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Wildcat


Cranston Military Prints By Subject Aviation Art World War Two Wildcat

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Second World War aviation art prints of the Wildcat aircraft. Our collection of prints and original paintings of the Wildcat aircraft of World War Two.
F4F

Holding the Tide by Richard Taylor.


Holding the Tide by Richard Taylor.
4 of 7 editions available.
3 of 6 editions featuring up to 8 additional signatures are available.
£2.00 - £1095.00

Tough as Nails by Stan Stokes.


Tough as Nails by Stan Stokes.
3 editions.
2 of the 3 editions feature an additional signature.
£35.00 - £164.00

The Element of Surprise by Robert Barbour.


The Element of Surprise by Robert Barbour.
4 editions.
One edition features 2 additional signatures.
£35.00 - £950.00


The Sleeping Giant Awakes by Richard Taylor.

The Sleeping Giant Awakes by Richard Taylor.
3 editions.
All 3 editions feature up to 3 additional signature(s).
£110.00 - £395.00

Wildcat Aces of World War Two.

Wildcat Aces of World War Two.
One edition.
£12.99

The Unlucky Eight by Stan Stokes.

The Unlucky Eight by Stan Stokes.
One edition.
The edition features an additional signature.
£150.00


Zero Encounter by Robert Taylor.


Zero Encounter by Robert Taylor.
This single edition is sold out.
The edition features 4 additional signatures.

Attack on the Hiei by Robert Taylor.


Attack on the Hiei by Robert Taylor.
All 3 editions sold out.
All editions feature up to 6 additional signatures.

The Magnificent Fight by John D Shaw.


The Magnificent Fight by John D Shaw.
Both editions sold out.
Both editions feature up to 36 additional signatures.




Text for the above items :

Holding the Tide by Richard Taylor.

On 7 August 1942, just eight months after the dramatic events at Pearl Harbor, the United States First Marine Division stormed ashore on the island of Guadalcanal. It was the opening gambit of the land war in the Pacific. The painting depicts Captain Joe Foss as he leads the F4F Wildcats of VMF-121 back to Henderson Field after a day of desperate fighting against the Japanese in the skies over the steaming jungles of Guadalcanal in November 1942 - it would be another three months before the island was finally secured during which time Joe Foss would achieve an astonishing 26 victories to become the first American pilot to equal WW1 Ace Eddie Rickenbackers score.


Tough as Nails by Stan Stokes.

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was the third monoplane to see carrier service with the Navy. It was also the fighter aircraft which would carry the brunt of the fighting in the Pacific until 1943 when the F6F Hellcat would enter service. The Wildcat was flow by both USN and USMC aviators. The Wildcat lacked the range and maneuverability of the Mitsubishi Zeros it often faced, but the Wildcat was more heavily armed and able to take a lot more punishment than the Mitsubishis. Most of the pilots which obtained ace status while flying the F4F obtained most of their victories against Japanese bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Eight individuals were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor while displaying valor while in command of an F4F. The pilots of no other aircraft during WW II were as highly decorated. One of the most outstanding of this elite group was USMC Captain Joseph Jacob Foss. Foss, a South Dakota native, had been accepted as a naval aviation cadet following his graduation from the University of South Dakota. Foss had already learned to fly on his own, and had no difficulty earning his wings. Foss flew with VMF-121 in Guadacanal in 1942 and early 1943. He was credited with 26 confirmed aerial victories, making him the first American aviator to reach the victory record of the famed Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, one of Joes boyhood heroes. The ground based fighter pilots in Guadacanal were often referred to as The Cactus Air Force. As the Executive Officer of VMF-121 flying out of Henderson Field, Joes amazing victory tally helped make VMF-121 the highest scoring Marine squadron of the War. The success at Guadacanal was not without a heavy price. More than 20% of VMF-121s pilots did not return from the campaign. The squadrons best combat day in Guadacanal was on October 25, 1942. Eighteen aerial victories were credited to the squadron, with Foss leading the way with five Zeros bagged on two combat missions. Because it was impossible to permanently assign aircraft at Guadacanal, Foss flew several different Wildcats, including those numbered 53, 50, and 84. Nicknamed Swivel-Neck-Joe by some his fellow pilots, Foss learned early that it did not pay to be surprised by the opposition. Foss also leaned that the most effective way to down an opposing aircraft was to get as close to it as possible before utilizing ones limited supply of ammunition. As depicted in Stan Stokes painting entitled Tough As Nails, Joe Foss is tangling with a F1M2 Pete on November 7, 1942. Joes first pass over the much slower float plane proves ineffective, and the Petes gunner actually stars the portside glass of Foss windscreen. Circling around, and approaching from below, the Pete would soon become his eighteenth victory. Returning from this mission Foss would have to ditch his aircraft. He was rescued by missionaries and returned to combat flying the next day. Joes second combat tour in 1943 was cut short due to the ongoing effects of a bout with malaria. Joe served in the Air Force Reserve after the War reaching the rank of Brigadier General. Following a successful career in both politics and professional sports, Foss has remained active and was instrumental in the formation of the American Fighter Aces Association, and has served as President of the NRA.


The Element of Surprise by Robert Barbour.

On 20th October 1943, Wildcat and Avenger aircraft from the Carrier US Core, on patrol north of the Azores, surprised U378, a type VIIC U-boat which had been active in that area. The element of surprise was so complete that the submarines guns remained unmanned throughout the action.


The Sleeping Giant Awakes by Richard Taylor.

Pearl Harbor - Monday December 8th, 1941. On Sunday December 7th, 1941, the free world had been stunned into disbelief by the treacherous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Giving no formal declaration of war, the devastating Japanese assault on the headquarters of the US Pacific Fleet had left over two thousand American servicemen dead, most of her battleships destroyed or damaged, and the remains of nearly 200 American aircraft lay in tatters. America reeled from the shock and sheer incredulity. But for Admiral Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the success of victory left a bitter taste. The main targets of his carefully orchestrated plan had been the US carriers but, as fate would have it, they were all at sea. Yamamoto knew in his heart that he would have to face those carriers one day, and when he did they would be the platform upon which America would unleash the brunt of her power against him. At 12.30 the following day President Roosevelt began his address to Congress, calling for the declaration of war on Japan. By 4.10pm America was formally at war, and five thousand miles away the first of the carriers, USS Enterprise, was returning to Pearl Harbor. Richard Taylor's painting depicts the Enterprise as she approaches Ford Island and the smoldering ruins that had been the Pacific Fleet. As ships still burn and the thick smoke hangs in the air, ever alert F4F-3A Wildcats of VF-6 fly an overhead patrol. Throughout the night the carrier will refuel and re-arm, and at dawn she will return to sea with a steel resolve and a new mission, to avenge Pearl Harbor. The Japanese failure to destroy the US carriers was a fateful mistake and, six months later, the Enterprise finally got her chance at the Battle of Midway, as the US carriers delivered one of the most decisive victories in the history of naval warfare, paving the way for victory in the Pacific.


Wildcat Aces of World War Two.

Arguably the most important piston-engined single-seat fighter design ever to see service with the US Navy and Marine Corps, the aesthetically inelegant F4F Wildcat achieved much acclaim during its bloody frontline career. Thrown into combat at Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal, the handful of Wildcat units of the Navy and Marine Corps took on large numbers of fighters and bombers and came out victorious. On the European front, the Royal Navys Fleet Air Arm also put the fighter to effective use from escort carriers, protecting Atlantic convoys from Luftwaffe attacks.


The Unlucky Eight by Stan Stokes.

James Elms Swett was born in Seattle, Washington on June 15, 1920. He attended San Mateo Junior College in California, and entered the Navys flight training program during his second year of college. In April of 1942 Jim received his wings and was commission as a second lieutenant in the USMC at Corpus Christi, Texas. Swett arrived at Guadacanal for his first combat duty tour in March of 1943. Assigned to VMF-221 Swett flew the older F4F Wildcat, whereas the more experienced pilots in his squadron flew the newer and more advanced F41J Corsair. On April 7, 1943 Swett would get his first taste of aerial combat, and it would be a day for the record books. More than 150 Japanese bombers attacked Guadacanal on April 7 h . Hurling his four plane division into a formation of fifteen enemy aircraft, Swett personally splashed three Japanese Val bombers before his aircraft was hit with antiaircraft fire, and he became separated from his division. While proceeding alone to Florida Island, Swett encountered another six enemy planes. He downed four more Vals before he was winged by the rear gunner of a fifth. The young USMC Lieutenant recovered and moved in to take out another Val. He put a short burst into the rear gunners position, but at this point his ammunition gave out. In spite of his wounds, a partially disabled engine, and a shattered windscreen, Swett was able to crash land his Wildcat in the waters off of Tulagi, breaking his nose in the process. For his heroic actions in his first combat, Jim Swett was awarded the countrys highest honor, The Congressional Medal of Honor. Promoted to Captain, the ace-in-a-day bagged four more enemy aircraft on June 30, and on July 11 he added two more before both he and his wingman were shot down over Rendova Island. After four days at sea, and badly sunburned and dehydrated, the USMC ace was rescued by native fisherman and taken to a Navy patrol boat. Later in his combat tour, during the battle for Bouganville, Swett would shoot down three more enemy planes. Returning to the States in late 1944, Swett was sent to Santa Barbara for carrier familiarization. He married the former Loie Anderson of Oakland, California in January 1945. After completing his carrier qualification course, he was assigned to the USS Bunker Hill, Admiral Marc Mitshners flag ship. In May of 1945 during the battle for Okinawa, which witnessed horrific kamikaze attacks, Swett would bag one more enemy aircraft. However, the Bunker Hill was severely damaged, and many crewmen, including 29 Marines, were killed. Swett left active duty in 1945, but remained active in the USMC reserve until his retirement with the rank of Colonel in 1970. Jim Swett ended the War with a total of 16 1/2 confirmed aerial victories. He has had the honor of seeing two of his sons and one of his grandsons follow in his Marine Corps footsteps.


Zero Encounter by Robert Taylor.

A Japanese Zero condenses the air off its wing tips as its pilot hauls his fighter inside a Marine F4F Wildcats determined attack. The two adversaries cavort the air in a desperate duel high over the island of Guadalcanal. The sky is alive with fighting aircraft as F4Fs and Zeros are locked in deadly combat. Below, clearly visible throught the clear tropical air is the prize over which they do battle: A single tiny airstrip on a small hill, humid, almost uninhabitable island - A priceless possession providing the key to air supremacy in the South Pacific.


Attack on the Hiei by Robert Taylor.

Marine Ace Captain Joe Foss leads a flight of eight F4F Wildcats of VMF121, based at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, in a diversionary attack on the Imperial Japanese battlecruiser Hiei north of Savo Island, Friday November 13, 1942. In the distance TBF Avenger torpedo bombers of VMSB-131, having already attacked from the starboard side, head for base. That evening, after relentless air attack, the Hiei, disappeared beneath the sea- the first Japanese battleship sunk by American Forces in World War II


The Magnificent Fight by John D Shaw.

The valor shown by those who defended Wake Island against impossible odds from the day of the first Japanese attack on December 8th 1941 through December 23rd 1941, has never been surpassed. Though generally known as the battle which brought the US Marine Corps worldwide admiration in World War Two, men of the US Navy, Army and certain civilians also fought with distinction. Though suffering great hardship as Prisoners of War, the spirit of this group was never broken, and remains steadfast to this day amongst those who live to tell first hand the story of a truly Magnificent Fight.

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