavy clouds, most expected the dogfight to break off in the fading light, but an extraordinary duel between the RFCs Captain Albert Ball and Lothar von Richthofen broke out, the two aircraft flying directly at each other, firing continuously, then turning and repeating the manoeuvre. Lothars all red Albatross was damaged, but landed safely. Albert Balls SE5, however, was seen by observers to fall through the heavy cloudbase inverted, before crashing heavily, fatally wounding Ball. Oberleutnant Lothar Freiherr von Richthofen by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1587
One of Frances most venerated pilots in World War 1 was Capitaine Georges Guynemer whose final victory tally has never been fully established, although he has been officially credited with 53 kills. It is more likely, however, that his actual total was nearer to 88! He is shown here in his Spad S.VII having just claimed his 31st victim, a Gotha bomber. Capitaine Georges Guynemer by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1588
Victory No 26 for Josef Mai was a 64 Squadron SE5.A on 5th September 1918, here falling victim to the guns of the aces zebra-striped Fokker D.VII 4598/18 of Jasta 5. By the end of the war, his total had risen to 30 aircraft destroyed, Mai himself collecting a number of decorations, among them the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class. Surviving the Great War, it is believed that he became a flying instructor for the Luftwaffe during World War II, finally being laid to rest in 1982, aged ninety four. Leutnant Josef Mai by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1589
Surely one of the most irrepressible aces of World War 1, Frenchman Charles Nungessers victory total of 43 confirmed kills and a further 11 probables was achieved despite surviving a number of crashes and accidents from which he always bounced back in defiance of his quite severe injuries. His fame and prowess brought him a personal challenge from his German adversaries to take part in a one-on-one combat. Accepting the challenge, the lone Nungesser encountered not one, but six, enemy aircraft and promptly sent two of them down in flames. In this picture, his Emblems of Mortality personal motif is clearly seen on the side of his Nieuport 23 as he sees off an Albatross toward the end of the war. Nungesser survived the Great War, only to be lost over the Atlantic when attempting a flight to New York in 1927. Sous-Lieutenant Charles Nungesser by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1590
Aircraft of Jasta 10 prepare to taxi out for a dawn patrol, led by the fearless Leutnant Werner Voss in his Fokker F1 103/17 in September 1917. Arguments still rage concerning the colour of the engine cowling on his Triplane. Certainly, when the aircraft was delivered, its upper surfaces were painted factory finish streaked green and, it is recorded that it was flown as delivered with Voss personal mechanic noting that no extra painting was undertaken, aside from Voss Japanese kite face which occupied the nose. However, research shows that by the time of Voss death on 23rd September 1917, after his epic battle with SE5s of 56 Sqn, the cowling was probably yellow in keeping with all Jasta 10 aircraft. Renowned by pilots from both sides for his bravery and extraordinary abilities with his diminutive Triplane, the young ace scored a total of 48 confirmed victories before being brought down by Lieutenant Rhys Davids on the very day that he was due to go on leave. The Fokker F1 differed from the production DR.1 in detail only, Voss machine being fitted with a captured 110hp Le Rhone engine, his aircraft not being fitted with the outer wing skids common to the DR.1. Leutnant Werner Voss by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1594
No World War 1 pilot is better known than Manfred Von Richthofen, the Red Baron, and few pilots were greater exponents of the little Fokker DR.1 Triplane in which he scored nineteen of his eighty victories. In fact, only one of the DR.1s flown by von Richthofen was painted all-over Red. In April 1918, 127/17 was his mount, this machine being depicted here shortly after take off in company with other Jasta 11 pilots of his notorious Flying Circus. Among this formation are: Ltn Eberhardt Mohnicke, Ltn Hans Joachim Wolff, Rittm Manfred von Richthofen and his brother Ltn Lothar von Richthofen. The Flying Circus soubriquet was appended by the British and Canadian forces and was never used by von Richthofen or Jasta 11 themselves, but the sight of the red-nosed Triplanes as they joined battle in the skies above France signaled to Allied pilots a tough battle ahead. Von Richthofens Flying Circus by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1595
The Bristol F.2b (or Bristol Fighter, as it was more popularly known) first entered service with the RFC in March 1917 and quickly established itself as a useful and reliable fighting machine in the capable hands of the crews who quickly exploited its many attributes. The teamwork between pilot and gunner / observer yielded many success stories, both in the roles of air combat and ground attack. Here, Captain W E Staton has a stab at a Fokker DR.1 during an intense battle in April 1918 in the skies above France, whilst his pilot, Lieutenant John R Gordon keeps their 62 Squadron machine out of harms way. The combination of Gordon and Staton scored a total of 9 confirmed victories, 1 shared destroyed and 5 out of control. Deadly Partnership - Captain W E Staton and Lieutenant John R Gordon, Bristol F.2b by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1596
The vulnerability of early air gunners is evident in this painting as this Royal Aircraft Establishment FE 2 comes under attack from a Fokker E.III early in World War 1. Archaic in appearance, compared to their German rivals, the FE2 was nevertheless heavily armed with three Lewis guns arranged to cover almost every angle, one of them fixed in a forward firing position for the pilot to operate. Tribute to the Air Gunners - Royal Aircraft Establishment FE2 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1599
Undoubtedly one of the truly great Aces of the First World War, William Billy Bishop became celebrated for his technique of actively seeking out the enemy and bringing the fight to him, rather than the more usual practice of patrolling in search of enemy activity. An example of this was his single-handed attack on a German airfield in June 1917 when he destroyed not only a number of aircraft on the ground, but then successfully despatched another seven Albatross scouts that took off to engage him. For this action, he was awarded the Victoria Cross in August 1917 and his final tally when the war ended was 72 confirmed victories. He is depicted here in his Nieuport Scout B1566 in combat with a Pfalz D.III. Captain William Billy Bishop by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1608
The extraordinary Taube (or Dove) was extensively used by the Germans as a reliable, stable observation and reconnaissance aircraft as late as 1916, despite its archaic appearance. The Taube type first flew in Austria in 1909, the brainchild of Dr Igo Etrich and employed the early method of directional control known as differential wing-warping, instead of possessing ailerons and elevators. This version was powered by a Mercedes 6-cylinder inline engine and is a two-seat variant, much favoured by the Germans. Etrich Taube by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1609
Of similar configuration, but usually outclassed by its British contemporary, the Bristol F2b, the Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft LVG was essentially a strong and stable observation aircraft that served widely during World War 1. On 21st May 1917, this example became the victim of the guns of Sergeant John H Jones, contributing to his eventual tally of 15 victories. Here, his pilot that day, Captain W G Mostyn, has already had a squirt using his forward-firing Vickers gun before manoeuvring their 22 Sqn machine into position for Jones to finish the job with his twin Lewis guns. Sergeant John H Jones and pilot Captain W G Mostyn, Bristol F2b Fighter claiming a Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft LVG by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1622
After service in the 96th Infantry Regiment, Smirnov joined the XIX Corps Air Squadron in 1914, shooting down twelve enemy aircraft in the course of two years. When revolution swept through Russia in November 1917, he escaped the Bolsheviks via a White counter-revolutionary route, eventually joining the RAF in England, serving at the Central Flying School at Upavon. He is shown here in his silver Nieuport 17, having just despatched a Roland C.II. Captain Ivan Smirnov by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1623
When pilots took off from the respective airfields in the 1914/18 war, they would rarely know what lay ahead. For Otto Kissenberth, the 12th October 1916 was to be a baptism of fire. Flying Fokker D.II 540/16, he scored his first three victories in quick succession, shooting down two Maurice Farmans and a Breguet V, as shown here. Unusual among fighter pilots of the time for the simple reason that he wore spectacles, Kissenberth went on to score an eventual 20 victories and survived the war, only to be killed whilst mountaineering in 1919. Oberleutnant Otto Kissenberth by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1627
An early star of Jasta 1, von Keudell is depicted here in his Halberstadt D.III, (instantly identifiable by his initial K on the fuselage side) as he drifts into position to exploit the blindspot of a Vickers Gunbus, late in the day in 1916. Von Keudells closing tally was 11 confirmed victories, but a possible 12. Leutnant Hans von Keudell by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1637
With his personal emblem of black and white fuselage band adorning his Fokker E.V, 153/18, Richard Wenzl briefly commanded Jasta 6, based at Bernes in August 1918, and claimed a modest 6 victories during his career with JG 1. The Fokker E.V was both fast and manoeuvrable, but a series of engine and structural failures meant that these exciting new machines saw only brief service before being re-worked to emerge as the D.VIII, sadly too late to make any impression on the war. Wenzl is shown here in combat with Sopwith Camels of 203 Sqn, assisted by Fokker D.VIIs, which served alongside the E.Vs of Jasta 6. The D.VII shown is that of Ltn d R Erich Just of Jasta 11, also based at Bernes. Leutnant d R Richard Wenzl by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1644
The Fokker E II of Leutnant Kurt Freiherr von Crailsheim of FFA 53 is shown in formation with his wingman in a similar aircraft. Von Crailsheims aircraft bears his personalised markings of yellow, black and white diagonal bars on the fuselage, thought to represent his Military Merit Medal combined with the black and white of Prussia. The cross on the fuselage sides was applied in an unusually forward position. FFA 53 was based at Monthois late in 1915 and it was from this location that von Crailsheim made his final flight in this aircraft on 30th December. Kurt von Crailsheim by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1645
Mystery still surrounds just why Manfred von Richthofen risked so much in chasing the novice pilot Wilfred Wop May into Allied-occupied territory on the morning of Sunday, 21st April 1918, but it was to be his last flight, this error of judgement costing him his life. Von Richthofen had broken from the main fight involving Sopwith Camels of 209 Sqn to chase Mays aircraft, but found himself under attack from the Camel of Captain Roy Brown. All three aircraft turned and weaved low along the Somme River, the all red Triplane coming under intense fire from the ground as well as from Browns aircraft. No one knows exactly who fired the crucial bullet, but Manfred von Richthofens aircraft was seen to dive suddenly and impact with the ground. The Red Baron was dead and his amazing run of 80 victories was over. The painting shows Mays aircraft (D3326) in the extreme distance, pursued by DR.1 (425/17) and Browns Camel (B7270) in the foreground. Captain Roy Brown engages the Red Baron, 21st April 1918 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1646
The distinctive black-fuselaged Albatross D.V of Jasta 12s commander taxis out for take off behind the similar machine of Leutnant d R Friedrich Hochstetter at Roucourt, late in 1917. Whilst all of Jasta 12s aircraft possessed black tails, many of them bore their pilots personalised insignia painted large on the fuselage sides. In the case of Hochstetter, it was a stacked shot emblem, whilst others sported castles, diagonal crosses or various geometric shapes. The origin of Schobingers light blue design is unknown, but may have been applied purely for recognition purposes. His final tally was eight victories, while Hochstetter scored just one. Leutnant d R Viktor Schobinger by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1649
A veteran of over 150 missions flying the DH.4, Captain Euan Dickson was credited with an impressive 14 victories during his service with both the RNAS and RAF. After the war, Dickson returned to New Zealand where he continued to fly, pioneering mail routes and becoming the first man to fly across Cook Strait in 1920. His 205 Squadron DH.4 is shown here as Observer / Gunner V Robinson rakes an attacking Pfalz D.III on 3rd May, 1918, sending it spiraling to the ground out of control. Captain Euan Dickson and AGL V Robinson, DH.4 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1651
The aerial battle of 21st April 1918 was notable for involving two young novice pilots, each from opposing sides, and their part in the events that followed was as significant as it was tragic. Both William Wop May and Wolfram Ulf von Richthofen had been instructed to stay out of trouble, to remain on the very outskirts should a battle occur and simply get used to being in the sky with so many other aircraft. Delighted to have been assigned to Jasta 11 under the custodianship of his older, eminent cousin, Manfred, Wolfram was eager to cut his teeth and show that he, too, could get the job done. Both he and May kept a watchful vigil over proceedings from a safe distance as battle was joined between the red-nosed Fokker DR.1s of Jasta 11, the green-tailed Albatrosses of Jasta 5 and the RFC Sopwith Camels of 209 Squadron. Somehow, whether through carelessness or the adrenalin rush of the moment, Wolfram flew his Fokker tantalisingly close to Mays Camel who immediately gave chase, sensing that an easy first kill might just be a possibility. May quickly realised that all was not well, however, finding his guns jammed and unable to fire. He quickly broke off the attack and swooped away, but his actions had caught the attention of Manfred von Richthofen who, although engaged in a battle of his own, had been keeping a watchful eye over his young charge. The red Triplane now latched onto the tail of Mays helpless Camel and a lurid chase began along the Somme River, a chase from which the Red Baron would not return. The young Wolfram went on to become an ace, scoring all of his eight victories in the closing months of the war, was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd and survived to be a major force in Hitlers Luftwaffe in World War Two. He was eventually taken prisoner and spent his last months in an American PoW camp where he died of a brain tumour in 1945. Leutnant Wolfram von Richthofen by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1652
The Sopwith Camel was with the mainstay of the Royal Flying Corps. It is shown here downing an Albatros over the Western Front. Sopwith Camel by Anthony Saunders.Click For DetailsDHM1654
Shown in the colours of Jasta Boelke and carrying Baumers personal red / white / black flash on the fuselage, Fokker DR.1 204/17 was the aircraft in which he scored many of his 43 victories. Although the Sopwith Triplane had been withdrawn from service, German pilots frequently found their DR.1s being mistakenly attacked by their own flak batteries and, sometimes, by other pilots. For this reason, in march 1918, Baumers aircraft bore additional crosses on the centre of the tailplane and on the lower wings to aid identification. For some reason, his rudder displayed what appeared to be an incomplete border to the national marking. Nicknamed Der Eiserne Adler – The Iron Eagle – Paul Baumer survived the war, but died in a flying accident near Copenhagen whilst testing the Rohrbach Rofix fighter. He is shown in action having just downed an RE.8 while, above him, Leutnant Otto Lofflers DR.1 190/17 banks into the sun to begin another attack.Leutnant Paul Baumer by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1659
No one will ever know exactly what caused Max Immelmanns demise, but what is known is that his propeller was seen to disintegrate, which caused a series violent oscillations that ripped the Fokker E.III apart, the tail breaking away before the wings folded back, trapping the young German ace in his cockpit. The popular belief is that his interrupter gear malfunctioned, causing him to shoot away part of his own propeller, but British reports attribute Immelmanns loss to the gunnery of Cpl J H Waller from the nose of FE.2b 6346 flown by 2Lt G R McCubbin on Sunday, 18th June 1916. Immelmann was flying the spare E.III 246/16 as his own E.IV had been badly shot up earlier that day. Immelmanns Last Flight by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1660
The highest scoring Sopwith Camel ace of World War 1, Donald MacLaren was born in Ottawa, Canada, in 1893. Joining the Royal Flying Corps in 1917 as a trainee pilot, it was only the following March that he claimed his first victory, a Hannover C-Type whilst posted to 46 Squadron. His kill rate was quite formidable for, in this the final year of the war, he was to claim no fewer than 54 confirmed victories. Indeed, in the period from 15th September to 2nd October, he claimed eight Fokker D.VIIs – a remarkable feat against Germanys most potent fighter. He is pictured here attacking a D.VII in Camel F2137 U of 46 Sqn. MacLaren survived the war and died in 1989. Donald MacLaren by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1661
During a patrol on 6th July 1918, Christiansen spotted a British submarine on the surface of the Thames Estuary. He immediately turned and put his Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 floatplane into an attacking dive, raking the submarine C.25 with machine gun fire, killing the captain and five other crewmen. This victory was added to his personal tally, bringing his score to 13 kills by the end of the war, even though the submarine managed to limp back to safety. Christiansen survived the war and went on to work as a pilot for the Dornier company, notably flying the giant Dornier Do.X on its inaugural flight to New York in 1930. He died in 1972, aged 93. Kapitanleutnant zur See Friedrich Christiansen by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1672
Designed by Hugo Junkers, the J.1 was the worlds first all-metal aircraft to go into mass production and proved very successful in its intended role as an observation and ground attack aircraft. The sheer strength of its structure and mass of load-bearing struts eliminated the need for bracing wires and the outer portions of the wings were not linked by interplane struts, affording the observer / gunner a clear field. The crew and engine were protected from ground fire with 5mm armour plate, all of which added to the considerable weight of the J.1, which suffered with relatively poor performance as a consequence. It was powered by a 200hp Benz BZ.IV inline engine and well over 200 of this innovative machine were put into service during 1918. Junkers J.1 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1673
Replacing Ewald Blumenbach as commander of Jasta 12 in May 1917, Hermann Becker continued his impressive scoring rate utilising the superb Siemens-Schuckert D.IV fighter, shown here in Beckers distinctive blue and white livery. One of the most advanced fighters of World War 1, this aircraft was possessed of an incredible rate of climb, taking just some 12 minutes to reach 16,000ft and having an operational ceiling of 26,240ft. Becker is depicted here claiming one of the many Spads that he shot down on his way to a final victory total of 23, all of them with Jasta 12. Leutnant Hermann Becker by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1677
On the morning of 30th November 1917, Lieutenant Andrew McKeever, a Canadian serving with 11 Squadron RFC, together with his observer/gunner Lieutenant Leslie Powell, climbed into their Bristol F2b Fighter and took off alone; their task to fly a solo reconnaissance patrol over Cambrai, where the decisive battle involving tanks for the first time in history was raging on the ground below - it was to prove a remarkable day. As they flew over the enemys lines they encountered a pair of German two seater observer aircraft, protected by no fewer than seven enemy Albatross DV scouts. Armed with a forward firing .303 Vickers machine gun and a ring mounted Lewis gun in the back seat, McKeever skilfully manoeuvred his aircraft to engage one of the enemy scouts, and destroyed it. As he turned to get back to the Allied lines, five of the remaining enemy Albatross fighters dived on his tail, but Lt Powell rapidly downed two of them in quick succession with deadly fire from his Lewis gun. Continuing the duel with the remaining Germans, McKeever managed to destroy a further Albatross when suddenly his observers Lewis gun jammed. The pair seemed doomed, however McKeever, showing great courage and initiative, feigned disaster by rolling his aircraft over, plummeting it towards the ground. Fooled by the manoeuvre, the German aircraft climbed away, and McKeever levelled out just twenty feet above the ground and flew back to safety. Remarkably, all of McKeevers thirty one victories were achieved at the controls of the Bristol F2b Fighter, making him the highest scoring ace with 11 Squadron, and of any pilot flying two seater aircraft during the First World War. The Biff Boys by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM1681
Albatros C.III C.766/16 was among the most distinctively-painted aircraft of World War 1, its fuselage sides decorated with a dragon motif on the starboard side and a stylised crocodile on the other, both apparently chasing a tiny white biplane. This was the aircraft shared by Erwin Bohme and his observer, Leutnant Ladermacher while serving with Jasta 10 on the Eastern Front in August 1916. Bohme was soon chosen to fly with the great Oswald Boelke with Jasta 2, the latter being tragically killed in a collision with Bohme on 28th October during an aerial combat with DH.2s of 24 Sqn. This tragedy haunted Bohme for many months to come, but he went on to score 24 confirmed victories before falling victim to an FK.8 on 29th September 1917. Their Albatros C.III is shown picking off a Russian Nieuport 12, his first kill on 2nd August 1916. Leutnant der Reserve Erwin Bohme by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1682
The outstanding qualities of the Spad S.VII were exploited to the full by Lieutenant Paul Baer, who was to become the first ace of the United States Air Service whilst serving with the 103rd Pursuit Squadron. This former Lafayette Flying Corps volunteer is also recorded as the highest-scoring Spad pilot in the USAS, claiming 9 confirmed victories before being shot down on 22nd May 1918 and being taken prisoner. His aircraft is shown here in combat with Albatross scouts of Jasta 18. 1st Lieutenant Paul Baer by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1684
Schneider CA1 Tanks of the French tenth army spearhead the successful counter offensive against the German army on the river Marne. Overhead a tenacious Junkers JI artillery spotter dogs their tracks. The Second Battle of the Marne, though not an overwhelming victory, spelt the end of German successes on the Western front, and a turning point for the allies. Tanks on the Marne - France, 18th July 1918 by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM1689
From 1915 to 1917, there existed a very real threat of a bombing campaign on mainland Britain as the giant German airships drifted silently and menacingly across the English Channel and the North Sea to deliver their deadly cargo on the towns and cities of the east coast. Countermeasures were soon put into action as powerful searchlights picked out the Zeppelins for the anti-aircraft batteries and RFC pilots to pour their unrelenting fire into the raiders, sometimes with little effect, sometimes with catastrophic results. Here, 2nd Lieutenant Brandons BE.2 climbs for position, its exhaust pipes aglow in the dark, whilst flak bursts all around the massive bulk of the L.33 as she passes over the east end of London on the night of 23 / 24th September 1916. A Zeppelin over London by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1698
Droning over the coast en route to another night attack on mainland Britain, the Zeppelins top gun platform goes into action as BE.2 fighters wheel around the gas-filled giants, trying desperately to fire their Brock, Pomeroy and Sparklet ammunition into the volatile gasbags that lay beneath the Zeppelins skin. Often freezing cold, always vulnerable, the defensive gunners occupied a tiny, sunken recess on the very top of the airship, shielded from the buffeting winds only by a shallow screen and their thick leather flying suits. Just a handrail and a shallow step lay between them and a vertiginous drop over the rolling sides of their massive craft. Their air-cooled Parabellum MG.14 machine guns did little to repulse their attackers, whilst the great Zeppelins offered themselves as huge, bloated targets for ground artillery as well as the brave pilots of the RFC. Zeppelin Gunners by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1699
Pioneers of wooden fuselages, LFG Roland honed their considerable skills in fighter design throughout World War 1, culminating in the excellent D.VI as depicted here in the capable hands of Vfw Emil Schape as he and his Jasta 33 wingman bear down on a lone SE.5 in September 1918. Schape went on to score an impressive 18 victories, all but one of them with Jasta 33. Only 150 examples of the Roland D.VI found their way to the Jastas, the type being overshadowed by the Fokker D.VII and Pfalz D.XII, but its beautifully shaped planked fuselage made it a robust opponent that was capable of absorbing all the rigours of front line service. Vfw Emil Schape by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1700
Just as the name Zeppelin had become the common term for almost every German airship that ventured over Britain, so the name Gotha became generically used for the enemy bombers that droned across the English Channel during 1917-1918, inflicting considerable damage to coastal ports and the capital. As the massed raids of Bombengeschwader 3 increased, a public inquiry in England brought about the formation of the Royal Air Force as an independent service to counter this new threat and fighters from Europe were brought home to defend against these marauding giants. As a result, heavy losses on the German side meant that daylight raids had to be abandoned and all operations were henceforth conducted by night. Here, a pair of Gotha G.Vs begin to turn for home as searchlights play fruitlessly over distant fires, the grim result of another successful nights work. Gothas Moon by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1704
The LFG Roland D.VI did not enjoy the success of its contemporaries, the Fokker D.VII and Pfalz D.XII, but was nonetheless a potent and capable fighter. Its unique Klinkerrumpf fuselage construction made it both lightweight and robust although, despite its qualities, it was not built in large numbers. This particular example, a D.VIa, is shown chasing down a damaged Sopwith Camel whilst being flown by Gefreiter Jakob Tischner of Jasta 35b. Tischner later wrote off this aircraft in a landing accident when he rolled into a parked Pfalz D.III, destroying both machines. Gefreiter Jakob Tischner - Roland D.VIa by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1727
Opening his victory tally by shooting down a Sopwith Camel in July 1917, von Boenigk proved himself to be a fine airman and a keen marksman by claiming a further five enemy aircraft by the end of that year. He continued to score steadily until the wars end, being credited with an eventual 26 kills. He went on to serve in the Luftwaffe during World War II, attaining the rank of Major-General, but was taken prisoner by the Russians in 1945 and died in captivity the following year. He is shown here in Pfalz D.III 1936/17 whilst serving with Jasta 4, whose aircraft were immediately recognisable by the black spiral ribbon applied to their fuselages. Von Boenigk is believed to have scored seven of his victories in this machine. Oberleutnant Oskar Freiherr von Boenigk by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1748
The distinctive blue and red livery of these two Albatros D.Vs identify them as Jasta 18 machines in Berthold Colours, a reference to their commander at that time, Oblt Rudolf Berthold. The nearest aircraft is that of Leutnant der Reserve Paul Strahle who scored six victories with this unit before taking his aircraft (4594/17) with him to Jasta 57 where he would score a further 8. Each aircraft carried a personal emblem, in the case of Strahle a white axe whilst the similar aircraft of Ltn d R Arthur Rahn displays a diamond pattern. The fuselage crosses on both aircraft were crudely painted over and are still just visible beneath the blue. Leutnant d R Paul Strahle by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1752
Designed by the great Ernst Heinkel, the diminutive D.1 was an essential stop-gap that provided the Austro-Hungarian pilots with a front line fighter until they were able to re-equip with Albatros scouts in the Summer of 1917. This little aircraft performed well and was generally held in high regard by its pilots, although it did have some shortcomings, namely that forward vision was extremely limited and the Schwarzloses gun was completely concealed in the overwing pod that made it inaccessible in the air. Most unusual of all was its interplane strut arrangement, designed to reduce drag, which gave it the nicknames Starstrutter or Spider. These examples are shown passing above the German cruiser Derfflinger. Brandenburg D.1 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1754
Although not as well known as the Gotha series of bombers, the Allgemeine Elektricitats-Gessellschaft G.IV acquitted itself well in the closing stages of World War 1, although its limited fuel load restricted it to short range duties and reconnaissance missions. The G.IV was popular with its crews because it was extremely robust and featured such state of the art developments as onboard radios and electrically-heated flying suits and was an easy aircraft to fly. Kampfgeschwader 4 are specially noted for flying their G.IVs up to seven missions a night on the Italian front. AEG G.IV by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1755
Standing just five feet two inches tall, Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor had to have his SE5a specially modified to accommodate his small stature, but the diminutive South African was a giant in the air, claiming a total of 54 victories before the end of the war, many of them observation balloons which made him one of the top balloon-busting aces of the RFC. But many aircraft fell to his guns, too, as here when on 21st August 1918 he claimed an Albatros C-Type as victory number 34 whilst flying D6856 of 84 Squadron. Captain Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1764
Based on the two-seat Rumpler C.1, the 6.B was an elegant single-seat fighter with a top speed of 153 km/h and a range of four hours flying time. Armament was a single Spandau synchronised machine gun mounted on the port side of the Mercedes D.III engine. Quite modern-looking by the standards of the day, it was introduced into service in 1916, but large scale production was never undertaken and fewer than 100 examples of the 6.B-1 and 6.B-2 were built. The type did however enjoy a long service career with both the German and Finnish air forces, some serving until as late as the 1920s. Rumpler 6.B by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1771
Arriving in France in 1917 with little or no air gunnery training behind him, Captain Arthur Harry Cobby went on to become the Australian Flying Corps highest scoring ace with 29 victories to his credit, five of them observation balloons. He is shown here in Sopwith Camel E1416 of 4 Sqn AFC (formerly 71 Sqn AFC) having downed one of his final victims, a Fokker D.VII on 4th September 1918. Cobby survived the Great War and served in the RAAF during the inter war period and World War Two, eventually leaving the service as Air Commodore CBE. He died in 1955. Captain Arthur Henry Cobby by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1783
With a wingspan of 42.2 metres, the mighty Zeppelin Staaken series of bombers were truly awesome, living up to their name Riesenflugzeug - Giant Aircraft. Unusually for this period, the crew compartment of the R VI was fully enclosed and the bomb load was carried internally. The four engines were mounted in tandem pairs, two pushing and two pulling, which eliminated the need for complex gearing, and the flight engineers sat in cockpits in the engine nacelles. This example is shown limping home, its rear port engine stopped and smoking, escorted by its Little Friend, an Albatros D.V. The painting shows the Staaken bomber is quite badly shot up. There are bullet holes all over the port wings, tailplane and rudder, as well as the engine trailing smoke from a small oil fire in the nacelle, which the engineer is keeping an eye on. Kleiner Freund - Zeppelin Staaken R.VI by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1785
Having successfully weaved and dodged the hail of bullets from the defensive guns of the German Zeppelin, Lieutenant Warneford climbed above the giant airship and prepared for a run along the full length of the LZ.37 in the hope that his 20lb bombs would turn it into an inferno and bring it down. Warneford had time to release all six of his bombs, the last of which set off a chain of eruptions that resulted in the Zeppelin breaking its back before plunging to earth in a fireball. So violent was the initial explosion that Warnefords tiny Morane Saulnier Type L was flipped over and thrust 200ft into the air above the disintegrating leviathan. Warneford survived this historic interception, whilst the LZ.37 plunged to the ground near Ghent and was completely destroyed. This was the first time that a Zeppelin had been brought down by an aircraft for which gallant action, Warneford was awarded the Victoria Cross. Special mention should be made of the roundels on the Type L, where the original French examples were not overpainted to British colours on the wings, unlike those on the fuselage sides. Lieutenant Reginald Warneford by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1786
Based upon the design of an earlier 1913 racing biplane, Aviatik AG were able to introduce their B.1 into military service almost at the outbreak of World War 1, the type proving to be a useful reconnaissance machine during the early stages of the conflict. As with most B type aircraft of this time, the Aviatik B.1 was unarmed and carried an observer in the forward cockpit. Power was provided by a Mercedes D.1 inline engine whose large radiators were fitted to the port side of the fuselage, just above the lower wing. There is no record of exactly how many B.1s were constructed. Aviatik B.1 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1787
One of the few rules of aerial combat that were established in the First World War was to attack, where possible, with the sun behind you, thus using the element of surprise both to appear as if from nowhere and to blind your opponent to minimise retaliation. Just such a tactic has been successfully employed here as a DH.2 rakes the tail of Staffelfuhrer Hauptmann Rudolf Kleines Kasta 3 LFG Roland C.II as it returns from a patrol in the skies above northern France in 1916. Known affectionately as The Whale, the C.II was extensively streamlined and the positioning of the cockpits and wing cut-outs afforded both the pilot and observer unequalled views in all directions. Power was supplied by a 160hp Mercedes D.III engine and armament was a 7.92mm Spandau in front of the pilot and a 7.92mm Parabellum for the observer. Out Of The Sun – LFG Roland C.II by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1788
At the outbreak of World War 1, the true potential of the aeroplane as an observation and reconnaissance platform had yet to be fully realised and many types were hurriedly drafted in and put to good use. Whilst the ubiquitous and bird-like Etrich Taube accounted for almost half of Germanys compliment of observation aircraft, the Bavarian army adopted this pusher bipane designed and built by Gustav Otto of Munich. Based on a floatplane of similar configuration and powered by a Rapp engine, this basic machine helped to usher in a new age of aerial reconnaissance. The company of Gustav Otto Flugmuschinen-Werke was later to become AGO Flugzeugwerke GmbH (Actien – Gesellschaft Otto) Otto Pusher Type M by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1790
The Kaiserliche Marine operated a number of seaplane types during World War 1 of which the Friedrichshafen FF.33 was quite typical. Powered by a Benz Bz.III 150hp inline engine, this version was equipped with radio and a Parabellum gun for the observer in the rear cockpit, as well as a small bombload, which made it ideal for attacks on light coastal shipping. Friedrichshafen FF.33 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1792
In response to a German Navy requirement for a floatplane version of their successful G.1 bomber, Gotha produced just one example of the Ursinus Wasser Doppeldecker, or UWD. The aircraft proved to be easy to fly with good take off and landing characteristics and was capable of carrying a considerable payload. On an unknown date in 1916, the UWD took part in a raid on Dover with four Friedrichshafen FF.33s, inflicting some damage to military installations in the area and returning safely. Despite this, Gotha UWD no 120/15 was written off by the navy early in October that same year. No further examples were built. Gotha UWD by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1798
At the outbreak of World War 1, AGO Flugzeugwerke GmbH had not endeared itself to the architects of the German war machine due to the flimsiness of some of its designs, coupled with poor workmanship. When the C.1 first appeared in 1915, it attracted little interest and yet went on to prove itself to be a robust and useful aircraft, its pusher design dispensing with the now traditional open framework to support the tail in favour of twin streamlined tailbooms. The observer / gunner in the nose enjoyed an unrivalled field of view, although the engines position immediately behind the pilot was always a concern in the event of a crash. This aircraft, LF181, transferred from the Fliegertrouppe to the navy in 1915 and was based at Nieuwmunster, shown here in an exchange with an FE.2b in the skies over Belgium. AGO C.1 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1801
Set against a spectacular Alpine backdrop, a pair of Aviatik D.1s of Flik 17/D are shown on patrol in March 1918, the nearest aircraft being that of Zugsfuhrer F Korty-Lalitz. When first entering service, the D.1 was praised by its pilots for possessing an excellent climb rate and outstanding performance, but its woeful lack of synchronised armament and poor forward visibility compromised the D.1s ability to meet its enemies on equal terms, these examples being armed only with a single over-wing Schwarzlose M7/16 or M16 machine gun. F Korty-Lalitz, Aviatik D.1 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1805
Erich Lowenhardt was already the holder of the Knights Cross 1st and 2nd Class for acts of bravery even before becoming a pilot. After serving as an observer for a year, he was eventually posted to Jasta 10 in 1917 where he immediately began to score victories, sending down balloons and enemy aircraft at a fearsome rate. He was appointed Commander of Jasta 10 one week before his 21st birthday, making him one the youngest pilots to rise to such a rank in the German Army Air Service. He continued to increase his score steadily throughout 1917 and 1918, but was involved in a mid-air collision with a Jasta 11 aircraft on 10th August. Lowenhardt elected to abandon his aircraft, but his parachute failed to deploy and the young ace fell to his death. He flew a number of aircraft, but this yellow-fuselaged Fokker D.VII was his most distinctive and is believed to be the aircraft in which he was killed. His final victory total was 54. Oberleutnant Erich Lowenhardt by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1808
This unique piece is a pencil drawing of the Red Baron - Manfred von Richthofen - claiming one of his 80 victories, carefully added by the artist to an existing sheet of paper signed by the Red Baron himself. This rare signed sheet was acquired from a respected German military autograph company. The Red Baron (with original WW1 signature) by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsDHM1812
On the morning of 21st April 1917, coastal airship No C.17 was on a routine patrol captained by Sub Lieutenant E G O Jackson, when sometime around 8.00am, she was attacked by German seaplanes and shot down. Such was their vulnerability that these huge battlebags were an easy target for marauding enemy scouts, their single Lewis guns achieving little by way of defence. The Hansa Brandenburg W.12, on the other hand, was a nimble and useful aircraft that the Germans put to good use in the coastal defence role. Hansa Brandenburg W.12 – Attack on the C.17 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1813
On the 20th of April 1918, just one day before his death, the legendary Red Baron, Mannfred von Richthofen, claimed his final victory. His famous Flying Circus was engaged in battle by Sopwith Camels of No.3 and No.201 Squadron. Claiming his 79th victory, he had shot down Major Richard Raymond-Barker earlier in the dogfight - the British pilot being killed in the resulting crash. However, it is his 80th and final victory that is depicted here. In the centre of the painting, the Sopwith Camel of David Lewis has been brought into the firing line of von Richthofen, and is about to be sent down in flames from the sky - Lewis was fortunate to survive the encounter relatively unscathed. Meanwhile the chaos of the dogfight is all around this duel, with aircraft of both sides wheeling and diving in combat. The other pilots depicted are Weiss, Bell, Riley, Steinhauser, Mohnicke, Hamilton and Wenzl. The Final Curtain by Ivan Berryman. (GL)Click For DetailsDHM1835
Nicolas Trudgians dramatic painting recreates a scene near Cambrai, Northern France on the morning of March 18, 1918. Aware of a build-up of forces for a massive German offensive, many RFC squadrons attacked the German positions at very low altitude. Responding with as many squadrons as they could muster, including Richthofens JG1 wing, there followed one of the largest dog-fights of the entire First World War. Seen in the foreground are a Fokker Triplane and an Albatros, having winged a Sopwith Camel from 54 Squadron, as another Camel, and a Bristol fighter of 11 Squadron RFC turn to engage the German fighters. Richthofens Flying Circus by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2029
The dramatic scene depicts an aerial dog-fight between Sopwith Camels and SE5A fighters of the Royal Flying Corps, and the bright red planes of Baron von Richthofens JG1 fighter wing. High over Northern France, the highly manoeuvrable fighters wheel and turn in the cauldron of close aerial combat, the artist bringing alive that evocative era when aerial combat first began. Knights of the Sky by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsDHM2444
Fokker DVII of Royal Bavarian Jagdstaffel 35b, flown by Leutnant Rudolf Stark, the new Jasta Commander. Behind the Lines, France 1918 by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDP0019
While piloting a biplane near Poelcapelle on June 20th 1915, Flight-Lieutenant W. H. D Acland of the Royal First Devon Yeomanry and the Royal Flying Corps was attacked by a large German biplane. At less than two hundred yards distance the British observer replied to the fire of the hostile aeroplane. He, after whom the German biplane was seen to rock; fired fifty rounds and on firing again it dived down, and then flattened its course to continue slowly and erratically to the ground. A bursting shell set alight the British biplane when returning, and the two officers were severely burned. With great courage and presence of mind, however, Lieutenant Acland brought the aeroplane safely to the ground. He was subsequently rewarded with the Military Cross, and the Order of St. George (Fourth Class) was bestowed on him by the Czar of Russia. An Aerial Duel Between a British Biplane and a Large German Biplane.Click For DetailsDTE0244
On the Christmas Eve of 1914 three vessels, carrying seaplanes, left Harwich, escorted by cruisers, destroyers and submarines, for an aerial reconnaissance at Heligoland and the German North Sea ports. Seven aeroplanes were taken, and they were launched in spite of a dense fog. When the fog began to clear, the British ships found themselves pursued by two Zeppelins and several German seaplanes, as they were proceeding to the spot where they were to meet the returning airmen. The light cruisers Arethusa and Undaunted opened fire, and some 6-inch shells burst very close to the Zeppelins, which turned and made off. The seaplanes were more daring, but, though they got directly over the ships, they did not succeed in hitting them. The First Fight Between Warships And Zeppelins.Click For DetailsDTE0714
Lieutenant (Temporary Captain) William Assheton Summers, of the 18th Hussars and Royal Flying Corps, as pilot, and Temporary Lieutenant William Owen Tudor-Hart, of the Northumberland Fusiliers and Royal Flying Corps, as observer, attacked a flight of ten enemy aeroplanes, completely breaking up their formation. They were quite unsupported, but only broke off the engagement when all their ammunition was expanded many miles over the enemy’s lines. Their machine was under constant heavy fire from as many as four hostile machines at once, and was badly damaged. For their conspicuous gallantry and skill they were both awarded the M.C. Two British Aeroplanes Disperse A flight Of Ten Enemy Machines.Click For DetailsDTE0737
On May 17th 1915, a Zeppelin airship raided the East Coast, and on her return journey was intercepted by eight British naval aeroplanes from Dunkirk, Flight-Commander Arthur Wellesley Bigsworth, who was piloting one of the machines, rose 200 feet above the airship and dropped a bomb which burst in her compartments, sending her home severely damaged. For his skilful and daring achievement he was promoted from Flight-Commander to Squadron-Commander. Flight Commander A. W. Bigsworth Drops A Bomb On A Zeppelin Airship, Severely Damaging It.Click For DetailsDTE0827
As escort to a bombing raid, Second Lieutenant Walter Horace Buntime, of the Notts and Derby Regiment and Royal flying Corps, attacked several hostile machines, one of which fell to the ground nose first.  Later three enemy machines attacked him, his own machine being damaged and severely wounded. With great skill he managed to land in the British lines, though most of his propeller was shot away and his machine otherwise much damaged. He was awarded the M.C. for his conspicuous gallantry and skill. Second Lieutenant W. H. C. Buntine Attacking Hostile Aeroplanes, One Of Which Falls To The Ground Nose First.Click For DetailsDTE0835
Royal Flying Corps SE5As of 56 squadron engaged in air combat with flying circus Fokker Dr1s commanded by the great German ace Baron von Richthofen, France 1917. Brief Encounter by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsGC0524
One of the strategies utilized by the German military in WW I was the terror bombing of civilian targets in hopes of swaying popular opinion to permit favorable peace terms to be exacted. While this strategy was flawed, the principal instrument utilized in its implementation early in the War was the dirigible. While dirigibles had the range to hit targets in Britain, they became increasingly vulnerable to attack as fighter aircraft and ammunitions performance improved. One of the most successful developers and builders of these dirigibles was Count von Zeppelin. Zeppelin was a visionary in airship and aircraft design, and by the time WW I had begun his interest had largely shifted from lighter-than-air airships to more conventional aircraft designs. Zeppelin was well aware that his giant dirigibles had severe limitations in a military role, including their large size, slow speed, small payload capacity, and most important their high flammability. What was needed was a conventional aircraft capable of flying round-trip to strategic military targets that could carry a meaningful payload. Such aircraft would have to be fast enough and have sufficient defensive armament to evade or fend off enemy pursuit aircraft to complete their missions. The most impressive and successful aircraft in this class were built by the Zeppelin-Werke Staaken, a company formed by Zeppelin in Berlin with Robert Bosch as his partner. The company’s first goal was to develop a long-range, six-engine, bomber/transport. By late 1915 German military authorities recognized the need for such aircraft and laid down specifications for their design. Included in the specs were the unique requirements for oxygen apparatus, in-flight servicing of the engines, and for both onboard navigational and communications apparatus. Called R-planes by the military, Zeppelin produced a series of three giants, commonly all referred to as Zeppelin-Staakens. Only one of the R-planes was actually downed by opposing fighters. The R.43 was downed while flying a night bombing mission on August 10, 1918 near Abbeville, England. The R. V series was the largest of the series, but only one aircraft was produced. With a wingspan in excess of 138 feet, it was powered by five 245-HP Maybach engines. Its gross weight at takeoff of more than 28,000 pounds was 15 to 20 times that of a typical fighter aircraft. Despite its size the wing loading of the Zeppelin-Staakens compared favorably to most fighter aircraft of the era. Shown in Stan Stokes’ painting is a Zeppelin-Staaken R. VI, the blunt-nosed, 4-engine, version of the German giants. This was the most widely built version of the Zeppelin-Staaken series. Preparing for a night bombing mission at dusk, the crew readies the massive aircraft for a long flight to a target in Britain. Early Night Raiders by Stan Stokes.Click For DetailsSTK0002
On July 2, 1900 Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin piloted his first rigid-framed, lighter-than-air ship over Lake Constance in Germany. Seventeen years later, on June 16, 1917, Zepellins latest creation, the L-48, was readied at Nordholz, Germany for its first combat mission. The huge L-48 was one of the newest and most technically advanced German airships. Powered by five 250 HP Maybach engines, the great airship could carry 6,000 pounds in bombs, and was manned by a crew of nineteen. For this maiden mission the commodore of the North Sea Airship Division, Victor Schutze, would be joining the L-48s skipper Kapitain-lieutenant Franz George Eichler. Early in the afternoon the L-48 commenced its mission along with several other airships from the Nordholz base. The great Zeppelin would cruise at 60 MPH at 5,000 to 10,000 feet and would ascend to approximately 20,000 feet when approaching its target. This altitude would provide an effective defense against both anti-aircraft or British fighters. RAF Captain Robert Saundby, had returned from the front, to be put in charge of a very small RFC squadron at Oxford Ness. June 16 was a cloudless night, perfect for a Zeppelin attack., and at 11:15 PM Saundby launched his two active aircraft equipped with incendiary machine gun bullets. As he gazed up at the stars at 1:00 AM Saundby was startled to see a huge zeppelin outlined by searchlights only a few miles away. Awakening two of his mechanics, Saundby instructed them to fire up his single-seat DH2 fighter. Although obsolete and not equipped for night fighting, Saundby, who had never flown at night, got the little pusher-propeller fighter in the air, and began a long ascent. After fifteen minutes of flying Saundby spotted the L-48, which was by now attracting anti-aircraft fire which was exploding several thousand feet below the great airships altitude. For an hour or so, Saundby tried to coax every bit of altitude out of his little DH2, but he could not get in range. At around 3:00AM the L-48 completed its bombing runs, and the Captain set a due north course. With dawn only an hour away, Captain Eichler was anxious to get out of British airspace. A report from an observation airship which had accompanied the strike force that evening indicated favorable winds at 13,000 feet. Captain Eichler gave the orders to descend. Meanwhile, Captain Saundby who had fought the cold and wind while tailing the L-48 for nearly three hours, was startled to see the great airship descending. Pushing his DH2 to the limit, Saundby emptied 8 canisters of incendiaries at the L-48. Recognizing the attack the L-48 dumped ballast, and immediately began to ascend. Saundbys last few round met their target and the L-48 erupted. Saundby felt the surge of heat and light, and struggled to keep his little craft under control. Within minutes the L-48s maiden mission was over, as Saundby circled the 750 foot long fireball which had come down at Westford. Amazingly, two of the L-48s crewmembers survived, the only people to ever survive a zeppelin which had been ignited. One of these survivors, Kapitanlieuntenant Meith wrote a letter describing the L-48s fateful misssion, providing much of the historical basis for this incident. Moonlight Renegade by Stan Stokes.Click For DetailsSTK0003
Anthony Herman Gerard Fokker was born in the Dutch East Indies in 1890. When his father retired the Fokker family returned to Holland, where Anthony attended school. He dropped out of college, and being deemed unfit for military service, worked at a number of odd jobs. Fokkers father persuaded his son to attend an automobile mechanics school in Germany, but Anthony was disappointed and convinced his father to enroll him in a school near Mainz which offered courses in aircraft construction and flying. This endeavor was not particularly successful, and Anthony decided to build his own flying machine. He found a partner in Oberlieutenant Von Daum, a fifty-year-old officer in the German military. The aircraft was completed in 1910, and Fokker flew it successfully on a number of flights. Von Daum, unfortunately, destroyed the machine on his first attempt at flying it. The two partners then teamed with a boat-builder to construct a second aircraft. In early 1912 Anthony had organized Fokker Aviatik GmbH with money advanced from his father. Fokker won his first contract for military aircraft in July 1913. Fokker became interested in the design of the Moraine-Saulnier, which exhibited flying characteristics far superior to the early Fokker designs. The Fokker M.5 (Eindecker I) emerged from the reengineering of a damaged Moraine-Sualnier. With the outbreak of WW I, the German military ordered large numbers of this aircraft for use as a scout. These Fokker scouts were good machines and well-liked by the pilots that flew them. Early in 1915 the French equipped their scouts with forward firing machine guns, and German losses in aerial combat increased sharply. The French system was simplistic and utilized shields on the propeller to deflect soft copper shells. Anthony Fokkers company was the first to introduce a workable machine gun synchronizer which would allow steel bullets to be used. The German military ordered the new Fokker fighter in large numbers, and by late 1915 the tide had shifted dramatically in favor of the Germans. The British press coined the term Fokker Scourge to describe this new menace which was increasing casualties to unprecedented numbers. Oswald Boelcke, and Max Immelmann were two German pilot aces who became very popular. Immelmann is depicted in Stan Stokes painting executing the aerial maneuver which took his name. Immelman received the Blue Max (Pour le Merite) to add to his Iron Cross following his eighth victory on January 12, 1916. He would officially be credited with fifteen victories prior to his death in June of 1916. The Germans maintained that a defective gun synchronizer caused Immelmann to shoot off his own propeller. The Fokker Scourge by Stan Stokes.Click For DetailsSTK0004
World War I was the first major conflict in which the airplane became a practical instrument of war. However, because of the slow speeds, small armaments, limited fuel capacities and light weights of these aircraft many pilots survived being shot down many times. These were the glory days for early aviators with pilots from both sides having tremendous status amongst both their peers and their adversaries. In Gotcha, Stan Stokes has captured the camaraderie and good sportsmanship shown by the military pilots of the time. In a beautiful scene Stokes shows the downed German aviator dripping from the unscheduled bath just inflicted upon him, as a Spad piloted by Eddie Rickenbacker, Americas top ranking ace, passes overhead for a last look. Steam is rising from the engine of the downed Fokker D VII, which was arguably one of the finest fighter planes of World War I. About 700 Fokker D VIIs were produced during the War, and the aircraft was capable of speeds of 125 MPH with a range of 134 Miles. The D VII was constructed with welded tubing and was fabric covered. Most variants were armed with two 7.9 mm machine guns. Rickenbacker, as a very young man, was involved in automobile racing and engineering, and in 1914 he set a worlds speed record of 134 MPH in a Blitzen-Benz racer. Rickenbacker was in England when WW I began, and while there he became interested in Britains progress in aviation. Returning to the States Rickenbacker figured that his expertise in driving race cars should make him a great pilot, but the best he could do was get himself assigned as General Pershings personal chauffeur. In August 1917 Rickenbacker finally got his wish and was transferred to the Army Air Corp, and by 1918 he was assigned to combat duty. Although bothered by an ear infection which led to his hospitalization in Paris for two months in 1918, Rickenbackers achievements were impressive. In the month of October 1918 alone, he was credited with ten kills, Rickenbacker is pictured by Stokes flying a Spad S.13 which was the best French-built fighter of the War. The S.13 was produced in large numbers (8,472) and was capable of 138 MPH with a range of 250 miles. The Spad S.13 was armed with twin 0.303 inch machine guns. Rickenbackers squadron was nicknamed the Hat in the Ring gang. After the War Rickenbacker had a very successful business career, and he served as Chairman of Eastern Airlines. Gotcha by Stan Stokes.Click For DetailsSTK0006
By the spring of 1918 WW I was fast approaching its climax. In the East, Russia had collapsed, allowing Germany to amass a force of 3.5 million troops in 194 divisions on the all-important Western Front. The German strategy was to end the War before the full brunt of American involvement could swing the balance irretrievably in favor of the Allies. In an offensive of titanic proportions, later known as the Kaisers Battle, German forces strove to break the three-and-a-half year stalemate in trench warfare. This massive offensive would combine the use of sturmtruppen trained to infiltrate Allied positions, massed artillery attacks, and finally schlachtstasffein which were formations of specialized ground attack aircraft. These units, while lacking the publicity of the fighter squadrons, played a more offensive role than any other aircraft of WW I. As part of German industrys Amerika Programm, begun in mid-1917 to counter the anticipated arrival of an American air armada, the Imperial German Air Force called for the development of a new light, compact, highly maneuverable, two-seat aircraft to be known as the CL class. These new aircraft were to be offensive machines to be used to escort bombers and strafe trenches. One of the most successful of the new class of aircraft was the Hannover CL IIIa. The Hannover, as a single-engined aircraft, was unique in having a biplane tail. Its purpose was to reduce the tailplane span, thereby affording a wider field of fire for the observer/gunner. For a two seat aircraft the CL IIIa was a smallish (38 foot wingspan) and compact aircraft, and was often mistaken by Allied scouts as a single seater, whereupon they were speedily disabused of their illusion by a hail of fire from the observers Parabellum machine-gun. The small size of this aircraft imparted great maneuverability and an excellent field of view for its pilot. Powered by an Argus As III engine, the Hannover also utilized a plywood fuselage, giving the aircraft great strength and the ability to withstand a lot of punishment. These characteristics made the CL IIIa an ideal ground attack aircraft. More than one thousand of these airplanes were built, and they entered service in late 1917. The Hannoveranas, as they were called by the RFC, were without doubt, formidable opponents. Major James McCudden, V.C., the RFCs fourth ranking ace with 57 victories, was to write: These machines are very deceptive and pilots are apt to mistake them for Albatros scouts until they get to close range, when up pops the Hun gunner from inside his office. Johann Baur, who later became the personal pilot of Adolf Hitler, flew Hannovers and claimed nine victories. In Stan Stokes dramatic depiction, a CL IIIa strafes counter-attacking British Mk IV tanks in a shell pocked landscape during the Spring offensive of 1918, Germanys supreme bid for victory in the West. The Kaisers Battle by Stan Stokes.Click For DetailsSTK0007
By the Spring of 1917 the Western Front had been stalemated for more than two years with the armies of Germany and the Allies deadlocked in static trench warfare. At sea, the fleets of both Germany and Great Britain were also at a strategic impasse following the inconclusive Battle of Jutland in 1916. The unrestricted U-Boat campaign in the Atlantic had resulted in Americas entry into the War, and Germany turned to its fledgling air force to help break the deadlock. Night raids by Zeppelins in 1915 and 1916 had proven ineffectual as the great airships had proven vulnerable to the unpredictable weather and to increasingly effective defenses. A new strategic weapon would therefore be utilized - the heavy bomber. With a fleet of such airoplanes, the very heart of London could be attacked. In March of 1917 a new unit was formed in Flanders, soon to be known as the England Geschwader. Lead by Hauptman Ernst Brandenburg, Kaghol 3 (the units official designation,) was equipped with the Gotha G. IV. With a crew of three, and a wingspan of nearly seventy-eight feet, the G. IV was an impressive flying machine. Powered by twin 260-HP Mercedes six cylinder, in-line, water-cooled engines, the Gotha had a top speed of 88-MPH. Its service ceiling was more than 21,000 feet, and its range was 305 miles. The maximum bomb load was 1,100 pounds, but on the first daylight raid on London, each aircraft would carry six 110-lb bombs. For defensive purposes the Gothas were armed with two 7.92mm machine guns. An interesting feature of the G. IV was the ability of the rear gunner to fire not only rearwards and upwards, but could also fire downwards through a specially designed tunnel in the fuselage. On June 13, 1917 Brandenburg led his unit in his red-tailed Gotha on the first daylight bombing raid to London. Twenty G. Ivs departed on this historic mission, but two soon turned back, and another four bombed other targets due to mechanical problems. A total of 128 bombs were dropped on the mission with devastating effects. All told, 162 people were killed in the raid, and another 432 were injured. It was a portent of the future of aerial warfare. Although 94 defensive sorties were flown against the raiders, only a few British fighters made contact with the Gothas before they reached their targets. One fighter which did intercept was a Bristol F2B piloted by Capt. C. W. E. Cole-Hamilton of No. 35 Training Sqaudron. The observer, Capt. C. H. Keevil was killed during the battle. After the safe return of all the Gothas, Brandenburg was personally decorated with the Pour le Merite. Unfortunately, he was seriously injured in a flying accident only six days later. By then the first battle of Britain was well underway. The First Battle of Britain by Stan Stokes.Click For DetailsSTK0008
William Avery Bishop, the top scoring RFC ace of WW I, was born in Ontario Canada on February 8, 1894. He entered the Royal Military College in 1911 and after War broke out in Europe he was assigned to the 14th Battalion of the Canadian Mounted Rifles. Bishop applied for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps in 1915. Following a few months of training he was made an observer and was sent to France to fly with No. 21 squadron. He was hospitalized for frostbite and later from injuries sustained in a bad landing. In late 1916 he began pilot training and in March of 1917 Bishop was posted to No. 60 squadron flying Nieuport Scouts. On March 25 he experienced his first air combat, downing an Albatros single-seater. Bishop scored thirteen victories during Bloody April, and another seven-and-a-half in May. He was awarded the DSO at this point. In early June Bishop attacked a German airfield at dawn, and shot down three Albatros aircraft taking off to challenge him. For this fete he received the Victoria Cross. In constant combat during the summer months, Bishops score rose to 45 by mid-August. He was the first to exceed the record of the famous British Ace, Albert Ball. During this period Bishop often flew as many as seven-eight hours each day. He was aggressive in the air and obviously possessed excellent flying instincts and marksmanship skills. Eleven of these 45 victories were achieved in the SE-5 with which No. 60 squadron had been re-equipped. Promoted to Major, Bishop returned to Canada for a recruiting tour. In 1918 he returned to England, first as the Chief Instructor at Aerial Gunnery School, and later as the Commander of No. 85 squadron. Once again Bishop was at his best in the air. Flying SE-5s, Bishop claimed 27 more victories during this final combat tour, including four Pfalz D.IIIs. Bishop received the DFC, and returned to the Air Ministry in England for a short time before returning to Canada in August of 1918. There he played an important role in the formation of the new Canadian Air Force. Bishops official victory total of 72, the highest for any RFC flyer in WW I, approached the official total of von Richtofen who had 80. Some historians have disputed Bishops score, indicating that he received credit for a number of victories when he was flying alone. Following the War, Bishop formed a commercial aviation company with another ace W.G. Barker. He later served with the RCAF during WW II as an Air Marshal responsible for training. Billy Bishop passed away in 1956 at the age of seventy. In Stan Stokes nostalgic painting the top RFC ace is depicted early in his career flying his Nieuport against a German Albatros. Boom Boom Billy by Stan Stokes.Click For DetailsSTK0012
Born in Prussia to wealthy aristocratic parents, Manfred Freherr von Richtofen, The Red Baron, was to become the top ace of World War I, with 80 confirmed kills, and probably another 40-50 which took place over enemy lines and could not be confirmed. Richtofen was originally a cavalry officer, but with great persistence he was transferred to the air arm. After a brief period on the eastern front Richtofen was transferred to the western front in August 1915. His first confirmed victory was recorded in September 1916 and by November he recorded eleven kills, including Major Lance Hawker, the top British fighter pilot. With his keen reflexes and eyesight he quickly ascended, and by June 1917 Richtofen took control of a unit near Coutrai. This unit became known as Richtofens Circus. By July the ringmaster had his fifty-seventh victim. Despite his successes Richtofen shunned publicity and became increasingly withdrawn. Richtofen was wounded in combat and spent three weeks in the hospital recuperating. After his return to duty Manfred became a vocal proponent of the Fokker triplane. The bright red paint scheme utilized on one of Richtofens aircraft is what earned him the nick-name, The Red Baron. Richtofens brother, Lothar, was also an ace with forty victories to his credit. By April of 1918, aided by Americas entry into the War, Germany was facing overwhelming numbers of enemy aircraft, and many with performance capabilities the equal to, and in some cases superior to, their own. The Germans mounted a final desperate offensive, and on April 21,1918 The Red Baron finally fell victim to the perils of combat. Although there is considerable controversy over the Red Barons demise, it appears that Richtofen was either killed by Captain Arthur Brown, a Canadian flying with the RAF, or was shot down by Australian machine gunners while evading Captain Brown. Richtofen was provided a full military funeral by the Allies, and on the evening following his funeral a single RAF fighter dropped a small package containing photos of the funeral onto the Circus headquarters. By Wars end the Circus was credited with the destruction of 644 aircraft, but 56 of its airmen had been killed, 32 seriously wounded, and 6 captured. Richtofen is pictured in July of 1917 tangling with Sopwith Camels in the skies over Belgium. Flying his beloved Fokker triplane, the infamous Red Baron is shown positioning his aircraft for yet another victory. The Ringmaster by Stan Stokes.Click For DetailsSTK0014
On April 6, 1916 the RFC formed several new squadrons, including the No. 56 Squadron - Scouts. In March of 1917 the unit received the first of its new SE5s. The aircraft was disappointing to the pilots, being slower than expected, and its new Vickers machine gun with interrupter gear was next to useless. Many modifications ensued in the field, and many SE5s were fitted with Lewis guns located atop the upper wing, and in some cases an additional Lewis was installed which could be fired downward through the cockpit. In early April of 1917 No. 56 was ready to see its first combat action, and the unit headed off to France. About nine months earlier the pendulum of air superiority had swung back to the Germans. The Fokker scourge of 1915 had previously been negated by the deployment of DH2 and FE8 aircraft, but the newer German Albatros and Halberstadt fighters had regained the upper hand. The RFC was once again suffering unsustainable casualties. No. 56 Squadron was immediately pressed into service upon its deployment in France, and over the next several months gave a good account of itself. The Squadrons first victory came on April 22, and went to Albert Ball who would become a high scoring ace. On September 23, 1917 many of No. 56 Squadrons pilots would become engaged in what would be considered as one of the epic battles of early aerial warfare. At about 5:00 PM in the evening eleven SE5s took off for a routine patrol. There were heavy clouds at 9,000 feet, effectively limiting the ceiling. Several engagements took place prior to James McCudden noticing a lone SE5 from No. 60 Squadron under attack by a German triplane. Unknown to McCudden was the fact that the triplane was piloted by Werner Voss, a top German ace with 48 confirmed victories. During the next several minutes 7 SE5s focused their efforts on attacking Voss triplane. Voss had several opportunities to make a dash for the German lines, but chose to stay and fight. Demonstrating beautiful flying and determination, Voss held the massed SE5s at bay, and managed to inflict damage on each and every one. With maneuvers made so quickly and so unpredictably, none of the SE5 pilots could keep Voss in their gunsights long enough to fire a meaningful burst. Voss managed to damage two of the SE5s enough that they withdrew from the fight, and a red-nosed German Albatros joined in the fray for a short time. At one point in the battle McCudden indicated that the triplane was in the cone of tracer bullets from at least five machines simultaneously. Voss could out climb and outmaneuver all the RFC craft. Minutes later at about 2,000 feet the SE5 piloted by Arthur Rhys Davids managed to catch the German ace in a straight flat dive, and approached to within feet of the triplanes tail, firing a solid burst before pulling out of his dive. Moments later the triplane hit the ground and disintegrated. Later that evening the pilots of 56 Squadron recounted the epic battle speculating as to who might have been the pilot of the German triplane. The next morning General Trenchard sent an aide to 56 Squdron to elicit details of the battle. In this report James McCudden paid the following tribute to Voss, As long as I live I shall never forget that German pilot who single-handedly fought seven of us for ten minutes, and who put some bullets through all our machines. His flying was wonderful, his courage magnificent, and in my opinion he is the bravest German airman whom it has been my privilege to see fight. Magnificent Courage by Stan Stokes.Click For DetailsSTK0016
Germany, concerned over the full brunt of Americas entry into the War, decided in 1918 to launch one last all-out offensive. Germanys air forces were to play an important role in this offensive, but production of new aircraft had lagged behind expectations. With insufficient numbers of aircraft, German military leaders had to hope for technically superior machines to offset their disadvantages in numbers. In early 1918 top aces were brought back from the front to test competing designs. The overall favorite was a Fokker design which would ultimately reach the front as the D.VII. The aircraft was ordered into production immediately. The Germans organized a couple more fighter groups which could be rapidly deployed in those area where they could do the most good. The German offensive, which is generally referred to as the Kaisers Battle, began in the Spring and was focused on the area north of the Somme. British forces were initially overwhelmed by the German offensive. German airpower dominated in the early phases of the offensive. For the first major counter offensive of the War in which American forces would play a major role, Col. Billy Mitchell, Chief of the Air Service, assembled a huge air armada, the objective of which was to wrest toal air superiority from the German forces. Mitchell assembled 28 American squadrons. More than 600 US-piloted aircraft were available to Mitchell in this sector including more than 100 new American-built DH-4s with Liberty engines. In addition Mitchell rested control of several hundred additional aircraft in British, French, and Italian squadrons. Mitchells total force amounted to nearly 1,500 aircraft – the largest air armada ever assembled. In the early days of the counter offensive Mitchells strategy worked brilliantly, as the sheer number of Allied aircraft overwhelmed the Germans. Later, as the fighting continued, the Germans would have some success; especially with their Fokker D. VIIs. In Stan Stokes painting DH-4 bombers of the US 11th Aero Squadron come under attack by Fokker D.VIIs while on their way to another target during the St. Mihiel offensive. The 11th Aero Squadron would be decimated before the end of the offensive, losing all but one its aircraft. Five of the six DH-4s sent to bomb Mars-la-Tour were downed by a flight led by Hermann Becker, a significant German ace. The American built DH-4 was capable of carrying a 450-pound bomb load. Powered with a 416-HP Liberty 12 engine, these aircraft were capable of 125 MPH, and were adequately armed with 4 machine guns. The Fokker D. VIIs were powered with a 175-HP Mercedes engine and were capable of 119 MPH. The Fokkers were typically armed with twin Spandau machine guns. Mitchells Air Armada by Stan Stokes.Click For DetailsSTK0020
Born in Prussia to wealthy aristocratic parents, Manfred F. von Richtofen, The Red Baron, was to become the top ace of World War I, with 80 confirmed kills, and probably another 40-50 which took place over enemy lines and could not be confirmed. Richtofen was originally a cavalry officer, but with great persistence he was transferred to the air arm. After a brief period on the eastern front Richtofen was transferred to the western front in August 1915. His first confirmed victory was recorded in September 1916 and by November he recorded eleven kills, including Major L. Hawker, the top British fighter pilot at that point in time. With his keen reflexes and eyesight he quickly ascended, and by June 1917 Richtofen took control of a unit near Coutrai. This unit became known as Richtofens Circus. By July the ringmaster had his fifty-seventh victim. Despite his successes Richtofen shunned publicity and became increasingly withdrawn. Richtofen was wounded in combat and spent three weeks in the hospital recuperating. After his return to duty Manfred became a vocal proponent of the Fokker triplane. The bright red paint scheme utilized on one of Richtofens aircraft is what earned him the nickname, The Red Baron. Richtofens brother, Lothar, was also an ace with forty victories to his credit. By April of 1918, aided by Americas entry into the War, Germany was facing overwhelming numbers of enemy aircraft, and many with performance capabilities the equal to, and in some cases superior to, their own. The Germans mounted a final desperate offensive, and on April 21,1918 The Red Baron finally fell victim to the perils of combat. Although there is considerable controversy over the Red Barons demise, it appears that Richtofen was either killed by Captain Arthur Brown, a Canadian flying with the RAF, or was shot down by Australian machine gunners while evading Captain Brown. Richtofen was provided a full military funeral by the Allies, and on the evening following his funeral a single RAF fighter dropped a small package containing photos of the funeral onto the Circus headquarters. By Wars end the Circus was credited with the destruction of 644 aircraft, but 56 of its airmen had been killed, 32 seriously wounded, and 6 captured. Showtime at the Circus by Stan Stokes.Click For DetailsSTK0023
Arguably the best brother team of two fighter aces was Manfred and Lothar von Richtofen, with 120 WW I aerial victories between them. Manfred, who became known as The Red Baron, was the top ace of WW I and his reputation is still alive and well today thanks to movies and books. The Richtofen family was minor nobility, and Manfred painted the aircraft he flew in the squadron he commanded bright red – hence the name Red Baron. Manfred was born in Poland in 1892, and was sent to military school at age eleven. When WW I commenced Manfred, commissioned as a lieutenant, initially served in the cavalry. He became enthralled with aircraft while watching planes perform aerial reconnaissance missions. In 1915 he attended flying school, and was first assigned as an observer to a bombing squadron. Inspired by the exploits of the famous ace Oswald Boelcke Manfred put in for pilot training. He passed the pilots test on his third try. He was fortunate to fly with Boelcke in Jasta 2, a unit of promising young pilots. In October of 1916 Manfred witnessed the death of Boelcke when the great ace collided in midair with one of his squadron mates. Richtofen carried Boelckes medals at the funeral, a symbolic portending of his future greatness. Richtofen began flying an Albatros D.1 with red stripes and had good success including the downing of Lanoe Hawker the first British ace of the War. By early 1917 Manfred had sixteen victories and was awarded the Blue Max. At the same time he was given command of his own unit, Jasta 11. As an incredible leader Manfred trained his pilots well in both aerial tactics and strategies. He insisted on formation flying principles and his pilots were not permitted to fly recklessly or attack without assistance. They were taught to look for situations of relative advantage whether in terms of altitude, position of the sun, or relative strength. This scientific approach made Jasta 11 one of the most successful units. It became a squadron of aces, including Ernst Udet, Werner Voss and Lothar Richtofen, Manfreds younger brother. JG 1, a group of four Jastas, was organized in June of 1917 with Manfred as its Commander. With all the planes painted bright colors for identification, this unit became known as Richtofens Flying Circus. This crack unit was moved around the front as needed, and it concentrated on intercepting and destroying enemy aircraft. Very little reconnaissance or escort missions were flown. The unit attained between June 1917 and November 1918 an incredible 644 aerial victories compared to the loss of only 52 of its own aircraft. The Fokker Dr. 1 triplane was deployed with JG 1 in 1917. This diminutive aircraft was too slow to be effective with pilots of ordinary skill, but in the hands of the skilled pilots of JG 1 its advantages of climbing rate and maneuverability were put to great use. Manfred attained his last 20 victories in the triplane. Manfred was downed in April of 1918 behind enemy lines. He received a full military funeral by the British. Lothar would attain 40 victories – equaling Boelckes total and making him the 10th highest scoring German ace of the Great War. Lothar downed Albert Ball (the leading British ace at the time with 44 victories) in May of 1917. The Brothers Richthofen by Stan Stokes.Click For DetailsSTK0024

WW2 German Aviation Prints

Formed September 1939, originally as a coastal bomber reconnaissance unit which was absorbed into the Luftflotte as an orthodox bomber group, still retaining its nucleus of naval officers. Based at Nantes with detachments at Caen. Originally equipped with Heinkel He111, it was equipped with Ju88A-1 before and during the Battle of Britain. KGr 806 also saw operational service on the Eastern Front and Mediterranean. <br><br>Colonel Helmuth Brückmann: Born Hamburg in 1914, Helmuth graduated from school in Emden in 1934, enlisting into the German Navy the same year and commencing flying training in 1936, he was promoted to Oberleutnant in 1939 and was made Commanding Officer of a coastal reconnaissance squadron, aircraft carrier group and subsequently Director of a pilot training school. Early in WWII he became deputy Squadron Leader in a bomber wing, regularly flying He111 and Junkers 88 bomber aircraft. Whilst flying Ju88 A-1, werk no 4068 (the subject of this aerofile) of coastal bomber wing KG 806 on a raid to Liverpool 8th October 1940 he and his two man crew were intercepted and shot down by Hurricanes of 312 Squadron operating out of Speke (now Liverpool International) Airport. Helmuth crash landed his badly damaged aircraft onto a bank of the River Mersey at Bromborourgh on the Wirral peninsula. During the engagement one of his crew was killed and the other injured. After 36 missions Helmuth Brückmanns war was over. Promotion to Captain followed in 1942, and he was repatriated in 1944. He joined the Luftwaffe general staff and was promoted to major in 1945. On leaving the air force Helmuth studied languages and literature at university from 1946-1958 and became director of the Goethe Institute in Munich. He rejoined the Luftwaffe and became a Lt Colonel in 1959 in the Ministry of Defence, Bonn. After a period as Commander of a cadet training wing in the Luftwaffe Officers Training School in Munich, he was promoted to full Colonel in 1961 and transferred to the German Embassy in Washington D.C. USA as air attaché. After an additional assignment as the German Military representative with the NATO committee, he returned to Germany as head of the Military Studies Group in the German Ministry of Defence. He retired in 1973 and today lives in his native Germany.Kampfegruppe 806 (KGr 806) Ident Codes M7. by M A Kinnear.Click For DetailsAP0006
Formed May 1939 KG 27 was part of Luftflotte 3 during the Battle of Britain, with their Headquarters and I Gruppe based at Tours, II Gruppe at Dinard and Bourges, and III Gruppe at Rennes. KG 27 was equipped with Henikel III before and during the Battle, using this type for most of the War - including operational service on the Eastern Front. <br><br>Oberleutnant Gerhard Krems: Born 4th May 1920, Gerhard Krems joined the Luftwaffe on 9th November 1938 commencing pilot training on 15th March 1939 at LKS (2) Flight Training School, Gatow, Berlin. He graduated to multi-engine training at FFS (C) 3 School at Lonnewitz, 1st November 1939 followed by night and instrument flight training at Stargard, which he completed 15th April 1940. The next day he started operational training on the Do17 at the Reconnaissance Flying School, Grossenhain. Promoted to Leutnant 1st June 1940, Gerhard was sent to a holding unit at Weimer-Hohra to await a posting to operational staffel. On 15th August 1940 he joined Stabsstaffel/KG 27 in France. During the Battle of Britain, Gerhard completed 39 operational sorties (most of these being in the Heinkel III IG+BA, the subject of this aerofile) and was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class (EK II) 21st October, 1940, First Class (EK I) on 18th November 1940. On 22nd April 1941 he was awarded the Bomber Aircrew Qualification Clasp in Bronze for completing 20 operations. The following day Gerhard completed his 39th and final operation over England, after which he along with KG27 was sent east to take part in the invasion of Russia. On 30th June 1941, Gerhard was awarded the Wound Badge, followed by the award of the Silver Aircrew Clasp on 25th July, for completing 60 operations. He was then awarded the Gold Clasp, 10th October 1941, for completing 110 operations, followed by the Honour Goblet on 26th October 1941. Transferring to 2 Staffel KG27 on 27th January 1942, Gerhard became the first in his unit to be awarded the Knights Cross (RK) 25th May 1942. This was followed by the Russian Front Medal on 25th November 1942, and on 20th December 1942 by the Gold Clasp with Pendant for completing 200+ operations. On 15th March 1943, Gerhard gained the Krimschild for the Crimean Campaign. Transferred to Ia/Stab Gen. Kdo. I Fliegerkorps on 21st May 1944 which he served with until the War in Europe ended on 8th May 1945 - 4 days after his 25th birthday - when he was interned by Russian forces. During his wartime service, Gerhard completed 250 operations, and was held in captivity until release on 20th October 1945. From 1946-1950 he studied at Berlin University and graduated as an engineer. During a long career in the water industry, he became internationally well known, especially for his scientific research work for well constructions. He finally retired in 1980.Kampfgeschwader 27 (KG 27 Boelcke) Ident codes 1G. by M A Kinnear.Click For DetailsAP0010
One secondary market remarque print available, numbered 398 / 500. The Sinking of The Tirpitz by Gerald Coulson.Click For DetailsAX0040
One first edition print available. The Height of the Battle by Geoffrey Nutkins.Click For DetailsAX0057
It was in 1941 that the remarkable Focke-Wulfe FW190 first appeared in the skies of Europe, quickly establishing itself as a most formidable adversary. It proved to be the supreme weapon against all allied bomber forces. Here FW190A-8 of 1 Gruppe, Jagdgesschwader 1 is shown attacking a B17G of 381st Bomb Group during a critical defence of the Reich in 1944. Cat Among the Pigeons (FW190) by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0024
A Messerschmitt BF109 E of JG27 closes on a 501 squadron Hawker Hurricane during the typical combat in the skies over southern England during the Battle of Britain, in the summer of 1940.  One to One by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0033
B88. Eastern Med 1943 by Richard Ward. Eastern Med 1943 by Richard WardClick For DetailsB0088
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1As of No.610 (County of Chester) Sqn RAAF, intercept incoming Heinkel 111H-16s of the 9th Staffel, Kampfgeschwader 53 Legion Condor during the big daylight raids on London of August and September 1940 – the climax of the Battle of Britain. Spitfire N3029 (DW-K) was shot down by a Bf109 on the 5th of September 1940 and crash-landed near Gravesend, Kent, thankfully without injury to Sgt Willcocks, the pilot. For the record, N3029 was rebuilt and, following some brief flying in the UK, was sent overseas by convoy to the Middle East. Ironically, the ship carrying this aircraft was torpedoed en route and both ship and all its cargo were lost.Close Encounter by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0094
Swordfish of 825 Sqn led by Lt-Cdr Esmonde begin their heroic attack on the battlescruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen as they make their way up the English Channel from Brest during Operation Cerberus on 12th February 1942. Although all the aircraft were lost and no significant damage was done to the German fleet, all the pilots were decorated for their bravery and Lt-Cdr Esmonde received the first Fleet Air Arm VC to be awarded, albeit posthumously. The painting depicts the first wave of Swordfish attacking the Scharnhorst with Gneisenau taking avoiding action in the distance. A German torpedo boat has turned to confront the attacking aircraft. Attack on the Scharnhorst by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0138
The heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen slips quietly through the waters of Kiel Harbour as one of her own Arado Ar.196s flies overhead. In the background, Bismarck, wearing her Baltic camouflage, is alongside taking on supplies. Prinz Eugen by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0206
Bf109Fs of the Green Heart Warriors. Greenheart Warrior by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0226
The Fw190A-4 was introduced in July 1942, and was equipped with the same engine and basic armament as the A-3. A total of 976 A-4s were built between June 1942 and March 1943. Some of the most successful fighter aces of the Luftwaffe flew the Fw190. Otto Kittel scored 267 vicotries, Erich Rudorffer claimed 222 kills, and Walter Nowotny 258 victories. The majority of their kills were scored while flying the Fw190.Fw190A-4, Winter 1944 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0227
A pair of Fw190F fighters during the winter of 1943. The Fw190F and G had become the Luftwaffes standard fighter-bomber for ground attack. The Fw190F was very effective in this role. Additional armour protection was given to ground-attack variants and the G version also could carry a single 4,000-pound (1,800-kg) bomb or numbers of smaller bombs. The Fw190 was also used as a successful night fighter during the autumn and early winter of 1943–44, using conventional daylight methods to attack RAF bombers after searchlights had illuminated them. Fw190F Fighters - Winter 1943 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0228
German Ju87 Stuka. Stuka - Tribute to Hans Rudel by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0229
Erich Rudorffer commanding I./JG7 flying the Me262. Erich Rudorffer was the master of multiple scoring - achieving more multiple victories than any other pilot. Ready for Combat by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0230
Me262 of I./JG7 is prepared for an early morning sortie. Morning Maintenance by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0231
Erich Rudorffers Me 262 brings down a B-17 Flying Fortress during the defence of Germany. Defending the Homeland by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0232
Willi Reschkes Fw190A8 of III./JG301 during October 1944. Willi Reschkes Fw190A8 of III./JG301 during October 1944. by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0233
Pilots prepare for their bombing missions in their Ju-87 Stukas. Stuka Ju87 - Preparing for the Day by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0234
The German crew of a Type VII U-boat man the guns as their submarine comes under a surprise attack from a Beaufighter of Coastal Command. Surprise Attack by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0235
The crew of a Junkers 88A-4 of KG.30 about to board their aircraft. Ju88A-4 and Crew by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0238
Fw190A-4/U8 night bomber variant of SKG.10.Focke Wulf Fw190A-4/U8 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0239
Ground crew prepare Hajo Hermanns Ju88 for its next bombing sortie.Ju88A-4 of KG.30 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0240
The Me262B-1 night fighter of Hajo Hermann. Hajo Hermann flew many hours during flight testing of the Me262B night fighter variant. Me262B Night Fighter by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0241
Bf109Es of JG52 flown by Gunther Rall during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. Bf109Es of JG52 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0242
Gunther Rall is shown flying his Bf109E of JG52 during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. JG52 - Summer 1940 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0243
A Bf109E fighter is prepared to fight over southern England during the Battle of Britain.Bf109E of III./JG2 - Summer 1940 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0244
Me109s take off in their continued defence against Allied bombers. In Defence of the Homeland by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0246
Air Commodore Alan Deere DSO DFC* and other Spitfires of No.54 squadron during the Battle of Britain, attacking He111 bombers which are being escorted across the Channel by Me109 fighters Spitfires of No.54 squadron during the Battle of Britain by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0248
Messerschmitt Me110 night fighter attacking Lancaster bombers during a night raid. This original drawing is signed by three top night fighter pilots and radio operators. Night Defender by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0249
Original pencil drawing showing two Me262 jet fighters. Signed by Graeme Lothian only. Messerschmitt 262 by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0253
Lancaster LM360, piloted by Bill Reid, is raked by fire from stem to stern by a Luftwaffe Fw190 fighter. Bill Reid had already sustained injuries to his head, torso and hands from a previous attack by an Me110, but, with this rest of his crew unscathed from the previous attack, he had not mentioned his injuries. In the attack depicted here, the Fw190 makes a lethal attack on the already damaged bomber, killing one crew member and fatally wounding a second. Despite this, Bill Reid flew on to his target of Dusseldorf - a further 200 miles - successfully dropped his bombs, then turned for home. With the aid of the bomb aimer and flight engineer, the Lancaster made it across the Channel and headed for an airfield, with one leg of the damaged undercarriage failing on landing. Bill Reid was awarded the Victoria Cross for this mission. Bill Reid VC by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0256
Hawker Hurricane, the backbone of Fighter Command (along with the Spitfire) is shown during the Battle of Britain, downing an Me109. Hawker Hurricane - War Horse by Graeme Lothian. (P)Click For DetailsB0259
Gunther Rall sitting on the cockpit side of Bf 109G-2 Black 13 of III/JG 52, Eastern Front, 1943. Gunther Rall by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0282
Bf 109G-2s of III/JG 52 leave their dispersal on the Eastern Front in 1943. Nearest aircraft is Black 13 of Gruppenkommandeur Gunther Rall, then fast approaching his 150th victory. Gunther Rall - Black 13 by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0283
Gunther Rall and his wingman on patrol in the skies above the Western Front in April 1944 whilst serving with II/JG II. JG2 - Gunther Rall and his Wingman by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0284
unther Rall in action on the Eastern Front in 1944 with III/JG 52, attacking a Yak 4. Gunther Rall - on the Tail of a Yak by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0285
Gunther Rall claims his 274th victory, a P.38 Lightning on 29th April, 1944 whilst assigned to II/JG II on the Western Front. Gunther Rall - 274th Victory by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0286
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. Tribute to the Blenheim Crews by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0287
Boulton Paul Defiant of 151 Sqn, based at Wittering, attacking a Messerschmitt Me110. Following an exhausting summer during the Battle of Britain, 151 was designated a night fighter squadron and was equipped both with Hurricanes and Defiants. On the night of 15th January 1942, two Defiants succeeded in bringing down three German aircraft and further successes were recorded during enemy raids on Birmingham when a further nine kills were claimed. Night of Defiance by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0292
Group Captain Billy Drake in Curtiss P.40 AL161 of 112 Sqn downing a Stuka during the North Africa Campaign in 1942. The Jaws of Victory by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0293
Group Captain Billy Drake in Hurricane JX-P of No.1 Sqn scoring his first victory, an Me109 during the Battle of France, on 20th April 1940. Billy Drake - First of Many by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0294
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IVF of No.68 Squadron. The night-fighter squadron flew Blenheims from mid1941 to early 1942 before converting to Beaufighters. Aircraft WM-Z is shown in combat with a marauding Dornier Do17. Blenheim Mk.IVF of No.68 Sqn by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0295
A Fairey Battle of No.218 Squadron gets on the tail of a Ju-87 Stuka over France in 1940. An aircraft carrying the codes HA-J was shot down by flak on the afternoon of 12th May 1940. The three crew of aircraft K9353, J B Horner, L C Flisher and L D Davies were all lost. Fairey Battle, 218 Squadron by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0296
The Ju-87G Stuka of Hans Rudel is being quickly turned around between missions while serving in Slovakia, June 1944. Bombing Up - Stuka of Hans Rudel by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0297
An Avro Anson comes under attack from an Me109. Avro Anson by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0298
An Avro Anson Mk.I from Coastal Command is attacked by an Me109. Coastal Command - Avro Anson Mk.I by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0299
Fairey Battle HA-J of No.218 Sqn is taken by surprise by the close pass of a Bf109E over France. The squadron were based at Auberive-sur-Suippes in 1939, and as part of the Advance Air Striking Force of the RAF during the Battle of France, suffered heavy losses. An aircraft carrying the codes HA-J was shot down by flak on the afternoon of 12th May 1940. The three crew of aircraft K9353, J B Horner, L C Flisher and L D Davies were all lost.  Fairey Battle Mk.I by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0301
Messerschmitt Bf.110G4b/R3 of 7 Staffel, III/Natchjagdgeschwader 4, Autumn 1943. Messerschmitt Bf.110G4b/R3 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0304
Messerschmitt Me262B-1a/U1 of 10 Staffel, Natchjagdgeschwader 11. Messerschmitt Me262B-1a/U1 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0305
Focke-Wulf FW.190A-5/U8 of 1 Gruppe, Schnellkampfgeschwader 10 in 1943. All national markings were painted out, except for the call sign C on the fuselage and repeated, crudely sprayed, on the engine cowling. Focke-Wulf Fw190A-5/U8 by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0306
On the night of 7th-8th June 1944, a Lancaster of No.207 Sqn piloted by Wing Commander John Grey was part of a force of 112 bombers and 10 Mosquitoes sent to attack a tank storage park near Cerisy-la-Foret. With the D-Day landings just 48 hours old, it was considered too risky to leave the tank park intact, should the Germans try to launch a counter thrust from this position, just 20 miles from the French coast near Bayeux. Shortly after crossing the coast, Greys aircraft was attacked by a JU.88 and both the mid upper gunner Sutherland and tail gunner McIntosh opened fire on their pursuer and sent it down in flames. No sooner had they recovered from this fright when a second JU.88 closed in on them. Again, both gunners combined their fire and destroyed the enemy aircraft in mid air. Grey pressed on to the target where their bombs fell on the enemy tank depot, also destroying some fuel dumps and an important road junction. Returning to the French coast to begin their journey home, they were attacked yet again, this time by a Messerschmitt Bf 110. With machine-like precision, McIntosh and Sutherland opened fire together, claiming their third victim in a single night. For this extraordinary feat, both gunners were awarded the DFC. Gunners Moon by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0308
Adolf Galland hunts down another victim on a raid over the English Channel during the Battle of Britain. Galland by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsB0325
One of the most widely used aircraft of the Luftwaffe, the Ju88 was employed in a variety of roles, including night-fighter, bomber, dive-bomber and reconnaissance. The aircraft fought in numerous theatres, including the Battle of France, Battle of Britain, and the Eastern Front.Ju88s by Jason Askew. (P)Click For DetailsB0330
B0333P. Fw190 by Jason Askew. Fw190 by Jason Askew. (P)Click For DetailsB0333
B0347P. Hans-Ekkehard Bob, Bf109F by Ivan Berryman. Hans-Ekkehard Bob, Bf109F by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0347
Bf109G of Hans-Ekkehard Bob by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0348
On the afternoon of 24th May 1940, Hans-Ekkehard Bob claimed his second victory of the war, shooting down a French Dewoitine 520 fighter in his Me109 of 3./JG21. Hans-Ekkehard Bob - No.2 by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0349
Hans-Ekkehard Bob claims his fifth victory, over a Bristol Blenheim, on 26th June 1940 in his Me109 of 3./JG21. High Five by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0350
On 17th April 1943, Hans-Ekkehard Bob claimed a victory over a B-17 Flying Fortress, by ramming his opponent. He was forced to bale out of his damaged Bf109G and also sustained injuries during the incident. Collision Course by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0351
On the evening of 25th May 1940, Luftwaffe Ace Hans-Ekkehard Bob claimed his third victory, bringing down a French Morane 406 near Cambrai during the Battle of France in his Me109 of 3./JG21. Terminal Morane by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0354
The 79 Sqn Hurricane of P/O E J Morris receiving hits from a Dornier 17 on 31st August 1940. Morris was forced to crash land his aircraft and was slightly wounded following the combat. Revenge of the Raider by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0358
A pair of 79 Sqn Hurricanes attacking a Heinkel 111 on 15th August 1940. The nearest Hurricane is that of F/Lt Owen Tracey, who eventually destroyed the He.111 that was on its way to bomb Newcastle. One on the Run by Ivan Berryman. (P)Click For DetailsB0359
Shows the action on 26th May 1941 by Swordfish from HMS Ark Royal on the German battleship Bismarck. Fresh from her triumphant encounter with HMS Hood, Bismarck was struck by Swordfishs torpedo which jammed her rudder and was finished off by the home fleet on 27th May 1941. Sink the Bismarck by Geoff Lea.Click For DetailsDHM0267
High over the Eastern front Gunther Rall is seen shooting down a Russian Sturmivik aircraft, yet another victory taking him one closer to his final total of 275 victories in only 621 misisons, making him the third highest scoring ace in history.Horrido! Rall by Les Carter.Click For DetailsDHM0296
It is August 1944, barely two months since the Allies landed their first troops on the beaches of Normandy. After the failed Operation Lüttich (codename given to a German counterattack during the Battle of Normandy, which took place around the American positions near Mortain from 7 August to 13 August, 1944 ) The German Panzer Divisions were in full retreat, The British and American Generals believed it to be critical to halt them before they cauld regroup. Caught in the Gap at Falaise, the battle was to be decisive. Flying throughout a continuous onslaught, rocket-firing Typhoons kept up their attacks on the trapped armoured divisions from dawn to dusk. The effect was devastating: at the end of the ten day battle the 100,000 strong German force was decimated. The battle of the Falaise Pocket marked the closing phase of the Battle of Normandy with a decisive German defeat. It is believed that between 80,000 to 100,000 German troops were caught in the encirclement of which 10,000 to 15,000 were killed, 45,000 to 50,000 taken prisoner, and around 20,000 escaped . Shown here are German Tiger I tanks under continues attack by Royal Aoir Force Typhoons. Taming the Tiger by Geoff Lea.Click For DetailsDHM0402
The Hawker Hurricane powered by the powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engine is shown in combat with Luftwaffe aircraft during the Battle of Britain. The Hurricane played a major role in the aerial victory along with its companion the Spitfire.Merlin Roar by Anthony Saunders.Click For DetailsDHM0423
Flt. Lt. John Alexander Cruickshank in his consolidated Catalina. Winning his Victoria Cross for sinking U-347. Sinking of U-Boat 347 by Tim Fisher.Click For DetailsDHM0426
Portsmouth August 26th 1940, the lone spitfire of Squadron Leader Sandy Johnstone breaks the ranks and picks off one of the menacing Heinkels only to encounter an equally determined attack from a BF109. <br><br>We were brought to readiness in the middle of lunch and scrambled to intercept mixed bag of 100+ Heinkel IIIs and DO 17s approaching Portsmouth from the South. The controller did a first class job and positioned us one thousand feet above the target. with the sun behind us, allowing us to spot the raiders from a long way off. No escorting Messchersmitts were in sight at the time, although a sizable force was to turn up soon after. then something strange happened. I was about to give a ticking off to our chaps for misusing the R/T when I realised I was listening to German voices. It appeared we were both using the same frequency and, although having no knowledge of the language it sounded from the monotonous flow of the conversation that they were unaware of our presence. as soon as we dived towards the leading formation, however we were assailed immediately to loud shouts of Achtung Spitfuern Spitfuern! as our bullets began to take their toll. In spite of having taken jerry by surprise our bag was only six, with others claimed as damaged, before the remainder dived for cloud cover and turned for home. In the meantime the escorting fighters were amongst us when two of our fellows were badly shot up. Hector Maclean stopped a cannon shell on his cockpit, blowing his foot off above the ankle although, in spite of his grave injuries, he managed to fly his spitfire back to Tangmere to land with wheels retracted. Cyril Babbages aircraft was also badly damaged in the action. forcing him to abandon it and take to his parachute. He was ultimately picked up by a rescue launch and put ashore at Bognor, having suffered only minor injuries. I personally accounted for one Heinkel III in the action (Sandy Johnson) . <br><br>No. 602 City of Glasgow auxiliary squadron was a household name long before WWII began. It had been the first auxiliary squadron to get into the air in 1925, two of its members, Lord Clydeside and David McIntyre were the first to conquer Mount Everest in 1933: the squadron sweeped the board in gunnery and bombing in 1935, beating the regular squadrons at their own game. It was the first auxiliary Squadron to be equipped with Spitfire Fighters as far back as March 1939 and it was the first squadron to shoot down the first enemy aircraft on British soil. The squadron moved south from Drem airfield in East Lothian on August 14th 1940 to relieve the already battered no. 145 squadron at Westhampnett, Tangmeres satelitte station in Sussex. The squadron suffered 5 casualties during the battle. The squadron remained at Westhampnett until December 1940 to be replaced by no. 610 auxiliary airforce squadron. No 602 squadron itself remained active up until 1957 when it was put into mothballs. Gauntlet by Anthony Saunders.Click For DetailsDHM0436
Lockheed Vega PV-1 VB32 Squadron in the Santaren Channel. From this point on the U-boat was hunted and harassed only to be sunk in the Bay of Biscay. The Hunt for U-Boat 134 by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM0571
Bf109 G2 of Major Gunther Rall pursues and downs an unidentified Soviet aircraft over the Caucasus, Russia, early Autumn 1943. Rall went on to become the third highest scoring ace of all time, with 275 victories in only 621 missions. No Escape by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM0575
French Armee de L air Curtiss Hawk 75As flown by Czech ace Frantisele Pevina and his squadron Commander Captaine Jean Accaut, dive on unsuspecting Junker Ju87Bs (Stukas) during the Battle of France 1940. Czech - Mate by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM0580
A pair of ME109 G-14s of 9th Staffel, Jagdgeswader 54 (Greenheart Wing) make a final sortie during the last days of March 1945. The Last Patrol by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM0581
Oberleutenant Schalls ME 262 of JG7 catches the Australian crewed Lancaster from 5 group dead astern as it lines up for its bombing run on the Hamburg U-Boat pens. Even at this angle the speed of the jet made it difficult to get off more than a few bursts of cannon fire before it passed through the British formation. The episode was witnessed by navigator Cecil Keys in the leading Lancaster QR/Y from 61 squadron on his last raid of the war. Lt. Schall, an ace with 117 kills, and 2nd highest jet ace of the war with 14 victories was killed the following day when his aircraft hit a bomb crater on landing at his base of Parchim. Jet Attack by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM0582
On 20th October 1943, Wildcat and Avenger aircraft from the Carrier US Core, on patrol north of the Azores, surprised U378, a type VIIC U-boat which had been active in that area. The element of surprise was so complete that the submarines guns remained unmanned throughout the action. The Element of Surprise by Robert Barbour.Click For DetailsDHM0760
A U-boat wallows on the surface in typical Atlantic winter weather in February, 1944. approaching at low level is a Luftwaffe FW 200 C-8 Condor of 111KG 40 from the base at Bordeaux-Marignac in S.W. France. Atlantic Rendezvous by Robert Barbour.Click For DetailsDHM0765
Ju 52s deploy German Paratroopers during the assault on Crete (operation Mercure) 1942.  Falling Angels by Tim Fisher.Click For DetailsDHM0770
On the 12th May 1944, Col. Hubert Zemke tried his new fan tactic, designed to engage Luftwaffe fighters. Unfortunately on this occasion his aircraft was bounced by German ace Major Gunther Rall in his ME109 G-6AS, and escaped only by sending his P47-D Thunderbolt into a gut wrenching dive. Zemkes First Fan by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM0795
D for Donald of 270 squadron, Royal Air Force, out of Freetown, West Africa operating in the Atlantic Ocean. It was during routine operation search that D for Donald surprised U515 on the surface and immediately attacked the submarine. U515 in putting up stiff resistance blew a large hole in the hull of D for Donald and the magazine of the starboard side 0.5 twin Browning was hit and the subsequent shrapnel wounded both blister gunners. U515 escaped but was sunk by an American naval hunter group a year later. D for Donald limped back to base and managed to make the beach before it would sink completely. Catalina Attack by John Wynne Hopkins.Click For DetailsDHM0849
Hawker Hurricane IIc of top Czech ace Flt. Lt. K.M. Kuttlewascher, No.1 Fighter Squadron on a night intruder sortie from RAF Tangmere. On this mission he destroyed three Heinkel IIIs over their own airfield, St. Andre, in occupied France. Night Reaper, 4th May 1942 by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM0859
Spitfires of R.C.A.F 144 Wing led by Wing Commander Johnson in combat with ME109s of JG3 over Arromanches, France June 1944.Combat Over Normandy by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM0869
Fighter general shows Dolfo Galland leading a schwarm of BF109s out low at tree top height over the Kent countryside after doing battle with spitfires, during the last week of August 1940. This remarkable pilot was awarded the Knights Cross as a Major on the 15th August. His daring and leadership won the hearts of his men and respect from RAF Pilots. The Oak leaves was awarded on the 23rd September 1940 and crossed Swords in June 1941 after 69 victories. At the end of 1941 at age only 29 he was promoted Inspector General of the Fighter Arm. Leaving his post as Kommodore JG26 to Gerhard Schoepfel he was awarded the Diamonds to the Knights Cross in January 1942 at Oberst. As the youngest General in the German High Command he held this post until 1944, after open disagreements with Goring let to his dismissal. Reverting to combat flying he formed, with Steinhoff, the legendary JV-44, flying the ME262 jet fighter. His score by wars end stood at 104 all on the western Front. he was the only General to lead a squadron into battle.Fighter General by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM0872
Depicting ME109s flying over the Russian Front, the background is the enormous panorama of the Russian Steppe. The enormity of the battlefield on the Eastern Front was staggering in its vastness, stretching, as it did, nearly two thousand miles from frozen wastelands of the Arctic in the north, to the Black Sea in the south. Over this hostile, formidable territory fighter pilots of the Luftwaffe flew more combat missions and shot down more enemy aircraft during World War Two than any other group of fighter pilots in the entire history of aerial combat. Many of the top aces were in battle from the Spanish Civil War in 1938 until the fall of Germany in 1945. They flew continuously day after day, sometimes in the most appalling weather conditions, until they were shot down or wounded. Graeme Lothians emotive print pays tribute to the Fighter Aces of the Eastern Front. In the background is the enormous panorama of the Russian Steppe. Günther Rall is seen leading his pilots over enemy territory. Eagles Over the Steppes by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM0873
During WW II ofjuly 1944, the RAF Bomber Command were planning yet another bombing raid, this time over Stuttgart in Germany. The no.514 Sq., based in Cambridgeshire, England, were one of the Lancaster Bomber Squadrons chosen for the mission. Flight Lieutenant THOMAS HARVELL was a member of the 7 man crew for Lancaster Bomber no.LM206 selected. He was flight engineer and co-pilot with II missions already behind him. The RAF carried out nearly all their raids at night. This was the night of July 28/29 1944 and they were on course in the vicinity of Neuf Chateau (S.WNancy) France. Suddenly they were attacked by a prowling Luftwaffe Nightfighter aircraft, which later proved to be a JUNKERS 88 flown by HEINZ ROKKER. The Lancaster shuddered on the first hit but continued flying. THOMAS HARVELL was moving to the back of the aircraft and had dropped window, (strips of foil) to confuse ground radar, when they were hit again. This time they lost an engine after an explosion and LM206 started to plunge earthwards. (The Merlin Engine can been seen today at the French Airforce museum, St.Dizier, Lorraine) FI.Lt. HOMAS HARVELL was literally blown out of the doomed Lancaster, hitting his head and becoming unconcious. As luck was on his side, he regained his senses whilst falling through the air and pulled his chute at the last minute. He landed heavily and injured his leg. The pilot and four other members of the crew perished but navigator George Robinson also managed to use his chute and was captured after landing, by the german occupation forces. George Robinson now lives in South Africa. The other five crew members are all buried at Neuf Chateau and their graves can be seen to this day. THOMAS HARVELL was able to evade capture and was found by a member of the FFI (French Resistance), who hid him in various hideouts. After being treated for his wounds by Dr.CORNU, a prominent surgeon of Neuf Chateau, several attempts were made to smuggle THOMAS HARVELL back to England without much success. It was decided, by the FFI, to make one last attempt and this time THOMAS HARVELL was given a bicycle and new identity papers. He was told to cycle in the direction of the Swiss border west of Besacon and make contact with the Daubs area FFI commander, JEAN LAPPRAND.It was decided it was too dangerous to cross the border at this time and as THOMAS HARVELL had already become a member of the French Resistance, he continued fighting the war side by side with his French Resistance colleagues. It was in this part of France, that he witnessed a trial of a double agent/traitor of the FFI, who was quickly executed by firing squad. At this point in time, OREST BILAK came into the picture. He was born in Ukraine and had joined the Ukranian Army in 1942. He had become a senior NCO officer when his whole battalion were ordered to join forces with a german SS unit. They had much fighting experience and took part in some very bloody battles. Some elements of the Ukranian people had, at first, welcomed the germans but this soon changed and sometime in 1944 many were deserting. This was the case with OREST BILAKs battalion who had just been ordered to march into the mountain stronghold of JEAN LAPPRAND and wipe them out. Instead they had killed their german SS commanders and after talks with JEAN LAPPRAND had fought on with the FFI including THOMAS HARVELL. Together they liberated the region including the town of PIERREFONTAINE, ahead of the advancing allied forces Sept. 1944. It could be said that THOMAS HARVELL was the only British serviceman who fought with the german SS without being called a traitor. Another RAF pilot, Paul Bell a canadian and THOMAS HARVELL were now able to make contact with the 711 US Army. After six weeks, including a ride in the Dakota of General Patch, they finally made it back to England. On his arrival, THOMAS HARVELL became an instructor/advisor until the end of the war. He later made a career in the British Police Force. He regularily travels to France to meet all his wartime colleagues and now lives in Southampton, England. OREST BILAK was demobilised in 1946. Around this time he met his future wife (in France) who was also Ukrainian and had been working during the war in underground factories for the germans. By pure chance they had both attended the same school in Ukrainia. After the war OREST BILAK made a career in the clothing industry They live in retirement at a small mountain village near Lyon, France. They have 10 grandchildren. He has also devoted much of his time and money for a childrens home, in France, for the underprivileged from Ukraine. Out of his battalion of 450 men, of those who survived, 230 stayed with the French Foreign Legion, some emigrated to Canada, USA and Australia. 116 returned to the Ukraine, only to be arrested and sent to a Siberian prison for 10 years and a further 10 years hard labour. OREST BILAK and his wife visited the Ukraine for the first time in 1994 and met some of their old colleagues. JEAN LAPPRAND remains, to this day, secretive about his time in the FFI. Without a doubt he was very lucky to survive the war, considering his responsibility and fame. After the war he had his own carpentry business and lives in retirement with his wife at Pierrefontaine in good health. After much research we were able to trace and find HEINZ ROKKER, the Luftwaffe pilot who shot down Lancaster LM 206. We had a remarkable reunion at Neuf Chateau on September 14th 1999, where Thomas Harvell and Heinz Rokker met for the first time. It was a civic event with official invitation from the town mayor. A visit was made to the cemetery where the five Lancaster crew members are buried and HEINZ ROKKER laid a wreath on behalf of the german Nightfighters Pilots Association. This was followed by a speech at the town hall. A magnificent feast finished the event at the restaurant next to DOMREMY. Combat Over Domremy by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM1113
Günther Rall leading 111 JG52 squadron April 1943. Caucasus Dawn by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM1114
Sailor Malam leading 74 Squadron engaging Me109s of I/JG52 during the Battle of Britain, September 1940. The Right of the Line by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM1115
Major Rudolf Rudi Sinner of STAB.III/JG7 attacking B-17s of 91st Bomb Group during March 1945. Attacking in a Kette of three aircraft from behind and below targeting the tailenders and rising over the B-17s. Avoiding any debris and evading the incoming fighter escort, who are dropping down from their top cover positions. Rudolf Sinner acheived a total of 39 victories, including two in the Me262.Defenders of the Reich by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM1156
Germanys primary fighter during World War II, the Daimler-Benz DB601A powered BF109E-4 was much loved by its pilots, combining good speed and manoeuverability with a powerful armament, namely two 7.9mm MG17 machine guns in the top decking, two wing mounted 20mm MGFF/M canon and a further 20mm MGFF/M canon ,ounted in the engine, firing centrally through the propeller spinner. Nearest aircraft is that of the 109s greatest exponent, Major Adolf Galland, Gruppenkommander III/JG26 Schlageter, Luftflotte 2, depicted during a sortie from Caffiers, France in 1942.Adolf Galland / Messerschmitt Bf109 E-4 by Ivan BerrymanClick For DetailsDHM1321
Swordfish of 825 Sqn led by Lt-Cdr Esmonde begin their heroic attack on the battlescruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen as they make their way up the English Channel from Brest during Operation Cerberus on 12th February 1942. Although all the aircraft were lost and no significant damage was done to the German fleet, all the pilots were decorated for their bravery and Lt-Cdr Esmonde received the first Fleet Air Arm VC to be awarded, albeit posthumously. Attack on the Scharnhorst by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1349
Junkers JU87 R-1 Stukas find a gap in the cloudbase en route to their target during the Norwegian Campaign of 1941. Dawn Raiders by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1405
Following the initial parachute drops at Maleme (West) and Canea (Middle) Group East, comprising of Fallschirmjager Regiment 1 and 2nd battalion FJR2, prepared for their descent on Crete. Charged with the capture of Heraklion and its aerodrome, their departure was postponed until late afternoon due to the repairs and refuelling needed for the returning Junker 52 transports. The Second Wave, Greece, 20th May 1941 by David Pentland.Click For DetailsDHM1412
After firing their RM4 rockets against B24s of 448 BG, Lt. Fritz Muller (white 7) and wingman Lt. Fredrich W Shenk break hard right to go around again. Me262 1As of 3rd Gruppe JG7 by Randall Wilson. (GL)Click For DetailsDHM1616
Messerschmitts from Stabb 111/JG53 patrolling over Germany in the last days of WW2, piloted by Lt. Bernard Ernst Dieter April 1945. Bf109 K-4 by Randall Wilson. (GL)Click For DetailsDHM1619
The legend of Willie Messerschmitts Me262, and the elite fighter Aces who piloted this revolutionary jet aircraft, is as secure as any born during the Second World War. As they hurtled into the air, climbing at speeds hitherto unknown, a small group of seasoned pilots heralded a new generation of combat aircraft that would extend into the 21st century. At the spearhead of this new era in combat flying was the mercurial fighter leader Adolf Galland. Sacked for opposing the naive tactics of Luftwaffe supremo Hermann Goering, Galland found himself, as a General, once again leading a squadron of fighters into battle. Although too late to change the spectre of imminent defeat, this tiny group of highly decorated Aces fought a courageous rearguard action during the final Defense of the Reich. Seen blasting off an airfield in Bavaria are four Me262s, led by General Adolf Galland. Glistening in the damp air these sleek fighters are on full power in their rush to climb to altitude. Within minutes they will attack an incoming mass formation of B-17s and B-24s. Below, the roads and buildings reflect the sunlight between the scattered clouds of a departing storm. In Defense of the Reich by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM1640
On December 16th 1944, Hitler mounted the largest offensive in the west since 1940. It was his last desperate offensive of World War II. With Germanys industrial heartland in ruins, its factories pulverised by Allied air raids, and opposing armies advancing on two fronts, the Third Reich appeared on the verge of collapse. The sudden and fierce reposte caught the Allied forces by surprise, forcibly demonstrating Germanys ability and will to continue the war. It was the Fuhrers last great gamble, and when American and British forces recovered to smash the brutal offensive, Hitler had spent the last energies of his crumbling empire. That final, desperate assault became known as the Battle of the Bulge. At dawn on December 26th, pilots of the 1st and 4h Staffels of 1./Gruppe JG26 took off to provide cover for the forward Panzer divisions, which were coming under attack from P51 ground attack fighters. Although flying brand new Focke-Wulf Fw190Ds, on take off they immediately lost contact with their controllers, forcing the Gruppe to adopt Free Hunt tactics. It made no difference, they quickly found the opposition! This painting captures the Fw190s of JG26 at full tilt, as they power across the spectacular winter landscape in the Ardennes. Flying at tree top height to avoid radar detection, the Luftwaffe pilots hurtle above German tanks and trucks lumbering towards the battlefront. The early morning glow glistens in the crisp morning snow bringing an air of serenity to a poignant and historic scene. Winter Wolves by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM1643
Occupied by the Germans, by 1942 Norway had become vital to Hitlers war in the East. With the Russians threatening to over-run Finland and attack Norway, the pilots of JG5 were tasked to support German ground forces, and to escort the incessant Luftwaffe attacks on Arctic Convoys from Britain to the vital Russian ports of Murmansk and Archangel. With such unpredictably harsh weather it was a life or death battle fought under extreme conditions. For the pilots of JG5 - Eismeer, the Polar Sea Group, the sun never set during the long summer months, and due to constant fog and storms it was often impossible for pilots to return to base, often diverting to other airstrips. But their darkest moment came in December 1944 when their Kommodore, Heinrich Ehrler, one of the Luftwaffes most brilliant fighter leaders, was made a scapegoat following the sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz in a Norwegian fjord. Despite holding the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and nominated for the Swords, he was convicted. High in the Arctic Circle a bitter war of attrition was fought in freezing, unforgiving conditions, the desperate conflict played out against a majestic, awe-inspiring backdrop of beautiful ice-clad mountains. Richard Taylors spectacular painting portrays the Me109s of 6./JG5 led by Oberleutnant Heinrich Ehrler, while based at Petsamo in Finland, as they soar high above the towering peaks of ice capped mountains glistening in the cold polar air, March 1943. Their dawn patrol keeps constant vigil along the glacial fjords of the Norways far-northern coastline, as the majestic vista gives the battle-hardened Me109 pilots a brief moment of tranquility far removed from the grim and bitter battles being fought below. Arctic Hunters by Richard Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM1653
Captain Erich Topp steers his Type VIIc U-Boat number U-552 Red Devil towards the sanctuary of the base at St Nazaire after another patrol during the gruelling Battle of the Atlantic in 1942. In the skies above, heading back out to hostile waters is a giant Focke Wulf 200 Condor from III/KG40 and three Ju88Ds from KGr 106 whose missions will be to search for vulnerable Allied shipping for the submarine Wolfpacks to attack. The third-highest scoring U-Boat ace, Captain Erich Topp sank a total of thirty ships and damaged three more whilst commanding the Red Devil. Sea Wolves by Nicolas Trudgian. (C)Click For DetailsDHM1685
The formidable Me262s of JV44 fly above the clouds in 1945. JV44 - Kette of Swallows by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM1694
Hannes Truatloft is shown here leading Fw190s of JG54 over the Russian Front. Hannes Trautloft is one of the Luftwaffes great fighter leaders, scoring his first air victory in the Spanish Civil War in August 1936. Returning to Germany in 1937 he joined the national aerobatics team flying the Me109. Soon after the outbreak of World War II, Hannes took command of I./JG20 taking part in the Battle of Britain, before moving to the Balkans as Kommodore of JG54. Now leading the group on the Russian Front, JG54 took part in the heavy fighting, first in the Me109, then the Fw190. In the summer of 1943 Hannes Trautloft joined General Gallands staff. As a mutineer he was sacked by Goering, thus ending an illustrious combat career comprising 550 combat missions and 57 aerial victories. Hannes Trautloft by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM1696
Adolf Galland fought in the great Battles of Poland, France and Britain, leading the famous JG26 Abbeville Boys. He flew in combat against the RAFs best including Douglas Bader, Bob Stanford Tuck and Johnnie Johnson. In 1941, at the age of 29, he was promoted to Inspector of the Fighter Arm. In 1942 Hitler personally selected Galland to organise the fighter escort for the Channel Dash mission. He became the youngest General in the German High Command but open disagreements with Hermann Goering led to his dismissal at the end of 1944. He reverted to combat flying, forming the famous JV44 wing flying the Me262 jet fighter, and was the only General in history to lead a squadron into battle. With 104 victories, all in the West, Adolf Galland received the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. Adolf Galland by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM1697
Situated 40 miles south west of Leningrad, the German occupied airfield at Siverskaya is now home to the famous Grünherz or Green Hearts of Jagdgeschwader 54. The harsh Russian winter of 1941 is starting to take hold as three Messerschmitt Bf109F-4 Friedrichs from III Gruppe take off into early morning sunshine to act as fighter escort to Stuka attacks on the Soviet fleet in Kronstadt Harbour. With its wheel covers removed to prevent snow jamming the undercarriage, lead aircraft Yellow 5 already shows signs of weathering to the partial whitewash hastily applied over summer camouflage. Green Hearts by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1705
A pair of Focke Wulf 190A4s of 9./JG2 Richthofen based at Vannes, France during February 1943. The nearest aircraft is that of Staffelkapitan Siegfried Schnell. The badge on the nose is the rooster emblem of III./JG2 and the decoration on Schnells rudder shows 70 of his eventual total of 93 kills. Looking for Business by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1706
Squadron Leader H C Sawyer is depicted here flying his 65 Sqn Spitfire Mk.1a R6799 (YT-D) in the skies above Kent on 31st July 1940 at the height of the Battle of Britain. Chasing him is Major Hans Trubenbach of 1 Gruppe, Lehrgeschwader 2 in his Messerschmitt Vf109E-3 (Red 12) . The encounter lasted eight minutes with both pilots surviving. High Pursuit by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1707
Summer 1940: it has been another rough day for the sasoned pilots of JG-26 Schlageter. Once again they have flown out of their base at Abbeville in northern France to escort the massed bombers of the Luftwaffe against the RAFs fighter airfields of southern England, and once again they have been locked in deadly combat with the Spitfires and Hurricanes of RAF Fighter Command. The Battle of Britain is reaching its climax and, for the first time, the Luftwaffe tastes defeat. This painting by Anthony Saunders brings to life a typical cameo from those long and arduous aerial contests, an Me109 from JG-26 has taken a hit during the fighting, the engine is overheating, and beginning to trail smoke. But the Squadron Commander, the legendary Adolf Galland, closes in to escort the stricken fighter back across the Channel. Crossing the iconic white cliffs of Dover, the drama has time to run. Homeward Bound by Anthony Saunders.Click For DetailsDHM1749
On the 9th September 1940, No.92 Squadron was thrown into the Battle of Britain. They had fought bravely during the evacuation of Dunkirk, and after a spell on convoy patrol, they were thrust into the desperate climax of the greatest air battle in history. Flying Spitfires from Biggin Hill, they immediately went into action attacking massive Luftwaffe bomber formations and their escorting Me109s. Southern England was under severe threat, but the impact of 92 Squadron was immediate. During the next four months, its young pilots brought down no fewer than 127 enemy aircraft. This painting by Anthony Saunders portrays Spitfires from No.92 Sqn as they successfully engage an Me109 over the harvested fields of southern England, in August 1940. The desperate action of aerial combat is beautifully captured in this compelling and accurate reconstruction of a famous fighter squadron at war. High Summer by Anthony Saunders.Click For DetailsDHM1750
Though some 1400 of Germanys remarkable Me262 jet aircraft were built, fewer than 300 ever saw action during its short 10 month combat career, the 550 mph fighter-bomber arriving in service too late to make any impression on the course of the war. Most famous of all Me262 units was Jagdverband 44, commanded by General Adolf Galland. Instructed by Hitler to set up a small defensive fighter unit to make the most of the new Me262, Gallands JV44 attracted other top-scoring pilots, including top aces Macky Steinhoff and Walter Krupinski, and the unit soon became dubbed Gallands Squadron of Experts. Though doing their best to repel daylight attacks on jet production plants in Southern Germany, JV44 were fighting a losing battle. During a raid on 9 April 1945 the unit lost nine aircraft – a pattern that was to continue. Also, American fighter pilots, unable to catch the 262 in the air, found success taking the jets out as they took off or landed, catching them while at their most vulnerable. With the Allies driving deeper and deeper into Germany, production of aircraft, spares, fuel, and ammunition, steadily dried up. The point came when JV44, Gallands now legendary Squadron of Experts, finally ground to a halt. Running the Gauntlet shows Me262s of JV44 returning to base in southern Germany, having come under attack from P-51 Mustangs of the 353rd Fighter Group. Almost out of fuel and ammunition, the Me262s have little option but to complete their landing sequence, hoping fervently they are not bounced by American fighters loitering in the area. They are out of luck on this occasion, and although Galland has organised a unit flying Focke-Wulf Fw190D-9s to provide air cover in the area of the airfield, they too have been caught by the 353rd Fighter Groups surprise attack. At the relatively slow speed required on final approach, the Me262s handling is sluggish and the pilot is having enough trouble without the attentions of a bunch of P-51 pilots. At this point the JV44 Me262 remains unscathed, and with the arrival of the Fw190s, there is the possibility this particular jet pilot will survive the day. Running the Gauntlet by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM1751
The Junkers Ju87 Sturzkampfbomber, known to the British simply as the Stuka, had already acquired a deadly reputation across Europe, its siren screaming as the ungainly dive-bomber struck terror into the hearts of those below. In 1940 its pilots crossed the Channel with their grim-looking aircraft to terrorise the southern towns and ports of England. Robert Taylors painting Open Assault, depicts Hurricanes of 501 Squadron attacking a force of Ju87 Stukas as they dive-bomb naval vessels and installations in the port of Dover on 29 July 1940. High explosive bombs detonate within the sheltered anchorage as escorting Bf109s from JG51 race in to protect their lumbering charges. Four Stukas and two Me109s are despatched, for the loss of just one RAF aircraft. Open Assault by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM1753
DHM1761. Tribute to Erich Hartmann by Graeme Lothian. Tribute to Erich Hartmann by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM1761
DHM1762. Tribute to Johannes Steinhoff by Graeme Lothian. Tribute to Johannes Steinhoff by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM1762
Spitfires of No.19 Squadron RAF, including Flt Sgt George Unwin (QV-H) attack a formation of He111 bombers during the Battle of Britain. Battle of Britain by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM1763
P-51 Mustangs of the 20th Fighter Group, flying out of Kings Cliffe to engage Me109s from JG77 in a furiously contested dogfight. Below them a formation of B-17s from the 379th Bomb Group fly through the chaos, doggedly maintaining their course, as they head on to attack the huge synthetic oil refinery at Meresburg, southern Germany, on 11 September 1944. So vital was this refinery to the Nazi war machine that it became one of the most heavily defended targets in Germany, the air defences even surpassing those of Berlin. Clash of Eagles by Anthony Saunders.Click For DetailsDHM1794
As the first rays of daylight spread their golden glow over the vast expanse of sky above the Russian Front, the menacing roar of heavily armed Bf110s of 6./ZGI shake the cold air around them as they prepare for a dawn strike against enemy ground targets deep inside Russian territory. Above them, their Me109 escorts, alert for danger, constantly scan the distant skies for any enemy intruders that may be on the prowl and waiting for them. It is high summer, 1942. On the ground the German summer offensive towards the Caucasus is now in full swing, and General Paulus with the 6th Army has begun the long advance that will eventually lead it to the gates of Stalingrad. The Luftwaffe is at full stretch, it too has a major part to play against stiffening Russian resistance. Dawn Strike by Richard Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM1800
Bf109G-2 Yellow 11 of Oberleutnant Hermann Graf, Staffelkapitan 9./JG52, Pitomnik, September 1942. Graf scored his 150th kill in this aircraft in September 1942. He was awarded the Knights Cross after 42 victories, the Oak Leaves after 104 victories, the Swords after 106 victories and the Diamonds after 172 victories. His final total at the end of the war stood at 212 victories, and he held the rank of Oberst. Tribute to Hermann Graf by Graeme Lothian.Click For DetailsDHM1809
September 1940: The Battle of Britain reaches a crescendo as Me109s of the 1./JG52, their bright yellow noses glinting in the sun, gather speed and altitude as they form up after take-off from their base at Coquelles, near Calais. Led by Hauptmann Wolfgang Ewald, the Scharwm settle into their loose, finger-four formation, the pilots alert for danger and ready for yet another raid on England, just a few miles across the Channel.Dawn Eagles Rising by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM1810
Depicting the No.19 Sqn Spitfire Mk.IIA of <a href=aces.php?PilotID=3798>Flt Lt Walter Lawson</a> attacking a a Bf.109 E-4 of JG.3 in the Summer of 1940. The final tally of Lawson before he was listed as missing in August 1941 was 6 confirmed, 1 shared, 3 probables and 1 damaged. The Bf.109 shown here was flown by Oberleutnant Franz von Werra. He survived this encounter, but was shot down over Kent in September 1940. Flt Lt Walter Lawson by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1855
Whilst flying with A Flight of 85 Squadron on 30th July 1940, <a href=aces.php?PilotID=10>Geoffrey Allard</a> encountered a pair of Messerschmitt Bf.110s about 40 miles from the coast, apparently patrolling near a convoy. After Squadron Leader Townsend, flying Red 1, had made two unsuccessful attacks, Allard closed to 150 yards and began to fire continuously, eventually closing to just 25 yards, whereupon the starboard engine of the Bf.110 began to disintegrate. This was just one of eight victories that Allard claimed during the Battle of Britain to add to a previous eight that he had scored flying Hurricanes during the Battle of France. Close Combat by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1858
No one knows for certain whether the two great fighter aces <a href=aces.php?PilotID=11>Douglas Bader</a> and <a href=aces.php?PilotID=169>Adolf Galland</a> actually fought each other in a one-on-one combat, but it is thought highly likely that they did as the famous Tangmere Wing led by Bader regularly found itself dueling with the Bf.109s of JG.26 led by Galland. Their great rivalry came to an end in August 1941 when Bader was shot down over St Omer, but these two heroes were to become close friends after the war, each having the utmost respect for the other. Adversaries by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1862
On the afternoon of 5th September 1940, Spitfires of 41 Sqn intercepted a large formation of Heinkel 111 bombers and their escorts over the Thames estuary, en route for London. Flying N3162 as Red 2, <a href=aces.php?PilotID=8>Flight Lieutenant Eric Lock</a> attacked the bombers head on as they began to turn north. In a fraught combat, Lock was to destroy two He.111s and a Bf.109 on that single mission, setting him on course to become the highest scoring ace in the RAF during the Battle of Britain with sixteen confirmed victories and one shared. His final total at the end of the war was twenty six kills confirmed and eight probables. Total Commitment by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1863
<a href=aces.php?PilotID=169>Adolf Galland</a> 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 <i>Wonky</i> 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. Victory Above Dover by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1866
Posted to 64 Squadron on 1st July 1940, </a>the tragically short relationship of <a href=aces.php?PilotID=3711>Sub Lt F Dawson Paul</a> with the Spitfire was crammed with victories. He immediately shared a Dornier Do17 off Beachy Head and, just four days later claimed a Messerschmitt Bf.109. Further kills were confirmed over the next two weeks, among them five Bf.110s and another Do.17. His final victory was a Bf.109 on 25th, but on this day he fell to the guns of the German ace Adolf Galland. Dawson Paul was rescued from the English Channel by a German E-boat, but died of his wounds five days later as a prisoner of war. The Longest July by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1870
Spring, April 15, 1945. With the pincers from both the Eastern and Western Fronts encircling the Third Reich any hopes of a German victory had long since been crushed. The German pilots goal now was to survive from day to day and wish for a quick end to an already hopeless situation. The pilots of the vaunted JG26 had been respected and feared in the war since their inception on 28 September 1939 to their bitter end in 1945, achieving more than 2,700 aerial victories, a kill ratio of 3 to 1. Even though these pilots realized the final outcome of this war they continued to fight on as ordered - some for honor, most flying reconnaissance and low level bombing attacks against oncoming allied forces trying to stop the insurgence of armies into the Fatherland. Knights Realm by Brian Bateman.Click For DetailsDHM1871
The scene was October 7, 1944, Lt. Urban Ben Drew was flying escort with the 361st Fighter Group in P-51D Detroit Miss over Achmer airfield when he spotted unidentified aircraft lined up on the runway below awaiting takeoff. Drew, his wingman, and element leader broke off and started a steep dive from 15,000 feet closing in on the enemy aircraft which were taking off line astern. Upon reaching the aircraft, which were now identified as ME-262s, Drew fired away and immediately hit the rear 262. As Ben puts it: <i>I have never seen a plane before or since totally disintegrate as the one that day. It just vanished</i>. By then the second 262 had realized his situation and started a climbing turn to the left - his undoing. Flying through the explosion form the first kill, Ben pulled back on the stick and proceeded to shoot down the second jet - two in one action! The entire shoot down took place in just 31 seconds. Drew was given credit but his claims were unconfirmed until 40 years later when Georg-Peter Eder, an accomplished pilot with the Luftwaffe who witnessed the attack, confirmed his claim to U.S. officials. On May 12, 1983, Drew was awarded the Air Force Cross for his action that October day, 1944. Two for Drew by Brian Bateman.Click For DetailsDHM1872
By the summer of 1943, the Allied bombing offensive against Germany was gearing up for a combined 24-hour operation; the British by night and the Americans by day. The recent British introduction of <i>window</i> (small strips of aluminum cut to reflect the radio waves of the German radar and dropped during these missions) effectively blinded the Germans in directing their night fighters to intercept the British bomber stream. Around this time, Major Hajo Herrmann, an accomplished bomber pilot with nearly 70,000 tons of enemy shipping to his credit, came up with the concept of sending single seat fighters which were used during the day to also be used to intercept British bombers at night. Flying above the bomber stream, the German pilots would be able to see the bombers silhouetted by the glare of the probing searchlights of the defenses below or by the glow of the full moon above. Recruiting expert pilots with night flying experience, these flyers formed the nucleus of a test unit known as JG300. Their tactics became known as the Wilde-Sau (Wild Boar) and like the ferocious beasts for which they were named, they soon struck fear into the Allied bomber crews they encountered. Depicting the FW-190A-6 of one of Germanys leading night fighter pilots with 23 kills, Friedrich Karl Mullers Green 3, aviation artist Brian Bateman captures the deceptive tranquility of the night sky as Muller gently banks high over Berlin among contrails of enemy aircraft, looking for yet another victim of the Wilde-Sau. Shadow of the Moon by Brian Bateman.Click For DetailsDHM1873
t was a time of grueling air combat and continuous sorties facing overwhelming odds. A time of wrecked nerves, fatigue, and the constant reality that the end was near for the men and machines of Hitlers Luftwaffe. Nevertheless, men flew into combat time and time again, defending their solemn oath to fight and die for the Fatherland! Thunder from the Heavens depicts the pilots and machines of JG7, the first operational jet fighter group to be formed after the remotely successful EKDO 262. Flying high above the ruins of the Reich in the beauty of an early evening sky, it's hard to realize the enormity of destruction to the scorched earth below. Set in early March, 1945, the painting conveys the beauty of these sleek machines of war, contrasting with the peaceful surrounding of the coming spring evening. Thunder from the Heavens by Brian Bateman.Click For DetailsDHM1874
The twelfth of May, 1944. The German countryside is blooming with the coming of spring. Germanys struggle is coming to a crescendo as the Allies continue their assault on the Third Reich. Just above the deceptive peace of the countryside, Gruppenkommandeur Gunther Rall, assigned to JG/11 on the Western Front, is bounced by P-47s of the 56th Fighter Group. Better known as Zemkes Wolf pack, the 56th is the highest scoring USAAF fighter unit of the ETO, accounting for some 665-1/2 aircraft in the air. Rall is outnumbered four to one. Taking evasive action, Rall descends from the clouds toward the treetops, trying everything he knows to pull out and away from the much-too-powerful P-47s. Weaving, twisting and at full throttle, even Rall is no match for the numbers against him. Finally, Ralls 109 is within range and the P-47s eight 50-caliber guns are making deadly strikes--igniting Ralls aircraft and shooting his thumb off at the throttle. Rall has no choice but to pull into a half loop and bail out. To make matters worse, as Rall reaches the ground he is approached by a German farmer with a pitchfork who tries to impale him! After convincing the farmer hes German, Rall stomps off to a local phone and is subsequently taken to a hospital where he would remain until 1944. Feeling the Wolves Bite depicts Gunther Ralls 109G during this encounter. Rall, on fire and wounded, begins to pull into a half loop as he prepares to bail out of his Messerschmitt for the first and only time in his career. Feeding the Wolves Bite by Brian Bateman.Click For DetailsDHM1876
On the morning of 11th March 1943, Fw190s from IV./JG5 took off from their base to escort the mighty battleship Tirpitz and a screening fleet of escort destroyers and torpedo boats, at the start of a voyage north to Bogen Bay during Operation Rostock. Designed to escape the increasingly frequent British bombing raids, Tirpitz would leave southern Norway to join an impressive German naval battle fleet gathering near Narvik, one of the largest German naval bases in Norway. Together with the Scharnhorst, the heavy cruiser Lutzow, and the light cruiser Nurnberg, they would pose a grave threat to the Arctic convoys. After repeated attempts to sink her, Tirpitz was eventually destroyed by the RAF at her anchorage in Altenfjord, 12th November 1944. Eismeer Patrol by Anthony Saunders.Click For DetailsDHM1894
Herbert Ihlefeld leads the Fw190s of JG1 over the Ardennes during the last great offensive by German forces in the west on Christmas Eve, 1944. The Last Offensive by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM1895
The top scoring ace of JG.51, Anton Hafner is credited with 204 confirmed victories. A prolific scorer, on 8th August 1944, he shot down no fewer than seven Russian Sturmoviks and, by October of that year, his overall tally had exceeded 200. He died in combat with a Yak 7, his 204th victim, when his aircraft hit a tree. He is shown here in Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6 442013 <i>Black 1</i>. Anton Hafner by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1901
Major Hans-Ekkehard Bob is shown claiming his 5th victory – a Blenheim – 60km west of Rotterdam on 26th June 1940. Bob went on to serve with JG.54, JG.51, JG.3, EJG2.2 and JV.44, scoring a total of 60 confirmed victories in the course of his Luftwaffe service. The Blenheim claimed as his 5th victory is likely to have been R3776 of No.110 Squadron, which was the only Blenheim recorded to have been lost participating in Operation Soest on that day - while another returned to base damaged and crash landed. The three crew of the Blenheim were all missing in action - P/O Cyril Ray Worboys, Sgt Gerald Patterson Gainsford and Sgt Kenneth Cooper. Ltn. Hans-Ekkehard Bob of JG21 Becomes an Ace by Ivan Berryman.Click For DetailsDHM1903
The Battle of Britian - 28th August 1940. The Battle of Britain is at its height but the threat of invasion is still a deadly reality. As the country waited, grim and expectant, for Hitlers <i>Operation Sealion</i> to be put into action, Blenheims of 105 Squadron make another strike against German troop barges assembling in the northern French port of Boulogne. Overhead, escorting Hurricanes of 501 Squadron engage in a savage tussle with Me109s of JG3 as the Luftwaffe pilots attempt to disperse the attacking British bombers. During the encounter three Me109s of JG3 were shot down for no British loss. Fear Nothing by Anthony Saunders.Click For DetailsDHM1906
With their brightly coloured checkertail tails there was no mistaking the P.51 Mustangs of the 325th Fighter Group. Escorting B-24s over Austria in August 1944, tangled with a group of Fw190 fighters. The ensuing dogfight spiraled down below the mountain peaks as Herky Green led the Checkertails in a low-level chase. Herky nails one Fw190. Behind him his pilots will take out the two Fw190. When all is done this day the 325th will be credited with 15 enemy fighters destroyed. Checkertail Clan by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsDHM2023
The success of Operation Bodenplatte, on January 1, 1945, was to be achieved by mass surprise attacks on British and American bases in France, Belgium and Holland. It was a battle fought at great cost to the Luftwaffe. During the battles some 300 Luftwaffe aircraft were lost. Though 200 Allied aircraft were destroyed, most on the ground, pilot losses were light. Nicolas Trudgians brilliant painting takes us right into the action above the Allied air base at Eindhoven. Me262 jets join a concentration of Me109s and Fw190s of JG-3 fighter wing, as they hurtle across the airfield in an assault that lasted 23 minutes, while Spitfires from 414 Sqn RCAF do their best to repel the attack. On the ground Typhoon fighters of 439 Sqn take a hammering. Operation Bodenplatte by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2028
Me109s of I/JG2, under the command of the brilliant Helmut Wick, setting out on a mission across the English Channel in September 1940. Wick, seen in the foreground, with Gunther Seeger off his starboard wing, was the top-scoring Luftwaffe Ace in the Battle of Britain with 56 victories. Stormclouds Gather by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsDHM2033
The Black Widow is a formidable creature. It lurks in the dark, carefully chooses its moment of attack and strikes unseen, cutting down its prey with deadly certainty. Northrop could not have chosen a more apt name with which to christen their new night fighter when the P61 Black Widow entered service in the spring of 1944. The first aircraft designed from the start as a night fighter, the P61 had the distinction of pioneering airborne radar interception during World War II, and this remarkable twin engined fighter saw service in the ETO, in China, the Marianas and the South West Pacific. Under the command of Lt Col O B Johnson, one of the P61s greatest exponents, the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron was the leading P61 outfit in the ETO, destroying 43 enemy aircraft in the air, 5 buzz bombs and hundreds of ground based vehicles, becoming the most successful night fighter squadron of the war. Flying a twilight mission in his P-61 Black Widow on October 24, 1944, Colonel Johnson and his radar operator have picked up a formation of three Fw190s, stealthily closing on their quarry in the gathering dusk, O.B. makes one quick and decisive strike, bringing down the enemy leader with two short bursts of fire. Banking hard, as the Fw190 pilot prepares to bale out, he brings his blazing guns to bear on a second Fw190, the tracer lighting up the fuselage of his P-61. Twilight Conquest by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2036
Adolf Galland and his wingman Bruno Hegenauer break through the fighter escort of No. 303 Squadrons Spitfires to attack Blenheim bombers of No. 21 Squadron over northern France, 21 June 1941. In two missions that day Galland claimed two Blenheims and one Spitfire, survived a forced crash-landing, and later a parachute escape from his blazing Me109. That evening he learned he was to become the first recipient of the Knights Cross with oak leaves and swords - Germanys highest award for heroism.Most Memorable Day by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM2051
They came across the English Channel at wave top height, their propeller slipstreams leaving wakes on the surface of the water. Nine Dornier Do17Z bombers of 9th Staffel, KG76, detailed to attack the RAF airfield at Kenley as part of Reichsmarshal Gorings prelude to Operation Sealion - the invasion of Britain. Hitler knew that RAF Fighter Command had to be destroyed in the airand on the ground if his plans were to succeed, but the German High Command failed to take into account the resilience of the young Hurricane and Spitfire pilots, and their determination to hold this last vital line of defence. The Dorniers were spotted as they approached the English coast, and Hurricanes were scrambled to intercept. The German bombers cleared the North Downs with feet to spare and spread out into attack formation as they lined up on the hangars at Kenley. As they came in over the airfield Hurricanes of 111 Squadron came diving upon them. Suddenly all hell broke loose. Bombs rained down on to the airfield and buildings went up in flames. One Dornier was brought down and tow more, badly damaged by ground fire, were finished off by the Hurricane pilots. Now the chase was on to catch the others before they could escape back to their base in Northern France. Only one of the nine Dorniers that set out will return to base on that 18th day of August, 1940. Holding the Line - The Battle of Britain by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2054
A Heinkel 219 and a Messerschmitt 110 of NJG-1 climbing out from their base a Munster Hansdorf, as they set out on a deadly mission. Ten aircraft took off to intercept a major raid on Dusseldorf, the night witnessing a fierce battle high above the darkened city. NJG-1 crews assisted with the downing of 19 RAF bombers, one Luftwaffe pilot being credited with no fewer than 6 victories that night. Below them the spectacular Ruhr Valley is vibrant in its mantle of winters first snowfall on the night of November 2, 1944 Into The Cloak of Darkness by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsDHM2055
The first successful daylight raid on Berlin. Nicolas Trudgians painting relives the fearsome aerial combat on March 6, 1944, as B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 100th B.G. are attacked. Screaming in head-on, Fw190s of II./JG I charge into the bomber stream. With throttles wide open, 56th Fighter Group P-47 Thunderbolts come hurtling down to intercept. B-17 gunners are working overtime, the air is full of cordite, smoke, jagged pieces of flying metal and hot lead. We are in the midst of one of the fiercest aerial battles of the war. First Strike on Berlin by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2057
Taking his Hurricane off from Speke, a raiding JU88 crossed the airfield in front of Denys Gillam, who promptly shot it down. It was the fastest air victory of the war, and probably of all time. Fastest Victory by Robert TaylorClick For DetailsDHM2078
On October 12, 1940, No. 603 Squadron, reduced to only eight aircraft, took on a large formation of Me109s attacking head on. Robert Taylors vivid portrayal shows Scott-Maldens Spitfire moments after knocking down an Me109 in the encounter, both he and his wingman coming through unscathed.Head on Attack by Robert TaylorClick For DetailsDHM2080
Don Kingaby is the only pilot in the RAF to have been awarded 3 DFMs. During his first combat on August 12, 1940, he severely damaged an JU88 over the Isle of Wight and Robert Taylor captures the moment of break, with the JU88 already smoking. Don Kingaby flew a further 450 operational sorties on Spitfires. First Combat by Robert TaylorClick For DetailsDHM2081
In August 1940, Frank Carey let No 43 Squadrons A Flight into Schwarms of JU87s, escorted by Me109s. Though hopelessly outnumbered, Carey accounted for 4 JU87s before running out of ammunition.Uneven Odds by Robert TaylorClick For DetailsDHM2082
Bobby Oxspring in his 66 Squadron Spitfire destroys an ME109 of JF/53 Ace of Spades Group, in a high level attack at 30,000 feet above Dover, 18th September 1940. Angels Three Zero by Robert TaylorClick For DetailsDHM2084
A B-24 has been hit and is losing touch with the main bomber formation, as Luftwaffe pilots concentrated their attentions on the unfortunate aircraft. Two Fw190s, are zooming up for the kill on the damaged B-24. Seeing the desperate situation, a P-38 escort pilot has made a head-on attack, splitting the pair of Fw190s, and thwarting their attempt to finish off the B-24. Another P-38, aware of the situation, is turning into the path of the Fw190s, and Robert makes it clear in his dramatic portrayal that the action has some way to go before any conclusion will be reached. Hostile Sky by Robert TaylorClick For DetailsDHM2085
During operation Ramrod 792 on April 25, 1944, leading his Spitfire wing, Johnnie Johnson had a long-running combat with an FW190. Robert Taylor shows the last moments of the duel which ended in victory for the Allied Air Forces leading fighter Ace. Ramrod by Robert TaylorClick For DetailsDHM2095
When the American Army reached the Rhine at Remagen on March 7, 1945, such was the speed of their advance, they arrived before the retreating Germans had time to blow the vital bridge. The Americans seized the bridge intact. Realising the threat to the German defences, the Luftwaffe were ordered into destroy the bridge at all costs. Desperate efforts were made to attack the bridge, and over the course of the following days the fighting became one of the legendary battles of the war. Two RAF Tempests have flown right through the Luftwaffe formation of Me262 and Arado 234 jets bombers, the high speed aircraft missing each other by feet. The concentration of the desperate attackers is broken momentarily, sufficiently so that their bombs miss the target - but more Luftwaffe aircraft can be seen streaming into attack Clash Over Remagen by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2109
Mickey Mount, flying his 602 Squadron MkII Spitfire, successfully attacks a Messerschmitt Me109 low over the cliffs of Beachy Head on the south coast during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. Spitfires and Me109s were so evenly matched at this early point in the war that the outcome of such contests were usually decided by the skill of the competing pilots. Combat Over Beachy Head by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2110
In the summer of 1940, JG3, under the command of Hans von Hahn, scramble their Me109s from their French countryside base at Colombert, near Calais. With the deafening sound of their piston-engined aircraft, sporting the groups colourful Dragon emblem on their cowlings, they head for the battle front. Dragons of Colombert by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsDHM2112
DHM2113. Fighter Legend - Adolf Galland by Nicolas Trudgian. Fighter Legend - Adolf Galland by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2113
HM Stephen - one of the Battle of Britains top scoring fighter pilots, brings down two Me109s in quick succession over the White Cliffs of Dover, early on August 11, 1940. Flying a Spitfire with 74 Squadron, HM shot down five German aircraft on this day, and damaged a further three. The note in his log book starts First flap of the day at 0600 hrs ... First Flap of the Day by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2115
Robert Taylors final painting in his 60th Anniversary trilogy features a scene from the attacks on the afternoon of September 7, 1940. Led by Herbert Ihlefeld, Me109Es of II/LG 2 dive through the bomber formation giving chase to Hurricanes of 242 Squadron as Ju88s of KG30, having unloaded their bombs, head for home. One Ju88 has been hit and is already losing height, and will not return. Following behind He111s of KG53 try to keep formation as they fly through flak. The sky is alive with action. Assault on the Capital by Robert TaylorClick For DetailsDHM2121
A classic head-to-head combat between Squadron Leader Sandy Johnstone in his Spitfire and an Me109 over the south coast of England on 25th August, 1940. With 602 Squadron scrambled to intercept an approaching raid. The Commanding Officer notches up his second victory of the day. Head to Head by Nicolas TrudgianClick For DetailsDHM2122
During the legendary Battle of Britain Spitfires of 92 Squadron are engaged with Messerschmitt Me109s of JG-2 in a high-altitude dog-fight directly over London in September 1940. Way below bombers of the Luftwaffe attempt one of their final daylight raids over the capital. Combat Over London by Robert TaylorClick For DetailsDHM2133
A Junkers Ju52 of Luftflotte 2, escorted by Me109s of JG-53, transports important military personnel over the Dolomites in 1942. With the setting sun illuminating the mountain tops in a brilliant light, the panoramic vista is both chilling and spectacular. As the aircraft lumbers across the impressive mountain scenery, members of the High Command can be seen in conference in the cabin, while crew in the cockpit concentrate on their special duties flight plan. Behind them, unprotected from the elements, a lone gunner keeps a watchful eye. The Ju52 became the Luftwaffes primary wartime transport aircraft, taking part in every German army land operation during World War II.Special Duties by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM2145
Leading 433 (Canadian) Squadron, top Allied Fighter Ace Johnnie Johnson -Greycap Leader - has already bagged an Fw190, and is hauling his MKIX Spitfire around looking for a second in heavy dog-fighting over the Rhine, September 1944. In the distance more enemy fighters appear, they too will receive the attention of the Canadians. Greycap Leader by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM2151
A Soviet Yak 3 hurtles towards us in a typically daring head-on attack on a Bf109. Other Yaks wheel and turn frantically in search of the enemy. Casualties on both sides are evident. Away into the distant horizon stretches a vast Russian sky, painted in Roberts inimitable style: soon all will be quiet again until the next ferocious encounter. Russian Roulette by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM2167
Macky Steinhoff in action over the White Cliffs of Dover. It is August, and the height of the Battle of Britain: Heinkel 111 bombers have attacked airfields and radar stations along the south coast, and a frantic dog-fight has developed as Me109s of JG-52 clash with Hurricanes of the RAFs No. 32 Squadron. Mackys Me109E, which dominates the picture, provides a magnificently detailed study of this superlative fighter, as he and his fellow Luftwaffe pilots do their best to protect the retreating Heinkels. Below is a wonderful panoramic aerial view of Dover Harbour, the legendary White Cliffs, and the carefully researched landscape showing the south-eastern tip of the British Isles as it was in 1940.Steinhoff Tribute by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM2172
The Stuka when dressed for war was an awesome spectacle. Robert Taylors outstanding painting shows a formation of JU87s bombed up and fitted with long range tanks heading out on a shipping strike over the Mediterranean in 1941. Following its success in the Polish and French Blitzkrieg campaigns, the Stuka was seen by the German High Command as the supreme new weapon to succeed long range artillery. With its banshee-like wailing siren the Stuka pilots would deliver destruction from the skies and create a devastating psychological effect upon all those below. Stuka by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM2173
The air war fought throughout World War II in the night skies above Europe raged six long years. RAF Hurricanes sent up to intercept the Luftwaffes nightly blitz on British cities had no more equipment than the fighters that fought the Battle of Britain during the day, but as the scale of nightly conflict developed, detection and navigation aids - primitive by todays standards - were at the cutting edge of World War II aviation technology. As the air war progressed the intensity of the RAFs nightly raids grew to epic proportions, and the Luftwaffe night-fighters became a critical last line of defence as their cities were pounded from above. By 1944 the Luftwaffe was operating sophisticated systems coordinating radar, searchlights and flak batteries, enabling effective guidance to increasingly wily aircrews flying equipment-laden aircraft. But the RAF had in turn developed their own detection equipment, and the nightly aerial contests between fighters and bombers were desperate affairs. Night-fighter pilots were men of special calibre, requiring a blend of all the best piloting and navigational qualities combined with patience, determination, and no small element of cunning. They were hunters in the purest sense, constantly honing their skills, and pitting their wits against a formidable foe. The young aircrews of the Luftwaffe fought a brave but losing battle in defence of their homeland, but their dedication never faltered, and their bravery is legend. Robert Taylor pays tribute to this courageous and skilled group of flyers with his new painting Duel in the Dark. It is August 1944. As Lancaster heavy bombers of 106 Squadron approach the target, Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, Kommandeur of IV./ NJG1 and the Luftwaffes top-scoring night- fighter pilot, makes a daring attack passing feet below the mighty four-engine aircraft. Flying his Me110 night-fighter among the flak and searchlights he has scored hits on the bombers outer starboard engine. While his gunner fiercely returns fire from the bombers front turret gunner, the night-fighter Ace will slip into the shadows before selecting another quarry. His nights work is not yet done. Duel in the Dark by Robert Taylor.Click For DetailsDHM2218
The ever-vigilant crew of this Mosquito night-fighter successfully intercept a Luftwaffe Bf110 as it heads towards a bomber stream over target in Germany. Night Hawks by Philip West.Click For DetailsDHM2223
For bomber crews, any daylight-bombing mission almost certainly meant combat. If it werent the attentions of determined Luftwaffe fighter pilots, it would be an aerial carpet of flak that welcomed the bombers en route to the target - and again on the journey home. On most missions the Eighth Air Force aircrews had to contend with both. Enduring up to ten hours of concentrated flying under cramped conditions, extreme cold, with the constant noise and vibration produced by four powerful engines, made every mission uncomfortable enough without being shot at. But the USAAF aircrews confronted the odds - a one in three chance of completing a 25-mission tour of operations - cheerfully and with gallant resolve. Playing a major role in the great raids on Germany and other targets in occupied Europe from early in 1944, equipped with the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, the USAAF Second Air Division flew no fewer than 95,048 sorties. Based in Norfolk, England, the crews also attacked targets far distant in Norway, Poland and Rumania, unloading almost 100,000 tons of bombs and claiming over 1000 enemy fighters shot down. End Game by Nicolas Trudgian.Click For DetailsDHM2261