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Cranston Fine Arts  Military Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures American Veterans Surnames K to P  McNiece, Jake |
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The Spoils of War by Simon Smith. Thrown into a baptism of fire on D-Day the men of the 101st Airborne Division had quickly shown their mettle in the killing fields of Normandy. By the time they were called upon to jump into Holland during Operation Market Garden they had become one of the toughest and most formidable units of the entire US Army. After fighting alongside the British in Holland it was on 5th October 1944, along the muddy banks of a dyke, that the men of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, under the leadership of Lt Dick Winters once again ran into a large group of Germans. It wasn't the first time they'd been outnumbered and, with scant regard for the odds against them, Easy Company attacked. After a brief fire-fight that drove the enemy back, Dick Winters gathered half of his reserve platoon and proceeded to wipe out an enemy machine-gun position and bringing up the rest of his men, charged with fixed bayonets. The Germans - two companies of battle-hardened Waffen-SS troops, several hundred men - were too stunned to respond and were quickly overpowered by Winters' small band. A few days later Colonel Robert Sink, the battalion commander, issued a citation praising them for their daring and aggressive spirit, and sound tactical ability. Shortly after their success, Dick Winters was promoted to become the battalion Executive Officer. This painting portrays the men of Easy Company moments after the action was over, standing easy but, as ever, alert for trouble. |
Day Drop - Stick 21 by Robert Taylor. At 23.45 on the night of 5 June 1944, the 101st Airborne's most legendary unit of combat paratroopers - the notorious 'Filthy Thirteen' - jumped into France near the village of Sainte Mere Eglise, in the final hours before the D-Day landings. They were the Screaming Eagles' most notorious unit, a small bunch of raw, tough, ruthless young men. Hard drinking and savage fighting - and that was only in training - with scant regard for authority. And if the reputation of this unique bunch of renegades within the ranks of the 101st was formidable, for the Germans it became one of sheer terror. Officially they were the First Demolition Squadron, HQ Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne. Unofficially they were the 'Filthy Thirteen'. Superbly crafted in his unique blend of pencil and paint on tinted paper, Robert Taylor's classic new Master Drawing captures the moment on the night of 5 June 1944 when the 101st Airborne's legendary squad of elite paratroopers jump into battle in the vital hours before the D-Day landings commence. The pilots of the 440th Troop Carrier Group struggle to keep their Dakotas level as deadly flak pummels the formation. |
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