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Please note that our logo is used on our website images only and does not appear on our products. Big Tailed Beast by Stan Stokes. (B) On July 24, 1945, Air Group 87 on board the USS Ticonderoga was informed that the Hyuga, anchored off a small island near Kure, Japan, would be its target. The ship, a WW I vintage battleship which had been modernized in 1936, and later converted to part battleship and part sea plane tender, would be a formidable objective with its impressive firepower and the fact that its location would place the attackers in the line of fire of numerous shore batteries. The ship was 704 feet in length, displaced 39,000 tons, and carried a compliment of Aichi E16A1 Zuiun reconaissance aircraft which were code named Paul by the Allies. Lt Cdr. Kanaga would lead the squadrons Curtiss SB2C Helldivers on the attack. Each of the twelve Helldivers would carry a 1,000 pound bomb in the internal bomb bay, a 260 pound fragmentation bomb under one wing and a droppable wing tank under the other wing. The drop tank weighed substantially more than the 260 pounder so it was anticipated that the Helldivers might be a bit unstable on takeoff. The first aircraft launched, that of Lt. Al Matteson, went into a immediate hard right turn given the uneven wing loading, and hit the water hard. The other Helldivers managed to become airborne, and eventually joined up for the outbound leg of the mission. The plan was for the Helldivers to dive bomb the Hyuga while torpedo bombers made glide bombing attacks, as the water was too shallow for use of torpedoes. In Stan Stokes painting entitled Big Tailed Beast, an SB2C-4E piloted by Lt. H. Paul Brehm pulls out over its target. Anti-aircraft fire is fierce, and the Hyuga is partially obscured by the incredible amount of smoke being generated by its AA guns. Lt. Brehm has decided to make his dive without dive flaps, hoping to make himself a faster moving target for the Hyugas gunners. During Brehms dive, the SB2C of Lt. Vaughn, which was immediately in front of him, went straight down, crashing next to the Hyuga in a great splash of white foam. Brehm released his bomb and pulled out very low over the target. He momentarily blacked out, and his windscreen fogged over. Brehm and his gunner W. Tommy Thompson, could feel the jolt from their 1000 pounder as it scored a direct hit. Returning to their Task Force low on fuel and in bad weather, Brehm was forced to ditch his Helldiver, but he and Thompson were rescued within minutes by the USS Chauncey. The mission was successful, but was not without cost as more than half the attacking Helldivers failed to return safely. The Curtiss SB2C was the last combat aircraft produced by Curtiss-Wright for the US Navy. The aircraft entered service in late 1943 supplementing the Navys SBD Dauntless dive bomber force. More than 7,000 of these large single engine aircraft were produced, with the most widely produced variant being the SB2C-4. Helldivers were capable of carrying a 2,000 pound bomb load, and could also be modified to be used in the torpedo bombing role. Referred to as The Big Tailed Beast by many of its pilots, the Helldiver had a top speed approaching 280-MPH, but also had the reputation of being one of the most difficult carrier based aircraft to land. As a result, many of the Helldivers lost during the War were victims of landing accidents. Item Code : STK0072B Big Tailed Beast by Stan Stokes. (B) - This Edition 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) Brehm, Paul (signed in person) + Artist : Stan Stokes Signature(s) value alone : £50 £20 Off! Now : £110.00 All prices on our website are displayed in British Pounds Sterling

Other editions of this item : Big Tailed Beast by Stan Stokes. STK0072 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 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) Brehm, Paul (signed in person) + Artist : Stan Stokes Signature(s) value alone : £50 £15 Off! Now : £95.00 VIEW EDITION... General descriptions of types of editions :

Extra Details : Big Tailed Beast by Stan Stokes. (B)

About all editions : A photo of an edition of the print.

Signatures on this item
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare.
Name	Info
Lt Cdr H Paul Flyboy Brehm USNR (deceased) *Signature Value : £50	Paul Brehm, infected with a thirst to become a flyer, at an early age read all of the stories regarding the WW 1 flying aces. The ceiling of his room was hung with a myriad of planes engaging in aerial combat. By March of 1942, several months after America's entry into WW 11, Brehm's childhood dream became a reality as he began flight training at USNRAB Kansas City. On the cutting edge of an accelerated program, he earned his wings and a naval commission at NAS Jacksonville in December of '42. After advanced training at NAS Daytona Beach and carrier qualification on the USS Wolverine on Lake Michigan, Brehin was assigned as a dive bomber pilot with VC-40. Initially flying S131)s from Henderson Field at Guadacanal, Brehm's squadron participated in the Solomon campaign, eventually flying out of Bouganville. Following 40 combat missions, Brehin returned to the States where he was assigned to Bombing-87 which participated in the shake down cruise of the USS Randolph. Transported to NAS Kahula, his air group was altered to place more emphasis on newly formed 'fighter-bomber' units. Paul opted to remain with his bombing squadron, while extensive retraining took place to counter the growing threat of Kamikaze attacks on fleet units. Air Group 87 was ultimately assigned to the USS Ticonderoga and participated on strikes against the Japanese forces at Okinawa. As part of Admiral Bull Halsey's all out effort to destroy the last vestiges of Japanese sea and air power, prior to an invasion of Japan, Brehm's squadron participated on attacks on targets on the Japanese homeland. One of these attacks was the sinking of the Hyuga, a WW 1 vintage Japanese battleship which had been modified to part seaplane tender, on July 24, 1945. On July 28 Brehm participated in the attack on the cruiser Tone the last Japanese capital ship destroyed prior to Japan's surrender. The Ticonderoga anchored in Tokyo Bay during the armistice ceremony, and in November Brehm was discharged from active duty. Brehm remained active in the naval reserves, and he was assigned as Squadron Commander of an S132C squadron at NAS Olathe, Kansas. Following a transfer to a squadron at NAS Lincoln, Nebraska, Brehm transitioned into the TBM. He was called to active duty again in 1952, and he served as the office-in charge of the only land-based navy squadron in Korea. Brehin received the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and six Air Medals. He lived in Southern California with his wife of more than fifty years, Barbara, spending time with his two grandchildren and one great grandchild, and in between his travels spent much of his time reading and writing about the history of naval aviation. Paul's story on the attack on the Hyuga was published in World War Two magazine. He died in 2002.

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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