Well, here it is the 77th anniversary of D-Day. As I was born only 2 months after the landings, it's easy for me to keep track of this stuff. Much has been written and said about what we owe to the teenagers and young men who stormed the Normandy beaches that day, and as far as I'm concerned we need to keep writing, talking and painting about that event for as long as we have the strength. We are here today because of them and all the others who fought to keep the world free.
Most of us who enjoy creating aviation art have a fondness (sometimes an obsession) with aircraft of World War II. Looking at the aviation art web sites on the internet confirms that these warbirds are still exceedingly popular with both artists and collectors. I imagine we all have our favourites from that era. My favourite fighter of WWII is the P-47. It was the first wartime aircraft that I ever actually got close to. When I was about 10, my dad took me to the local airport for a wander around. This would have been in 1954 and in those days, you could just toddle out on the tarmac and get up close and personal with the aerospace vehicles. On that particular day, there was a P-47 on the ramp. They were still in use in some National Guard Units, though I can't remember where this one flew in from. I was literally awestruck by the size of the thing, and though I didn't have a camera with me, the image is burnt into my memory. I poked around it, climbed (with a helpful boost) on to the wing and had a good look in the cockpit. This one experience sort of set my attitude for my whole life as far as military aircraft go. We would go to the airport every weekend and though many other sorts of Air Force and Navy birds would fly in, this Thunderbolt was the 'Eureka' moment. I have only one painting, done years ago of this iconic aircraft, depicting Robert S Johnson's flight home after an escort mission on 26 June 1943. Badly shot up, with over 200 bullet holes and structural damage, Johnson got the bird home safely. In a bizarre twist, the FW 190 that had been attacking him ran out of ammunition and escorted him part way home, then rocked his wings in salute and peeled away.
As far as bombers go, my favourite is the B-17. I've been up close to 'Sally B' and the aircraft is certainly impressive, though hampered in the war by a fairly small bomb load in comparison to the Lancaster. The only painting I have done on the Fortress is titled "E Z Goin' is back" and depicts the aircraft on the ground at Thorpe Abbot after being rammed by a German Fighter during a raid on Buchen. The Sonderkommando Elbe was a special squadron of the German Luftwaffe and was assigned to bring down Allied bombers by ramming. Sonderkommando Elbe was formed at Hermann Goering’s insistence that the Reich’s defense units should start ramming bombers as a last resort. This group of fighters was not solely tasked with ramming bombers, but that was their last ditch option. In theory this was not a suicide mission, as they were only supposed to ram an Allied bomber if there was a chance to bail out alive. Unlike kamikaze pilots, the inexperienced German pilots brought a parachute with them while flying their Messerschmitt Bf 109’s. If the pilot survived the collision, he could bail out. The only documented instance of this tactic being used occurred on the 7th of April 1945 and resulted in only 15 Allied bombers attacked with eight successfully destroyed. Several planes barely limped back to base, these included the E-Z Goin’ flown by Joe Martin’s crew. Their left stabilizer was ripped off, and the rudder substantially damaged. In addition to having little control of the plane, they also lost engine #1. Somehow the crew was able to return to England, and landed successfully. Events like these deserve to be commemorated and remembered by future generations.
As usual, here are a couple of links to things artistic:
The Tate is presenting an exhibition by HEATHER PHILLIPSON, “RUPTURE NO 1: BLOWTORCHING THE BITTEN PEACH” which will be available until 23 January 2022. Check it out here: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/heather-phillipson?utm_source=emarsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CRM_Jun_w1_Phillipson_OpenNow_Engaged_UK&sc_src=email_2929565&sc_customer=967112&sc_lid=195826946&sc_uid=6ekkd9Ha9N&sc_llid=105275&sc_eh=8e3caf4a356c9d271
The Guild of Aviation Artists continues its series of "Meet the Artist" with a profile of Chris French. You can read about him and his work here: https://www.facebook.com/GuildofAviationArtists
Take care and keep creating.