Cranston Military Prints .com Home Page
Customer Helpline (UK) : 01436 820269
Subscribe to our Newsletter!

You currently have no items in your basket

Payment Options Display
Buy with confidence and security!
Publishing historical art since 1985

Navigation Menus
Military
Art Index 		Aviation
Art Index 		Naval
Art Index 		Artists
Index
Product Search         
Aviation
History Archive 		Naval
History Archive
HALF PRICE AND FREE PRINT SPECIAL OFFERS
ALWAYS GREAT OFFERS :
20% FURTHER PRICE REDUCTIONS ON HUNDREDS OF LIMITED EDITION ART PRINTS
BUY ONE GET ONE HALF PRICE ON THOUSANDS OF PAINTINGS AND PRINTS
FOR MORE OFFERS SIGN UP TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
First Strike by Ivan Berryman. - Cranston Military Prints

First Strike by Ivan Berryman.


First Strike by Ivan Berryman.

The Avro Lancaster B MkIII ED932(G), AJ-G, of Wing Commander Guy Gibson was the first aircraft to make an attempt at breaching the Möhne Dam on the night of 16/17th of May 1943 as Operation Chastise got underway. Having already made one 'sighting' run over the target, Gibson turned and began his second run, the flak and 20mm fire from the shore and from the towers of the dam now throwing up a hail of fire. Undeterred, the Upkeep mine was released, skipping across the water as planned, but striking the dam wall off centre with no visible effect. Gibson made several passes over the Möhne, each time escorting the attacking aircraft in an attempt to draw the enemy fire. With the Möhne finally breached, he led the remaining aircraft on to the Eder dam with similar success before returning safely to Manston.
Item Code : B0520YFirst Strike by Ivan Berryman. - Editions Available
DESCRIPTIONSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSPRICEPURCHASINGPACKS
Limited edition of 30 giclee prints. Image size 16 inches x 12 inches (41cm x 31cm)
Johnson, George L

Died : 2022
Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM (deceased)
Joining the RAF in 1940, George Johnson served with 97 Squadron before joining 617 Squadron. Bomb aimer on American Joe McCarthys Lancaster AJ-T, they attacked the Sorpe Dam, for which he was awarded the DFM. Commissioned a few months later, George retired from the RAF in 1962. The last surviving Dambuster, he died aged 101 on 7th December 2022.
Signature Value : £45
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
+ Artist : Ivan Berryman

Signature(s) value alone : £45		£50 Off!Now : £70.00

Quantity:

and 1 Pack
View
Limited edition of 20 artist proofs. Image size 16 inches x 12 inches (41cm x 31cm)
Johnson, George L

Died : 2022
Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM (deceased)
Joining the RAF in 1940, George Johnson served with 97 Squadron before joining 617 Squadron. Bomb aimer on American Joe McCarthys Lancaster AJ-T, they attacked the Sorpe Dam, for which he was awarded the DFM. Commissioned a few months later, George retired from the RAF in 1962. The last surviving Dambuster, he died aged 101 on 7th December 2022.
Signature Value : £45
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
+ Artist : Ivan Berryman

Signature(s) value alone : £45		£50 Off!Now : £90.00

Quantity:
Large Size Limited edition of 5 artist proofs. Image size 26 inches x 19 inches (66cm x 48cm)Artist : Ivan BerrymanAdd any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout!£200.00

Quantity:
Large Size Limited edition of 10 giclee prints. Image size 26 inches x 19 inches (66cm x 48cm)Artist : Ivan Berryman£10 Off!
Add any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout!		Now : £145.00

Quantity:
Limited edition of 10 giclee canvas prints. Size 30 inches x 22 inches (76cm x 56cm)Artist : Ivan Berryman
(on separate certificate)		£100 Off!
Add any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout!		Now : £400.00

Quantity:
Limited edition of 10 giclee canvas prints. Size 26 inches x 19 inches (66cm x 48cm)Artist : Ivan Berryman
(on separate certificate)		£100 Off!
Add any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout!		Now : £300.00

Quantity:
Original acrylic painting by Ivan Berryman. Size 24 inches x 18 inches (61cm x 46cm)Artist : Ivan BerrymanSOLD
OUT		NOT
AVAILABLE
Collector's Postcard - Restricted Initial Print Run of 100 cards.Postcard size 6 inches x 4 inches (15cm x 10cm)none£2.90

Quantity:

and 1 Pack
View
Limited edition of 30 giclee prints. Image size 16 inches x 12 inches (41cm x 31cm)
Johnson, George L

Died : 2022
Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM (deceased)
Joining the RAF in 1940, George Johnson served with 97 Squadron before joining 617 Squadron. Bomb aimer on American Joe McCarthys Lancaster AJ-T, they attacked the Sorpe Dam, for which he was awarded the DFM. Commissioned a few months later, George retired from the RAF in 1962. The last surviving Dambuster, he died aged 101 on 7th December 2022.
Signature Value : £45
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
+ Artist : Ivan Berryman

Signature(s) value alone : £45		£100 Off!Now : £70.00
Better Than
Half Price!

Quantity:


Some other related items available from this site.

With its mission completed, the mighty Lancaster slowly rolls to a halt on the lonely dispersal point, the roar of its four pulsating Merlin engines steadily slackens, replaced by an eerie silence, broken only by the snapping cracks of cooling metal. Slowly the seven weary crew tumble out of the fuselage, their faces etched with strain, eyes rimmed red with tiredness. For them it is the final act of another long, arduous and nerve-wracking operation, another eight-hour ordeal to attack industrial targets in the Ruhr. This time they know they've been lucky, they reached the target and returned home safely, despite the deadly flak and prowling Luftwaffe night-fighters. For others, however, the work of war has just begun. As the massive Lancaster looms majestically over them, the ever vigilant ground crew begin the task of preparing their aircraft for the coming night's operation. Checking, repairing and double-checking again, making sure that nothing goes wrong on the next trip, nothing that could endanger the lives of the crew who depend on them. And then there are guns to be re-armed, bombs to be loaded and near-empty fuel tanks refilled. It will be a race against time.

Day Duties for the Night Workers by Robert Taylor.		 Guy Gibson leads the first wave of 617 Squadron's Lancaster bombers towards the German border and on to the Mőhne dam. After crossing the coast a fraction off course, Gibson adjusts his compass heading slightly and, as the unmistakable thunder of 12 cylinder Merlin engines at full throttle shatters the night, follows the course of a large canal where the owner of an ancient windmill, hearing the noise, hurries outside to witness the event. Nobody expected it to be easy. Nothing that the men of the recently formed 617 Squadron had faced before had ever been easy but, as Wing Commander Guy Gibson stood in front of them on the afternoon of 16th May 1943, they soon realised that the mission facing them would be the hardest - and most dangerous - they had ever faced. Their task that night was to destroy the mighty dams of Germany. For weeks they had been honing their skills of low-level flying, but until that final briefing in the operations room, only Gibson and a few top brass knew the objective. Tonight all their training would be put to the test. To evade enemy radar they would have to fly all the way to the Ruhr at tree-top height, and they must do so in complete radio silence. Once at the target they must launch their radical bouncing bombs - designed by Barnes Wallis - from a height of 60ft at exactly 230 mph. But to get there would require exceptional navigational skills and courage of the highest order. The breathtaking skill and courage displayed by the crews of 617 Squadron on the moonlit night of 16th / 17th May 1943 created a legend that remains undiminished.

On Course for the Möhne Dam by Richard Taylor. 		The Dams raids on the night of 16/17 May 1943 were notable not least for the incredible ingenuity shown by the Lancaster crews in their efforts to avoid detection by the enemy en route to their targets. P/O W C Townsend elected to fly his aircraft, ED886(G) O for Orange below tree-top height through a forest firetrap on his way to the Ennepe Dam, a feat carried out by moonlight alone. AJ-O made it successfully to its target where the Upkeep bomb was observed to hit the dam, but with no effect. Townsend returned to base at this perilous altitude, the crew observing that flak shells were bouncing off the sea in the German gunners' efforts to prevent the Lancaster's escape across the North Sea. AJ-O was one of eleven aircraft to return safely out of a total of nineteen that took part in the heroic raids under the codename Operation Chastise.

A Wing and a Prayer by Ivan Berryman. 		Mick Martin's Lancaster pulls away from the Möhne Dam, his Upkeep bomb exploding behind him sending a huge plume of water into the air. Guy Gibson flies to his right drawing flak from the anti-aircraft guns on the towers.

The Dambusters by Gerald Coulson.
Signatures on these products
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature and is for the unmatted version where available. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare.
NameInfo




Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM (deceased)
Died : 2022
*Signature Value : £45

Editions signed :

Limited edition of 30 giclee prints.
Limited edition of 20 artist proofs.
Limited edition of 30 giclee prints.


Johnson, George L
(Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM (deceased))

Joining the RAF in 1940, George Johnson served with 97 Squadron before joining 617 Squadron. Bomb aimer on American Joe McCarthys Lancaster AJ-T, they attacked the Sorpe Dam, for which he was awarded the DFM. Commissioned a few months later, George retired from the RAF in 1962. The last surviving Dambuster, he died aged 101 on 7th December 2022.
Squadrons Related to This Print
No.617 Sqn
Aircraft Related to This Print
Lancaster

Contact Details
Shipping Info
Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy
Privacy Policy

Sign Up To Our Newsletter!

Stay up to date with all our latest offers, deals and events as well as new releases and exclusive subscriber content!

This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts.  Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE

Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269.  Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com

Return to Home Page