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History
of the Douglas A-26 Invader twin engined
bomber of the American Air Force. The Douglas A-26 Invader in aviation art
prints by leading aviation artists co-signed by Dick Denison, Carl Oates
and Earl Slanker, including aviation print Ruhr Valley Invaders by
Nicholas Trudgian.
Ruhr Valley Invaders by Nicholas Trudgian
Arriving at high speed over a busy German rail yard in the heart of
the Ruhr Valley, barely skimming the nearby factory chimney stacks on
the way into the target, the A-26 crews of the 386th Bomb Group deliver
a devastating blow, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. With
bombs away, the Invader crews strafe the area with their ten
forward-firing machine guns, the roar of their engines heightening the
confusion on the ground Signed by Dick Denison, Carl Oates and Earl
Slanker.
No Trains Today by Stan Stokes.
The A-26 Invader was
one of the most effective attack bombers to see action late in the War,
and the aircraft, when fitted with eight .5 caliber machine guns in its
nose, was an incredibly effective ground or surface ship attack
aircraft. Douglas Aircraft developed the aircraft. The team of Edward
Heinemann and Jack Northrop worked on the initial design of what would
become the A-20 Havoc. Northrop then left Douglas to form his own
company. Heinemenn and project engineer Robert Donovan began work on the
A-26 project in 1941. It would incorporate several of the A-20s features
yet it would be as advanced as possible with many state-of-the-art
concepts. A mid-mounted, laminar-flow airfoil wing was utilized with
double slotted electrically controlled flaps. Defensive armament was
limited to remotely controlled dorsal and ventral turrets both under the
control of a gunner located in the rear of the fuselage. Approval to
develop prototypes was received from the Army in June of 1941. Three
were built at Douglas El Segundo, California plant and were designated
the XA-26. Heinemanns design team had built in a lot of flexibility into
the A-26s design. The aircraft could be easily modified to vary its
role. A three-man attack bomber version with a Plexiglas nose could be
modified into a two-man night fighter version with radar in the nose and
four ventral-mounted 20mm cannons, or modified once again into a ground
attack aircraft with a variety of nose-mounted armaments. Work on the
three prototypes was slowed by the War, but the aircraft was ready to go
into production by mid-1942. Screw-ups within the Army and a lack of
manufacturing equipment delayed the start of production until 1943. The
Army decided to cancel the night fighter version of the A-26 and proceed
with production of both a bomber and ground attack versions of the
aircraft that would be named the Invader. The A-26B with the
nose-mounted armament generally was fitted with either six or eight
machine guns. The B variant could carry a 6,000-pound bomb load powered
by its twin 2000-HP Pratt and Whitney R-2800-27 engines. With a maximum
speed of 322-MPH the aircraft had a service ceiling of 25,000 feet and a
maximum range of approximately 3000 miles. The A-26C variant was the
glass nosed bomber version. In total 1,355 B versions were built along
with 1,336 C versions. After the War the A-26s designation changed to
the B-26 – leading to some confusion with the Martin-built B-26. In
Stan Stokes painting entitled No Trains Today, a pair of A-26Bs
rip into an Axis freight train behind enemy lines in 1945. The A-26
would go on to serve in the Korean War and several of these splendid
aircraft remain air-worthy to this day.
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| Ruhr Valley Invaders by Nicolas Trudgian. When the seasoned B-26 crews of the 386th Bomb Group took delivery of their Douglas A-26 Invader aircraft in September 1944, the arrival of their new fast attack bombers neatly coincided with a move to France. Now based at Beaumont-sur-Oise, they were able to penetrate deep into enemy territory. The three man crews took part in the Battle of the Bulge, their twin engined aircraft being well suited to their task of destroying strategic bridges and cutting vital supply lines. After the Ardennes Campaign, now fully equipped with the A-26, the 386th BG continued to strike hard against important targets in Germany, the nimble handling characteristics of the aircraft making low-level attacks a speciality. As the Allies advanced upon Germany the 386th moved to St. Trond in Belgium, their base at the time of Nicolas Trudgians dramatic painting. Arriving at high speed over the busy German rail yard in the heart of the Ruhr Valley, barely skimming the nearby factory chimney stacks on the way into the target, the A-26 crews on the 386th deliver a devastating blow, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. With bombs away, the Invader crews strafe the area with their battery of ten forward-firing .50 cal. machine guns, the roar of their twin 2000hp engines heightening the tension and confusion on the ground. Signed limited edition of 450 prints. Paper size 26 inches x 21 inches (66cm x 53cm). Price £130.00 Signed by Colonel Dick Denison, Major Carl Oates and Captain Earl Slanker, in addition to the artist.  Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of artist proofs. Paper size 26 inches x 21 inches (66cm x 53cm). Price £190.00 Signed by Colonel Dick Denison, Major Carl Oates and Captain Earl Slanker, in addition to the artist. Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 125 publishers proofs. Paper size 26 inches x 21 inches (66cm x 53cm). Price £160.00 Signed by Colonel Dick Denison, Major Carl Oates and Captain Earl Slanker, in addition to the artist. Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE DHM2450 |
| No Trains Today by Stan Stokes. The A-26 Invader was one of the most effective attack bombers to see action late in the War, and the aircraft, when fitted with eight .5 caliber machine guns in its nose, was an incredibly effective ground or surface ship attack aircraft. Douglas Aircraft developed the aircraft. The team of Edward Heinemann and Jack Northrop worked on the initial design of what would become the A-20 Havoc. Northrop then left Douglas to form his own company. Heinemenn and project engineer Robert Donovan began work on the A-26 project in 1941. It would incorporate several of the A-20s features yet it would be as advanced as possible with many state-of-the-art concepts. A mid-mounted, laminar-flow airfoil wing was utilized with double slotted electrically controlled flaps. Defensive armament was limited to remotely controlled dorsal and ventral turrets both under the control of a gunner located in the rear of the fuselage. Approval to develop prototypes was received from the Army in June of 1941. Three were built at Douglas El Segundo, California plant and were designated the XA-26. Heinemanns design team had built in a lot of flexibility into the A-26s design. The aircraft could be easily modified to vary its role. A three-man attack bomber version with a Plexiglas nose could be modified into a two-man night fighter version with radar in the nose and four ventral-mounted 20mm cannons, or modified once again into a ground attack aircraft with a variety of nose-mounted armaments. Work on the three prototypes was slowed by the War, but the aircraft was ready to go into production by mid-1942. Screw-ups within the Army and a lack of manufacturing equipment delayed the start of production until 1943. The Army decided to cancel the night fighter version of the A-26 and proceed with production of both a bomber and ground attack versions of the aircraft that would be named the Invader. The A-26B with the nose-mounted armament generally was fitted with either six or eight machine guns. The B variant could carry a 6,000-pound bomb load powered by its twin 2000-HP Pratt and Whitney R-2800-27 engines. With a maximum speed of 322-MPH the aircraft had a service ceiling of 25,000 feet and a maximum range of approximately 3000 miles. The A-26C variant was the glass nosed bomber version. In total 1,355 B versions were built along with 1,336 C versions. After the War the A-26s designation changed to the B-26 – leading to some confusion with the Martin-built B-26. In Stan Stokes painting entitled No Trains Today, a pair of A-26Bs rip into an Axis freight train behind enemy lines in 1945. The A-26 would go on to serve in the Korean War and several of these splendid aircraft remain air-worthy to this day. Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.. Price £40.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 100 giclee paper prints. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm). Price £109.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 45 inches x 30 inches (114cm x 76cm). Price £624.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £484.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm). Price £294.00 Part of our Buy One, Get One Half Price Offer
ITEM CODE STK0101 |
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