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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War One Aircraft  Roland C.II |
| Roland C.II Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Out Of The Sun - LFG Roland C.II by Ivan Berryman. One of the few rules of aerial combat that were established in the First World War was to attack, where possible, with the sun behind you, thus using the element of surprise both to appear as if from nowhere and to blind your opponent to minimise retaliation. Just such a tactic has been successfully employed here as a DH.2 rakes the tail of Staffelfuhrer Hauptmann Rudolf Kleines Kasta 3 LFG Roland C.II as it returns from a patrol in the skies above northern France in 1916. Known affectionately as The Whale, the C.II was extensively streamlined and the positioning of the cockpits and wing cut-outs afforded both the pilot and observer unequalled views in all directions. Power was supplied by a 160hp Mercedes D.III engine and armament was a 7.92mm Spandau in front of the pilot and a 7.92mm Parabellum for the observer. |
Captain Ivan Smirnov by Ivan Berryman. After service in the 96th Infantry Regiment, Smirnov joined the XIX Corps Air Squadron in 1914, shooting down twelve enemy aircraft in the course of two years. When revolution swept through Russia in November 1917, he escaped the Bolsheviks via a White counter-revolutionary route, eventually joining the RAF in England, serving at the Central Flying School at Upavon. He is shown here in his silver Nieuport 17, having just despatched a Roland C.II. |
| Roland C.II Pilot and aircrew signature details |
| Roland C.II Squadron details |
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