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Spitfire
Cranston Military Prints  By Subject Aviation Art World War Two  Spitfire |
| Second World War aviation art prints of the Spitfire aircraft. Our collection of prints and original paintings of the Spitfire aircraft of World War Two. |
| Royal Air Force fighter aircraft, maximum speed for mark I Supermarine Spitfire, 362mph up to The Seafire 47 with a top speed of 452mph. maximum ceiling for Mk I 34,000feet up to 44,500 for the mark XIV. Maximum range for MK I 575 miles . up to 1475 miles for the Seafire 47. Armament for the various Marks of Spitfire. for MK I, and II . eight fixed .303 browning Machine guns, for MKs V-IX and XVI two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 browning machine guns. and on later Marks, six to eight Rockets under the wings or a maximum bomb load of 1,000 lbs. Designed by R J Mitchell, The proto type Spitfire first flew on the 5th March 1936. and entered service with the Royal Air Force in August 1938, with 19 squadron based and RAF Duxford. by the outbreak of World war two, there were twelve squadrons with a total of 187 spitfires, with another 83 in store. Between 1939 and 1945, a large variety of modifications and developments produced a variety of MK,s from I to XVI. The mark II came into service in late 1940, and in March 1941, the Mk,V came into service. To counter the Improvements in fighters of the Luftwaffe especially the FW190, the MK,XII was introduced with its Griffin engine. The Fleet Air Arm used the Mk,I and II and were named Seafires. By the end of production in 1948 a total of 20,351 spitfires had been made and 2408 Seafires. The most produced variant was the Spitfire Mark V, with a total of 6479 spitfires produced. The Royal Air Force kept Spitfires in front line use until April 1954. |
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| Text for the above items : |
Tribute to Basil Stapleton by Ivan Berryman. Spitfire Ace Basil Gerald Stapme Stapleton achieved Ace status with 6 victories during the Battle of Britain in 1940. He is shown here in his Spitfire XT-L of No.603 Sqn during combat with German Ace Franz von Werra - the German ultimately survived being shot down over Kent in this encounter. Stapleton went on to fly Typhoons before himself being forced down behind enemy lines and captured in 1944, and liberated six months later. Basil Stapleton died in 2010. |
Wounded Eagle by Ivan Berryman. Gerald Stapme Stapleton in his 603 Sqn Spitfire despatching the Bf109 of Franz von Werra of III/JG 3. |
Seek and Destroy by Robin Smith. No text for this item |
Quiet Reflection by Richard Taylor. June 1940 and the freedom of Britain lay in the hands of a small band of young RAF fighter pilots. Facing them across the Channel, the all-conquering Luftwaffe stood in eager anticipation of an easy victory, one that would allow were Hitler's mighty armies to invade. So heavily were the odds stacked against the RAF, few gave Fighter Command a chance. The American ambassador to Britain reported that democracy is finished in England. He was wrong. Although outnumbered more than five to one at the outset, as the savage aerial battles raged continuously over southern England, the courage and dedication of Fighter Command's young airmen gradually turned the tide. By the end of September the battle was won and, for the first time, the Luftwaffe had tasted defeat. Richard Taylor's outstanding composition portrays a more reflective image of those heroic RAF fighter pilots in contrast perhaps to the deadly trials they faced on a daily basis. Just occasionally during that long hot summer of 1940 were rare moments of peaceful respite. Every minute off-duty was time to be savoured, especially for this particular young fighter pilot and his girl as they briefly pause along a quiet country lane to watch the Spitfires from 92 Squadron pass low overhead. For a few moments the distinctive roar of Merlin engines shatters the peace and they both know that this time tomorrow it will be him who will be flying into combat. |
Ranger by Graeme Lothian. Before D-Day allied fighters ranged far and wide across the North of Europe. |
Spitfire MKIX Taking Off by Barry Price. No text for this item |
Eagle Squadron Scramble by Robert Taylor An outstanding painting commemorating the intrepid 240 American air men who volunteered to fly with the R.A.F. in their early struggle against the Luftwaffe before the U.S.A. joined the war. Taylors painting vibrated with the roar of the Spitfires Merlin engines as they Scramble into action. Goodson later became a 4th Fighter Group Ace. |
Against the Odds by Michael Turner. At the height of the Battle of Britain in August 1940, Spitfires of 610 Squadron from Biggin Hill are seen dogfighting with Messerschmitt 109s in the summer sky high above Kent, whilst Hurricanes of 501 Squadron from Gravesend engage an incoming formation of Dornier 17s as they cross the coastline below. |
Supermarine Spitfire Mk 1a by Keith Woodcock. RAF Spitfires of No.609 (West Riding) Squadron are made ready for another sortie. At the outbreak of war, the squadron was called up to full-time service and initially served on defensive duties in the North of England. In May 1940, the squadron moved to RAF Northolt and flew over the Battle of Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo. Around this period, one third of the squadron's pilots were lost over a period of three days. During the Battle of Britain, 609 Squadron moved to RAF Middle Wallop as part of Fighter Command's efforts to defend the south coast of England, west of London. There was also an advanced flight based at RAF Warmwell. At this time, one third of the RAF's front-line squadrons were from the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. During August 1940 609 Squadron destroyed 46 enemy aircraft, however, by now almost all of the pre war auxiliary pilots were dead or missing. On 21st October 1940 the squadron became the first to achieve 100 confirmed enemy aircraft kills. Boasting 9 aces, pilots F/L Frank Howell (8 confirmed kills), F/L John Dundas (9 confirmed kills), P/O David Moore Crook (6 confirmed kills) and P/O John Curchin (7 confirmed kills) were among several awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for their efforts during the battle. A Spitfire that flew with 609 Squadron during this period, number X4590, is now preserved at the RAF Museum, Hendon. Another 609 Squadron Spitfire, number R6915, is preserved in the Imperial War Museum, London. This aircraft scored victories while piloted both by John Dundas and another 609 Squadron ace, Noel Agazarian. During February 1941 the squadron moved to RAF Biggin Hill. Almost all of the squadron's original pilots were now lost and replacements came from Belgium, Poland, Canada, Australia, France, United States, and New Zealand in addition to those from Britain. During the summer of 1941, 609 Squadron carried out fighter sweeps over France. In November 1941, the squadron was withdrawn from the front line, after 18 months continuous fighting and rested at RAF Digby in Lincolnshire. While at Biggin Hill, the squadron acquired a goat, soon named William, which became their official mascot. He was awarded an honorary Distinguished Service Order and Flying Cross, and the rank of Air Commodore. |
Combat Over Beachy Head by Nicolas Trudgian. Mickey Mount, flying his 602 Squadron MkII Spitfire, successfully attacks a Messerschmitt Me109 low over the cliffs of Beachy Head on the south coast during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. Spitfires and Me109s were so evenly matched at this early point in the war that the outcome of such contests were usually decided by the skill of the competing pilots. |
Late Return - Spitfires by Bob Murray. No text for this item |
Guardians of the Beaches by Ivan Berryman. Seen here in company with other 485 Sqn machines, Spitfire Mk.IXc ML407 is depicted over the Normandy beaches shortly after D-Day. Flown by New Zealander Fl Lt Johnnie Houlton, this aircraft claimed a Ju.88 on 6th June and shared in the destruction of another on the same day. Coded 'V' in honour of his wife, Vickie, ML407 is still flying today, now converted to a two-seater and regularly displayed by Carolyn Grace. |
Winter of 41 by Philip West. Heavy snow during the winter of 1941 often kept pilots and their aircraft grounded, despite the best efforts of the ground crew. Spitfire G George - based at RAF Manston and assigned to Flt. Lt. Geoffrey Wellum, could only resume combat sweeps over northern Europe once the storm had passed and they were all satisfied the aircraft was safe to fly. |
Duxford and Shuttleworth by John Wincentzen. No text for this item |
Normandy Beach Head Patrol by Geoff Lea. Spitfire Mk9. of 56 squadron patrol the D-Day landings. |
Two of 222 by Anthony Saunders. (APB) Battle hardened Spitfires of 222 squadron head home high above a gathering storm at the height of the Battle of Britain. |
Bader Bus Company by Robert Taylor. (GS) On Saturday, 9 August 1941 the unthinkable happened: the legendary Fighter leader Douglas Bader failed to return from a mission over northern France. Immediately, without thought for their own safety, the fiercely loyal pilots of his Tangmere Wing set out on a sweep to search for him, hoping that he may have successfully baled out into the Channel. By nightfall, however, there was no sign of him and everyone feared that their famous Wing Leader might have been lost. A few days later, however, the good news filtered into Tangmere; Bader, renowned as the Fighter Ace with artificial legs, had survived, albeit as a prisoner of war. |
Tally Ho! by Philip West. Flt. Lt. Geoffrey Wellum of 92 Squadron once again takes his trusted Spitfire into attack high over southern England. Any moment now both he and one other Spitfire pilot will be flying into hell amongst at least a dozen Luftwaffe He111s on their way to drop their bombs on London. Geoffrey Wellum together with other pilots of Fighter Command became One of the Few and fought with courage and determination. |
Kerr's Last Combat by Ivan Berryman. Spitfire L1000 (DW-R) of No.610 Sqn is terminally damaged by an Me109 over Dunkirk on 29th May 1940. The Spitfire pilot, Flying Officer Gerald Kerr is listed is missing after this combat. |
Freedom Fighter by Adrian Rigby. Royal Air Force Spitfire of 222 Squadron shown at the time of the Battle of Britain. These markings are also used on the Spitfire of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. |
41 Sqn Scramble by Ivan Berryman. The Spitfire (EB-J, X4559) of Maurice Peter Brown takes to the air with his wingman. |
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This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com
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