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Nicolas Trudgian Prints Royal Air Force Kittyhawk

[UP] - Spitfire - Hurricane - Lancaster - Mosquito - Vulcan - Typhoon - Hunter - Kittyhawk - Sopwith Camel - Halifax - SE5a - Gladiator - Bristol - RAF Print List




Kittyhawk

Curtiss Kittyhawk, single engine fighter with a top speed of 362mph, ceiling of 30,000 feet and a range of 1190 miles with extra fuel tanks but 900 miles under normal operation. Kitty Hawk armaments was four or six .50in machine guns in the wings and a bomb load of up to 1,000 lb's. A development of the earlier Tomahawk, the Kitty Hawk saw service in may air force's around the world, American, Australian, New Zealand, and the Royal Air Force. which used them in the Mediterranean, north Africa, and Malta. from January 1942/ apart from the large numbers used by the Us Air Force, over 3,000 were used by Commonwealth air force's including the Royal air Force.
Nicolas Trudgian Kittyhawk Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings
Aviation Art

Desert Sharks and Eagles by Nicolas Trudgian.


Desert Sharks and Eagles by Nicolas Trudgian.
6 editions.
5 of the 6 editions feature up to 4 additional signatures.
£2.00 - £240.00

Combat Over New Guinea by Nicolas Trudgian.


Combat Over New Guinea by Nicolas Trudgian.
3 editions.
All 3 editions feature an additional signature.
£60.00 - £120.00

Duel in the Desert by Nicolas Trudgian.


Duel in the Desert by Nicolas Trudgian.
2 editions.
Both editions feature an additional signature.
£60.00 - £75.00



Text for the above items :

Desert Sharks and Eagles by Nicolas Trudgian.

The air war fought in the skies above the inhospitable wastelands of the North African desert were among the most hotly contested of the war. The outcome of the bitter land war raging below largely depended upon who controlled the air space above, and both sides knew it. JG-27, having cut its teeth in the battles of France and Britain, was the first Luftwaffe unit to arrive in North Africa. Commanded by the mercurial Eduard Neumann, its Me109s were superior to the Hurricanes and P-40 Kittyhawks flown by the RAF pilots and, without the restriction of close escort duties dictated on the Western Front, the JG-27 pilots roamed the desert skies, closing in combat with the British fighters at every opportunity. The North African air campaign spawned many fighter aces, including Hans-Joachim Marseille who claimed more than 150 victories in his short career - more than any other Luftwaffe ace flying against RAF pilots. The scale of the desert air war is highlighted by raw statistics: 1400 British aircraft lost; over 1200 Luftwaffe destroyed. A dog-fight between Me109s from JG-27 and P-40 Kittyhawks of the RAFs 112 Squadron, led by Killer Caldwell, and later Billy Drake, 112 Squadron were in constant combat with Edu Neumanns fighters as they jousted for air supremacy above Rommels advancing Afrika Korps tanks. Below them, the desolate beauty of the Libyan desert stretches as far as the eye can see.

Published 2001.

Signed by two RAF and two Luftwaffe pilots (both of whom did not sign many art prints) who fought in the desert campaign, sadly all of whom have since passed away. This is a sought after art print and well worth adding to your collection.



Combat Over New Guinea by Nicolas Trudgian.

Australian Ace Dick Cresswell tangles with a Japanese Zero in the humid air of the tropics over New Guinea during an encounter in 1942. Flying a P-40E Kittyhawk with the insignia of 77 Squadron, RAAF blazoned on his aircraft, Cresswell makes a head-on pass leaving the enemy aircraft streaming smoke. Immortalised by the Flying Tigers, the P-40 was a fine combat aircraft that operated in the Pacific, European and Middle East theaters.


Duel in the Desert by Nicolas Trudgian.

The P-40, legendary for its service with Chennaults Flying Tigers in China, was one of the RAFs principle fighters in the north African Desert war. A low-level dogfight between P-40 Kittyhawks of 112 Squadron is shown, as they tangle with the Luftwaffe ME109s over Matamata Hills, near the Mareth line on the border between Tunisia and Libya, early March 1943.

Known Aces for this aircraft
Ace NameVictories
James Francis Edwards16.50
Bobby Gibbes10.50


Kittyhawk
Pilot and aircrew signature details



Wing Commander R C Dick Cresswell
Our estimated value of this signature : £55
Died : 2006

Wing Commander R C Dick Cresswell

Wing Commander Richard 'Dick' Cresswell, leading Australian Figher Ace. On December 2nd 1942 over Darwin, Cresswell shot down a Japanese heavy bomber. In total Cresswell logged over 450 hours flying hazardous operations as the leader of an Australian fighter squadron in two wars - WWII and Korea. He was three times Commanding Officer of 77 Squadron, his second stint was at Kamiri Airstrip on Noemfoor Island. The squadron were fying the Kittyhawk fighter. Cresswell handed over command on 23rd Secember 1944 to Squadron Leader W R C McCullough. Because of his distinguished service leading 77 Squadron he was known as 'Mr Double Seven'. He continued his service with 77 Squadron during the Korean War. Sadly Wing Commander R. C. (Dick) Cresswell DFC passed away on the 12th December 2006.







General Ben Davis
Our estimated value of this signature : £65
Died : 2002

General Ben Davis

Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr was born in Washington, D.C. on December 18, 1912. A Westpointer, Ben Davis completed over 60 missions with both the 12th and 15th Air Forces. He flew P-40s, P-39s, P-47s and P-51s, all in combat. Davis himself led dozens of missions in P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs. He received the Silver Star for a strafing run into Austria and the Distinguished Flying Cross for a bomber-escort mission to Munich on June 9th, 1944. He saw action in North Africa and later in Sicily. After a brief spell commanding 332nd Fighter Group back in the U.S. he returned to the action to fly combat in Italy, remaining with the 15th Air Force until the end of the war. Davis served at the Pentagon and in overseas posts over the next two decades. He again saw combat in 1953 when he assumed command of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing (51 FIW) and flew an F-86 Sabre in Korea. He retired, highly decorated, a Lt. General. Davis was the first African-American general in the United States Air Force. Davis, was later advanced to four-star general, on December 9, 1998, by the President. Sadly General Ben Davis passed away on the 4th of July, 2002.





Kittyhawk
Squadron details



No.112 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 1st July 1957
Known Codes : , DY, GA, RT, XO,


No.112 Sqn RAF

Swift in destruction



No.77 Sqn RAAF
Country : Australia


No.77 Sqn RAAF


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