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Combat Aircraft Art | View information about Combat Aircraft Art within our Gallery section by reviewing this area of our website. We provide a wealth of information online to help our visitors become better informed about Aircraft Buzz. |
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Combat Aircraft Art
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This is definately one of those times when art mimics life!!!
This art is so good you feel like you are in that old, sweat soaked, ass-crimped seat....flying right along with those magnificant boys of the blue.
Check them out...Aircraftbuzz.com is constantly searching for the BEST in Aircraft Art. If you know of some....e-mail us. We would LOVE to add to our collection!
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Bounced
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The Battle of Britain
Geoffrey Wellum 92 Sqn Dungeness September 1940
Joining 92 Sqn as a 17 year old pilot Geoffrey Wellum found himself thrown into the savage air battles then raging over Great Britain during the year of 1940. The outcome of which would decide the fate of the nation then at war with Nazi Germany. During one such engagement he spotted an He III bomber attempting to escape from the area over Dungeness back to the relative safety of the Channel. Having engaged and shot it down he turned for home, suddenly there was the unmistakable flashes and sounds of enemy rounds striking his aircraft, he had been bounced by an Me 109! Worse still he had used up all his own ammo and was defenceless.
Having collected his wits Geoffrey now showed that determination and strength of character which coupled with the superb handling ability of the Spitfire would see him through the war. Although starting at a disadvantage Geoffrey kept his Spitfire in a tight turning battle with his opponent, always managing to just keep outside the field of fire of the Me 109's guns, eventually the German pilot broke away either short on fuel or fearing he had stalled his plane. Geoffrey quickly headed down to ground level and returned to base to live to fight another day and as he put it some what the wiser for it.
Give credit to Mark Littlejohn
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Hot Times over Germany
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The bomber crews all understood they were on their own after they crossed the extreme range of their fighter cover. The Germans also knew the range of our fighters to the foot....and waited just over the line to prey on the bombers.
Fortunately, these big, bad, boys were not such easy prey. They had plenty of defensive power....in the form of machine guns, backed by the best, most courageous Americans ever!!
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Can we make it, Skipper?
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Great Air Battles Over The Reich
Lancaster of No 61 Sqn struggles back across the North Sea after suffering damage from fighter attack during a bombing mission over Germany.
Lancaster No. 61 Sqn Nuremburg Germany March 1944. Detailed to attack Nuremburg one night in March 1944 the aircraft was attacked by fighters, although driven off the bomber had sustained much damage. The starboard wing, the flaps and undercarriage nacelles were hit by bullets. The mid-upper and front turrets were damaged and the windscreen was shattered with parts of the airframe also shot away. Four members of the crew were injured, and most of the navigational equipment was useless.
Sergeant Chapman although badly wounded remained at his post obtaining fixes which were of inestimable value in fixing the aircrafts position during its return flight. Finally the English coast was reached and Pilot Officer Freeman having also shown great skill, courage and determination during the flight managed to land the bomber despite a punctured landing wheel. It was not until the aircraft was safely landed that Sergeant Chapman informed his Captain about his wounds, subsequently he was decorated with the The Conspicuos Gallantry Medal.
Give credit to Mark Littlejohn
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Playing the Last Ace
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The Messerschmitt Me-163 rocket fighter aircraft, perhaps better known as the Komet, was possibly the most radical German manned fighter aircraft design to actually enter the WW II combat theatre.
Here Me-163 Komet fighters of the Luftwaffe climb vertically through an 8th Air Force bomber formation and its top fighter cover before swooping down on the heavies for their short but often deadly attack.
Give credit to Brooks Aviation Art
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The Searcher
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The Pacific Air War
Hellcat Fighter 1840 Sqn Fleet Air Arm H.M.S Speaker Sub. Lt. Eric Spearing R.N.V.R.
Sub. Lt. Eric Spearing flying Hellcat JX 705 from 1840 Sqn engaged in a search for an American Liberty ship, which had run aground on an unmarked coral reef in the South Pacific. The search took place on March 14th 1945, two aircraft being despatched to assist, the squadron were unable to locate the ship as the wrong co-ordinates had been sent, despite this the stricken vessel was eventually located and the crew rescued. However a message of thanks was later recieved thanking the ship for its help in the search. The Hellcat Sqn eventually transferred to H.M.S Indomitable and became 1839 Sqn where they worked in company with a Sqn of Avengers. H.M.S Speaker went to Japan after its surrender to bring home prisoners of war.
The White Ensign from H.M.S Speaker now hangs in the Speaker's room in the House of Commons. The picture shows Eric flying above the empty vastness of the Pacific Ocean, something that caused more trepidation in the pilots of all sides than perhaps actual combat, with little or no air sea rescue support available to them to be lost and low on fuel would inevitably mean their doom!
Give credit to Mark Littlejohn
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Duel In The Dark
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August 1944. As Lancaster heavy bombers of 106 Squadron approach the target, Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, Kommandeur of IV./ NJG1 and the Luftwaffe's 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 bomber's outer starboard engine. While his gunner fiercely returns fire from the bomber's front turret gunner, the night-fighter Ace will slip into the shadows before selecting another quarry.
Give credit to Brooks Aviation Art
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Stukas Graveyard
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Battle of Britain August 1940
Sgt. A. H. Pond of 601 Sqn engaging German Stuka dive bombers over Thorney Island.
Battle of Britain 18th August 1940. On the 18th of August came the climax of the fighting for Stukagruppen 77, that Sunday heavy raids were directed against airfields and radar stations along the south coast including Biggin Hill, Ford, Poling radar station, and Thorney Island .
It was becoming obvious that the early model Ju87b lacked the necessary armour protection for their crews when pitted against the best RAF fighters, this proved to be the case when from I. and II/III St.G. 77, 16 Stuka's were lost carrying out attacks when intercepted by aircraft from Nos 43, 152,60 I, and 602 squadrons. Naturally enough after this carnage St.G.77 was withdrawn from combat to begin a period of refit to support the invasion of Britain . Needless to say it was not to be.
The picture shows FIt. Sgt. A. Pond in action on that day, having shot down a JU87B, He crash landed back at his aerodrome due to a damaged engine.
Give credit to Mark Littlejohn
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Sandy's Change of Plans
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On June 20, 1944, Lt. Virgal 'Sandy' Sansing, 359th Fighter Group, 369th Fighter Squadron, flying his P-51B Mustang strafed the rail yards at Chateau-Thierry, where German troop trains were being dispatched to the western part of France to slow down the Allied forces that had landed two weeks earlier.
On his third pass, Sandy's plane was hit by 20 mm flak and caught fire. After ten minutes the fire was so intense that he had to bail out. He landed near the village of Puiseux-en-Retz where the French Underground hid him for several weeks until the Allied front line reached the area, allowing Sandy to return home.
Give credit to Brooks Aviation Art
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Berlin Busters
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In this scene Canadian Lancaster pilot Neil Fuller is portrayed in the opening round of a Berlin bombing run. Here he is guiding his Lancaster “Fearless Freddie’s Office” through the perils of a so called “Milk Run” in early 1944, just before D Day. Hundreds more Lancasters can be seen emerging from the darkness, approaching the target area which will soon be glowing as bright as day from the fires below.
A typical bombing run would start at about 20,000 to 25,000 feet and Neil would start a slow decent toward the target to pick up speed. As soon as the bombs were on their way, he would immediately turn 90 degrees and dive to about 6,000 feet in an attempt to avoid enemy fighters waiting on the far side of the target area. In this scene ME110 fighters can be seen approaching from the rear and Neil’s gunners are applying their best effort to discourage them. One more ME110 is commencing a flair drop to illuminate the entire area for other fighters.
The famous and highly successful Avro Lancaster depended on stealth and the cover of night to carry out its mission. If they were discovered, the .303 cal machine guns on board were often no match for the 20mm cannon of the opposing fighters. The Lancasters would approach the target in several streams of many aircraft. Often over 1000 aircraft would pass over the target within a 15 minute time period
Give credit to Len Krenzler
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Bolt from Above
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Robert Winks, 357th Fighter Group Ace achieved what most did not. Flying his P51D Mustang "Trusy Rusty", he shot down a German Me262 jet.
Nearing the end of the war, Germany produced a technical marvel, the first jet to enter combat. A beautiful airplane, it was capable of speeds over 100mph faster than its prop driven opponents. Needless to say, they were hard to catch!
Luckily for the Allies, it was another case of too little too late and the Me262 was not enough to change the tide of the air war.
Give credit to Len Krenzler
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The Berlin Express Arrives in Paris
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Bill Overstreet in his P51C Mustang the "Berlin Express" chases an ME109G under the Eiffel Tower - Spring of 1944
This image depicts an actual event. When you have Bill Overstreet on your tail, not even a daring maneuver such as flying right under the Eiffel tower is going to save you, as this ME109 pilot discovered the hard way.
In the spring of 1944, Bill Overstreet of the famous 357th FG was hot on the tail of a German ME109G. The pilot of the 109 flew right over Paris where German anti-aircraft artillery was heavy, probably in hopes they would solve his problem by eliminating Bill and his P51C named the “Berlin Express”. Bill persisted through intense flak closing the gap with the enemy fighter. Already hit in the engine, as a last resort the ME109 pilot aimed his aircraft toward the imposing Eiffel tower and in a breathtaking maneuver flew right under it. Even this was not enough to shake Bill as he followed right behind scoring several more hits in the process. The German ME109 crashed moments later and Bill escaped the heavy flak around Paris by flying low and full throttle over the river.
Give credit to Len Krenzler
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Lancasters Over Normandy
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Great Air Battles Over The Western Front
Lancaster's from 49 Sqn support the Canadian attack to take Caen 17th July 1944.
On the evening on 7th July 1944, 450 Lancasters dropped 2,363 tons of bombs on the northern edge of the town of Caen, in support of the British and Canadian attack codenamed "Operation Charnwood" to clear the town of german troops.
The painting shows EA-D of 49 Sqd RAF Bomber Command where flying officer D.H Millet served aboard as the tail gunner during the operations over Normandy.
Give credit to Mark Littlejohn
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Play'n With The Boys
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The story of this scene is best told by Samuel Harry Glasser, radio operator-gunner aboard a B-17G called the "Outhouse Mouse." His formation was about to be jumped by a pack of Luftwaffe fighters but the B17s were being escorted by P-51 Mustangs.
The pilot of "Hurry Home Honey" radioed his 'big friend' and said, "I'll be right back, fellas. I'm gonna go play with these boys." Looks like he played for keeps because he came back. The pilot of that plane was Richard "Bud" Peterson.
Richard Peterson is shown here just as he opens fire on his second opponent, the Luftwaffe flight leader's wingman. His first opponent can be seen free falling away from his stricken ME 109 as he wisely waits to lose speed before opening his parachute.
Richard Peterson was a well loved fighter pilot of the 357 th fighter group and went on to score 15.5 aerial victories and become one of the greatest Mustang aces of the war.
Give credit to Len Krenzler
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Short Stop
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Ira Kepford in his F4U Corsair off Carrier Bunker Hill
Ira Cassius Kepford is well known as the US Navy's most successful Corsair pilot with a total of 16 confirmed air to air victories. He is depicted here at the beginning of his illustrious career in The Battle of the Solomon Sea.
In this battle he shot down a Japanese "Kate" torpedo bomber a mere 1000 yards from the carrier Bunker Hill just fractions of a second before the enemy bomber could release it's deadly load. Simultaneously a Japanese Zero was attempting to remove Ira from action but was eliminated by a Navy Hellcat.
Although low on fuel Ira continued through the intense anti-aircraft fire from the Bunker Hill and it's escorts and went on to shoot down 3 more Japanese aircraft within minutes before running out of ammunition. For this day's actions he was awarded the Navy Cross.
Ira Kepford is shown here in the VF17 - "Jolly Rogers" Colors flying his Vaught F4U Corsair. This rendition truly captures the intense action of the event in stunning detail.
Give credit to Len Krenzler
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Spitfire Domain
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George Beurling - Spitfire IX
George Beurling was Canada’s highest scoring ace of WWII and one of the top scoring Allied aces of the war. He was known for taking independent action in combat, but was certainly one of the finest pilots and marksmen of the time and a true Canadian hero.
In this scene he is depicted just as he delivers the final burst that sent his FW190 opponent to the waves below. This was his 31st victory. He would go on to score one more for a total of 32. In this scene he is shown swooping out of formation after seeing the enemy fighter in his mirror, and without telling his comrades! As his formation flew on, oblivious to his actions, he proceeded to shoot down the opponent and return to formation with none of his flight mates realizing it. Later, on landing, George casually mentioned the victory to everyone’s disbelief. Gun camera footage later proved his story to be true!
George Beurling is shown here in the colors of RCAF 403 Squadron in his personal Spitfire IX.
Give credit to Len Krenzler
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