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Good Hunting by Stan Stokes. - Cranston Military Prints

Good Hunting by Stan Stokes.


Good Hunting by Stan Stokes.

Task Force 77 (including four Carriers) arrived off the coast of Chonjin, North Korea, in the cover of night and bad weather in November of 1952. This was farther north than usual and very close to Soviet air space. The purpose of the mission was to launch air strikes against manufacturing centers in the area of the Yalu River. Lt. Royce Williams was an F9F-5 Panther pilot with VF-781 Pacemakers on board the USS Oriskany. The pilots were carefully briefed regarding the proximity to Soviet air space. Williams flew a dawn strike against an industrial complex at Hoeryoung. Upon recovery to the Oriskany, Williams learned that the morning attacks had stirred up Soviet air activity in the Vladivostok area. All follow-on strikes were put on hold until the Soviet activity could be assessed. Around noon Williams suited-up for a combat air patrol flight consisting of four Panthers. Taking off in a light snow storm under a low overcast, the four Panthers climbed to 12,000 feet. Combat Information Center (CIC) radioed the jets to inform them of bogies in their area. As they broke through the cloud cover they could see contrails from seven Migs about thirty miles north, and at much higher altitude. The division lead reported a fuel pump warning light and remained with his wingman at 15,000 feet, while Williams and his wingman climber higher. As the Migs passed directly over Williams he could see them clearly and counted a total of seven. The Migs reversed course and headed north at about 50,000 feet. When they were about thirty miles distant they split into two flights, turned in opposite directions, as to bracket the Panthers, and began descending. Williams lost contact with the bogies as they dropped below contrail altitude. A few minutes later Williams spotted four Migs closing fast from the 10 oclock position in a loose trail formation. All four were firing. Williams manuevered a rising hard left turn and came in right behind the last Mig in the formation. He fired a burst and the Mig began smoking, dropped its left wing and started to descend. Reporting the hit to CIC, the controller advised do not engage. Williams reported back, I am engaged! The CIC reported back, Go get em! Williams wingman had followed the first Mig down. Minutes later Williams spotted a Mig coming in fast from the 5 oclock position. He pulled a hard right and kicked a hard reverse, putting the Mig in his sight as it overshot. Although the Mig was pulling away fast, Williams put a burst into him which disintegrated the jet. The turning duel continued for many more minutes, and another Mig began smoking. Williams Panther was eventually hit and he lost his hydraulic system and many of the aircraft controls. Diving for cloud cover, another Mig had settled in behind to finish off the Panther. Fortunately for Williams, his wingman had rejoined the fight despite having jammed guns. He successfully bluffed the Mig on Williams tail to disengage. Williams was able to nurse his badly damaged Panther back to the Oriskany where he had to make a landing at excessive speed.
Item Code : STK0044DGood Hunting by Stan Stokes. - Editions Available
DESCRIPTIONSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSPRICEPURCHASINGPACKS
Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Artist : Stan Stokes£15 Off!
Add any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout!		Now : £35.00

Quantity:
225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot, and a remarque.Image size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm)
Williams, E Royce
Capt E Royce Williams USN
Royce Williams was born in Wilmot, South Dakota in 1925. In 1936 his family moved to Clinton, Minnesota where a familyowned grocery business was established. Royee worked in the business, but preferred outside work including activities at his Uncle's farm and lakeside resort. He was active in the 411 club and the Boy Scouts, and became the first young man from Clinton to attain Eagle Scout status. In high school Royce played three sports, including quarterback on his school's football te
Signature Value : £55
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

+ Artist : Stan Stokes

Signature(s) value alone : £55		SOLD
OUT		NOT
AVAILABLE
Limited edition of 25 giclee art prints Signed by Artist. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm)Artist : Stan Stokes£145.00

Quantity:
Prints from the 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot. Image size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm)
Williams, E Royce
Capt E Royce Williams USN
Royce Williams was born in Wilmot, South Dakota in 1925. In 1936 his family moved to Clinton, Minnesota where a familyowned grocery business was established. Royee worked in the business, but preferred outside work including activities at his Uncle's farm and lakeside resort. He was active in the 411 club and the Boy Scouts, and became the first young man from Clinton to attain Eagle Scout status. In high school Royce played three sports, including quarterback on his school's football te
Signature Value : £55
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

+ Artist : Stan Stokes

Signature(s) value alone : £55		£30 Off!Now : £110.00

Quantity:


Some other related items available from this site.

F86A Sabre of Col. Jack W. Hayes ex-cavalry, bomber and Mustang pilot, attempting to intercept a Russian MIG 15 flown by Soviet ace Casey Jones, over the Yalu river, Korea, February 1952.

Cavalry Sabre by David Pentland. 		On 27th November 1950, thousands of Chinese troops swarmed over the frozen Yalu river on the North Korean /Chinese border, cutting off US Marines in the Chosin Reservoir area. Over the next ten days the marines with air support from both the Navy and Marine Air Wings fought their way out of the trap to Hungnam and safety.

Frozen Chosin, Korea, December 1950 by David Pentland. 		Ted Williams, the famous Hall of Fame baseball great was also an accomplished fighter pilot in WW II and Korea. Ted missed out flying combat missions during WW II, because his flying and gunnery skills were so good that he was kept as an instructor for much of the War. During advanced training at Pensacola, Florida Ted would accurately shoot the sleeve targets to shreds while shooting out of wing-overs, zooms, and barrel rolls. He broke the all time record for hits at the school. Following Pensacola, Ted was sent to Jacksonville for advanced gunnery training. This is the payoff test for potential combat pilots. Ted set all the records for reflexes, coordination, and visual reaction time. As a result of his stunning success he was made an instructor at Bronson field to put Marine aviation cadets through their final paces. By 1945 Ted got his wish and was finally transferred to a combat wing, but weeks later the War was over. He was discharged from the military in December of 1945. Seven years later, in December of 1952, Ted was recalled to active duty as a Marine Corps fighter pilot. The Boston Red Sox slugger who wore No. 9 as a major leaguer, would now be assigned to an F-9 Panther jet as a pilot. Ted flew a total of 39 combat missions in Korea. He was selected by his commander John Glenn (later the astronaut, senator, and septuagenonaut) to fly as Glenns wingman. While flying an air strike on a troop encampment near Kyomipo, Williams F-9 was hit by hostile ground fire. Ted commented later ...the funny thing was I didn't feel anything... I knew I was hit when the stick started shaking like mad in my hands. Then everything went out, my radio, my landing gear, everything. The red warning lights were on all over the plane. The F-9 Panther had a centrifugal flow engine and normally caught fire when hit. The tail would literally blow off most stricken aircraft. The standard orders were to eject from any Panther with a fire in the rear of the plane. Teds aircraft was indeed on fire, and was trailing smoke and flames. Glen and the other pilots on the mission were yelling over their radios for Williams to get out. However, with his radio out Williams could not hear their warnings, and he could not see the condition of the rear of his aircraft. Glenn and another Panther flown by Larry Hawkins came up alongside Williams and lead him to the nearest friendly airfield. Fighting to hold the plane together, Ted brought his Panther in at more than 200-MPH for a crash landing on the Marsden-matted strip. With no landing gear, dive brakes, or functioning flaps the flaming Panther jet skidded down the runway for more than 3000 feet. Williams got out of the aircraft only moments before it was totally engulfed in flames. Ted Williams survived his tour of duty in Korea and returned to major league baseball. He is one of the greatest hitters of all time.

A Pair of Famous Nines by Stan Stokes.		 M19 self-propelled antiaircraft guns guns of the 82nd Battalion give cover to the M46 Patton tanks and men of the US Armys 2nd Division during their hazardous retreat south from the Yalu River, following the surprise Chinese winter offensive.

Retreat from the Yalu by David Pentland.
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


Capt E Royce Williams USN
*Signature Value : £55

Editions signed :

225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot, and a remarque.
Prints from the 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot.


Williams, E Royce
(Capt E Royce Williams USN)

Royce Williams was born in Wilmot, South Dakota in 1925. In 1936 his family moved to Clinton, Minnesota where a familyowned grocery business was established. Royee worked in the business, but preferred outside work including activities at his Uncle's farm and lakeside resort. He was active in the 411 club and the Boy Scouts, and became the first young man from Clinton to attain Eagle Scout status. In high school Royce played three sports, including quarterback on his school's football team. He graduated first in his class. Royce had boyhood dreams of becoming a military pilot. His older brother had Joined the Navy in 1942, becoming a Marine Corps aviator. In March of 1943 Royce Joined up, and he became a naval aviator. Royce became carrier qualified in the F6F Hellcat on the old USS Ranger (CV-4.) He flew the F6F, and later the F4U Corsair and the F8F Bearcat. Royce attended the University of Minnesota where he earned his Bachelors Degree. He later would attend the Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey. Royee eventually transitioned to jets, where his first operational deployment was on board the USSOriskany, flyingthe17917-5 Panther. While deployed in Korea with the VF-781 (later redesignated V17-121) 'Pacemakers', Royee engaged seven Soviet-piloted Mig-15s on November 18, 1952. The Oriskany was only 100 miles from V1adivostok. Shortly after take-off Williain's flight of four Panthers encountered the seven Migs. Royce was instructed to reverse course and hold a barrier between the Migs and the Task Force, but the Migs attacked. It is believed that Royce downed three of the bogies, although official reports credited him with only one. With his Panther badly shot-up R oyce limped back to the Oriskany and got his aircraft home with the help of the LSO and ship's Captain. The engagement was politically sensitive as the US Government feared escalating Soviet involvement in the War in Korea. Mig kills were rare for the Navy in Korea (only 55 aerial victories), and the Panther was generally outclassed by the Mig-15 in most dogfights. Royce remained in the Navy until his retirement in 1980. He served as an exchange pilot with the USAF flying the F-86 and F-100. He also served as CO, XO and of VF-33 on board the USS Enterprise flying the F8-E Crusader, and later on board the USS America flying the F-4 Phantom 11. He also served as an Air Wing Commander during the Vietnam War. He also served as CO of the USS Eldorado, with CINCPAC Staff as COS ConiFAITWestPac, and as ACOS OPS ComTracPac. Royce's decorations include the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit with Combat 'V', the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Bronze Star Medal. He married his hometown sweetheart, Cam, in 1947. In 2023, at the age of 97, he received the Navy's second-highest award for combat valor, the Navy Cross, at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. His award was upgraded from the Silver Star after a campaign entitled 'Operation Just Reward'.
Squadrons Related to This Print
VF781
Aircraft Related to This Print
Panther

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