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Please note that our logo is used on our website images only and does not appear on our products. Jaws of the Dragon by Stan Stokes. The Republic F-105 Thunderchief, or Thud, as it was nicknamed by many of the pilots who flew it, was conceived as a supersonic, low altitude fighter-bomber capable of carrying a nuclear weapon in its internal bomb bay and two more on its wing stations. The F-105 evolved from a proposal made by Republic to the USAF in 1952. A series of delays, cancellations, spec changes, and other problems resulted in a very long gestation period for this aircraft, with initial production models not reaching operational units until 1958. The Thud was a big, powerful aircraft. With a length of 65 feet and a height of 20 feet, the F-105 would typically fly combat missions with a gross weight at takeoff in excess of 50,000 pounds. Although the F-105 was fortunately never utilized for the nuclear mission it was designed for, it did become the primary tactical bomber utilized by the USAF during the Vietnam War. In fact, the Thud flew more than 75% of all the bombing sorties directed at North Vietnam during the War. The Ham Rong Bridge in North Vietnam was a frequent target for F-105s. Ham Rong translates into English as Dragons Jaws, and this very important north-south rail and highway line was a vital supply link in allowing the North Vietnamese to send streams of men and materials south. The Ham Rong Bridge was 546 feet long and was 56 feet wide. It took eight years to build this incredibly sturdy bridge and Ho Chi Minh himself dedicated the bridge in 1964. SAMs and antiaircraft batteries heavily defended it. Living up to its name, the bridge was one of the most punishing targets to attack, and many American aircraft and pilots were lost during the numerous attacks on the Dragons Jaws. From 1965 to 1968 almost seven hundred aircraft had attacked the bridge, hitting it with more than 10,000 tons of high explosives. Despite these attacks, repair crews worked around the clock, and the bridge remained usable. Rockets proved ineffective and only direct hits with large bombs were likely to do any serious damage. Recognizing this, the North Vietnamese knew that American fighter-bombers would have to pass directly over the Dragons Jaws to release their bombs. A wall of antiaircraft fire would be directed directly over the bridge during such attacks, and a horrific toll was exacted on attacking American aircraft. In Stan Stokes painting an F-105 piloted by Fred V. Cherry is depicted during an attack on the Ham Rong Bridge. Col. Cherry was shot down in October of 1965 and remained a POW until 1973. He retired from the Air Force in 1981. The Dragons Jaw stood as a symbol of North Vietnamese resistance until it was finally destroyed by a laser-guided, smart bomb in1972. Item Code : STK0047 Jaws of the Dragon by Stan Stokes. - This Edition Buy 1 Get 1 Half Price! TYPE EDITION DETAILS SIZE SIGNATURES OFFERS YOUR PRICE PURCHASING PRINT Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Artist : Stan Stokes £15 Off! Now : £35.00 SPECIAL OFFER : ADD A CLIPPED SIGNATURE TO THE ABOVE PRINT AT A VERY SPECIAL RATE! Add Signature : Fred Cherry. for £40.00 All prices on our website are displayed in British Pounds Sterling

Other editions of this item : Jaws of the Dragon by Stan Stokes. STK0047 TYPE EDITION DETAILS SIZE SIGNATURES OFFERS YOUR PRICE PURCHASING PRINT 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot, and a remarque. Image size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Cherry, Fred V (signed in person) + Artist : Stan Stokes Signature(s) value alone : £50 £20 Off! Now : £120.00 VIEW EDITION... PRINT Limited edition of 100 giclee art prints. Just two of this print edition now available. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm) Artist : Stan Stokes £150.00 VIEW EDITION... PRINT Prints from the 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot. Image size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Cherry, Fred V (signed in person) + Artist : Stan Stokes Signature(s) value alone : £50 £20 Off! Now : £100.00 VIEW EDITION... GICLEE CANVAS Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm) none £294.00 VIEW EDITION... General descriptions of types of editions :

Extra Details : Jaws of the Dragon by Stan Stokes.

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Artist Details : Stan Stokes

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Stan Stokes Stan Stokes is a California native with more than 37 years as a full time professional artist, who developed a passion for vintage cars, trains and airplanes at an early age. Model building and RC planes filled the many hours of the young enthusiasts free time. However, unlike most other young aviation enthusiasts Stokes also displayed a great gift for artistic talent. After studying art in College, Stan decided to pursue a career as a professional artist. Stokes initially focused his great talents on depicting uniquely realistic landscapes of the western desert and mountain scenes. More than thirty years ago a good friend suggested that Stan combine his passion for aviation history and flying with his artistic talents, and render an aircraft or two. The rest is history. Stan has won many prestigious awards including the Benedictine Art Award in 1975 and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museums Golden Age of Flight award in 1985. In May of 2000, Stan was honored with the National Museum of Naval Aviations R. G. Smith Award for Excellence in Naval Aviation Art. Commissioned by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, Stans 12 x 120 foot mural of the History of the Flying White House is on permanent display in the Air Force One Pavilion. In addition Stans painting of the USS Ronald Reagan is hanging in the Legacy Room of the library. In 2005 Stan also completed a painting of our nations next aircraft carrier, the USS George H. W. Bush, which is on permanent display at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. Stan has also completed several impressive murals for the Palm Springs Air Museum including: The Tuskegee Airmen at 12 x 60 feet and contains 51 portraits of the original Tuskegee Airmen. Dauntless at Midway at 12 x 34 feet and Corsair on Approach at 19 x 55 feet. Stans work also hangs in the Air Force art collection, the Pentagon, San Diego Aerospace Museum, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. Stan has had the pleasure of meeting and working with many of his boyhood aviation heroes, including the late General Jimmy Doolittle, the late Pappy Boyington, Chuck Yeager, and many many others. A true aviation history buff, Stan often spends more time pouring over research materials for his paintings to assure their accuracy to the smallest detail than he does behind the canvas. Noted for his incredible detail and strikingly realistic illustration, Stans canvases have a life-like three-dimensional effect that often leaves viewers spellbound. Today his work encompasses not only aviation and space but also portraits, landscapes, ships, classic cars and his new collection of cat-related fine art paintings. Stan particularly enjoys the tough assignment. During his 37 years as a professional artist, he has been asked to produce literally hundreds of paintings documenting historical events, people and places. Although Stan has logged many hours flying his own airplanes, in recent years pleasure flying has had to take a backseat to the artistic demands of his backlog. Stan was commissioned to paint more than twenty original paintings for an aviation museum being in the Philippines. Since the mid-1980s NASA has also tapped Stans talents from time to time and he has completed more than fifteen paintings ranging from the space shuttles to the SR 71 Blackbird. Stan has also painted numerous works for the cutting edge genius in aviation and space design, Burt Rutan. More about Stan Stokes

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