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Holding the Line - The Battle of Britain by Nicolas Trudgian.
DHM2054. Holding the Line by Nicolas Trudgian. 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. Last 30 available of this sold out edition. Signed by Air Commodore John Ellacombe, Group Captain Alec Ingle (deceased) and Group Captain John Peel (deceased), in addition to the artist. Signed limited edition of 600 prints. Image size 26 inches x 16 inches (66cm x 41cm)
Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Website Price: £ 150.00
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| Signatures on this item | | Name | Info | 
Air Commodore John Ellacombe CB DFC* | John Ellacombe joined the RAF in 1939 and was posted to 151 Squadron in July 1940, immediately converting to Hurricanes. On 24th August he shot down a He111, but a week later his Hurricane was blown up in combat and he baled out, with burns. Rejoining his squadron a few months later, in February 1941 was posted to 253 Squadron where he took part in the Dieppe operations. On 28th July, flying a Turbinlite Havoc, he probably destroyed a Do217. Converting to Mosquitos, John was posted to 487 Squadron RNZAF, and during the build up to the Normandy Invasion and after, was involved in many ground attacks on enemy held airfields, railways, and other 'targets of opportunity'. He completed a total of 37 sorties on Mosquitos. Flying a de Havilland Mosquito XIII with a devastating set of four 20mm cannon in the nose, John Ellacombe flew deep into occupied France on the night before D-Day searching out and destroying German convoys and railway targets. As the Normandy campaign raged on, 151 Squadron intensified its interdiction sorties - including night attacks on Falaise and the Seine bridges. On August 1st Ellacombe took part in the famous attack by 23 Mosquitoes on the German bar-racks in Poitiers, led by Group Captain Wykeham Barnes. Ellacombe had first joined 151 Squadron during the Battle of Britain, direct from Flying Training School. Within weeks he had scored his first victory but also force landed in a field, having shot down a He 111, and baled out of a blazing Hurricane. He baled out a second time during the Dieppe Raid in 1942 but was picked up safely. Postwar he had a long and successful career in the RAE.
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Group Captain Alec Ingle (deceased) | Alec Inle was commissioned in June 1940 and joined 615 Squadron at Drem flying Hurricanes before moving to Croydon during the Battle of Britain. He probably destroyed a Do17 in September; in October he shot down an Me109 and probably two more, and yet another victory in November, at which time he was appointed B Flight Commander. He later commanded 609 Squadron at Manston before leading 124 Wing in 1943 flying Typhoons. He was shot down in September 1943 after his Typhoon blew up in combat with an Fw190. Badly burned, he spent the remainder of the war as a POW in Stalag Luft III. Alec Ingle was awarded the AFC and DFC. Sadly Alec Ingle died on 31st July 1999. | 
Group Captain John Peel DFC DSO (deceased) | Born 17th October 1911. John Peel is credited with having fired the first shots of the Battle of Britain. In July 1940, he commanded No.145 Sqn destroying one and sharing in the destruction of three German bombers. During the battle of Britain, he damaged or destroyed three enemy aircraft, and was himself shot down, crash landing on the Isle of Wight. After the Battle of Britain he served as a Wing Leader, once more being shot down - this time over the Channel, until in January 1943 he took a job in the Air Ministry, where he served until the end of the war. He died 7th January 2004. |
| The Aircraft : | | Name | Info | | Hurricane | Royal Air Force Fighter, the Hawker Hurricane had a top speed of 320mph, at 18,200 feet and 340mph at 17,500, ceiling of 34,200 and a range of 935 miles. The Hurricane was armed with eight fixed wing mounted .303 browning machine guns in the Mark I and twelve .303 browning's in the MKIIB in the Hurricane MKIIC it had four 20mm cannon.
All time classic fighter the Hurricane was designed in 1933-1934, the first prototype flew in June 1936 and a contract for 600 for the Royal Air Force was placed. The first production model flew ion the 12th October 1937 and 111 squadron of the Royal Air Force received the first Hurricanes in January 1938. By the outbreak of World war two the Royal Air Force had 18 operational squadrons of Hurricanes. During the Battle of Britain a total of 1715 Hurricanes took part, (which was more than the rest of the aircraft of the Royal air force put together) and almost 75% of the Victories during the Battle of Britain went to hurricane pilots. The Hawker Hurricane was used in all theatres during World war two, and in many roles. in total 14,533 Hurricanes were built.
| | Do17 | The Dornier 17 first saw action during the Spanish Civil war (1936-39) where it was faster than the enemies fighters and was nicknamed by the Spanish as Bacalaos which means Cod Fish. Full production started in March 1937 with a variety of variants including DO 17E and DO 17F for use as fast reconnaissance aircraft. During the opening months of world war two the Dornier 17 along with the older He 111 was the main bomber for the Luftwaffe, with three of the bomber groups operating Dornior 17's - KG2, KG3 and KG76. At the outbreak of the war a total of 533 Dornier were in frontline service. The aircraft did well during the Polish campaign - with a speed of 265 mph which was faster than the Polish defenders fighters. But during the Battle of Britian, when faced with the fast Royal Air Force fighters, the Dornier with its light armament was no match. In1940 with the new JU 88 being produced the Dornier was gradually replaced and production of the Do 17 ended in 1940 |
| Artist Details : Nicolas Trudgian |
Nicolas Trudgian
Cranston Fine Arts have now taken over all remaining stocks of Nicolas Trudgian prints from his previous publishers. We have made available a great many prints that had not been seen for many years, and have uncovered some rarities which lay unnoticed during this transition. Having graduated from art college, Nicolas Trudgian spent many years as a professional illustrator before turning to a career in fine art painting. His crisp style of realism, attention to detail, compositional skills and bright use of colours, immediately found favour with collectors and demand for his original work soared on both sides of the Atlantic. Today, more than a decade after becoming a fine art painter, Nicolas Trudgian is firmly established within a tiny, elite group of aviation artists whose works are genuinely collected world-wide. When he paints an aircraft you can be sure he has researched it in every detail and when he puts it over a particular airfield, the chances are he has paid it a recent visit. Even when he paints a sunset over a tropical island, or mist hanging over a valley in China, most probably he has seen it with his own eyes. Nick was born and raised in the seafaring city of Plymouth, the port from which the Pilgrim Fathers set sail in 1620, and where Sir Francis Drake played bowls while awaiting the Spanish Armada. Growing up in a house close to the railway station within a busy military city, the harbour always teeming with naval vessels and the skies above resonating with the sounds of naval aircraft, it was not at all surprising the young Nick became fascinated with trains, boats and aircraft. It was from his father, himself a talented artist, that Nick acquired his love of drawing and surrounded by so much that was inspiring, there was never a shortage of ideas for pictures. His talent began to show at an early age and although he did well enough at school, he always spent a disproportionate amount of time drawing. People talked about him becoming a Naval officer or an architect but in 1975 Nick's mind was made up. When he told his careers teacher he wanted to go to art school the man said, 'Now come on, what do you really want to do? After leaving school Nick began a one-year foundation course at the Plymouth College of Art. Now armed with an impressive portfolio containing paintings of jet aircraft, trains, even wildlife, he was immediately accepted at every college he applied to join. He chose a course at the Falmouth College of Art in Cornwall specialising in technical illustration and paintings of machines and vehicles for industry. It was perfect for Nick, and he was to become one of the star pupils. One of the lecturers commented at the time: Every college needs someone with a talent like Nick to raise the standards sky high; he carried all the other students along with him, and created an effect which will last for years to come. Two weeks after leaving art college Nick blew every penny he had on a trip to South Africa to ride the great steam trains across the desert, sketching them at every opportunity. Returning to England, in best traditions of all young artists, he struggled to make a living. Paintings by an unknown artist didn't fetch much despite the painstaking effort and time Nick put into each work, so when the college he had recently left offered him a job as a lecturer, he jumped at the chance. The money was good and he discovered that he really enjoyed teaching. Throughout the 1970s Nick was much involved with a railway preservation society near Plymouth and it was through the railway society that he had his first pictures reproduced as prints. But Nick felt he needed to advance his career and in summer 1985 Nick moved away from Cornwall to join an energetic new design studio in Wiltshire. Here he painted detailed artwork for many major companies including Rolls Royce, General Motors, Volvo Trucks, Alfa Romeo and, to his delight, the aviation and defence industries. He remembers the job as exciting though stressful, often requiring him to work right through the night to meet a client's deadline. Here he learned to be disciplined and fast. Towards the end of the 1980's Nick had the chance to work for the Military Gallery. This was the break that for years he had been striving towards and with typical enthusiasm, flung himself into his new role. After completing a series of aviation posters, including a gigantic painting to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Royal Air Force, Nick's first aviation scene to be published as a limited edition was launched by the Military Gallery in 1991. Despite the fact he was unknown in the field, it was an immediate success. Over the past decade Nick has earned a special reputation for giving those who love his work much more than just aircraft in his paintings. He goes to enormous lengths with his backgrounds, filling them with interesting and accurate detail, all designed to help give the aircraft in his paintings a tremendous sense of location and purpose. His landscapes are quite breathtaking and his buildings demonstrate an uncanny knowledge of perspective but it is the hardware in his paintings which are most striking. Whether it is an aircraft, tank, petrol bowser, or tractor, Nick brings it to life with all the inordinate skill of a truly accomplished fine art painter. A prodigious researcher, Nick travels extensively in his constant quest for information and fresh ideas. He has visited India, China, South Africa, South America, the Caribbean and travels regularly to the United States and Canada. He likes nothing better than to be out and about with sketchbook at the ready and if there is an old steam train in the vicinity, well that's a bonus!
More about Nicolas Trudgian
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| Battle of Britain | |
| Battle of Britain After winning the Battle of France, the Luftwaffe sought to gain air superiority in the skies over Britain during the summer of 1940. The ensuing defence by the RAF against the onslaught of the Luftwaffe became known as the Battle of Britain. It was the first major campaign fought entirely by means of aerial combat. Initially, the Luftwaffe attacked shipping in the English Channel, and shipping ports such as Portsmouth and Plymouth. By August, they were concentrating their attacks on RAF airfields and ground installations. However, in a move that probably invited defeat for Germany in the battle, the Luftwaffe switched from bombing RAF targets to bombing major cities. This move allowed the airfields the time to recover and regroup, making the defence capabilities of Britain stronger. By the summer of 1940, the RAF had approximately 9,000 pilots and 5,000 aircraft, most of which were bombers. By the 1st of July, the Commander of Fighter Command, Marshal Hugh Dowding could provide just 1103 fighter pilots - which came from the regular RAF squadrons, the Auxiliary Air Force squadrons and the Volunteer Reserve. Replacement pilots with little flight training and often no gunnery training suffered high casualty rates. Meanwhile, the Luftwaffe comprised 1450 fighter pilots, many with experience from the Spanish Civil Wars just a few years earlier. During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe used four primary bombers. These were the Heinkel He111, Dornier Do17 and Junkers Ju88 for level bombing, and the Junkers Ju87 Stuka dive bomber. These were escorted by Messerschmitt Me109 and Me110 fighters. Defending Britain against the Luftwaffe were the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire squadrons of the RAF. While Britain successfully defended the air during the battle and repelled any invasion attempt by denying the Luftwaffe air superiority, losses were high on both sides of the battle. Between the official dates of the battle - 10th July to 31st October 1940 - 2936 fighter pilots took part n the battle on the British side, including 595 non-British pilots. These included 145 pilots from Poland, 127 from New Zealand, 112 from Canada, 88 from Czechoslovakia, 28 from Belgium, 32 from Australia, 25 from South Africa, 13 from France, 10 from Ireland, 7 from America, and 1 from each of Jamaica, Palestine and Rhodesia. The Allied losses were 544 aircrew killed, 422 wounded and 1547 aircraft destroyed, while the Luftwaffe lost 2698 aircrew killed, and lost 1887 aircraft. This key battle was considered the first crucial defeat for Germany. Had the Luftwaffe been successful in its aims, Germany could have invaded Britain, and had the invasion been successful, the outcome of the war could have been very different, with nowhere for the American Air Force to launch attacks on Germany from.
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