Aviation Art of No.71 Sqn

Hurricane
Manufacturer : Hawker
Built : 14533

Hurricane
Royal Air Force Fighter, the Hawker Hurricane had a top speed of 320mph, at 18,200 feet and 340mph at 17,500, ceiling of 34,200 and a range of 935 miles. The Hurricane was armed with eight fixed wing mounted .303 browning machine guns in the Mark I and twelve .303 browning's in the MKIIB in the Hurricane MKIIC it had four 20mm cannon. All time classic fighter the Hurricane was designed in 1933-1934, the first prototype flew in June 1936 and a contract for 600 for the Royal Air Force was placed. The first production model flew ion the 12th October 1937 and 111 squadron of the Royal Air Force received the first Hurricanes in January 1938. By the outbreak of World war two the Royal Air Force had 18 operational squadrons of Hurricanes. During the Battle of Britain a total of 1715 Hurricanes took part, (which was more than the rest of the aircraft of the Royal air force put together) and almost 75% of the Victories during the Battle of Britain went to hurricane pilots. The Hawker Hurricane was used in all theatres during World war two, and in many roles. in total 14,533 Hurricanes were built.

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.

No.71 Sqn RAF
Pilot and aircrew signature details

Captain Luke Allen
Our estimated value of this signature : £30

Captain Luke Allen

Volunteering for the RAF just as the Battle of Britain was reaching its climax, Luke joined 71 Eagle Squadron, flying his first combat operation in April 1941 on Hurricanes. Converting to Spitfires the squadron had a busy period of patrols, sweeps and escorts before transferring to the USAAF as the 334th Fighter Squadron. Luke flew over 60 combat missions in Europe.

Colonel Oscar Coen
Our estimated value of this signature : £65
Died : 2004

Colonel Oscar Coen

Oscar Coen was born at Hannaford, N.D., on May 11, 1917, to Archie and Mary Coen. He grew up in Pound, Wis., and received his bachelor of science degree at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Enlisting in 1940 into the RCAF, Oscar Coen transferred to the RAF in 1941, joining 71 Squadron RAF. In a daring raid over France he destroyed a complete ammunition train with a pass so low that exploding debris hit his Spitfire. Managing to bail out safely he was smuggled to Spain by the French Resistance, and eventually back to England. With several victories and a DFC to his credit he transferred to the USAAF in 1942 as a Squadron Commander, completing the war as an Ace with 5 victories and flying over 250 combat missions. Oscar Hoffman Coen, 87, of Baker City, died June 23, 2004, at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Boise.

Flight Lieutenant James Gray
Our estimated value of this signature : £30
Died : 2009

Flight Lieutenant James Gray

James Gray was in college and taking a civilian pilot training course when the European war began. 'I tried for the U.S. Army Air Corps and couldn't pass the physical,' he says. 'I heard that the British were recruiting pilots for the Royal Air Force. I wanted to fly a fast fighter.' Like many prospective Eagle Squadron pilots, Gray went to a special school in the United States and learned flying from former U.S. Army Air Corps pilots before shipping off to England. James Gray joined the RAF as an American volunteer in September 1941, and was posted to 71 Eagle Squadron flying Spitfire Vbs. Gray's first missions in the Spitfire were mostly convoy patrols over the English Channel. By September of 1941, the faster Spitfire Mk.V had replaced No.71 Squadron's Mk. IIs, and along with the aircraft change came Eagle missions of a little more range - sweeps across the Channel into France. These missions were dubbed Rhubarbs, Circuses and Rodeos, depending on the number of aircraft used, their tactics and varied methods of enticing the Luftwaffe to fight. Gray says he shot down his first enemy plane in the spring of 1942. The day before, some RAF bombers had been badly shot up on a major operation. Rescue boats went out looking for aircrew that might still be floating in dinghies, and Spitfires were sent to provide air cover for the operation. While on this patrol they were attacked by a number of Fw190's. Gray attacked one of the Fw190s which was pursuing Wing Leader Bob Sprague's Spitfire, Gray opened fire with his cannons and sent the Fw190 plunging into the sea. Staying in the RAF throughout the war, he flew Spitfires in North Africa and the Mediterranean, first with 93 Squadron, and later 111 Squadron. His luck eventually ran out in Italy when he was shot down early in 1945 whilst serving with 72 Squadron. Flight Lieutenant James Gray was shot down on January 4th, 1945, his 26th birthday. Gray's Squadron's Spitfire IXs were carrying 500-pound bombs in ground attacks against German troops in northern Italy. He was taken POW for four months in Stalag-Luft I, north of Berlin. Among Flight Lieutenant James Gray's awards and decorations is the prestigious British Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). After the war Flight Lieutenant James Gray became a pilot for United Airlines, started flying the DC-3, then flew the Convair 340 and, after a long successful career, retired as a Captain in DC-8 jets. He was also the historian for the Eagle Squadrons. James Gray at the age of 90 passed away on the 25th of November 2009.

Colonel George Maxwell
Our estimated value of this signature : £35

Colonel George Maxwell

Joining the RAF at the height of the Battle of Britain, George flew combat operations with 71 Squadron, the first Eagle Squadron. In September 1942 the squadron became the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, where he notched up a further 86 sorties. Later he served in both Korea and Vietnam.

Major General Carroll W McColpin
Our estimated value of this signature : £75
Died : 2003

Major General Carroll W McColpin

Carroll Warren McColpin was born in Buffalo, New York on November 15th 1914 and was raised and educated in Los Angeles. Carroll McColpin participated in civilian flying activities in Los Angeles, he started to learn to fly in 1928 and in 1936 obtained his pilots certificate. As a young man, he had built his own airplane and taught himself the basics of stick flying and aerial acrobatics by the age of sixteen. Carroll Red McColpin volunteered for the RAF in 1940 despite official US disapproval, going via Canada to England. After serving with No.607 Squadron, he became the second Eagle Ace after shooting down two ME-109s on October 2, 1941 and is the only pilot known to have fought in aerial combat to a draw - with Werner Molders, the high-scoring German Ace. Red McColpin commanded 133 Eagle Squadron up to the transfer to the USAAF in September, 1942, General McColpin was the only American to fly combat in all three RAF American Eagle Squadrons. His total missions in these Squadrons exceeded three hundred counting the ones he flew with the 607. He was a double ace before Pearl Harbor and was the first American to be decorated, in Buckingham Palace by King George during World War II. McColpin joined the 4th Figher Group. He later led the 404th Fighter Group in support of the D-Day invasion and the drive across Europe. In 400 missions, he recorded 11.5 victories and collected 29 awards for gallantry. Following the war, McColpin remained in the Air Force, serving in several command and senior staff positions, ultimately becoming the commander of the 4th Air Force. He retired as a Major General in August, 1968. Sadley Major General Carroll Warren McColpin passed away on November 28, 2003.

Major Michael Miluck
Our estimated value of this signature : £25

Major Michael Miluck

American volunteer Michael Miluck arrived in the UK in September 1941, and was posted to join 71 Eagle Squadron. Flying Spitfire Mk Vbs the squadron was engaged in escort and offensive fighter sweeps over the channel and northern France, taking part in the air cover over Dieppe. Later he flew Hurricanes with 250 Squadron.

Lieutenant Colonel Don Nee
Our estimated value of this signature : £25

Lieutenant Colonel Don Nee

Don Nee flew Spitfires with 152 and 64 Squadrons RAF before being unified with other Americans into the first Eagle Squadron, No.71. He transferred to the 4th Fighter Group's 336th Fighter Squadron in September 1942 and flew 119 missions in P-47s and P-51s, becoming a flight commander.

Colonel Steve Pisanos
Our estimated value of this signature : £45
Died : 2016

Colonel Steve Pisanos

Born Nov. 10, 1919, in the Athens suburb of Kolonos, Spiros Nicholas 'Steve' Pisanos, the son of a subway motorman, arrived in America in April 1938 as a crew member on a Greek merchant tramp steamer. Arriving in Baltimore speaking no English, he worked in a bakery and hotels to earn money for flying lessons at Floyd Bennett Field. In August 1940, he settled in Plainfield, New Jersey, and continued flying lessons at Westfield Airport. He earned a private pilot's license and, though still a Greek national, in October 1941 he joined the British Royal Air Force sponsored by the Clayton Knight Committee in New York City. Pisanos began his military flight training at Polaris Flight Academy in Glendale. Upon graduation, Pilot Officer Pisanos was transferred to England where he completed RAF Officers Training School at Cosford, England, and OTU (Operational Training Unit) at Old Sarum Aerodrome in Salisbury. Pisanos was posted to the 268 Fighter Squadron at Snailwell Aerodrome in Newmarket flying P-51A's. He later transferred to the 71 Eagle Squadron, one of three Eagle squadrons in the RAF, comprised of just 244 American volunteers flying Spitfires at Debden RAF Aerodrome. When the USAAF 4th Fighter Group absorbed the American members of the Eagle Squadrons in September and October 1942, Pisanos was commissioned a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces. Flying his first mission in his P-47 'Miss Plainfield' out of Debden Aerodrome with the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, Lt. Pisanos, 'The Flying Greek,' scored his first shootdown on May 21, 1943, when he targeted a German FW-190 over Ghent, Belgium. By Jan. 1, 1944, he had become an ace with five confirmed downings. On March 5, 1944, he obtained his 10th shootdown and while returning from that B-17 escort mission to Limoges and Bordeaux, France, Pisanos experienced engine failure in his P-51B and crash-landed south of Le Havre. For six months he evaded the Germans and fought with the French Resistance and the American OSS, sabotaging the German war machine in occupied France. Lt. Pisanos returned to England on Sept. 2, 1944, following the liberation of Paris. Because of his exposure and knowledge of the French Resistance operations, Pisanos was prohibited from flying additional combat missions because the Air Force could not risk him being captured. Upon returning to the United States, Capt. Pisanos was assigned to the Flight Test Division at Wright Field, Ohio. He attended the USAF Test Pilot School and served as a test pilot at Wright Field and Muroc Lake, California, testing the YP-80 jet aircraft, America's first operational jet. During his Air Force career, Pisanos graduated from the University of Maryland, attended the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College. Pisanos also served tours of duty in Vietnam (1967-68) and with NORAD before retiring from the USAF with the rank of colonel in in December 1973. Colonel Steve Pisanos died on 6th June 2016.

Squadron Leader Arthur Roscoe DFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £55

Squadron Leader Arthur Roscoe DFC

American Art Roscoe joined the RAF in February 1941, through the Clayton Knight Committee that was recruiting American civilian pilots for the RAF. Arriving in England he joined 71 Eagle Squadron, where he made his first claims. In June 1942 he volunteered for service on Malta and flew off the carrier HMS Furious on 11th August to join 229 Squadron. During his final combat on 12th October he was shot down, wounded and evacuated from the island in a Liberator, which in turn crashed on landing in Gibraltar. On recovery, he was posted to join 165 Squadron, then 242 Squadron, and in May 1944 was given command of 232 Squadron. He had destroyed 4 enemy aircraft and probably 3 more.

Aces for : No.71 Sqn RAF
A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name.
Name	Victories	Info
Spiros N Pisanos	10.00	The signature of Spiros N Pisanos features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available.
Carroll W McColpin	8.00	The signature of Carroll W McColpin features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available.