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Kurt Taussig
| Flying Officer Kurt Taussig (deceased) Czech Kurt was sent, age 15, by his parents on the Kindertrnsport to England from Czechoslovakia in June 1939 to escape the Nazi persecution of the Jews. Determined to fight the Germans he joined the RAF at eighteen in late 1942, and after training was posted to the Middle East to join 225 Squadron flying Spitfires on photo-reconnaissance duties in Tunisia, the Sicily landings, and in Italy. He died on 19th September 2019. |
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Spitfire Mk.IXE by Ivan Berryman. A pair of Spitfire Mk.IXEs of 611 Squadron make their way home from a patrol during the summer of 1942. At this time 611 Squadron were based at Kenley and were the first squadron to receive the new Mk.IX putting it on equal terms, for the first time, with the formidable Focke-Wulf 190. |
The Fledgling by Ivan Berryman. Under the watchful eye of his more experienced tutor a trainee pilot gets his first taste of the Spitfire Mk.IIa, airborne from Tangmere early in 1941. The nearest aircraft is P7856 (YT-C) which enjoyed a long career, surviving until 1945. |
Winter Combat by Richard Taylor. The Hurricane was the RAF's first fighter capable of flying at over 300mph and proved to be one of the most rugged fighters in the history of combat aviation. Hurricanes fought with distinction in the Battle of France and, during the Battle of Britain, shot down more enemy aircraft than its famous counterpart, the Spitfire. Richard Taylor's superb painting hints at the bitter fighting that lies ahead. A few months ago they had been fighting for their lives during the Battle of Britain but for now the snow-clad tranquility of an English winter brings a brief, but welcome, relief for the Mk.1 Hurricane pilots of 87 Squadron. |
The Battle for the Skies Over Dieppe, 19th August 1942 by Graeme Lothian. A large umbrella of Spitfire Wings covered most of the sky over Dieppe during the Allied attack Operation Jubilee on 19th August 1942. Squadron leader Johnnie Johnson leads 610 (County of Chester) Squadron down from top cover support to lend a hand to Spitfires of 485 Squadron (New Zealand) and 411 Squadron (Canadian) which made up the 12 Group Wing, led by W/C Pat Jameson. The enemy being made up of a huge mixed force of Fw190 and Me109 fighters from JG2 and JG26. 12 Group Wing flew four times that disastrous day and in the end the Royal Air Force lost 106 aircraft compared to the Luftwaffe losses of 48. |
The Scenic Route by Alan S Holt A 225 Squadron TAC/R pair returning from Bologna over the Apennines, January 1945. EN199, The Malta Spitfire is being flown by F/O A.S. Holt (the artist) with F/O Kurt Taussig weaving. |
Dawn Sortie by Gerald Coulson. With its sleek, graceful design, instantly recognisable by its thin, aerodynamically advanced elliptical wings, the Supermarine Spitfire was the creation of R. J. Mitchell, an aeronautical creative genius. His fighter was to become not only the most important Allied aircraft of World War II, but the most famous British fighter in history. Mitchells design for the Spitfire was so fine that everyone who ever saw it, flew it, or fought in it was captivated for eternity. When American Eagle Squadron ace Jim Goodson transferred from Spitfires to fly his 4th Fighter Group P-47 Thunderbolt, he said it was like moving from a sports car to a truck. I fell in love with her the moment I was introduced. I was captivated by her sheer beauty; she was slimly built with a beautifully proportioned body and graceful curves just where they sohuld be; so said Lord Balfour, Britains under Secreatry of State for War in 1938, not of his wife but of the Spitfire. A sentiment echoed by generations of aviators and enthusiasts ever since. In the hands of an experienced pilot it was nearly invincible, and even legendary Luftwaffe leader Adolf Galland, when asked by Goering what he needed to overcome the RAF, replied: Give me a squadron of Spitfires!. Gerald Coulsons majestic painting captures a pair of Spitfire Mk1s at dawn high above the clouds over southern England in late 1940. An iconic tribute from the artist to the greatest fighter aircraft of all time. |
Spitfire F Mk21 by Ivan Berryman. Pushing the concept of the Spitfire almost to the limit, the sleek F Mk212 represented the ultimate in fighter design at the end of the Second World War. Powered by the mighty Griffon 61 engine driving a five blade propeller, its armament consisted of four 20mm British Hispano Cannon, two in each wing. This example is LA200 (DL-E) of 91 Sqn in 1945. |
In the Playground of the Gods by Ivan Berryman. A lone Royal Air Force Spitfire is shown high amongst the clouds over the southern counties of England during the hieght of the Battle of Britain. |
Spitfire Alley by Ivan Berryman. A pair of Spitfire Mk.IXs of 402 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force, based at Kenley, practise combat manoeuvres in the skies above Kent in May, 1943. |
Undaunted by Odds by Robert Taylor. On 6th November 1935, a prototype aircraft took to the air for the very first time. As Sydney Camm's sturdy, single-engine monoplane fighter climbed into the sky, few realized that it was destined to become one of the enduring symbols of the greatest air battle ever fought. Its name was the Hawker Hurricane. Undaunted by Odds is a moving tribute to the Hurricane and the gallant pilots who flew it in combat. The painting portrays the Hurricanes of the 303 Polish Squadron RAF during the Battle of Britain as the unit climbs steadily to intercept yet another incoming wave of enemy bombers heading for London in September 1940. Soon the already battle-hardened Polish pilots will once again be in the thick of the action. |
Hurricane Mk.IIC by Ivan Berryman. Hurricane Mk.IIC Z3971 of 253 Sqn, closing on a Heinkel 111. |
The Hard Way Home by Robert Taylor. The Battle of Britain had been won by the young fighter pilots of Fighter Command, but now it fell to another band of young men to wage total warfare against the Nazi war machine - the aircrew of RAF Bomber Command. And like the fighter pilots of the Battle of Britain, the young men who flew with Bomber Command came not just from Britain, but from all over the Commonwealth, and from the countries of occupied mainland Europe. Every man was a volunteer, prepared to endure the deadly flak and prowling night fighters, to say nothing of the savage and bitter cold, in order to wage their relentless attack on the military and industrial targets of the Third Reich. The aircraft that carried these young men to war were numerous, but bearing the brunt of the RAFs incessant campaign were two heavy bombers, the stalwarts of Bomber Command - the Lancaster and the Halifax. Between them they accounted for over three quarters of all the bombs dropped by the RAF, and Halifaxes alone accounted for a total of 73,312 operations, nearly a fifth of all missions carried out by Bomber Command. |
Return of the Heroes by Ivan Berryman. Spitfire of 610 Squadron which has been damaged during combat during the height of the Battle of Britain is shown over the white cliffs of Dover. No. 610 (County of Chester) Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force's first major combat with the Luftwaffe was on 27th May when a Heinkel bomber protected by about 40 Me110s, was engaged. The combat which followed saw the Heinkel and three Me110 fighters being shot down. Throughout August 610 Squadron was involved in bitter fighting over the Channel and Home Counties of England. During the Battle of Britain No.610 Squadron operated from Biggin Hill, Hawkinge, and, on one occasion, from Croydon. The Squadron put up a terrific show and 40 enemy aircraft were confirmed as having been destroyed by 610 Squadron during August. The loss to the Squadron was eleven pilots killed during the battle. |
A Buzz for Beamont by David Pentland. Wing Commander Roland Beamont in his personal Tempest V, intercepted and downed his first V1 Buzzbomb on the night of June 22nd, 1944, over south east England. As Commander of 150 wing and others he went on to shoot down a total of 30 V1 flying bombs, 8 enemy aircraft and 35 locomotives destroyed plus one minesweeper sunk. |
Give Us Spitfires by Ivan Berryman. A solo spitfire flies through the clouds over southern England. |
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