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Operation Mercury by Nicolas Trudgian. (AP) - Cranston Military Prints

Operation Mercury by Nicolas Trudgian. (AP)


Operation Mercury by Nicolas Trudgian. (AP)

Slow, frail, out-dated and hopelessly outnumbered, Gladiator biplanes of 112 Squadron RAF tenaciously throw themselves into the fray, attacking Luftwaffe fighter-bombers in the battle for Crete, in April 1941. This painting shows Me110Cs of II./ZG76, having attacked naval units off the coast of Crete in early May 1941, being bravely intercepted by two Gladiators of 112 Squadron. Heavily outnumbered, the best the RAF pilots can hope for is to disrupt the Luftwaffe formation. And this they continued to do until, literally, they had no more aircraft left!
Item Code : DHM2615APOperation Mercury by Nicolas Trudgian. (AP) - Editions Available
DESCRIPTIONSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSPRICEPURCHASINGPACKS
Special Edition Artists Proof. Limited edition of 30 artist proofs. Image size 24 inches x 16 inches (61cm x 41cm)
Johanssen, Karl-Ludwig

Died : 2009
Leutnant Karl-Ludwig Johanssen (deceased)
Karl-Ludwig Johanssen was born on 15th May 1921. Flying with III./NJG4 and I./NJG6, he was one of the Luftwaffe's most successful radio operators, flying with Martin Becker and participating in 59 air victories. He was awarded with the Knights Cross in March 1945. He died on 11th August 2009.
Signature Value : £55
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Fries, Otto

Leutnant Otto Fries
Otto Fries was posted to NJG I nightfighter unit in January 1942 as a Gefreiter. He served with them on the Western Front right through until the end of the war, flying continuously against RAF Bomber Command. He was commissioned Leutnant in August 1943. In July 1944 Otto was flying Me110s of II.Gruppe based in St. Trond, St. Dizier and then Arnheim. He later joined I.Gruppe before transferring to Münster-Hansdorf flying the Heinkel 219 Owl. He is one of the last surviving He219 pilots.
Signature Value : £55
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

Spoden, Peter

Died : 2021
Hauptmann Peter Spoden (deceased)
Peter Spoden was born in Borken near Minster on 8th November 1921. Peter Spoden completed his education in 1940 and worked initially on the railways. Spoden learned to fly gliders with the Hitler Youth. He finally joined the Luftwaffe in October 1941. Spoden trained at the Luftkriegsschule 4 at Fürstenfeldbruck. After gaining his Pilot's Badge and A/B flying certificate, Spoden attended Flugzeugführerschule C 17 at Pütnitz where he trained to fly multi-engine types. On the 1st of Fe
Signature Value : £55
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
+ Artist : Nicolas Trudgian


Signature(s) value alone : £165
£50 Off!Now : £230.00

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 The battle of Crete was one of Germanys most successful battles in the war, as well as being one of their most difficult.  The film contains archive footage prior to the battle, including the lead up to the fall of both Yugoslavia and Greece, interviews with two of the four German commanders that led the military operations and with the soldiers that were involved in the assaults; action, plus fascinating footage from the paratroopers, air-landed infantry, the Naval forces and the Luftwaffe, plus hand to hand infantry battles, sea warfare and aerial dogfights.
The Fall of Crete
 Porucznik Stanislaw Skalski of 142nd Eskrada, flying a Polish airforce PZL P-11c, downs a Messerschmitt 110 during the first days of WWII. Although officially credited as a Dornier bomber, it is now believed that the aircraft was an Me110 from 1/ZG1. The discrepancy is attributed to the fact that the reported aircraft used nose mounted cannons unlike the Dornier, and up until then the 110 was a well kept secret.

Opening Gambit, Poland, 2nd September 1939 by David Pentland.
 Outnumbered and outclassed, the aging Gloster Gladiators of 112 Sqn nonetheless put up a spirited defence in the skies above Crete as Germanys Operation Mercury gathered momentum in the Spring of 1941.  Here, shark-mouthed Messerschmitt Bf.110s of ZG.76 menace a lone Gladiator during an evening encounter.

Impossible Odds by Ivan Berryman.
Alone in the aerial defence of Malta in the early part of WW2, these three Gloster Gladiators, nicknamed <i>Faith</i>, <i>Hope</i> and <i>Charity</i>, saw such intense action against the invading Italian air force that the enemy's commanders were convinced that a much bigger force existed on Malta.  They are depicted here making a low pass over the destroyer HMS Dainty as she heads out of Grand Harbour from Sliema Creek.  Herself a veteran of much action in the early part of the war, HMS Dainty was lost to dive bombers off Tobruk on 24th February 1941.

Veterans of the Med by Ivan Berryman.
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




Leutnant Karl-Ludwig Johanssen (deceased)
Died : 2009
*Signature Value : £55

Editions signed :

Special Edition Artists Proof. Limited edition of 30 artist proofs.


Johanssen, Karl-Ludwig
(Leutnant Karl-Ludwig Johanssen (deceased))

Karl-Ludwig Johanssen was born on 15th May 1921. Flying with III./NJG4 and I./NJG6, he was one of the Luftwaffe's most successful radio operators, flying with Martin Becker and participating in 59 air victories. He was awarded with the Knights Cross in March 1945. He died on 11th August 2009.




Leutnant Otto Fries
*Signature Value : £55

Editions signed :

Special Edition Artists Proof. Limited edition of 30 artist proofs.


Fries, Otto
(Leutnant Otto Fries)

Otto Fries was posted to NJG I nightfighter unit in January 1942 as a Gefreiter. He served with them on the Western Front right through until the end of the war, flying continuously against RAF Bomber Command. He was commissioned Leutnant in August 1943. In July 1944 Otto was flying Me110s of II.Gruppe based in St. Trond, St. Dizier and then Arnheim. He later joined I.Gruppe before transferring to Münster-Hansdorf flying the Heinkel 219 Owl. He is one of the last surviving He219 pilots. Shot down four times, on the second of which he escaped by catapult ejection seat out of the He219 during night operations for home defence - it is thought had been shot down by night fighter Mosquito R of 85 Sqd flown by F/Lt Vaughan and F/Sgt R D McKinnon. The right hand engine of his He219 suddenly exploded into flames. With the loss of most of the control of the aircraft he jettisoned the aircrafts canopy, his wireless operator Feldwebel Alfred Staffa baled out and was severley wounded on landing with his parachute. Lt Otto Fries could not regain sufficient control of the He219 which was now burning so he ejected. He landed unhurt by means of his parachute. The He219 crashed about 3 kilometres south of Hertogenbosch and was destroyed. This was only the third such ejection in combat in the world. Otto scored 18 air victories by the end of the war.




Hauptmann Peter Spoden (deceased)
Died : 2021
*Signature Value : £55

Editions signed :

Special Edition Artists Proof. Limited edition of 30 artist proofs.


Spoden, Peter
(Hauptmann Peter Spoden (deceased))

Peter Spoden was born in Borken near Minster on 8th November 1921. Peter Spoden completed his education in 1940 and worked initially on the railways. Spoden learned to fly gliders with the Hitler Youth. He finally joined the Luftwaffe in October 1941. Spoden trained at the Luftkriegsschule 4 at Fürstenfeldbruck. After gaining his Pilot's Badge and A/B flying certificate, Spoden attended Flugzeugführerschule C 17 at Pütnitz where he trained to fly multi-engine types. On the 1st of February 1942 Spoden was promoted to the rank of Leutnant and on 1st September, Spoden attended the Blindflugschule at Copenhagen for instrument flight training before going to the Nachtjagdschule at Kitzingen for operational training. On 1 June 1943, Leutnant Spoden was assigned to 6./NJG 5 based at Parchim. He scored his first victory on the Peenemunde raid when he intercepted a RAF formation of Lancaster bomber between Hanshagen and Greifswald.whihc were attacking the German the research facilities. On the night of 22/23 August, while attacking RAF bomber formations over Berlin, Spoden shot down a Halifax, before engaging an RAF Stirling four-engine bomber. He shot down the Stirling, but the bombers rear-gunner was able to score hits on Spoden's Bf 110 night-fighter, wounding him in the left leg, and setting his aircraft on fire. Spoden baled out of his Me110 but contacted the tail unit pinning him to the elevator. Fortunately, he was thrown clear. Spoden spent three months recuperating before returning to 5./NJG 5 in November and in August 1944, Spoden was transferred to the Stabsstaffel of II./NJG 6 based at Swäbisch Hall. On the night of 26/27 December, he was seeking Allied gliders supplying men and equipment to encircled troops at Bastogne when his Me110 was hit by German flak. The port engine caught fire and Spoden was forced to belly-land his aircraft near Stradtkyll. Spoden was knocked unconscious and was pulled from the blazing wreckage by his crewmen. On 21 February 1945, Spoden recorded his 20th victory when he shot down Lancaster near Worms. In late February, he was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold for 22 victories. Returning to night fighting he eventually became Gruppenkommandeur of I./NJG6 on 19th March 1945, his final tally was 26 victories. On 29 April 1945 the remnants of NJG 6 surrendered to American troops at Schleissheim. Spoden was released from captivity in autumn 1945. In 1954, he was accepted for a Lufthansa training programme to become an airline pilot. He completed the course on 20 July 1955, retiring in 1981. He died on 9th December 2021.
Squadrons Related to This Print
No.112 Sqn
ZG76
Aircraft Related to This Print
Gladiator
Me110

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