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
Gunfight Over Rabaul by Nicolas Trudgian - Cranston Military Prints

Gunfight Over Rabaul by Nicolas Trudgian


Gunfight Over Rabaul by Nicolas Trudgian

Nicolas Trudgians action packed painting shows an attack on Rabaul during the fall of 1943. B-24 Liberators of the Army Air Force pound the harbor and docks below whilst the Marines Corps pilots of VMF 214 - the famous Black Sheep Squadron - provide top cover in their F4U Corsairs. A fierce dog-fight has developed between the F4U pilots and Japanese Zeros. One Zero, already smoking, begins to roll out of control, while the two F4U pilots turn their attentions on to a second. Below further dog-fights are in progress, the air filled with aerial combat.
Item Code : DHM2116FLYGunfight Over Rabaul by Nicolas Trudgian - Editions Available
DESCRIPTIONSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSPRICEPURCHASINGPACKS
Signed limited edition of 600 prints. Paper size 33 inches x 24 inches (84cm x 61cm) - Just one copy available of this otherwise sold out edition available.
Bolt, John F

Died : 2004
Lieutenant Colonel John F Bolt (deceased)
John Bolt is one of only seven American aces to shoot down 5 or more enemy aircraft in both WWII and Korea. He was also the only Marine Corps ace in Korea. Commissioned in 1942, he joined VMF-214 in 1943. Flying the F4U Corsair, John Bolt downed six Zekes in just 90 days from September to December 1943 to become and ace. He also saw action in the last few weeks of the war with VMF-472. Returning to combat duty in the Korean War he served a tour with the Marines before flying a tour with the
Signature Value : £65
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Conant, A Roger

Died : 2007
Lieutenant Colonel A Roger Conant (deceased)
Enlisting in the U.S. Navy, Roger Conant received his wings as a Marine pilot in 1942. Assigned to VMF 215 he flew the Chance Vought F4U Corsair on well over 100 combat missions, mostly in the air battles over Rabaul and the Solomon Islands where he downed a total of 6 Japanese Mitsubishi Zeros. He was on his return to the Pacific theater as a night fighter pilot on the day war ended. Later he served again in Korea. Retiring from the Marine Corps as a Lt. Col., he then began work as a test pil
Signature Value : £60
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Donahue, Archie

Died : 2007
Colonel Archie G Donahue USMC (deceased)
Archie Donahue was born in Casper, Wyoming in 1917. He attended schools in Wyoming until 1934 when his family moved to Texas. He had his first airplane ride at the age of eight and the flying bug bit him. Archie completed three years of engineering studies at the University of Texas before joining the Navy as an Aviation Cadet. During his training Archie was stationed at Kansas City, Jacksonville, and finally Corpus Christi. He requested a transfer to the Marine Corps, and upon his graduation he
Signature Value : £60
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Walsh, Kenneth A

Died : 1998
Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth A Walsh (deceased)
Ken Walsh was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 24th 1916. On December 15th 1933, Kenneth Walsh joined the Marines, becoming a mechanic and radioman. In April 1937 he received his wings while still a Private, but was promoted to Corporal immediately after. Ken Walsh achieved an impressive 21 victories in his 104 combat missions. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for two separate actions in August 1943 when, overwhelmingly outnumbered, he destroyed 7 enemy aircraft before being shot dow
Signature Value : £60
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
+ Artist : Nicolas Trudgian

Signature(s) value alone : £245		SOLD
OUT		NOT
AVAILABLE
Limited edition of artist proofs. Paper size 33 inches x 24 inches (84cm x 61cm)
Bolt, John F

Died : 2004
Lieutenant Colonel John F Bolt (deceased)
John Bolt is one of only seven American aces to shoot down 5 or more enemy aircraft in both WWII and Korea. He was also the only Marine Corps ace in Korea. Commissioned in 1942, he joined VMF-214 in 1943. Flying the F4U Corsair, John Bolt downed six Zekes in just 90 days from September to December 1943 to become and ace. He also saw action in the last few weeks of the war with VMF-472. Returning to combat duty in the Korean War he served a tour with the Marines before flying a tour with the
Signature Value : £65
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Conant, A Roger

Died : 2007
Lieutenant Colonel A Roger Conant (deceased)
Enlisting in the U.S. Navy, Roger Conant received his wings as a Marine pilot in 1942. Assigned to VMF 215 he flew the Chance Vought F4U Corsair on well over 100 combat missions, mostly in the air battles over Rabaul and the Solomon Islands where he downed a total of 6 Japanese Mitsubishi Zeros. He was on his return to the Pacific theater as a night fighter pilot on the day war ended. Later he served again in Korea. Retiring from the Marine Corps as a Lt. Col., he then began work as a test pil
Signature Value : £60
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Donahue, Archie

Died : 2007
Colonel Archie G Donahue USMC (deceased)
Archie Donahue was born in Casper, Wyoming in 1917. He attended schools in Wyoming until 1934 when his family moved to Texas. He had his first airplane ride at the age of eight and the flying bug bit him. Archie completed three years of engineering studies at the University of Texas before joining the Navy as an Aviation Cadet. During his training Archie was stationed at Kansas City, Jacksonville, and finally Corpus Christi. He requested a transfer to the Marine Corps, and upon his graduation he
Signature Value : £60
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Walsh, Kenneth A

Died : 1998
Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth A Walsh (deceased)
Ken Walsh was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 24th 1916. On December 15th 1933, Kenneth Walsh joined the Marines, becoming a mechanic and radioman. In April 1937 he received his wings while still a Private, but was promoted to Corporal immediately after. Ken Walsh achieved an impressive 21 victories in his 104 combat missions. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for two separate actions in August 1943 when, overwhelmingly outnumbered, he destroyed 7 enemy aircraft before being shot dow
Signature Value : £60
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
+ Artist : Nicolas Trudgian

Signature(s) value alone : £245		£60 Off!Now : £290.00

Quantity:
In 2 Pairs
View
Limited edition of 50 publishers proofs. Paper size 33 inches x 24 inches (84cm x 61cm)
Bolt, John F

Died : 2004
Lieutenant Colonel John F Bolt (deceased)
John Bolt is one of only seven American aces to shoot down 5 or more enemy aircraft in both WWII and Korea. He was also the only Marine Corps ace in Korea. Commissioned in 1942, he joined VMF-214 in 1943. Flying the F4U Corsair, John Bolt downed six Zekes in just 90 days from September to December 1943 to become and ace. He also saw action in the last few weeks of the war with VMF-472. Returning to combat duty in the Korean War he served a tour with the Marines before flying a tour with the
Signature Value : £65
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Conant, A Roger

Died : 2007
Lieutenant Colonel A Roger Conant (deceased)
Enlisting in the U.S. Navy, Roger Conant received his wings as a Marine pilot in 1942. Assigned to VMF 215 he flew the Chance Vought F4U Corsair on well over 100 combat missions, mostly in the air battles over Rabaul and the Solomon Islands where he downed a total of 6 Japanese Mitsubishi Zeros. He was on his return to the Pacific theater as a night fighter pilot on the day war ended. Later he served again in Korea. Retiring from the Marine Corps as a Lt. Col., he then began work as a test pil
Signature Value : £60
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Donahue, Archie

Died : 2007
Colonel Archie G Donahue USMC (deceased)
Archie Donahue was born in Casper, Wyoming in 1917. He attended schools in Wyoming until 1934 when his family moved to Texas. He had his first airplane ride at the age of eight and the flying bug bit him. Archie completed three years of engineering studies at the University of Texas before joining the Navy as an Aviation Cadet. During his training Archie was stationed at Kansas City, Jacksonville, and finally Corpus Christi. He requested a transfer to the Marine Corps, and upon his graduation he
Signature Value : £60
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Walsh, Kenneth A

Died : 1998
Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth A Walsh (deceased)
Ken Walsh was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 24th 1916. On December 15th 1933, Kenneth Walsh joined the Marines, becoming a mechanic and radioman. In April 1937 he received his wings while still a Private, but was promoted to Corporal immediately after. Ken Walsh achieved an impressive 21 victories in his 104 combat missions. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for two separate actions in August 1943 when, overwhelmingly outnumbered, he destroyed 7 enemy aircraft before being shot dow
Signature Value : £60
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
+ Artist : Nicolas Trudgian

Signature(s) value alone : £245		£60 Off!Now : £280.00

Quantity:
Promotional Flyer A4 Size Single Sheet 6 inches x 8 inches (15m x 21cm)noneAdd any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout!£2.00

Quantity:


Some other related items available from this site.

The B-32 Dominator was produced by Consolidated Aircraft in parallel with Boeings development of the B-29 Superfortress. While both of these long-range heavy strategic bomber development programs encountered some difficulties, the B-29 was completed sooner, and was ordered in far larger quantities than the B-32. About one hundred Dominators were ultimately built and the aircraft saw some service very late in WW II. Powered by the same engines as the B-29, the B-32 had a distinctive very tall stabilizer. Four B-32s from the 386th BS of the 312th BG based at Yontan, Okinawa were given a three-day photoreconnaissance mission near the end of the War. On the third day of the mission, August 18, 1945, two aircraft were forced to turn back and only two aircraft, the Hobo Queen and the Hobo Queen II made it to Japan. The mission involved photographing an area north and east of Tokyo. The aircraft were unescorted, as the War was for all practical purposes over. As the two aircraft prepared to head home they were jumped by a large group of Japanese fighters including Imperial Navy A6M2 Zeros and Army Ki44 Tojos. The first attacks occurred at 1:30 PM while the aircraft were at 20,000 feet. The enemy planes made ten passes on the Hobo Queen II with little or no damage. About twenty-five passes were made at the Hobo Queen, which was under the command of Lt. John R. Anderson. Seven passes were made at the tail of the B-32 and one of the attackers blew-up. One fighter pass was made at the ball turret from below with no success, and another six were made at the forward upper turret. About six more were made at the nose turret position, and several more at the upper rear turret. Another enemy fighter blew up, and a third was seen going down smoking. The pilots went to full mix and full throttle and power-dived the B-32 from 20,000 to 10,000 feet. The Hobo Queen absorbed a lot of damage during these attacks. The radioman got the Hobo Queen II to regroup with the badly damaged Hobo Queen to provide some cover. Three men were wounded including Sgt. Anthony J. Marchione, SSgt. Joseph M. Lacharite, and Sgt. John T. Houston. Marchione and Lacharite were at the camera hatch at the rear of the aircraft when that section of the plane was riddled. Both men were hit. Despite his own wounds, SSgt. Lacharite began administering first aid to Marchione, but a second fighter pass wounded Marchione again. Despite the valiant efforts of his crewmates to keep him alive, Marchione passed away at 2:00PM. Sgt. Marchione may have been the last USAAF combat casualty of the War. SSgt. Chevalier administered first aid to SSgt. Lacharite during the long ride home. Despite being unable to bank his aircraft due a feathered prop, Lt. Anderson got the Hobo Queen down successfully.

Hobo Queens by Stan Stokes. 		In 1938 Vought won a contract for what was to become one of the last of the great propeller driven fighter aircraft, the F4U Corsair. Designed to incorporate the most powerful air-cooled radial engine available at the time, the Pratt and Whitney Double Wasp, the Corsair was powerful, heavily armed, ruggedly built, and designed from the onset as a carrier based fighter. The Corsair was fast, and became the first military aircraft to obtain 400 MPH in level flight. The Corsair incorporated the largest three-bladed propeller ever utilized on a single engine aircraft, a unique distinctive gull wing design, and its 2804 cubic inch engine developed a whopping 1800 HP, more than twice the horsepower of the Japanese fighters which dominated the early years of the War in the Pacific. Despite its design emphasis the USN was reluctant to utilize the Corsair for carrier-based operations because of the aircrafts poor pilot visibility during landings. As a result, the Corsair initially entered service with land-based USMC Squadrons in February of 1943. VMF-124, the first squadron to be equipped with Corsairs, quickly realized that they had a very special aircraft, and at the end of their tour of duty, VMF-124 had 68 confirmed kills of Japanese planes in air-to-air combat vs. losses of only 11 Corsairs. The Royal Navy, which procured over 2,000 of the 9,441 Corsairs produced, successfully overcame the pilot visibility problem by incorporating a curved angular approach to landings. Influenced by the Royal Navys success, the USN requalified the Corsair for carrier-based operations in early 1945. During the Okinawa campaign U.S. forces encountered a desperate shift in Japanese strategy which incorporated the full fury of the Kamikaze suicide attack. Lacking experienced pilots, and in hopes of slowing American advances, more than 3,000 Kamikaze planes were directed at the U.S. naval forces during the Okinawa campaign. The Corsair was instrumental in the fact the 2,600 Kamikazes did not succeed. In his spectacular painting, aviation artist Stan Stokes shows a F4U Corsair of VMF-451 of the Bunker Hill piloted by Marine Major Archie Donahue in action against an incoming (A6M2 Zero) Kamikaze attack during the Okinawa campaign. In three months during the campaign Navy and Marine pilots based on the Bunker Hill recorded 176 kills. However on April 29, 1944 the Bunker Hills luck ran out. Struck by two Kamikazes within minutes, a four hour conflagration ensued, which killed nearly 400 servicemen, and destroyed the bulk of the ships aircraft. This forced the withdrawal of the Bunker Hill from the campaign. Despite these losses, the Corsairs deservedly earned one of their nicknames, Angels of Okinawa, from the thousands of servicemen who no doubt owed their lives to these last of the great propeller driven fighter aircraft, and the courageous pilots who flew them.

Angels of Okinawa by Stan Stokes. 		Often sidelined by other, more glamorous fighters, the Vought F4U Corsair is considered by many to be the best piston-engined fighter ever built, able to outfly anything the Japanese air force could pit against it. So perfect was this versatile and robust design that it remained in production for 12 years, right up until 1952. The most important operator of the F4U during the Second World War was the US Marine Corps, flying from scattered island bases throughout the Pacific, these examples being from the 4th Marine Air Wing based at Majuro Atoll in the Marshalls during the Summer of 1944.

Pacific Warriors by Ivan Berryman.		 With its macabre skull and crossbones insignia, and a reputation for total disdain of authority, VF-17 arrived in the Pacific with a variety of nicknames ranging from the Irregulars to the Cast-offs, but under the dynamic leadership of their Squadron Commander, Tom Blackburn, VF-17 made their presence felt immediately upon their arrival in the fall of 1943. Equipped with the F4U Corsair, VF-17 pilots had what Blackburn was convinced was the best fighter aircraft of World War II, and on 1st November, during the invasion of Bougainville, VF-17 pilots shot down 6 Japanese planes in their first taste of battle - 2 falling to the guns of their C.O. Over the next 8500 hours of combat in the Solomons, its pilots shot down 156 enemy aircraft, 8 Japanese aircraft for each plane it lost, and produced the highest number of Aces of any squadron in the Navy. Blackburns Fighting 17 were the toast of the Navy brass, earned the respect of their peers, and became known throughout the Pacific as The Jolly Rogers.

The Jolly Rogers by Nicolas Trudgian.
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




Lieutenant Colonel John F Bolt (deceased)
Died : 2004
*Signature Value : £65

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 600 prints.
Limited edition of artist proofs.
Limited edition of 50 publishers proofs.


Bolt, John F
(Lieutenant Colonel John F Bolt (deceased))

John Bolt is one of only seven American aces to shoot down 5 or more enemy aircraft in both WWII and Korea. He was also the only Marine Corps ace in Korea. Commissioned in 1942, he joined VMF-214 in 1943. Flying the F4U Corsair, John Bolt downed six Zekes in just 90 days from September to December 1943 to become and ace. He also saw action in the last few weeks of the war with VMF-472. Returning to combat duty in the Korean War he served a tour with the Marines before flying a tour with the Air Force where he shot down six Mig15s. John F Bolt passed away on 8th December 2004.




Lieutenant Colonel A Roger Conant (deceased)
Died : 2007
*Signature Value : £60

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 600 prints.
Limited edition of artist proofs.
Limited edition of 50 publishers proofs.


Conant, A Roger
(Lieutenant Colonel A Roger Conant (deceased))

Enlisting in the U.S. Navy, Roger Conant received his wings as a Marine pilot in 1942. Assigned to VMF 215 he flew the Chance Vought F4U Corsair on well over 100 combat missions, mostly in the air battles over Rabaul and the Solomon Islands where he downed a total of 6 Japanese Mitsubishi Zeros. He was on his return to the Pacific theater as a night fighter pilot on the day war ended. Later he served again in Korea. Retiring from the Marine Corps as a Lt. Col., he then began work as a test pilot for Douglas Aircraft (McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing). Roger Conant USMC(R) passed away on March 10, 2007.




Colonel Archie G Donahue USMC (deceased)
Died : 2007
*Signature Value : £60

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 600 prints.
Limited edition of artist proofs.
Limited edition of 50 publishers proofs.


Donahue, Archie
(Colonel Archie G Donahue USMC (deceased))

Archie Donahue was born in Casper, Wyoming in 1917. He attended schools in Wyoming until 1934 when his family moved to Texas. He had his first airplane ride at the age of eight and the flying bug bit him. Archie completed three years of engineering studies at the University of Texas before joining the Navy as an Aviation Cadet. During his training Archie was stationed at Kansas City, Jacksonville, and finally Corpus Christi. He requested a transfer to the Marine Corps, and upon his graduation he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in February of 1942. After a short posting to Norfolk, Archie was assigned to VMF-112, which was nicknamed the 'Wolfpack.' The squadron was sent to Guadacanal in September where they commenced combat missions flying the Grumman F4F Wildcat. Archie would soon transition to the state-of-the-art F4U-1 Corsair. Between September 1942 and June of 1943 Archie was credited with nine aerial victories. One of these was achieved in the Wildcat with the balance attained while piloting the Corsair. On May 13, 1943 Archic would down five A6M3 Zeros during a single mission. In June of 1943 VMF-112 returned to the States, and the squadron was disbanded. Serving as a flight officer at El Toro Air Station in California, Archie was given the assignment of carrier qualifying VMF-451. In February of 1945 VMF-451 began combat operations flying from the deck of the USS Bunker Hill. For the next three months Donahue and his squdroninates flew numerous missions in support of the landings at lwo Jima and Okinawa, as well as strikes at the Japanese mainland, and in the process earning the nickname 'Angels of Okinawa.' On April 12, 1945 Donahue was once again credited with five victories during a fierce aerial battle over Okinawa. On May 11 th Archie's flight of 16 Corsairs had just returned to the carrier, and as the pilots completed their debriefing the Bunker Hill was hit by two Kamikaze aircraft, setting off a huge fire and killing 346. The Bunker Hill had to be withdrawn from action. Donahue returned to the States where he was made Commander of a squadron at El Toro. He was later transferred to Quantico, a large Marine base near Washington, DC. Archie flew a total of 215 combat missions during WWII including 56 from the deck of the Bunker Hill. He was credited with a total of 14 confirmed aerial victories. He had more than 4000 flying hours in military aircraft and 110 successful carrier landings. Although he never crashed an airplane, Archie was reported killed during aerial gunnery training when a student made a beautiful run and cut the tail off Archie's plane about five feet behind his head. Archie is a recipient of the Navy Cross, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, and five Air Medals. Archie has also been an active participant in the Confederate Air Force, and in 1990 he piloted an SBD with an unusual pilot, Saburo Sakai, the high scoring Japanese ace who was shot down in WWII by the rear gunner of a SBD. Following his retirement from military service in 1958 Archie began a long and successful career in real estate development. Archie lives in Texas with his wife Mary. They have five children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Sadly, he passed away on 30th July 2007.




Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth A Walsh (deceased)
Died : 1998
*Signature Value : £60

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 600 prints.
Limited edition of artist proofs.
Limited edition of 50 publishers proofs.


Walsh, Kenneth A
(Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth A Walsh (deceased))

Ken Walsh was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 24th 1916. On December 15th 1933, Kenneth Walsh joined the Marines, becoming a mechanic and radioman. In April 1937 he received his wings while still a Private, but was promoted to Corporal immediately after. Ken Walsh achieved an impressive 21 victories in his 104 combat missions. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for two separate actions in August 1943 when, overwhelmingly outnumbered, he destroyed 7 enemy aircraft before being shot down himself. He scored his final victory on 22nd June 1945 over Okinawa. Walsh remained in the Marine Corps for a full career, flying transports in Korea and retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in February 1962. He was the 4th highest scoring Marine Corps fighter Ace of World War Two. Sadly he passed away on 30th July 1998.
Squadrons Related to This Print
VMF-214
Aircraft Related to This Print
Corsair
Zero

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