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Bellicum cecinere - They have sounded the war trumpet
| No.421 Sqn RCAF Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Midwinter Dawn by Robert Taylor. The engineers at Rolls-Royce had worked their magic. They had somehow managed to squeeze every available ounce of power out of the current Merlin engine and by D-Day on 6 June 1944 the sleek Mk.IX Spitfires of Fighter Command reigned supreme in the skies over Normandy. The magnificent Mk.IXs were, by far, the most numerous variant of Spitfires that fought from D-Day to the threshold of the Reich. In the great drive from Normandy across northern France, Belgium and into Holland the Spitfire pilots of Fighter Command threw down the gauntlet to any Luftwaffe pilots brave enough, or foolhardy enough, to tangle with them. Perhaps the greatest pilot to ever fly the Spitfire was the RAF&39;s top fighter Ace Johnnie Johnson. His resolute determination and steadfast leadership came into its own during D-Day and the subsequent advance through Normandy, and he would finish the war as the highest scoring Allied Ace in Europe. The scene captures the moment when, as Wing Leader of 127 Canadian Wing, Johnnie is seen leading Mk.IX Spitfires from 421 Red Indian Squadron RCAF out on patrol from their airfield at Evere near Brussels on a cold December morning in 1944. It is close to the fighting and the German front line so, as the Canadians climb steadily out over the snow clad landscape in the golden light of dawn, they are already alert and on the lookout for the first signs of trouble. |
| No.421 Sqn RCAF Aircraft details |
 Spitfire Manufacturer : Supermarine Built : 20351 | Spitfire Royal Air Force fighter aircraft, maximum speed for mark I Supermarine Spitfire, 362mph up to The Seafire 47 with a top speed of 452mph. maximum ceiling for Mk I 34,000feet up to 44,500 for the mark XIV. Maximum range for MK I 575 miles . up to 1475 miles for the Seafire 47. Armament for the various Marks of Spitfire. for MK I, and II . eight fixed .303 browning Machine guns, for MKs V-IX and XVI two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 browning machine guns. and on later Marks, six to eight Rockets under the wings or a maximum bomb load of 1,000 lbs. Designed by R J Mitchell, The proto type Spitfire first flew on the 5th March 1936. and entered service with the Royal Air Force in August 1938, with 19 squadron based and RAF Duxford. by the outbreak of World war two, there were twelve squadrons with a total of 187 spitfires, with another 83 in store. Between 1939 and 1945, a large variety of modifications and developments produced a variety of MK,s from I to XVI. The mark II came into service in late 1940, and in March 1941, the Mk,V came into service. To counter the Improvements in fighters of the Luftwaffe especially the FW190, the MK,XII was introduced with its Griffin engine. The Fleet Air Arm used the Mk,I and II and were named Seafires. By the end of production in 1948 a total of 20,351 spitfires had been made and 2408 Seafires. The most produced variant was the Spitfire Mark V, with a total of 6479 spitfires produced. The Royal Air Force kept Spitfires in front line use until April 1954. |
 Vampire | Vampire No profile available |
| No.421 Sqn RCAF Pilot and aircrew signature details |
 Squadron Leader Danny Browne DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £55 | Squadron Leader Danny Browne DFC An American pilot, Sqdn. Ldr. Danny Browne was from Elm Park, New Jersey. Danny Browne joined Johnnie Johnson at Kenley in 1943 and went on to become a leading figure in the Canadian Wing, fighting in France and later in Holland. He would go on to command the Red Indian Squadron. Post-war he became a distinguished US attorney. Squadron Commander 441 Sqn RCAF, Squadron Commander 421 Sqn RCAF. |
Wing Commander Walter Conrad DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Wing Commander Walter Conrad DFC Commanded 421 Sqn during D-Day and scored a total of 8 victories. |
  Air Vice Marshal Johnnie Johnson CB, CBE, DSO**, DFC* Our estimated value of this signature : £70 Died : 2001 | Air Vice Marshal Johnnie Johnson CB, CBE, DSO**, DFC* James Edgar Johnson was born in Barrow on Soar near Loughborough on 9th March 1915. He lived in Melton, the first house on the left of Welby Lane as you leave Nottingham Road, with his parents - his father being a local Police Inspector. Johnnie qualified as a Civil Engineer at Nottingham University in 1937. He joined the RAFVR and did his flying training at 21 E&RFTS, Stapleford before enlisting for full-time service in the RAF at the beginning of WWII. He first went to ITW at Jesus College, Cambridge, completed his ab initio flying at 22 EFTS, Cambridge and his intermediate and advanced flying at 5 FTS, Sealand. Johnnie Johnson joined 92 Spitfire squadron in August 1940, but it was with 616 squadron that he scored his first victory on June 26th 1941 while flying with Douglas Baders Tangmere Wing. He was squadron leader of 610 squadron in July 1942, but it was as Wing Commander of the Kenley Wing in 1943 that his scores really started to mount. He was W/C of 144 wing during D-Day and led 127 and 125 wings until the end of the war when we has the topscoring allied fighter pilot with 38 air victories. Inspired by the great British WW 1 aces like Bishop and Ball, Johnnie Johnson dreamed often as a child of becoming an R.A.F. pilot. The young Johnson enthusiastically joined the Volunteer Reserve at the first opportunity. After completing his initial flight training Johnson was posted to 616 Squadron at Kenley. However, this Squadron had been hit hard with the loss of six pilots and five wounded, and the unit was withdrawn to Coltishall prior to Johnson encountering combat. With only 12 hours of flight time in a Spitfire this was no doubt advantageous. In February 1941 Billy Burton moved the Squadron to Tangmere. Douglas Bader then arrived to take over the Tangmere Wing, and fly with the 616 Squadron. Johnnie, Alan Smith and Cocky Dundas were chosen to fly with Bader. During the summer of 1940 the Battle of Britain was at its peak. Bader took the time to instruct Johnson carefully in both the art of flying and the skills necessary to attain success in aerial combat. Baders idea of an afternoon off duty, according to Johnson, was to take his section over the Channel in hopes of running into Adolph Galland and his Abbeyville Boys. On August 19, 1941 Bader failed to return from a mission when 616 Squadron was hit hard by a group of Messerschmitt 109s. Johnson flew on in Baders absence, and in the summer of 1942 he was promoted to command of the 610 Squadron. In 1943 he was promoted again to Wing Commander of the Canadian Spitfire Wing in Kenley. By that time Johnson had attained eight confirmed victories. During the spring and summer of 1943 Johnnie led the Canadian unit on more than 140 missions over Northwest Europe. Johnsons squadron attained more than 100 victories during this period, and Johnnies own personal score rose to 25. After a short leave, Johnson was posted to lead the 144 Canadian Spitfire Wing. On D-Day Johnson led his Wing on four missions in support of the Allied invasion. On June 8, Johnsons Wing was the first Spitfire group to land in newly liberated France. Johnson continued fighting in France through September 1944 when he achieved his 38th and final victory. Patrolling the Rhine Johnsons unit jumped nine 109s which were flying beneath them in the opposite direction. Five of the 109s were downed. Early in 1945 Johnson was promoted to Group Captain and put in command of the 125 Wing, which was equipped with the Spitfire XIV. Flying from former Luftwaffe airfields the 125 Wing assisted in the final Allied push to Berlin. Johnson attributed much of his aerial combat success to his ability to make tight turning maneuvers. Johnsons tightest call came on August 19, 1942 when he was unable to dislodge an Me-109 from his tail during the raid on Diepppe. Johnson raced his Spitfire flat out at a group of Royal Navy ships. The usual barrage of flak and tracer fire came right at him, and fortunately for the ace, missed his Spitfire but effectively eliminated the brave pilot on his tail. During the Korean War Johnson flew fighter-bombers with the USAF. Following his retirement from the R.A.F. in 1966 Johnson founded the Johnnie Johnson Housing Trust that has provided homes for more than 4000 disabled and elderly persons, and his sixth book Winged Victory was published in 1995. Johnson flew many of the Spitfire models. His favorite was the beautiful Mark IX, the best of them all. Johnnie passed away in 2001 at the age of 85, in Derbyshire, England. |
 Wing Commander Andy Mackenzie DFC CD Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2009 | Wing Commander Andy Mackenzie DFC CD 421 Sqn RCAF, Flight Commander 403 Sqn RCAF. Born in Montreal, 10th August 1920 and enlisted there 6th June 1940. Attended No.1 Manning Depot, Toronto, 7-24 June 1940. Trained at No.1 ITS (24 June to 21 July 1940), No.4 EFTS (21 July to 6 October 1940) and No.31 SFTS (6 October 1940 to 8 January 1941). Central Flying School, Trenton (8 Jan. to 10 April 1941) on Flying Instructors Course No.30, 3 Feb. to 22 March 1941. Instructed at No.11 SFTS, 11 April to 30 July 1941, at CFS, Trenton, 31 July 1941 to 24 April 1942, and at No.16 SFTS, 25 April 1942 to 24 January 1943. Commissioned 31 March 1942. At Y Depot, Halifax, 25 January to 18 February 1943. No.421 Squadron, 10 August 1943 to 16 May 1943; No.403 Squadron, 16 May to 28 August 1944. Shot down by American AAA over Utah beach. Returned to Canada, flew Kittyhawks with No.133 Sq. (11 Dec 1944 to 28 Jan 1945) and No.135 Squadron (29 January to 7 September 1945). Transferred to Reserve, 1 October 1945; to Special Reserve (full employment), 3 April 1946; to Regular Force, October 1946. Flew in Korea. Shot down by another Sabre Pilot 5th December 1952. POW - not released until 5th dec 1954 - long after the 27 July 1953 cease fire. He was the RCAF's only POW in Korea. Retired in 1967. Home in Oxford Station, Ontario. Wing Commander Andy Mackenzie sadly passed away in 2009. |
 Lt Col Douglas Duke Warren DFC CD Our estimated value of this signature : £15 Died : 2011 | Lt Col Douglas Duke Warren DFC CD Douglas Duke Warren was Born in Nanton, Alta., in 1922, along with his twin brother Bruce joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) at the age of 18. After advanced training, the Warren twins flew two tours of operations with Royal Air Force Spitfire squadrons. After joining 403 Squadron, Duke Warren flew as part of 165 Squadron in the air battles over Dieppe. He fought over Falaise, and also served with 66 Sqn and 11 Group at Biggin Hill. In 1945, they were both awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses by King George VI at Buckingham Palace. He returned to Canada in May 1945, and along with Bruce joined the permanent RCAF in October 1946. Douglas became a Flight Commander with 421 Squadron flying DH Vampire jet aircraft at Chatham, New Brunswick. On April 5th, 1951, his brother Bruce was killed as a test pilot at AV Roe aircraft company in Toronto flying the prototype CF100 jet fighter. Duke became Commanding Officer of the F-86 Sabre-equipped 410 Squadron in 1952. The following year, he was attached to the United States Air Force and flew Sabres in Korea. Duke Warren flew 253 combat missions, including flying the F-86 Sabre in Korea. Sadly Duke Warren passed away Saturday August 27th 2011 in Comox at the age of 89. |
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