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Military-Art.com  Simon Smith |
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| Text for the above items : |
The Dambusters by Simon Smith. On the night of 16/17th May 1943,under a full moon, 19 specially modified Lancaster bombers from 617 Squadron carried out one of the most daring and effective air raids of the Second World War. Led by wing commander Guy Gibson the 19 aircraft took off and headed for Germany at extreme low level.. Their mission, code named Operation Chastise, was to destroy the Ruhr dams which supplied water and electricity to the industrial heart of Reich. Each aircraft carried the ingenious Upkeep mine, developed by the engineer Barnes Wallis. Shaped like a large oil drum, the bomb was spun prior to release at exactly 60ft above the water and 150 yards from the dam wall. This caused the weapon to bounce across water and on impact would also make it stay close to the wall of the dam as it sank. The bomb, technically a mine, was fitted with a hydrostatic fuse similar to a depth charge causing detonation at the required depth.The correct height above the water was achieved by aligning the beams of two spotlights to meet on the surface of the water. Delivering such a weapon on target at night at such low altitude and under enemy fire was thought by many to be impossible. The nineteen pilots,some as young as eighteen had been hand picked by Gibson only two months before and formed into 617 squadron whose first mission was to remain top secret and unknown to them up until the last moment. The Mohne Dam was attacked first and several attempts were made under heavy fire with one lancaster being shot down as it flew over the target.Guy Gibson then attempted to draw fire away from the attacking aircraft by switching on his navigation lights and flying to one side of Mick Martins aircraft ,the scene depicted in Simon Smiths painting.Just as another aircraft was about to go in,excited shouts came over the intercom - its gone! The main target achieved, Gibson led the remaining aircraft on to the Eder Dam deep amongst the mountains of the Eder valley. Here, although no flak defenses, the terrain made the approach extremely hazardous. Two bombs were released yet still the target remained unbreached leaving only one last aircraft ,that of Les Knights to attack. A steep descent from a thousand feet then a dive over a spit of land left very little time to line up and release the bomb.Worse still there was a huge mountain on the far side of the dam! Added to this Edward Johnson the bomb aimer recalled that the spinning bomb had an alarming gyroscopic effect on the handling of the aircraft,so it was with superb flying and teamwork that their bomb struck and finally destroyed the massive stonework of the Eder Dam. Gibsons leadership and bravery led to the award of the VC and many other decorations were bestowed upon the other crews.The squadron however paid a heavy price with 8 lancasters being lost. |
Challenger by Simon Smith. Tanks of the Queens Royal Irish Hussars in action during the Gulf War, February 1991. |
The Winged Dagger by Simon Smith. 22 SAS Squadron in the Gulf, having been dropped by Chinook of the 7th Squadron RAF |
Irrepressible Para by Simon Smith. No text for this item |
Under Cover of the Night by Simon Smith. No text for this item |
Mervyn's Grand Slam by Simon Smith. After achieving a then world record points score against Japan and hammering the touring Australians. Mervyn Davies Welsh team swept all before them in the 1976 Five nations. Playing the attractive brand of Rugby that was synonymous with Welsh sides of the 70s they achieved what was then considered the greatest of all Grand Slams. |
Legends of Elland Road - Silver by Simon Smith. No text for this item |
Arnhem Bridge by Simon Smith. Men of Colonel Frosts 2 Para retake the bridge after a German attempt lead by Captain Viktor Graebner of the 9th SS panzer Division (armoured reconnaissance Troops) had failed. |
Heroes of 66 by Simon Smith. No text for this item |
Arnhem Drop 17th September 1944 by Simon Smith. No text for this item |
Freedom Fighters by Simon Smith. A pair of Royal Air Force Spitfires fly over the hay fields of southern England as the farmers toil. A tranquil scene which will soon be spoilt with the German Luftwaffe aircraft as the Battle of Britain begins. |
Return From Combat by Simon Smith. Two 85 squadron Hurricanes returning to base after a battle over the skies of southern England in the summer of 1940. |
Act of Valor by Simon Smith. After single-handedly destroying a German Mark V Panther tank that had pinned down his unit, First Lieutenant James Maggie Megellas leads his platoon from the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne towards the Belgian town of Herresbach, 28 January 1945, as the Battle of the Bulge draws to its conclusion. Minutes before, despite being vastly outnumbered in heavy snow and freezing conditions, the platoon had overwhelmed and completely defeated a large force of German infantry in a ferocious frontal assault, without losing a single man. Simon Smith's dramatic image picks up the story as, with the Panther rendered harmless, Megellas readies his men for their final advance into Herresbach. |
Tim Henman by Simon Smith In a career that has seen a dramatic rise in the world rankings, Tim Henman has already become the first British born player to be ranked in the top ten, an Olympic silver medalist and Wimbledon semi-finalist. Tim is poised to break through and win one of the Grand Slams that every professional craves and gain success for Britain in the Davis Cup World Group in 1999. Tims finest year to date, was capped by his becoming the first Briton to reach the semi-finals of the ATP World Championship in Hanover. |
D-Day Gold Beach, 6th June 1944 by Simon Smith. Troops of the 1st Hampshires assaulting Gold Beach during the Normandy Landings. Gold beach was one of the British beaches on D-Day. Gold beach was the western most beach of the British beaches, on D-Day. Gold beach was between two twenty metre high cliffs where German fortifications had been built. The beach had been protected by concrete casemates which took some time to break through. This happened with support form British tanks in the afternoon of D-day 6th June. The British tanks and reinforcements moved off the beaches towards Saint-Come-de-Fresene and Arromanches which were both liberated by 9pm. |
Southern Steel by Simon Smith. Confederate cavalry with the battle flag of the Confederacy gallop into battle. The battle flag was also known as the Southern Cross. |
The Shining Sword by Simon Smith. RAF Avro Lancaster flies low over occupied Europe. |
Sainte-Mère-Église by Simon Smith. Captured by the US 82nd Airborne in the early hours of D-Day, Sainte-MèreÉglise would become the first town in France to be liberated by the Allies. The small town of Sainte-MèreÉglise, at the foot of the Cotentin peninsula, is just five miles inland from Utah Beach, the most westerly of the five assault beaches for D-Day and critical to the Allies' right flank. The town lay beside the main highway from Paris that ran north from Carentan to the port of Cherbourg, and which provided a vital link to any German forces engaged in the defence of the area. Vital to ensuring a successful landing on Utah, the task of securing the town and road together with the nearby railway line and bridges over the River Merderet, was given to one of the best units in the US Army - the battle-hardened paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division. In the early hours of 6 June 1944, after a widely scattered drop, some in the Division's 505th PIR found themselves landing right in the heart of the town, caught in the glowing light cast by a burning building. With the white silk of their parachutes clearly visible, many of the men hanging defencelessly beneath them were easy targets. The casualty rate was high but, after regrouping with other units, the men of the 82nd attacked in a ferocious assault and a fierce firefight with the German defenders soon erupted. By dawn it was over and with the capture of the town the Stars and Stripes now flew over Sainte-Mère-Église. |
Dawn of the Milennium by Simon Smith. In the new Millennium stadium Cardiff, Wales invited the World Champions the Springboks to Cardiff for what was to become one of the greatest games in welsh rugby history. the springboks were expected to conquer the welsh side comfortably, however Wales demonstrated from the start just how far they have come since their previous meeting. Mark Taylor had the honour of the first try in the new stadium followed by a second try by Gareth Thomas. The Welsh went onto to win 29 to 19. |
The Spoils of War by Simon Smith. Thrown into a baptism of fire on D-Day the men of the 101st Airborne Division had quickly shown their mettle in the killing fields of Normandy. By the time they were called upon to jump into Holland during Operation Market Garden they had become one of the toughest and most formidable units of the entire US Army. After fighting alongside the British in Holland it was on 5th October 1944, along the muddy banks of a dyke, that the men of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, under the leadership of Lt Dick Winters once again ran into a large group of Germans. It wasn't the first time they'd been outnumbered and, with scant regard for the odds against them, Easy Company attacked. After a brief fire-fight that drove the enemy back, Dick Winters gathered half of his reserve platoon and proceeded to wipe out an enemy machine-gun position and bringing up the rest of his men, charged with fixed bayonets. The Germans - two companies of battle-hardened Waffen-SS troops, several hundred men - were too stunned to respond and were quickly overpowered by Winters' small band. A few days later Colonel Robert Sink, the battalion commander, issued a citation praising them for their daring and aggressive spirit, and sound tactical ability. Shortly after their success, Dick Winters was promoted to become the battalion Executive Officer. This painting portrays the men of Easy Company moments after the action was over, standing easy but, as ever, alert for trouble. |
Arnhem by Simon Smith Douglas C47 Dakotas fly into the landing and drop zone at Renkum Heath, September 17th 1944. |
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