|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth J  Johnson, George L |
[UP] - Jack, Donald - Jackson, Norman - Jackson, Patrick - Jackson, Ray - Jacobe, Leonard - James, B - James, Ken - Jameson, Pat - Jeffrey, Peter - Jenkinson, Ken - Jensen, Peter - Johnson, Edward - Johnson, George L - Johnson, George W - Johnson, H - Johnson, Johnnie - Johnson, Ken - Johnson, Maxwell - Johnstone, A - Johnstone, Sandy - Jonathan, Bill - Jones, Eric - Jones, Norman - Jones, Richard - Joss, Douglas - Joyce, Frank |
Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM
Joining the RAF in 1940, George Johnson served with 97 Squadron before joining 617 Squadron. Bomb aimer on American Joe McCarthys Lancaster AJ-T, they attacked the Sorpe Dam, for which he was awarded the DFM. Commissioned a few months later, George retired from the RAF in 1962. The last surviving Dambuster, he died aged 101 on 7th December 2022.
 |
| Distinguished Flying Medal |
| Navigation | |
| Page 2 of 3 | Previous .. Page 2 .. Next |
| Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM - Signed Aviation Art |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Navigation | |
| Page 2 of 3 | Previous .. Page 2 .. Next |
| Text for the above items : |
617 Squadron Outbound to the Ruhr by Ivan Berryman. Viewed from the cockpit, Lancasters of 617 Sqn Dambusters form up at the beginning of their perilous journey to the Ruhr Valley on the night of 16th May 1943 when the Möhne and Eder dams were breached under the codename Operation Chastise. |
Tribute to the 617 Sqn Dambusters Crew of Lancaster AJ-M by David Pentland. The image shows Lancaster AJ-M attacking the Mohne dam. Alongside is the portrait of AJ-M pilot Flt Lt J V Hopgood. The second aircraft to attack the target, the aircraft was hit by flak, and its bomb bounced over the dam. Caught in the blast from its own bomb, the aircraft crashed soon after passing over the dam, with just two of the crew surviving. Crew of M for Mother : Pilot : Flt Lt J V Hopgood Flight Engineer : Sgt C Brennan Navigator : Flg Off K Earnshaw Wireless Operator : Sgt J W Minchin Bomb Aimer : Sgt J W Fraser (survived) Front Gunner : Plt Off G H F G Gregory Rear Gunner : Plt Off A F Burcher (survived). |
Pathway to the Ruhr by Anthony Saunders. The words from Air Vice-Marshal the Hon. Ralph Cochrane., newly appointed as AOC of No.5 Group, to the young Wing Commander were simple enough. I can't tell you the target he continued but you've got to fly low-level, on the deck, and at night. As far as aircrews are concerned, I want the best - you choose them. And by the way... I want to see your aircraft flying on four days. Guy Gibson, the highly decorated Wing Commander concerned, had 173 operations behind him and was due to be rested when the unexpected call to see Cochrane had come. Would you like to do one more trip? he'd been asked. What kind of trip? he replied. An important one was all Cochrane would say and now, two days later, he was being asked to form a squadron. What the special target might be Gibson could only speculate but, whatever it was, he realised it would be dangerous. Cochrane had given him four days. Within an hour he'd selected the aircrew; he knew most of them personally and had flown with several before. There was no doubt they were the very best in Bomber Command. Exactly four days later Squadron X - soon to become 617 Squadron - was ready at RAF Scampton. Many familiar faces were there to meet him : amongst the pilots he spotted Hoppy Hopgood, Dave Shannon from Australia, and Canadian Lewis Burpee from his own 106 Squadron. together with Dinghy Young whom he'd chosen as a flight commander. The tall, lugubrious figure of New Zealander Les Munro was there along with two other pilots from 97 Squadron, David Maltby and the big, beefy, American pilot Joe McCarthy with his Bomb-Aimer George Johnny Johnson. His B flight commander, Henry Maudsley was there, as was Australian Mick Martin, the expert in low-level flying. Every one of the nineteen crews who would fly the mission was there and seven weeks of intensive low-level flying lay ahead before, on the afternoon of 16th May 1943, Gibson finally revealed the target - that night they were to attack the mighty dams of the Ruhr valley. |
Operation Chastise - The Dambusters by Philip West. During the night of May 16/17, 1943, 19 Lancasters of the newly formed 617 Squadron carried out daring raids against four dams in the Ruhr. The Primary target was the Mohne dam. Here we see Flt Lt Maltby and crew in AJ-J flying clear of the Mohne before their Upkeep mine exploded against and breached the dam. Operation Chastise became a legend in the annals of the RAF and military history. |
Topping Up by David Pentland. Lancaster of 617 Sqn refueling at Scampton, May 1943, in preparation for Operation Chastise. |
Dambusters Outward Bound by Simon Smith. Guy Gibson leads the first wave of Dambusters out over Norfolk on their way to attack the Mohne and Eder. |
Summer Harvest by Gerald Coulson. With the familiar Lincolnshire countryside beckoning, a Lancaster of the famous 617 Dambusters Squadron, makes its final approach after a raid on Germany, late summer 1944. Gerald Coulsons painting Summer Harvest winds the clock back sixty years, recreating a typical East Anglian countryside scene in late 1944. With the sun well above the horizon, a Lancaster comes thundering in on finals after a gruelling night precision bombing mission over Germany. Below, farm workers busy gathering the summer harvest, stop to marvel at the sheer power and majesty of the mighty aircraft, and to dwell briefly on what horrors its crew may have endured on their perilous journey. |
Towards Night's Darkness by Robert Taylor. Sometimes it was five, every so often it might be six, occasionally it was three, but usually it was seven men who flew together as a crew with RAF Bomber Command. They formed the closest of bonds, forged through an anvil of freezing temperatures, deadly flak and prowling night-fighters but, with an average age of only 22, their odds of survival were slim. By 1943 the life expectancy for bomber aircrew was just 5 missions - only one in six were expected to survive their first tour of 30 operations. The chances of surviving a second tour were even slimmer. Of the 125,000 men who flew with Bomber Command during World War II, more than 55,000 were killed. Whilst the 'Few' of Fighter Command had undoubtedly defeated the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, it was the 'Many' of Bomber Command who were to play the pivotal role in delivering to the Allies ultimate victory in Europe. But it came at a terrible cost: on one raid alone - the Nuremberg raid of 30th/31st March 1944 - 543 aircrew were killed, more than Fighter Command lost during the entire Battle of Britain. Robert Taylor's evocative new painting is a moving tribute to these men of Bomber Command. As the setting sun casts a golden glow, a group of Lancasters from 576 Squadron gather into formation after departing from their Lincolnshire base at the start of a raid into Germany in late 1944. The lead aircraft UL-I (LM227) was one of only a handful of Lancasters to complete 100 operational sorties. Between them the pilots of Bomber Command won 23 Victoria Crosses during WWII, and countless others were highly decorated for courage and commitment. Several of these veterans have now joined together to sign this commemorative limited edition to honour all those who served with Bomber Command. They include some of the RAF's most inspirational leaders - men such as James 'Tirpitz&;39; Tait, who was awarded no less than four DSOs to become one of the most highly decorated RAF airmen of WWII. Although sadly no longer with us, we are privileged that he was able to personally sign the prints during his lifetime, creating a truly historic collectors edition. |
The Secret Weapon by David Pentland. RAF Scampton, 16th May 1943. Ground crew deliver the top secret bouncing bombs to the Lancasters of 617 Squadron in preparation for Operation Chastise. |
The Eder Breaks by Ivan Berryman. The success of the attack on the Möhne dam on the night of 16th/17th May 1943 meant that the remaining three 617 Sqn Lancasters of the First Wave could turn their attention to the Eder, some twelve minutes flying time away. Wing Commander Guy Gibson first called in Flight Lieutenant D J Shannon, flying AJ-L (ED929G) to make the initial run, but he had great difficulty achieving the correct height and approach, so Gibson now ordered Squadron Leader H E Maudslay in AJ-Z (ED937G) to make his run. Again, the aircraft struggled to find the correct height and direction, so Shannon was again brought in, AJ-L finally releasing its Upkeep on the third attempt. The bomb bounced twice before exploding with no visible effect on the dam. Now Maudslay made another attempt, but released his bomb too late. The mine bounced off of the dam wall and exploded in mid air right behind AJ-Z, the Lancaster limping away, damaged, from the scene, only to be shot down on the way home with the loss of all crew. Finally, Pilot Officer Les Knight was called in for one final attempt. AJ-N (ED912G) released its Upkeep perfectly, the mine bouncing three times before striking the dam slightly to the south. In the ensuing explosion, the dam was seen to shake visibly before the masonry began to crumble and a massive breach appeared. With the Möhne and Eder dams both destroyed and the Sorpe demonstrated to be equally vulnerable, Operation Chastise had been a remarkable success and will stand forever as one of the most heroic and audacious attacks in the history of aerial warfare. |
Night of Heroes - The Dambusters by Philip West. 17th May 1943. Lancasters from 617 Squadron deliver a surprise attack on the Ruhr dams with specially designed, unique bouncing bombs invented by Barnes Wallis. Wing Commander Guy Gibson is shown drawing defensive fire away from Flt Lt Maltbys aircraft as it passes over the Mohne, just as his mine explodes and breaches the dam. |
Dambusters - Breaching the Eder Dam by Robert Taylor. Mist and fog swirled eerily over the Eder Lake on the night of 16/17 May 1943 as four specially modified Lancasters of 617 Squadron, under the leadership of Wing Commander Guy Gibson, circled overhead. Their target, the mighty Eder Dam, was barely visible in the valley below. Immediately following the successful breach of the Mohne Dam, Gibson had led his remaining aircraft 50 miles to the south-east to hit their second target, the Eder Dam. Surrounded by high ground with thousand feet ridges, the Eder was altogether a more testing target. The Lancaster pilots would need to dive steeply into the gorge that formed the Eder lake before undertaking a steep turn towards the Dam itself. As if this were not demanding enough in the darkness of night, they then had to fly towards the target at precisely 60ft above the lake at the exact speed of 230mph, before releasing their Barnes Wallace designed hydrostatic bouncing bombs. Pilots Shannon and Maudsley tried time and again to position their laden bombers correctly before managing to release their weapons - but the dam still held. Now success depended solely on Knight carrying the last bomb! With time and fuel now a concern, Knights first effort to position, like Shannon and Maudsley before him, failed, but his second run favoured the brave. Knight released his bomb with absolute precision, striking the wall at precisely the crucial point. With a tremendous explosion the Eder Dam collapsed before their eyes. Robert Taylors sensational new painting vividly shows the dramatic moment of impact. In the cockpit Knight and flight engineer Ray Grayston fight the controls to clear the dam, combining their physical strength to haul the lumbering Lancaster up and over the dam and to clear the high ground that lies ahead. Below and behind them, the second of Germanys mighty western dams lies finally breached. |
Tribute to the 617 Sqn Dambusters Crew of Lancaster AJ-A by David Pentland. The image shows Lancaster AJ-A attacking the Mohne dam, successfully causing a small breach. Alongside is the portrait of AJ-A pilot Sqn Ldr H M Young. This aircraft was shot down over the Dutch coast on the return journey, with the loss of all crew. Crew of A for Apple : Pilot : Sqn Ldr H M Young Flight Engineer : Sgt D T Horsfall Navigator : Flt Sgt D W Roberts Wireless Operator : Sgt L W Nichols Bomb Aimer : Flg Off V S MacCausland Front Gunner : Sgt G A Yeo Rear Gunner : Sgt W Ibbotson. |
Tractor Girl by David Pentland. Lancaster AJ-T of No.617 Sqn being towed by tractor to its dispersal slot by a Women's Auxiliary Air Force driver at Scampton, May 1943, in preparation for Operation Chastise. |
Approach to the Möhne Dam by Anthony Saunders. With the threat from Hitler's increasingly belligerent regime growing, minds within Britain's Air Ministry had already identified potential targets should the unthinkable happen and war with Germany become a reality. The list included the great dams of western Germany, some of the largest in the world. On 9 September 1939 Hitler's armies invaded Poland and, as Britain once again found herself at war with Germany, plans to attack the dams became a reality. Three were chosen as primary targets; the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams which between them controlled the vast supplies of water to the factories and manufacturing industries of the Ruhr. If these dams could be destroyed, the beating heart of industrial Germany would be dealt a heavy blow. But there were problems; the range and dam defences were too great for a low-level attack by existing aircraft and commando raids were thought suicidal, with little chance of success. Barnes Wallis, however, had an idea - a cylindrical 'bouncing bomb' codenamed Upkeep - a mine designed to skip across the surface of the water clearing the torpedo nets, and explode against a dam wall at a depth that would cause maximum destruction. To deliver his weapon, however, would require men of extraordinary flying skills, and an aircraft big enough for the job. By March 1943 all the criteria had been met; Upkeep was ready and tested, a new special squadron numbered 617 had been formed under Wing Commander Guy Gibson, and Avro's mighty Lancaster bomber was up to the task. On the evening of 16 May 1943, after weeks of intensive training, Gibson led the first wave of bombers away from RAF Scampton and set course for the Möhne dam. The Dambuster raid had begun. Following three attempts and the tragic loss of one aircraft the dam still held; it is now the turn of Flight Lieutenant David Maltby at the controls of Lancaster AJ-J to press home his attack. With Mick Martin drawing the enemy's fire to port and Guy Gibson to starboard, Maltby holds his aircraft steady and true as bomb aimer John Fort releases their Upkeep mine. The time was 00.49hrs on the morning of 17 May 1943 and the mine bounced to perfection, hit the target, sank, and detonated against the already damaged stone wall. Immeasurable pressure forced water through the groaning, already cracking blocks of granite until the dam could stand no more. The wall shuddered and then surrendered. 'There was a breach 100yds across,' Gibson wrote later, 'and the water, looking like stirred porridge in the moonlight, was gushing out and rolling into the Ruhr valley....' |
A Lucky Escape by Ivan Berryman. Flying low across the North Sea en route to the Sorpe Dam on the night of 16th/17th May 1943 as part of Operation Chastise, Flying Officer Geoff Rice's Lancaster ED936(G) clipped a large wave, ripping the Upkeep bomb from its mountings and pitching the aircraft into the sea. Somehow, in just a split second, Rice managed to haul AJ-H back into the air, but the aircraft had ingested a huge amount of water and, as Rice put his Lancaster into a climb to head back to Scampton, rear gunner Sgt S Burns and his turret were almost swept away as the water rushed to the back of the aircraft. AJ-H returned to Scampton otherwise unscathed and took no further part in the Dams Raids. |
Enemy Coast Ahead - The Dambusters by Philip West. Lancasters of 617 Squadron, led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson begin their low level cross channel dash towards the enemy coast on the way to the heart of the Ruhr. The aircraft were arranged in three waves. The first wave comprised three groups of three aircraft at 10 minute intervals and headed towards the Mohne, Sorpe and Eder dams. The second wave of five Lancasters headed direct to the Sorpe whilst the third wave of five, would act as backup. Eight Lancasters failed to return from the raids, a high cost indeed, but the courage and determination displayed by the crews were in the best tradition of the RAF. |
Tragedy at the Eder by Ivan Berryman. Following the successful attack on the Mohne dam on the night of 16th/17th May 1943, three Lancasters of 617 Sqn turned their attention to the Eder, some twelve minutes flying time away, accompanied by Wing Commander Guy Gibson to oversee the next attack. After several aborted attempts to obtain the correct height and direction for their bomb run by Flight Lieutenant Shannon (AJ-L) and Squadron Leader H E Maudslay (AJ-Z), Gibson called in Maudslay to try again. During his second approach, he released his Upkeep bomb too late. It struck the top of the dam wall and bounced back into the air where it exploded right behind Maudslay's aircraft, lighting up the entire valley and causing considerable damage to the aircraft that had dropped it. Despite what must have been crippling damage, AJ-Z did manage to limp away from the scene and begin the return journey, but Maudslay and all his crew were sadly lost when their aircraft was shot down by flak at Emmerich-Klein-Netterdn. The Eder was finally successfully breached by Pilot Officer Les Knight's aircraft, ED912(G), AJ-N, which returned safely. |
Enemy Coast Ahead by Simon Atack. Lancaster of 617 Sqn carrying its cargo of the Barnes-Wallace bouncing bomb on its way to its target of Germanys western dams. The Dambusters raid was to become one of the most celebrated missions ever carried out. |
Dambusters - The First Wave by Ivan Berryman. En route to the dams of the Ruhr Valley, the first wave of three specially adapted Avro Lancasters roar across the Dutch wetlands on the night of 16 -17th May 1943 led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, their mission to breach the Mohne and Eder dams, thus robbing the German war machine of valuable hydro-electric power and disrupting the water supply to the entire area. Carrying their unique, Barnes Wallis designed 'Bouncing Bomb' and flying at just 30m above the ground to avoid radar detection, 617 Squadron's Lancasters forged their way into the enemy territories, following the canals of the Netherlands and flying through forest fire traps below treetop height to their targets. Gibson's aircraft ('G'-George) is nearest with 'M'-Mother of Fl/Lt Hopgood off his port wing and 'P'-Peter (Popsie) of Fl/Lt Martin in the distance. |
Undetected by Ivan Berryman. En route to the Ruhr Dams on the night of 16/17 May 1943, P/O W C Townsend, demonstrating great skill, flew his aircraft, ED886(G) 'O'- Orange below tree-top height through a forest firetrap on his way to the Ennepe Dam, a feat carried out by moonlight alone. AJ-O made it successfully to its target where the Upkeep bomb was observed to hit the dam, but with no effect, before returning safely to base the following morning. |
| Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM Aircraft details |
 Lancaster Manufacturer : Avro Built : 7377 | Lancaster The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' "Operation Gomorrah" in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992. |
| Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM Squadron details |
No.617 Sqn RAF Country : UK Known Codes : , AJ, YZ, KC, | No.617 Sqn RAF Apres mois, le deluge - After me, the flood |
No.97 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 2nd January 1967 Known Codes : , OF, MR, QF, ZT, | No.97 Sqn RAF Straits Settlement Achieve your aim |
|
Contact Details |
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
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
|
