Messerschmitt
Me110. German fighter bomber and night fighter the Messerschmitt Me109 of
the Luftwaffe in aviation art print by Nicholas Trudgian available from
aviationprints.co.uk.
Top Night Fighter by Stan Stokes. Major
Heinz Schnaufer, with 121 victories, was the top-scoring night fighter
ace of all time. He became a Luftwaffe pilot in 1942 and obtained his
first victory in June of that year. By August his victory count had
reached twenty-two and he was put in command of the 9th Staffel of the
IV/BJG1. On the evening of December 16, 1943 Schnaufer downed four RAF
Lancaster 4-engine bombers, and on February 21, 1945 he claimed a total
of nine Lancasters in one evening. He received the highest award which
could be obtained, the Diamonds to the Knights Cross, upon attainment of
his 100th victory. Schnaufer survived the War, but was killed in a
motoring accident in 1950. As depicted by Stan Stokes in his dramatic
painting entitled Top Night Fighter, Schnaufer, who primarily flew the
night fighter version of the Messerschmitt Bf-110 Zerstorer, homes in on
an RAF Lancaster heavy bomber. The Bf-110 grew out of Herman Gorings
specifications for a multipurpose aircraft capable of penetrating deep
into enemy airspace to clear the sky of enemy fighters in advance of
German bomber formations. The aircraft would also be utilized as a long
range interceptor, and as a ground support and ground attack bomber. The
Bf-110 prototype first flew in 1936. The prototype was under powered
with its Daimier Benz DB 600A engines. Several months passed before a go
ahead was given for large scale production which commenced in 1938.
Utilizingimproved DB 601 engines, the early production 110s were as fast
as any single engine fighter at that time, and had superior fire power.
Their biggest apparent weakness was in the areas of armor protection for
the crew, and in terms of maneuverability when compared to single seat
fighters. The 110 was produced in large numbers and in many different
variants. The 110D was the long range model. An additional belly tank
was fitted to that aircraft, with several later variants having the more
traditional drop tanks. The first serious test for the Bf-110 came
during the Battle of Britain. About 300 Bf-110s were involved. They
became easy prey for Hurricane and Spitfire pilots, and Bf-109s were
often required to assist the 110s in their own defense. On August 15,
1940, which became known as Black Tuesday, the Bf-110s were ravaged by
the RAF, and for the month over 100 aircraft were lost. On the Eastern
Front the Bf-110 performed admirably in the early stages of Operation
Barbarossa. With the Soviet Air Force weakened in the first several
weeks of the attack, 110s were effectively utilized in a ground attack
role. Ultimately, the Luftwaffe re-equipped a significant number of its
110s as night fighters. The aircraft performed well in this role because
it was a good gun platform with sufficient speed to overtake the RAF
night bombers. Such night missions were typically carried out with no
Allied fighter escort, so the 110 night fighters would not have to
engage or elude Allied fighters in this role.
Lancaster Under Attack by Robert Taylor.
A Lancaster of 626 Squadron takes evasive action during a raid over Osterfeld in December 1944, as a Messerschmitt Me110 G.4 night-fighter makes a pass beneath the bomber.
Item Code : RST0052
Lancaster Under Attack by Robert Taylor. - Editions Available
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.
Item Code : DHM1911
Impossible Odds by Ivan Berryman. - Editions Available
Original painting, oil on canvas by Ivan Berryman. Full Item Details
Size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm)
Artist : Ivan Berryman
SOLD OUT
NOT AVAILABLE
REMARQUE
Remarque edition - limited edition of 10 giclee prints featuring an original pencil remarque. Full Item Details
Image size 26 inches x 17 inches (66cm x 43cm) plus border with text and remarque drawing.
Artist : Ivan Berryman
£350.00
Tribute to Pilot Officer Ted Shipman by Ivan Berryman.
Flying as Leader of B Flight, 41 Sqn, on 15th August 1940, Pilot Officer Ted Shipman and the rest of his flight found themselves among a mass of Messerschmitt Bf.110s that had been detailed to escort a bomber force of Heinkel He111s on a raid on the North of England. Having made one head-on attack on one of the Bf.110s, Shipman manoeuvred his Spitfire Mk.1 onto the tail of another and fired a long burst into it. This was M8+CH of Oberleutnant Hans-Ulrich Kettling of 1./ZG76 and rear Gunner / Radio Operator O/ Gefr Volk, whose starboard engine burst into flames and disappeared into the dense cloudbase. Shipman claimed this initially as a probable, but it was later confirmed as a victory when the aircraft was found to have crash landed at Streatham Nr Barnard Castle. Spitfire K9805 (EB-L) is depicted breaking off the attack as Kettling's stricken Bf.110 begins to burn. Ted Shipman would go on to serve with the Royal Air Force until December 1959 retiring as a Wing Commander. T.........
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 : DHM2615
Operation Mercury by Nicolas Trudgian. - Editions Available
Messerschmitt Bf110 Zerstorer Aces of World War Two.
This volume is the first of its type to be devoted exclusively to the Zerstörer day fighter aces, spanning the war years from Poland to the defence of the Reich. Although Messerschmitts single-engined Bf 109 has received most of the plaudits for achieving virtual air superiority over Europe in 1939-40, the exploits of the manufacturers twin-engined Bf 110, the Ju 88 and the Me 410 Zerstörer in the first year of the war also make for very impressive reading. Indeed, on the eve of World War 2 a posting to a Bf 110 unit was considered to be the best career move available in the Luftwaffe.
Item Code : OSAA0025
Messerschmitt Bf110 Zerstorer Aces of World War Two. - Editions Available
A Heinkel 219 and a Messerschmitt 110 of NJG-1 climbing out from their base a Munster Hansdorf, as they set out on a deadly mission. Ten aircraft took off to intercept a major raid on Dusseldorf, the night witnessing a fierce battle high above the darkened city. NJG-1 crews assisted with the downing of 19 RAF bombers, one Luftwaffe pilot being credited with no fewer than 6 victories that night. Below them the spectacular Ruhr Valley is vibrant in its mantle of winters first snowfall on the night of November 2, 1944
Item Code : DHM2055
Into The Cloak of Darkness by Nicolas Trudgian - Editions Available
The air war fought throughout World War II in the night skies above Europe raged six long years. RAF Hurricanes sent up to intercept the Luftwaffes nightly blitz on British cities had no more equipment than the fighters that fought the Battle of Britain during the day, but as the scale of nightly conflict developed, detection and navigation aids - primitive by todays standards - were at the cutting edge of World War II aviation technology. As the air war progressed the intensity of the RAFs nightly raids grew to epic proportions, and the Luftwaffe night-fighters became a critical last line of defence as their cities were pounded from above. By 1944 the Luftwaffe was operating sophisticated systems coordinating radar, searchlights and flak batteries, enabling effective guidance to increasingly wily aircrews flying equipment-laden aircraft. But the RAF had in turn developed their own detection equipment, and the nightly aerial contests between fighters and bombers were desperate affairs.........
Messerschmitt Me110s and 109s of the Luftwaffes 210 Gruppe based at Calais-Marck in northern France, make a low-level run across the Kent countryside after a surprise attack on R.A.F. Biggin Hill, August 30, 1940
Item Code : DHM2448
One - Tens Over Kent by Nicolas Trudgian - Editions Available
As the first rays of daylight spread their golden glow over the vast expanse of sky above the Russian Front, the menacing roar of heavily armed Bf110s of 6./ZGI shake the cold air around them as they prepare for a dawn strike against enemy ground targets deep inside Russian territory. Above them, their Me109 escorts, alert for danger, constantly scan the distant skies for any enemy intruders that may be on the prowl and waiting for them. It is high summer, 1942. On the ground the German summer offensive towards the Caucasus is now in full swing, and General Paulus with the 6th Army has begun the long advance that will eventually lead it to the gates of Stalingrad. The Luftwaffe is at full stretch, it too has a major part to play against stiffening Russian resistance.
Item Code : DHM1800
Dawn Strike by Richard Taylor. - Editions Available
Whilst flying with A Flight of 85 Squadron on 30th July 1940, Geoffrey Allard encountered a pair of Messerschmitt Bf.110s about 40 miles from the coast, apparently patrolling near a convoy. After Squadron Leader Townsend, flying Red 1, had made two unsuccessful attacks, Allard closed to 150 yards and began to fire continuously, eventually closing to just 25 yards, whereupon the starboard engine of the Bf.110 began to disintegrate. This was just one of eight victories that Allard claimed during the Battle of Britain to add to a previous eight that he had scored flying Hurricanes during the Battle of France.
Item Code : DHM1858
Close Combat by Ivan Berryman. - Editions Available
