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Preparing for the Tirpitz by Philip West. - Cranston Military Prints

Preparing for the Tirpitz by Philip West.


Preparing for the Tirpitz by Philip West.

Working around the clock and in all weather conditions the ground crew knew from the size of the bombs they were loading, this was going to be a very special operation for the Lancaster crews of 9 Squadron. Brainchild of Barnes Wallis, the Tallboy bomb weighed in at an impressive 12,000lb. On this occasion in November 1944 the crews and aircraft are being readied for departure to Lossiemouth or Kinloss on route to sink the Tirpitz laying at anchor near Tromso in Norway.
Item Code : DHM2231APPreparing for the Tirpitz by Philip West. - Editions Available
DESCRIPTIONSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSPRICEPURCHASINGPACKS
Signed limited edition of 250 prints. Paper size 28 inches x 16 inches (71cm x 41cm)
Brookbank, Jim
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
Sgt Jim Brookbank
Born in a Victorian terrace in the back streets of Kilburn in North West London and had yet to reach his sixteenth birthday at the outbreak of war. Having experienced the 'Blitz' and already obsessed with flying since the age of 12, he - in keeping with many aspiring young aviators - wanted to be a Spitfire pilot. He volunteered as U/T pilot at the age of 18, trained in Canada and qualified as a Bomb Aimer. Jim joined IX Squadron at Bardney in August 1944 and flew on Operations with t
Signature Value : £15
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

Caines, G T M
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
W. O. G. T. M. Caines
Volunteered and joined the RAF at age 18 and was called up on 4th December 1940. He subsequently joined 9 Squadron and after 7 Operational sorties was granted four days compassionate leave to visit his wife, who had just given birth to a son in a temporary maternity hospital in Taunton. He returned to find his crew reported missing. He carried on flying with 9 Squadron as a spare Wop but after 13 ops crewed up with F/O Manning who had lost his Wop after five trips. On 23rd March 1944, on his
Signature Value : £20
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

Pinning, Jim
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
Flg Off Jim Pinning
volunteered and was called up for Air Crew duties in April 1942. After some Pilot training in S Rhodesia and returning to England, Jim qualified as a Flight Engineer, joining Flying Officer David Coster and crew at Conversion Unit flying Stirlings. After a course at Lancaster Finishing School, a posting to IX Squadron, Bardney resulted. On his seventh trip Jim flew in WS.T LM448 (as illustrated in 'Preparing for the Tirpitz') on the final Tirpitz raid, but as the result of heavy flak d
Signature Value : £20
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

Rees, W G
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
Flt Lt W G Rees
Volunteered for Aircrew at age 19 and was called up in April 1942. After initial training he went to Miami, Oklahoma where he gained his Pilots Wings in July 1942. He returned to the UK and after further training volunteered for Special Duties and was posted to 9 Squadron who were about to embark on their 12,000lb Bomb campaign. His first flight was on 'T' for 'Tommy'. His service with the Squadron included many Tallboy and 12,000lb HC bomb raids and he specialised in Wind Fin
Signature Value : £15
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

+ Artist : Philip West


Signature(s) value alone : £70
£60 Off!Now : £140.00

Quantity:
In 2 Pairs
View
Limited edition of 25 artist proofs. Paper size 28 inches x 16 inches (71cm x 41cm)
Brookbank, Jim
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
Sgt Jim Brookbank
Born in a Victorian terrace in the back streets of Kilburn in North West London and had yet to reach his sixteenth birthday at the outbreak of war. Having experienced the 'Blitz' and already obsessed with flying since the age of 12, he - in keeping with many aspiring young aviators - wanted to be a Spitfire pilot. He volunteered as U/T pilot at the age of 18, trained in Canada and qualified as a Bomb Aimer. Jim joined IX Squadron at Bardney in August 1944 and flew on Operations with t
Signature Value : £15
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

Caines, G T M
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
W. O. G. T. M. Caines
Volunteered and joined the RAF at age 18 and was called up on 4th December 1940. He subsequently joined 9 Squadron and after 7 Operational sorties was granted four days compassionate leave to visit his wife, who had just given birth to a son in a temporary maternity hospital in Taunton. He returned to find his crew reported missing. He carried on flying with 9 Squadron as a spare Wop but after 13 ops crewed up with F/O Manning who had lost his Wop after five trips. On 23rd March 1944, on his
Signature Value : £20
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

Pinning, Jim
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
Flg Off Jim Pinning
volunteered and was called up for Air Crew duties in April 1942. After some Pilot training in S Rhodesia and returning to England, Jim qualified as a Flight Engineer, joining Flying Officer David Coster and crew at Conversion Unit flying Stirlings. After a course at Lancaster Finishing School, a posting to IX Squadron, Bardney resulted. On his seventh trip Jim flew in WS.T LM448 (as illustrated in 'Preparing for the Tirpitz') on the final Tirpitz raid, but as the result of heavy flak d
Signature Value : £20
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

Rees, W G
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
Flt Lt W G Rees
Volunteered for Aircrew at age 19 and was called up in April 1942. After initial training he went to Miami, Oklahoma where he gained his Pilots Wings in July 1942. He returned to the UK and after further training volunteered for Special Duties and was posted to 9 Squadron who were about to embark on their 12,000lb Bomb campaign. His first flight was on 'T' for 'Tommy'. His service with the Squadron included many Tallboy and 12,000lb HC bomb raids and he specialised in Wind Fin
Signature Value : £15
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

+ Artist : Philip West


Signature(s) value alone : £70
£60 Off!Now : £165.00

Quantity:


Some other related items available from this site.

 Oberleutenant Schalls ME 262 of JG7 catches the Australian crewed Lancaster from 5 group dead astern as it lines up for its bombing run on the Hamburg U-Boat pens. Even at this angle the speed of the jet made it difficult to get off more than a few bursts of cannon fire before it passed through the British formation. The episode was witnessed by navigator Cecil Keys in the leading Lancaster QR/Y from 61 squadron on his last raid of the war. Lt. Schall, an ace with 117 kills, and 2nd highest jet ace of the war with 14 victories was killed the following day when his aircraft hit a bomb crater on landing at his base of Parchim.

Jet Attack by David Pentland.
An all time classic image of the Lancaster bomber of Bomber command at altitude crossing the coast on its way to another bombing mission in Europe.  In this atmospheric classic image, Gerald Coulson has shown this stalwart of the Royal Air Forces Bomber Command during the second world war.  A superb partner painting to the other classic Gerald Coulson image,  Off Duty Lancaster.

Outbound Lancaster by Gerald Coulson.
 The image shows Lancaster AJ-L lining up for the attack on the Eder dam.  Alongside is the portrait of AJ-L pilot Flt Lt D J Shannon.  The first aircraft to attempt an attack the Eder dam, AJ-L made several unsuccessful attempts at lining up to drop the bomb, hampered by the difficult approach to the dam.  After allowing AJ-Z to drop its bomb, AJ-L made a final successful attack on the dam, its bomb exploding accurately, but failing to cause a breach.  The aircraft returned to base safely.<br><br><b>Crew of <i>L for Leather</i> :</b><br><br>Pilot : Flt Lt D J Shannon<br>Flight Engineer : Sgt R J Henderson<br>Navigator : Flg Off D R Walker<br>Wireless Operator : Flg Off B Goodale<br>Bomb Aimer : Flt Sgt L J Sumpter<br>Front Gunner : Sgt B Jagger<br>Rear Gunner : Flg Off J Buckley.

Tribute to the 617 Sqn Dambusters Crew of Lancaster AJ-L by David Pentland.
Up to 1942 Bomber Command operations were beset by many problems. The means they had to accurately pinpoint the target and assault it were totally lacking, in fact their Commander in Chief, Air Marshall Arthur Harris later wrote : It was glaringly obvious that the average crew in average weather could not find their way to the target.  Between February and August 1942 an effort was made to rectify this through the development of a specialised target finding and target marking force, which became known as the Pathfinders. Activated on August 15 this new group was formed under the leadership of their AOC Air Commodore Don Bennett, himself a very experienced pre war pilot with exceptional navigational skills. The aircrews of No. 8 (PFF) Group were tasked with marking out the designated targets but the formation of this group was initially opposed by Harris. He felt that the ranks of his Main Force could be weakened if a high number of experienced and highly skilled crews were taken by this specialist unit, leading to a lessening of skills within the other bomber groups. He agreed however for an alternative scheme whereby complete units were assigned to the Pathfinder Force and the stage was then set for what was to become the Main Offensive of Bomber Command.  The first four Squadrons - Nos. 7 (Stirlings) 35 (Halifax) 83 (Lancaster) and 156 (Wellingtons) - were based at a clutch of airfields between Cambridge and Huntingdon. In the absence of any specialist Target Markers the crews were initially forced to operate using standard flares and the early raids produced variable results, with cloud cover often proving the main obstacle in accurate marking. However during the winter of 1942 the introduction of the ground guided marking system, OBOE, marked a quantum leap in accurate target marking and by mid 1943 Pathfinder techniques had been developed for all forms of weather conditions, including nights when complete overcast existed.Pathfinder crews used a combination of personal skill and technical equipment such as H2S to locate their targets. Often flying against overwhelming odds and in appalling conditions they transformed the performance of a bomber force that in 1941 was dropping almost half its bombs on open countryside. This third and final painting in Gerald Coulsons Tribute to Bomber Command depicts Lancaster Bombers of No.8 (PFF) Group returning late after a gruelling operation over Berlin. It is Christmas 1943 and the winter landscape reflects the early morning sunrise as the weary crews approach the safety of their Cambridgeshire base.

Winter Ops 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
Sgt Jim Brookbank
*Signature Value : £15

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 250 prints.
Limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Brookbank, Jim
(Sgt Jim Brookbank)

Born in a Victorian terrace in the back streets of Kilburn in North West London and had yet to reach his sixteenth birthday at the outbreak of war. Having experienced the 'Blitz' and already obsessed with flying since the age of 12, he - in keeping with many aspiring young aviators - wanted to be a Spitfire pilot. He volunteered as U/T pilot at the age of 18, trained in Canada and qualified as a Bomb Aimer. Jim joined IX Squadron at Bardney in August 1944 and flew on Operations with them until VE Day. He attacked specially selected daylight targets with the Barnes Wallis 12,000lb 'Tallboy' bomb, including the final raid of the war on Berchtesgaden on 25th April 1945. Jim completed 23 ops.
W. O. G. T. M. Caines
*Signature Value : £20

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 250 prints.
Limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Caines, G T M
(W. O. G. T. M. Caines)

Volunteered and joined the RAF at age 18 and was called up on 4th December 1940. He subsequently joined 9 Squadron and after 7 Operational sorties was granted four days compassionate leave to visit his wife, who had just given birth to a son in a temporary maternity hospital in Taunton. He returned to find his crew reported missing. He carried on flying with 9 Squadron as a spare Wop but after 13 ops crewed up with F/O Manning who had lost his Wop after five trips. On 23rd March 1944, on his twenty-fifth trip, in Lancaster LM430, WS-B, on the way home from Frankfurt they were hit in the bomb bay by a fighter. Badly on fire and in a steep dive they blew up. The aircraft broke her back and Caines was thrown clear of the wreckage, landing in a little village called Lembeque, near Brussels. He finished the war in captivity and was repatriated a week or so before VE Day. Unfortunately he was the only one to survive the crash.
Flg Off Jim Pinning
*Signature Value : £20

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 250 prints.
Limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Pinning, Jim
(Flg Off Jim Pinning)

volunteered and was called up for Air Crew duties in April 1942. After some Pilot training in S Rhodesia and returning to England, Jim qualified as a Flight Engineer, joining Flying Officer David Coster and crew at Conversion Unit flying Stirlings. After a course at Lancaster Finishing School, a posting to IX Squadron, Bardney resulted. On his seventh trip Jim flew in WS.T LM448 (as illustrated in 'Preparing for the Tirpitz') on the final Tirpitz raid, but as the result of heavy flak damage causing a loss of fuel and power a course was set for Sweden where, after evading enemy fighters over Norway, a crash landing was made. After returning to England the crew re-joined the Squadron and Jim completed 22 ops. by the end of the war. After cancellation of the Tiger Force destined for the Far East, Jim joined Squadron Leader (Jock) Blair for the Squadron's brief visit to India.
Flt Lt W G Rees
*Signature Value : £15

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 250 prints.
Limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Rees, W G
(Flt Lt W G Rees)

Volunteered for Aircrew at age 19 and was called up in April 1942. After initial training he went to Miami, Oklahoma where he gained his Pilots Wings in July 1942. He returned to the UK and after further training volunteered for Special Duties and was posted to 9 Squadron who were about to embark on their 12,000lb Bomb campaign. His first flight was on 'T' for 'Tommy'. His service with the Squadron included many Tallboy and 12,000lb HC bomb raids and he specialised in Wind Finding exercises. After the German capitulation he trained with Tiger Force and finally served at Waddington until his release from the service.
Squadrons Related to This Print
No.9 Sqn
Aircraft Related to This Print
Lancaster

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