Second World War aviation art prints of the Superfortress aircraft. Our collection of prints and original paintings of the Superfortress aircraft of World War Two.
The largest and most powerful bomber of WW II, the Boeing B-29 Super Fortress, played a major role in bringing about the defeat of Japan. In addition to accelerating Japans surrender following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs, thousands of B-29 crews flew tens of thousands of bombing missions against Japan from bases in China, India, and later in the War from recaptured islands in the Pacific. B-29s entered service in 1943 following a lengthy, problem-filled, development process of three years in response to the governments request for a long range strategic bomber. Only Boeing and Douglas (the B-32 Dominator) responded to the governments requests, and the B-32 had even greater development problems than the B-29. Powered by four giant Wright R-3350-23 radial engines generating a total horsepower of 8,924, the Super Fortresses typically carried crews of ten. They were capable of a top speed of 357-MPH, and at slower cruising speeds had a range of more than 3,200 miles. The B-29 was a large aircraft for its time with a wingspan in excess of 140 feet and a length of just under 100 feet. The Super Forts also had pressurized forward and aft hulls, which made the long distance missions a bit more comfortable for the flight crews. B-29s typically carried defensive armament which included ten machine guns and a single tail-mounted canon. Because of the pressurized hull, the guns were operated by remote control. The first operational B-29 wing was the 58th which flew out of the China-Burma-India theater. On March 9, 1945 General Curtis LeMay ordered an unusual low altitude attack on Tokyo by hundreds of B-29s carrying incendiary bombs. Five such low level missions were scheduled over a ten-day period, and the combined destruction of these missions exceeded that of either of the atomic bomb missions. B-29s were also effectively used to mine Japanese ports and shipping lanes.
By the Dawns Early Light by Iain Wyllie.
B-29 Bocks Car, 9th August 1945. Bocks Car was a B-29 Super Flying Fortress that dropped the fat man nuclear bomb over Nagasaki on 9th August 1945 it was the second nuclear bomb to be dropped on Japan.
Item Code : IW0002
By the Dawns Early Light by Iain Wyllie. - Editions Available
Image size 16.5 inches x 11.5 inches (42cm x 29cm)
none
£16.00
Turning Point by David Pentland.
6th August 1945, Col. Paul Tibbets puts his aircraft, Enola Gay, into a violent turn to evade the blast of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This marked a turning point in the war and history.
Item Code : DHM0796
Turning Point by David Pentland. - Editions Available
Only 660 miles from Tokyo, the small volcanic island of Iwo Jima was recognized as early as 1943 as being a vital location to secure an airbase for allied aircraft, in order to achieve victory in the Pacific. Forseeing this goal, the Japanese began extensive fortifications early, preparing for the eventual onslaught. Within Iwo Jimas myriad tunnels, both underground and within the extinct volcano known as mt Suribachi, enemy forces were able to remain virtually unscathed during the 72 day heavy bombardment in late 1944, which preceded the American landings. In mid Ferbuary 1945, the invasion landing forces arrived, and so began one of the bloodiest and most bitter battles of World War II. Over the course of the next 36 days, the United States Marine Corps would experience many of its most horrific hours, but certainly their finest as well. Marine photographer Joe Rosenthals shot of Old Glory being hoisted aloft atop Suribachi came to be recognized as possibly the most famous phot.........
Paper size 31.5 inches x 16.5 inches (80cm x 42cm)
Artist : John D Shaw
£95.00
Valor in the Pacific by Robert Taylor.
Depicted are B-29s of the 499th Bomb Group, 73rd Wing of the 20th Air Force. After a daylight raid on Tokyo, showing all the telltale signs of combat over the target, a Wing of the worlds largest and fastest-ever piston-engined bombers make their long over-water journey home, still many hours away at Saipan Island. At the extremity of their range, little friends, very-long-range P-51 Mustang escort fighters, peel off and head for home - leaving the mighty bombers to fend for themselves.
Item Code : DHM2226
Valor in the Pacific by Robert Taylor. - Editions Available
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was undoubtedly the best all-around strategic bomber of WW 11. Because of its fairly late deployment in the War, fewer (3,970) Superfortesses were built than any other U.S. strategic bomber. Because of its large payload, and incredible range, a decision was made to utilize the B-29 exclusively in the Pacific and production models began to arrive in India and China in the spring of 1944. By mid 1945 the B-29 was being operated from bases established in the Mariana Islands, and devastating bombing raids were being flown against Japan on a regular basis. The Texas Doll was a Saipan-based B29 of the 497th Bomb Group, which was under the command of Col. Edward Cutler in 1944 & 1945. In a soon to be published book entitled Flying the Red Carpet, Lt. Col. Don Julin, Cutlers navigator, chronicles in both words and photographs his experiences flying out of Saipan in 1945. The Texas Doll participated in the massive fire bombing raid on Tokyo on March 10, 1945. Gene.........
The largest and most powerful bomber of WW II, the Boeing B-29 Super Fortress, played a major role in bringing about the defeat of Japan. In addition to accelerating Japans surrender following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs, thousands of B-29 crews flew tens of thousands of bombing missions against Japan from bases in China, India, and later in the War from recaptured islands in the Pacific. B-29s entered service in 1943 following a lengthy, problem-filled, development process of three years in response to the governments request for a long range strategic bomber. Only Boeing and Douglas (the B-32 Dominator) responded to the governments requests, and the B-32 had even greater development problems than the B-29. Powered by four giant Wright R-3350-23 radial engines generating a total horsepower of 8,924, the Super Fortresses typically carried crews of ten. They were capable of a top speed of 357-MPH, and at slower cruising speeds had a range of more than 3,200 .........
Mission to Yokohama, Japan, June 1944 by David Pentland.
Boeing B29 Superfortresses of the USAAF 40th Bomb Group come under attack from a Kawasaki Ki64 Hein (Tony) of the Japanese Army Airforces 244th Sentai.
Item Code : DP0008
Mission to Yokohama, Japan, June 1944 by David Pentland. - Editions Available
Part of a small print series of six American WW2 aircraft, signed by some of the great American pilots, some no longer with us. Cranston Fine Arts have purchased the last remaining stocks of this aviation series.
Item Code : DHM2656
Superfortress by Nicolas Trudgian. - Editions Available
Richard Taylors painting recreates an encounter on 19th February 1945. As dawn breaks over the Pacific, a determined force of Japanese Ki-44s launch a surprise attack on a large formation of USAAF B-29 Superfortresses as they approach the Japanese mainland. B-29 gunners let rip as one fighter flashes past, with a second fighter closing at high speed. Chunks of the B-29s port wing and aileron have been taken out in the initial attack, and with another Japanese fighter fast on its tail, the outcome of this particular encounter hangs in the balance. A total of ten Superfortresses fell victim that day.
Item Code : DHM2709
Threatening Skies by Richard Taylor. - Editions Available
Eric Macey joined the RAF in 1954 and, after graduating as a pilot, flew Hunter fighters with 263 and 1 Sqns. He next joined the rapidly-expanding V-Force, initially flying Valiants of 214 Sqn on in-flight refuelling trials, and completed the first non-stop flight to Singapore. Then followed a Vulcan captaincy with 101 Sqn on which, over the next several years, he served as Sqn Pilot, Training Officer and Sqn Cdr (and which formed part of his Wing when he was OC Waddington). Between times, he was Chief Instructor of the Vulcan OCU at Scampton and, for a short time, also Stn Cdr there. Posted to Germany in 1979, he flew the Wessex, Puma, Jaguar, Phantom and Harrier and later served as AOC (of the University Air Squadrons) and Commandant of the RAF College Cranwell where he re-qualified on the Jet Provost. His final tour as Director-General Training added another 15 aircraft types bringing his total flying hours to about 3400 (1900 on the Vulcan) and total types flown to 60.
Henry Huglin was Born in Iowa, in 1915. After being director of B-24 training, in 1944 Henry Huglin became deputy group commander of the 9th Bombardment Group at McCook, Nebraska, which in that year was organized and trained as a B-29 Group. In February 1945 he accompanied the group in its overseas deployment to Tinian in the Marianas Islands where it became part of the 20th Air Force conducting the strategic air campaign against Japan. In March 1945 he became group commander and remained as the group commander through the end of World War II six months later. During this period, he led his Group on 17 of their 75 bombing and mining missions (comprising more than 2,000 sorties of 3,000 miles each) in the war against Japan, including participating in the first low-level fire raid on Tokyo March 5, 1945. Promoted to Colonel in June 1945, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with oak leaf cluster and the Bronze Star. After the end of World War II, Colonel Huglin served as chief of the Operations Branch in the U.S. Strategic Air Force Headquarters on Guam, a month with Headquarters, Far East Air Forces in the Philippines, a year as chief of staff of the 308th Bomb Wing in Korea, and seven months as commanding officer of Nagoya Air Base, Japan. In January of 1948, Colonel Huglin reported to Air Force Headquarters in the Pentagon where he served until October of that year as chief of the Personnel Statistics Division, Office of the Comptroller, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. On the 10th of June 1959, Colonel Huglin was promoted to Brigadier Generaland became deputy U.S. representative to the NATO Military Committee and Standing Group, Nov. 1, 1959. Sadly Brigadier General Huglin died on the 10th of December 2005.
Ben Robertson enlisted following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, qualifying as a pilot. He was posted as an instructor on bombers until early 1945 when he transferred to combat flying in the Western Pacific. Joining the 43rd Bomb Squadron, 29th Bomb Group, he flew B29s from Guam on 35 combat missions, several of which were as lead crew. He flew on five raids to Tokyo, as well as to Kobe, Osaka and Nagoya.
Chuck Baisden was born in 1920 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1939, and by late 1940 he found himself working with aircraft such as the P-36, P-40, YP-37 and Bell Airacuda. When he joined the AVG in 1941, he had his reasons.... "I went from making $72 a month in the Army to $350 a month with the Flying Tigers. That was a lot of money in those days." The new job also provided him an opportunity to travel and work in his field as an ordnance expert and he was assigned to the Hells Angles squadron, to put his talents to good use. One of the youngest to join the AVG, he remembers "I had just turned twenty-one in March before leaving for China in May of 1941.. just bought my first beer." After the AVG, Chuck re-enlisted. He entered pilot training school and it was back to China, now part of the famed 1st Air Commando Group. He eventually flew 58 missions as Engineer / Turret gunner of a B-25 squadron, one of whose pilots was R T Smith, a close friend from his AVG days. After WWII, he flew as a B-29 gunner in the Korean War. By 1960 he had completed some 815 refuelling missions, and in 1964 he retired from the Air Force.
Enlisting in the Army Air Corps in 1941, Michael Novosel saw combat in the Pacific flying B29s out of Tinian against Japan, and was called up to active service again during the Korean War, eventually reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Again requesting active duty during the Vietnam War, he was informed that the Air Force was over strength in senior officers, so he promptly accepted an appointment as a Warrant Officer Aviator with the US Army. Flying two tours on Hueys in Vietnam as a “Dustoff Pilot”, he was assigned first to the 283rd Medical Detachment, and for his second tour the 82nd where, on 2nd October 1969 in Kien Tuong Province, he saved the lives of 29 wounded soldiers in 15 extremely hazardous extractions under withering enemy fire. For this he was awarded the Medal of Honour. During his tours in Vietnam, he evacuated a total of 5589 wounded soldiers. When he retired in 1985 after 42 years service and 2038 hours combat flight time, he was the last active duty military aviator on flight status who had flown combat during World War II. Sadly, Michael Novosel died 2nd April 2006.
Edwin A. "Ed" Loberg was born in Tigerton, Wisconsin on February 20,1915. Like many children in Wisconsin, Ed grew up on a dairy farm. After graduating from High School Ed attended Central State Teacher's College at Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He joined the Army prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps in the Spring of 1941. Loberg graduated with the Class 41-D from Kelly Field near San Antonio, Texas. He was assigned to the 26th Bomb Squadron of the 11th Bomb Group. Based at Hickharn Field during the Pear Harbor attack, Ed is a member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. During the War Ed flew approximately 90 combat missions with the B-17 Flying Fortress. His bases ranged from Hawaii to Guadacanal and New Guinea. Ed had many memorable missions, and as he recalls, four of the Fortresses he returned in never flew again, having sufficient battle damage to warrant their use as spare parts. On one mission which involved bombing a Japanese task force, a 5 inch shell from one of the ships ripped through the tail and stabilizer of Ed's B-17. Fortunately, the shell didn't detonate, but it did rip away a good portion of Ed's aircraft. After dropping several thousand feet in altitude, Ed regained control of the aircraft. By using the trim tabs he was able to get the ship back to his airfield. One of Ed's most interesting missions was the one depicted in Stan Stokes' painting when he had a frantic forty-five minute dog fight with a four-engine Mavis Flying Boat. That mission became well known because a war correspondent was onboard at the time. Loberg returned to the States in 1943. He was assigned to one of the first B-29 units, the 769th Bomb Squadron of the 462nd Bomb Group, as Squadron Commander. A combat tour followed to China and India where Ed would pilot the B-29 Super Fortress for another 40 missions in 1944. Ed piloted the lead pathfinder aircraft on the first B~29 attack on Japan. Following the War, Ed remained in the new USAF and served in various staff and command positions, the last being that of Executive Officer of Headquarters Command at Bolling Air Force Base. He retired with the rank of Colonel. Ed then pursued a civilian career with Martin Marietta where he was involved with both the Apollo and Skylab programs. Ed lost his wife, June, following forty-two years of marriage. Two of their three sons are alive, and Ed enjoys his visits with his grandchildren. His oldest son, Bruce, has a private pilots license. Ed, who still retains a commercial pilots rating, flys regularly with his son, and continues to enjoy the thrills of piloting an aircraft. When asked about the B-17, Ed reflected, "They were great airplanes - really tough!" Sadly, Edwin Loberg died on 28th February 2004.
The pilot of the Enola Gay was born in Quicy, Illinois. Ironically, his love of flying began when, at the age of 12, he dropped Baby Ruth candy bars from a plane as a Curtiss Candy Company advertising gimmick. He was graduated from the Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois, with an interest in becoming a medical doctor. Although he studied at the universities of Florida and Cincinnati with that in mind, he became a flying cadet in the US Army Air Corps in 1936. Tibbets was commissioned as a second lieutenant and rated pilot in 1938. He was promoted to first lieutenant in April 1941 and, during wartime, quickly became a captain and squadron commander, then a major, then a lieutenant colonel. After many combat missions in Europe and Africa, and two special missions, he was assigned to recruit and train personnel to deliver atomic weapons. Tibbets himself flew the first mission that, in his words - convinced the Japanese of the futility of continuing the fight. After the war he studied at the Air Command and Staff College. He was assigned to Operations HQUSAF after graduation in 1947 and later attended the Air War College. Tibbets retired from the Air Force after almost 30 years of active service and lived in Ohio. He received the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster, Purple Heart, Air Medal with 13 oak leaf clusters, and four Air Force Commendation Medals. Paul Tibbets died 1st November 2007.
The 24 year old Captain and pilot Bob Morgan skippered the Memphis Belle on every one of her 25 combat missions over the skies of occupied Europe and Nazi Germany. His renowned skill as a B-17 pilot, his courage under fire, and his leadership welded his crew into one of the best fighting units in the 8th Air Force. Bob Morgan later commanded a squadron of B-29s in the Pacific and led the first B-29 raid on Tokyo. He completed a total of 26 missions against Japan, and became the most celebrated American bomber pilot of WWII. On 21 April 2004, Morgan broke his neck when he fell at the Asheville Regional Airport. He was admitted to a hospital in Asheville, where he remained in critical condition for several weeks. On 10 May, Morgan came down with pneumonia, and that combined with a massive infection brought him face-to-face with one final combat that he lost. Robert Morgan died on Friday, 15 May 2004. He was 85. He was buried on 22 May with full military honours including an Air Force flyover at the NC State Veterans Cemetery.
Pilot James Patillo flew as an instructor after joinin up in October 1940, and it was four years later in October 1944 that he was posted out to the China/Burma/India Theatre flying B29 Superfortresses. He fleew B29s on 26 combat missions in Burma, China and Japan; and commanded the 24th July 1945 mission to Takaruza, as well as taking part in the big daylight raid against the Yawata Imperial Iron and Steel Mill.
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