After the success of the Hurricane it was with eager anticipation that the RAF looked forward to receiving Hawker's new replacement for the ageing Battle of Britain fighter.  But when the Typhoon arrived it was a disappointment.  Originally planned as a high altitude interceptor, its rough, tough design made it too slow and not sufficiently manoeuvrable in high level dogfights, forcing the RAF to look for another role for their new aircraft.  It was not long before this sturdy aircraft, with its distinctive frontal radiator scoop, had become the benchmark of all ground attack aircraft to serve in World War II.  At the time of D-Day and during the Allied advance through Europe, the Typhoon became the backbone of the 2nd Tactical Air Force's ground attack Wings.  Deadly at low level, and fast - it could top 400mph at low altitude - the Typhoon could outrun the Me109 and Fw190, and was robust enough to take the considerable flak damage that ground attack inevitably attracts, and and to get its pilot home.  Heavily armed with cannon, rockets and bombs, the Typhoon's sharp shooting pilots became the scourge of the German ground forces, exampled by the action at Mortain on 7th August 1944 when Typhoons wiped out the 1st SS Panzer Division.

Gerald Coulson has been painting professionally for over 30 years.  the Fine Art Guild have placed him among the top ten best selling UK artists no less than 15 times in 12 years - 3 times at No. 1.  Coulson's first love was aircraft, studying them and drawing them at every opportunity, from an early age.  His apprenticeship as an aircraft engineer  then as an RAF Technician and later an engineer with British Airways, have allowed him an insight and intimate knowledge of the aircraft he paints.  Now a Vice President, he is a founder member of the Guild of Aviation Artists and four times winner of the Flight International Trophy for outstanding aviation painting.  He qualified for his pilots licence in 1960 and is still actively flying today - mostly vintage aircraft and can often be seen buzzing over the Fens of Cambridgeshire in a Tiger Moth.  Whatever the subject, whether aviation, landscape or portrait, his ability to capture the realism and mood of the scene is unsurpassed, making him one of the most collected and highly regarded artists in the world today.