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William H Brandon
| Major General William H Brandon (deceased) In June 1940, William Brandon jointed the service and was posted to 66th Bomb Squadron of the 44th Bomb Group flying the B-24. He first saw combat in September 1942. He flew 'Suzy Q' on the legendary Ploesti Raid as the 44th lead pilot, with 44th Bomb Group Commander General Leon Johnson as co-pilot. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions. Shorty after Ploesti in November 1943, he was forced to land in Sweden and interned. He died on 24th February 2007. |
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Operation Tidal Wave by Nicolas Trudgian. At first light on August 1st, 1943 a force of 178 B-24 Liberator bombers lifted off dusty airstrips in the Libyan desert. They were to fly a 2000 mile round-trip deep into enemy territory, bomb a heavily defended target, and return to their North African base - without fighter escort. So began one of the bloodiest and heroic missions in the annals of aerial warfare. The target - the oil refineries at Ploesti. One third of Germany's petroleum products were supplied from Ploesti, situated deep in Rumania and well beyond the range of Allied bombers based in England. Deprived of this vital supply of fuel, Germany's mighty war machine would grind to a halt. The high command were aware of this and the installations at Ploesti were defended accordingly. To attack such a heavily defended target with the required degree of accuracy it was necessary to bomb from a perilously low level, a task for which the B-24 was notoriously unsuited. The mission called for inspired leadership, cool determination and courage beyond the call of duty - and all of these were given in plenty. As the first wave of bombers roared into the target, some as low as 50 feet, the German defenses opened up with a barrage of fire. Within moments the entire area erupted with exploding bombs, bursting shells, gushing flames and billowing palls of smoke. One by one the gallant crews took their aircraft through the intense wall of Ack-Ack and 88mm ground fire, and into the burning inferno to deliver their deadly cargo. Of the 178 B-24s dispatched, 52 were lost and all but 35 aircraft suffered damage, one limping home after 14 hours and holed in 365 places. Ploesti witnessed countless acts of heroism, for which the crews received more decorations for bravery than any other mission of the war. |
B-24 Liberator by Nicolas Trudgian. 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. |
Clipped Signature - William H. Brandon. No text for this item |
The Defence of Napoli by Ivan Berryman. The Spring of 1943 saw intense bombing raids on the Italian port city of Naples by American B.24s and the Italian pilots responded with spirited attacks on the Liberators, flying from their nearby base of Capodichino. Just entering service with 22° Gruppo was the new Reggiane Re.2005 fighter, one of which can be seen here rolling away after a head-on attack on the bomber formation. A 22° Gruppo Macchi 202 has just damaged a B.24 in the distance. |
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This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com
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