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Mission Beyond Darkness by Robert Taylor - Cranston Military Prints

Mission Beyond Darkness by Robert Taylor


Mission Beyond Darkness by Robert Taylor

Following the attack against Admiral Ozawas Japanese carrier fleet on June 20, 1944, Admiral Mitscher defies all rules of naval engagement: In total darkness, with the ever-present danger of enemy submarines, he orders every ship in his Task Force 58 to switch on lights to guide over 100 returning carrier-borne aircraft, all desperately low on fuel. Amid the confusion, unable to get a landing slot aboard the USS Lexington, and now out of fuel, a pilot and his gunner scramble from their ditched SB2B Curtiss Helldiver, as a Fletcher class destroyer manoeuvres to make the pick up.
Item Code : DHM2058APMission Beyond Darkness by Robert Taylor - Editions Available
DESCRIPTIONSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSPRICEPURCHASINGPACKS
Signed limited edition of 750 prints. Image size 34 inches x 23 inches (86cm x 58cm)
Vraciu, Alex

Died : 2015
Commander Alex Vraciu USN (deceased)
Alexander Vraciu was born in 1918, in East Chicago. Indiana to Romanian immigrant parents, . Alex grew up enthralled by the exploits of aviator Charles Lindbergh and World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. Alexander Vraciu won a scholarship to DePauw University. Due to his passion for flying he obtained his private pilots license under the governments Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) program at Muncie, Indiana. Vraciu graduated in 1941, and entered the Navy as pilot candidate just before Pea
Signature Value : £45
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Gordon, Donald
Died : 2010
Captain Donald Gordon USN (deceased)
Captain Donald 'Flash' Gordon, USN joined the Navy on July 7, 1941 and was commissioned an Ensign on March 12, 1942. He served with VF-10 'Grim Reapers' flying the F4F Wildcat on his first combat tour aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise and claimed two air victories. He participated in the Battle of Santa Cruz and also served briefly on Guadalcanal with the Marines. His second combat tour was also aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise with VF-10 now flying the F6F Hellcat. He would claim 4 air
Signature Value : £25
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Yaussi, Ralph
Died : 2003
Lieutenant Ralph Yaussi USNR (deceased)
Ralph joined the Service in July 1942 and after his commission was soon in action flying anti-sub patrols. In December 1943, flying the SB2C Helldiver, he went aboard the USS Hornet, where his first mission under fire was at Palau Island on March 30, 1943. During the Philippine Sea action he and his gunner James Curry attacked the Japanese carrier fleet in the Mission Beyond Darkness but on the return their Helldiver ran out of fuel as he attempted to land. They were forced to ditch and were res
Signature Value : £30
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Curry, James
Air Gunner James Curry
James Curry joined the Navy in August 1942 amd after training as an air gunner was posted to join Ralph Yaussi an VB2 (Air Group 2), operating the Curtis SB2C Helldiver. The first of his combat sorties was made m March 1944 flying off the USS Hornet and he participated in every island strike that the Hornet made during that tour of duty, including Truk, Guam, the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima amongst many others. James took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea when Yaussi was forced to ditch th
Signature Value : £20
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

+ Artist : Robert Taylor

Signature(s) value alone : £120		£30 Off!Now : £210.00

Quantity:
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. Image size 34 inches x 23 inches (86cm x 58cm)
Vraciu, Alex

Died : 2015
Commander Alex Vraciu USN (deceased)
Alexander Vraciu was born in 1918, in East Chicago. Indiana to Romanian immigrant parents, . Alex grew up enthralled by the exploits of aviator Charles Lindbergh and World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. Alexander Vraciu won a scholarship to DePauw University. Due to his passion for flying he obtained his private pilots license under the governments Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) program at Muncie, Indiana. Vraciu graduated in 1941, and entered the Navy as pilot candidate just before Pea
Signature Value : £45
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Gordon, Donald
Died : 2010
Captain Donald Gordon USN (deceased)
Captain Donald 'Flash' Gordon, USN joined the Navy on July 7, 1941 and was commissioned an Ensign on March 12, 1942. He served with VF-10 'Grim Reapers' flying the F4F Wildcat on his first combat tour aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise and claimed two air victories. He participated in the Battle of Santa Cruz and also served briefly on Guadalcanal with the Marines. His second combat tour was also aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise with VF-10 now flying the F6F Hellcat. He would claim 4 air
Signature Value : £25
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Yaussi, Ralph
Died : 2003
Lieutenant Ralph Yaussi USNR (deceased)
Ralph joined the Service in July 1942 and after his commission was soon in action flying anti-sub patrols. In December 1943, flying the SB2C Helldiver, he went aboard the USS Hornet, where his first mission under fire was at Palau Island on March 30, 1943. During the Philippine Sea action he and his gunner James Curry attacked the Japanese carrier fleet in the Mission Beyond Darkness but on the return their Helldiver ran out of fuel as he attempted to land. They were forced to ditch and were res
Signature Value : £30
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Curry, James
Air Gunner James Curry
James Curry joined the Navy in August 1942 amd after training as an air gunner was posted to join Ralph Yaussi an VB2 (Air Group 2), operating the Curtis SB2C Helldiver. The first of his combat sorties was made m March 1944 flying off the USS Hornet and he participated in every island strike that the Hornet made during that tour of duty, including Truk, Guam, the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima amongst many others. James took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea when Yaussi was forced to ditch th
Signature Value : £20
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

+ Artist : Robert Taylor

Signature(s) value alone : £120		£30 Off!Now : £325.00

Quantity:


Some other related items available from this site.

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.

Big Tailed Beast by Stan Stokes.		The first light of dawn silhouettes the massive outline of the Yorktown class carrier USS Enterprise, in mid April 1944 she was partnered by the new Essex Class carrier USS Lexington.

Dawn Enterprise by Anthony Saunders 		Truk, the small atoll in the South Pacific, was the major anchorage for the Japanese Fleet. Comprising a magnificent harbor and four heavily defended airfields, it was thought impregnable by the US forces as they fought their way up through the Pacific. But on 16-17 February 1944 a violent two-day aerial assault by carrierborne aircraft of Task Force 58 exploded the myth. In just two days the US Navy flyers sunk over 200,000 tons of Japanese naval shipping and destroyed an estimated 275 enemy aircraft, totally eliminating all effectiveness of the Japanese base. Light as the US Navy losses were only 25 aircraft failed to return the battle for Truk was ferocious. The ground installations, ships, and airfield batteries put up intense antiaircraft fire against the attacking American aircraft, while Zeros did their best to repel the onslaught. The air above the atoll became a maelstrom of flak, tracer, flying lead and shrapnel, while below huge explosions rocked the ground as ammo and fuel dumps were hit, fires raged, and the acrid smoke of battle pervaded the entire area. In this important new painting, his first featuring the F6F Hellcat, Robert Taylor brings to life the scenario that was crucial to Admiral Spruances forceful drive through the Central Pacific. The once feared Japanese base at Truk is being reduced to a statistic of war. Hellcats of VF6 hurtle across the lagoon at masthead height with guns blazing, creating havoc as they tear into the enemy positions below. Seen in the foreground is the F6F-3 of Lt. Alex Vracui, subsequently to become one of the Navys top guns. This exhilarating work dramatically conveys the awesome conditions endured day after day by the pilots of the US Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific.

Hellcat Fury by Robert Taylor 		A US Navy pilot from 1942, he became a dive-bomber pilot with VC-40. He fought in the Solomon campaign then was assigned to USS Ticonderoga. Flying his Helldiver, his missions included attacks on the Hyuga and Tone, the latter was the final Japanese capital ship sunk before surrender. He remained in aviation and served in Korea before retiring. He died in 2002. <br><br><b>Please note that this particular signature has been written in pen - not in pencil like most of our signatures.</b><br>

Clipped Signature - Paul Brehm.
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




Commander Alex Vraciu USN (deceased)
Died : 2015
*Signature Value : £45

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 750 prints.
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs.


Vraciu, Alex
(Commander Alex Vraciu USN (deceased))

Alexander Vraciu was born in 1918, in East Chicago. Indiana to Romanian immigrant parents, . Alex grew up enthralled by the exploits of aviator Charles Lindbergh and World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. Alexander Vraciu won a scholarship to DePauw University. Due to his passion for flying he obtained his private pilots license under the governments Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) program at Muncie, Indiana. Vraciu graduated in 1941, and entered the Navy as pilot candidate just before Pearl Harbor. On June 24th 1942 Alexander Vraciu recieved his Naval Aviators wings. He became carrier-qualified on Lake Michigan on USS WOLVERINE, a converted excursion ship, Vraciu qualified on eight straight passes in a F4F Wildcat, demonstrating an early affinity for carrier duty. He went onto fly the Grumman F6F Hellcat in the Pacific theatre. Alex Vraciu first saw combat flying the F6F Hellcat off carriers with VF-6. It was while flying as section leader in LCDR OHares division on October 5th, 1943, that Alex scored his first aerial victory over a Japanese zero at Wake Island. He notched three Zeroes and one Rufe in a wild dogfight at the first Truk raid on February 16, 1944 as part of a 72-Hellcat fighter sweep at the Japanese Naval fortress. During the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot he shot down six dive-bombers in eight minutes. The following day, escorting bombers in an attack on the Japanese Mobiel Fleet (Kido Butai), Vraciu downed his 19th victim, a Zero making him the foremost US Navy ace by a considerable margin, although he would hold that title for only four months. His luck ran out on December 14, 1944, while strafing over Luzon Island in the Philippines, his aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire and Alex Vraciu was forced to parachute safely from his damaged aircraft. Bailing out, he spent five weeks with Filipino guerrillas before meeting up with advancing Americans. He ended the war as the US Navys fourth highest Ace. In addition to his 19 aerial victories, he had destroyed 21 enemy aircraft on the ground. During the last few months of the war he served as a test pilot at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland, evaluating tactical performances between japanese an US aircraft he retired from the service in 1963. He died on 29th January 2015.


Captain Donald Gordon USN (deceased)
Died : 2010
*Signature Value : £25

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 750 prints.
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs.


Gordon, Donald
(Captain Donald Gordon USN (deceased))

Captain Donald 'Flash' Gordon, USN joined the Navy on July 7, 1941 and was commissioned an Ensign on March 12, 1942. He served with VF-10 'Grim Reapers' flying the F4F Wildcat on his first combat tour aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise and claimed two air victories. He participated in the Battle of Santa Cruz and also served briefly on Guadalcanal with the Marines. His second combat tour was also aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise with VF-10 now flying the F6F Hellcat. He would claim 4 air victories on this tour including a claim during the 'Marianas Turkey Shoot'. Capt. Gordon retired from the Navy in July 1967. Sadly Captain Donald Gordon passed away on Monday January 4th, 2010.


Lieutenant Ralph Yaussi USNR (deceased)
Died : 2003
*Signature Value : £30

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 750 prints.
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs.


Yaussi, Ralph
(Lieutenant Ralph Yaussi USNR (deceased))

Ralph joined the Service in July 1942 and after his commission was soon in action flying anti-sub patrols. In December 1943, flying the SB2C Helldiver, he went aboard the USS Hornet, where his first mission under fire was at Palau Island on March 30, 1943. During the Philippine Sea action he and his gunner James Curry attacked the Japanese carrier fleet in the Mission Beyond Darkness but on the return their Helldiver ran out of fuel as he attempted to land. They were forced to ditch and were rescued by the destroyer USS Anthony. He died on 7th September 2003 at the age of 89.


Air Gunner James Curry
*Signature Value : £20

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 750 prints.
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs.


Curry, James
(Air Gunner James Curry)

James Curry joined the Navy in August 1942 amd after training as an air gunner was posted to join Ralph Yaussi an VB2 (Air Group 2), operating the Curtis SB2C Helldiver. The first of his combat sorties was made m March 1944 flying off the USS Hornet and he participated in every island strike that the Hornet made during that tour of duty, including Truk, Guam, the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima amongst many others. James took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea when Yaussi was forced to ditch their SB2C on their return from the carrier strike. During the remainder of his tour he accompanied Yaussi on raids to Manila Bay, Mindanao, and the invasion of the Marianas. He retired the service in 1945.
Aircraft Related to This Print
Helldiver
Ships Related to This Print
USS Lexington (1942)

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