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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists Aviation Artists Gerald Coulson Royal Air Force  Lancaster |
[UP] - Lancaster - Spitfire - Hurricane - Mosquito - Typhoon - Shackleton - Wellington - Sunderland - Hunter - Hawk - Tornado - Lightning - Jaguar - Lysander - SE5 - Sopwith Camel - Blenheim - Halifax - Swordfish |
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Merlins Thunder by Gerald Coulson. The Avro Lancaster bomber of Bomber Command flies low over occupied Europe at speed thanks to the Merlin engines. |
Winter Ops by Gerald Coulson. Up to 1942 Bomber Command operations were beset by many problems. The means they had to accurately pinpoint the target and assault it were totally lacking, in fact their Commander in Chief, Air Marshall Arthur Harris later wrote : It was glaringly obvious that the average crew in average weather could not find their way to the target. Between February and August 1942 an effort was made to rectify this through the development of a specialised target finding and target marking force, which became known as the Pathfinders. Activated on August 15 this new group was formed under the leadership of their AOC Air Commodore Don Bennett, himself a very experienced pre war pilot with exceptional navigational skills. The aircrews of No. 8 (PFF) Group were tasked with marking out the designated targets but the formation of this group was initially opposed by Harris. He felt that the ranks of his Main Force could be weakened if a high number of experienced and highly skilled crews were taken by this specialist unit, leading to a lessening of skills within the other bomber groups. He agreed however for an alternative scheme whereby complete units were assigned to the Pathfinder Force and the stage was then set for what was to become the Main Offensive of Bomber Command. The first four Squadrons - Nos. 7 (Stirlings) 35 (Halifax) 83 (Lancaster) and 156 (Wellingtons) - were based at a clutch of airfields between Cambridge and Huntingdon. In the absence of any specialist Target Markers the crews were initially forced to operate using standard flares and the early raids produced variable results, with cloud cover often proving the main obstacle in accurate marking. However during the winter of 1942 the introduction of the ground guided marking system, OBOE, marked a quantum leap in accurate target marking and by mid 1943 Pathfinder techniques had been developed for all forms of weather conditions, including nights when complete overcast existed.Pathfinder crews used a combination of personal skill and technical equipment such as H2S to locate their targets. Often flying against overwhelming odds and in appalling conditions they transformed the performance of a bomber force that in 1941 was dropping almost half its bombs on open countryside. This third and final painting in Gerald Coulsons Tribute to Bomber Command depicts Lancaster Bombers of No.8 (PFF) Group returning late after a gruelling operation over Berlin. It is Christmas 1943 and the winter landscape reflects the early morning sunrise as the weary crews approach the safety of their Cambridgeshire base. |
Off Duty Lancaster at Rest by Gerald Coulson. an all time classic image of the Lancaster bomber of Bomber ommand being prepared by the RAF ground crew. The ground crew showed their expertise and commitment in keeping these superb bombers ready and in top condition in all weather. In this atmospheric classic image, Gerald Coulson shows the gorund crew preparing the Lancaster, a great stalwart of Bomber Command during the second world war. A superb partner painting to the other classic Gerald Coulson image, Outbound lancaster. |
The Dambusters by Gerald Coulson. Mick Martin's Lancaster pulls away from the Möhne Dam, his Upkeep bomb exploding behind him sending a huge plume of water into the air. Guy Gibson flies to his right drawing flak from the anti-aircraft guns on the towers. |
Band of Brothers by Gerald Coulson. Depicting an Avro Lancaster, Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire, the backbone of the Royal Air Force during World War Two. |
Dambusters - The Morning After by Gerald Coulson. Just after midnight, on the night of 16/17 May 1943, Lancaster crews of 617 Squadron undertook what was to become the most remarkable and probably best remembered air raid of the Second World War. Flying all the way from their base in England in darkness at tree-top height, with just the light of the moon to guide them, the specially selected crews made a surprise attack on the mighty hydro-electric dams in the Ruhr. Flying specially modified aircraft, each Lancaster was equipped with the unique cylindrical hydro-statically detonated bomb as conceived by Barnes Wallis. This huge device when released from the aircraft flying at exactly 230mph and at the precise height of 60 ft spun onto the surface of the water. To achieve the critical height above the water at moment of release, two beams of light, from front and aft, were projected from the aircraft on to the surface of the water, creating a neat figure-of-eight on the surface below. As each bomb bounced across the water towards its target, it struck the dam wall, sank to the pre-set depth, and exploded. The results were devastating. Led by the mercurial Squadron Leader Guy Gibson, ignoring furious defensive gunfire while flying perilously close to the water, each crew made their precision run at the target, released their deadly bomb, and those lucky enough to survive the barrage of tracer shells and anti-aircraft fire, escaped into the darkness. Not all of them did. In the space of those few, highly charged minutes, the Lancaster crews of 617 Squadron wrote their names into history. Sixty-four years on, the memory of their exploits and the courage displayed by the crews on that historic raid, together with the genius of Bames Wallis, remain undimmed. Gerald Coulsons painting shows a single Lancaster of 617 Squadron, one of the lucky ones having made it safely back to base, proudly standing alone as if in tribute to those that didn't return. |
Outbound Lancaster by Gerald Coulson. An all time classic image of the Lancaster bomber of Bomber command at altitude crossing the coast on its way to another bombing mission in Europe. In this atmospheric classic image, Gerald Coulson has shown this stalwart of the Royal Air Forces Bomber Command during the second world war. A superb partner painting to the other classic Gerald Coulson image, Off Duty Lancaster. |
Long Night Ahead by Gerald Coulson. A Lancaster heads out to its target as the sun sets. |
Moonlit Lancaster by Gerald Coulson. No text for this item |
A Lincolnshire Sunset 1944 by Gerald Coulson. The Avro Lancaster was possibly the most versatile and successful bomber aircraft ever and certainly became the backbone of RAF Bomber Command during WWII. Being able to deliver a greater payload than any other aircraft of The War, the Lancaster was involved in nearly every night bombing raid on Europe and undertook some of the most famous bombing missions in History. Of all the crews of RAF Bomber Command 617 Squadron are perhaps the best known. Famed for their expertise in precision bombing they took part in some of the most daring raids of the War. Many of the crews such as Guy Gibson, Leonard Cheshire and Bill Reid became household names and their exploits are well documented. This superb painting by Gerald Coulson is a tribute to all those crews who flew with Bomber Command. Each print is personally signed by prominent crew who flew with 617 Squadron during WWII. Coulsons painting captures the moment perfectly. As the sun is setting in the early part of 1944 over their Lincolnshire airfield , groundcrews make final preparations to the Lancasters of 617 Squadron. Beneath the mighty aircraft crews ready themselves for a long , gruelling night operation over occupied Europe. |
Lancaster Lift-Off by Gerald Coulson. Sold out at publisher. We have the last 170 remaining prints. |
Into Attack by Gerald Coulson. Flight Lieutenant Mick Martin readies his crew to release their bouncing bomb as he makes his run into the Mohne Dam. Flanking him is the Lancaster of Wing Commander Guy Gibson, using his aircraft to draw flak from the gunners along the dam. |
Alone at Dawn by Gerald Coulson. Heavily damaged by flak and with one engine out, a Lancaster slowly makes its way home far behind the main force. |
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. |
The Sinking of The Tirpitz by Gerald Coulson. One secondary market remarque print available, numbered 398 / 500. |
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