Republic
F-105 Thunderchief in avaiiton art prints by William S Phillips, Robert Taylor,
R E Pierce and Ivan Berryman Republic
F-105 Thunderchief. With its powerful afterburning Engine and its swept
surface. the F-105 Thunderchief first flew in 1955. This massive fighter
bomber nicknamed the "Thud" saw a new role during the
Vietnam war, although many thought it obsolescent by this time, the
aircraft could absorb much battle damage. which would have downed most
other aircraft. It was possible for a Thunderchief to sustain a
substantial amount of damage and still continue on its mission to bomb
with accurate results.
Jaws of the Dragon by Stan Stokes.
The
Republic F-105 Thunderchief, or Thud, as it was nicknamed by many of the
pilots who flew it, was conceived as a supersonic, low altitude
fighter-bomber capable of carrying a nuclear weapon in its internal bomb
bay and two more on its wing stations. The F-105 evolved from a proposal
made by Republic to the USAF in 1952. A series of delays, cancellations,
spec changes, and other problems resulted in a very long gestation
period for this aircraft, with initial production models not reaching
operational units until 1958. The Thud was a big, powerful aircraft.
With a length of 65 feet and a height of 20 feet, the F-105 would
typically fly combat missions with a gross weight at takeoff in excess
of 50,000 pounds. Although the F-105 was fortunately never utilized for
the nuclear mission it was designed for, it did become the primary
tactical bomber utilized by the USAF during the Vietnam War. In fact,
the Thud flew more than 75% of all the bombing sorties directed at North
Vietnam during the War. The Ham Rong Bridge in North Vietnam was a
frequent target for F-105s. Ham Rong translates into English as Dragons
Jaws, and this very important north-south rail and highway line was a
vital supply link in allowing the North Vietnamese to send streams of
men and materials south. The Ham Rong Bridge was 546 feet long and was
56 feet wide. It took eight years to build this incredibly sturdy bridge
and Ho Chi Minh himself dedicated the bridge in 1964. SAMs and
antiaircraft batteries heavily defended it. Living up to its name, the
bridge was one of the most punishing targets to attack, and many
American aircraft and pilots were lost during the numerous attacks on
the Dragons Jaws. From 1965 to 1968 almost seven hundred aircraft had
attacked the bridge, hitting it with more than 10,000 tons of high
explosives. Despite these attacks, repair crews worked around the clock,
and the bridge remained usable. Rockets proved ineffective and only
direct hits with large bombs were likely to do any serious damage.
Recognizing this, the North Vietnamese knew that American
fighter-bombers would have to pass directly over the Dragons Jaws to
release their bombs. A wall of antiaircraft fire would be directed
directly over the bridge during such attacks, and a horrific toll was
exacted on attacking American aircraft. In Stan Stokes painting an F-105
piloted by Fred V. Cherry is depicted during an attack on the Ham Rong
Bridge. Col. Cherry was shot down in October of 1965 and remained a POW
until 1973. He retired from the Air Force in 1981. The Dragons Jaw stood
as a symbol of North Vietnamese resistance until it was finally
destroyed by a laser-guided, smart bomb in 1972.
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| Lethal Encounter by William S Phillips. On April 19, 1967, then-Major Leo K. Thorsness took on, in the words of another officer, most of North Vietnam all by himself in one of the epic battles of that war. On that day, Thorsness and his backseater, Electronic Warfare Officer Captain Harold E. Johnson, fought about a half-dozenMiGs, shot down one-and probably another while protecting their wingman, who, with his backseater, had been forced to bail out of their damaged aircraft over enemy territory. The artist has captured the moment after Thorsness shot past his kill and continued on, during one of the most valiant efforts in the air war. He left the battle area only for midair refueling and then returned to ward off enemy fighters, staying even after he had run out of ammunition. Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. Image size 20.5 inches x 31 inches (52cm x 79cm). Price £220.00 Signed by Colonel Leo K Thorsness and Harold E Johnson. ITEM CODE AX0052 |
| Thuds by R E Pierce.
Original painting by R E Pierce. Size 19 inches x 15 inches (48cm x 38cm). Price £1000.00 ITEM CODE AX0070 |
| Jaws of the Dragon by Stan Stokes. The Republic F-105 Thunderchief, or Thud, as it was nicknamed by many of the pilots who flew it, was conceived as a supersonic, low altitude fighter-bomber capable of carrying a nuclear weapon in its internal bomb bay and two more on its wing stations. The F-105 evolved from a proposal made by Republic to the USAF in 1952. A series of delays, cancellations, spec changes, and other problems resulted in a very long gestation period for this aircraft, with initial production models not reaching operational units until 1958. The Thud was a big, powerful aircraft. With a length of 65 feet and a height of 20 feet, the F-105 would typically fly combat missions with a gross weight at takeoff in excess of 50,000 pounds. Although the F-105 was fortunately never utilized for the nuclear mission it was designed for, it did become the primary tactical bomber utilized by the USAF during the Vietnam War. In fact, the Thud flew more than 75% of all the bombing sorties directed at North Vietnam during the War. The Ham Rong Bridge in North Vietnam was a frequent target for F-105s. Ham Rong translates into English as Dragons Jaws, and this very important north-south rail and highway line was a vital supply link in allowing the North Vietnamese to send streams of men and materials south. The Ham Rong Bridge was 546 feet long and was 56 feet wide. It took eight years to build this incredibly sturdy bridge and Ho Chi Minh himself dedicated the bridge in 1964. SAMs and antiaircraft batteries heavily defended it. Living up to its name, the bridge was one of the most punishing targets to attack, and many American aircraft and pilots were lost during the numerous attacks on the Dragons Jaws. From 1965 to 1968 almost seven hundred aircraft had attacked the bridge, hitting it with more than 10,000 tons of high explosives. Despite these attacks, repair crews worked around the clock, and the bridge remained usable. Rockets proved ineffective and only direct hits with large bombs were likely to do any serious damage. Recognizing this, the North Vietnamese knew that American fighter-bombers would have to pass directly over the Dragons Jaws to release their bombs. A wall of antiaircraft fire would be directed directly over the bridge during such attacks, and a horrific toll was exacted on attacking American aircraft. In Stan Stokes painting an F-105 piloted by Fred V. Cherry is depicted during an attack on the Ham Rong Bridge. Col. Cherry was shot down in October of 1965 and remained a POW until 1973. He retired from the Air Force in 1981. The Dragons Jaw stood as a symbol of North Vietnamese resistance until it was finally destroyed by a laser-guided, smart bomb in1972. 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 £37.00
Signed limited edition of 225 prints. Size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm). Price £94.00 Signed by USAF Col Fred Cherry.
Limited edition of 100 giclee paper prints. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm). Price £109.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 45 inches x 30 inches (114cm x 76cm). Price £624.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £484.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm). Price £294.00 ITEM CODE STK0047 |
| Rolling Thunder by Robert Taylor
Signatures: Harold
Bingaman, Max Brestel, Jackson Broughton, Leo Thorsness. The date : March 12, 1967. The target: The large thermal power
plant at Viet Tri, on the Red River, a short distance to the northwest of
Hanoi. Heavily defended by 100 and 85 mm gun positions, missile
sites and the usual barrage of ground fire encountered on any mission
"downtown", the task of the leading flight was to hammer the
guns and clear the way for the closely following strike force to lay their
bombs squarely on the power plant. They would all have to contend
with the ever present likelihood of MiG interception on the way out.
Leading the 355th TFW F-105 Thunderchiefs out of Takhli Royal Thai Air
Base, Colonel Jack Broughton took the familiar route, approaching the
target area flying down Thud Ridge. As the high ground fell away he
pushed his flight of four ships down to the deck and, "going like
hell", Broughton swung the leading Thuds southwest, just enough to
give those on the ground the impression they were headed south of Viet
Tri.
Not quite abreast of the target, Broughton called the 'pop' and as the
Thuds passed vertical they rolled to inverted going over the top,
completing a giant wifferdill, attacking the guns from the opposite
direction. Beneath them the big gun pits were lined up, their
gunners confused by the maneuver, and before they could work out what was
happening the F-105 pilots emptied their loads of CBUs into the middle of
them.
Behind the Thuds came the strike force and, with the air cleared of the
usual flak barrage, unloaded their bombs right into the thermal power
plant. The facility was destroyed in one of the best planned and
executed raids of the war. |
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