The Hard Way Home
by
Robert Taylor
Overall print size - 35 1/4" by 23 1/4"
Image size - 29" by 15 3/4"
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. A lone Halifax of 405 Sqn RCAF struggles home
the hard way – damaged and alone. One of the aircraft’s engines is
already out and another is smoking badly as the exhausted pilot
and his crew fight to keep their unwieldy bomber airborne. Any
marauding Luftwaffe fighters would have found them easy prey, but
fortunately they have been spotted by a formation of Hurricanes
from 253 Sqn on a routine patrol. For that final leg of their long
journey this crew will at last have protection to see them safely
back to base.
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 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 against the
Third Reich.
Bearing the brunt of the RAF’s 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.
This magnificent new limited edition from the world’s premier
aviation artist has been endorsed with the signatures of surviving
veterans who flew operationally on Halifaxes during that long,
bitter struggle in the skies over Europe, together with well
respected Hurricane pilots who flew in their defence
THE LIMITED EDITION
Only 400 Signed and Numbered Prints
$320
Each print in the FOUR signature Limited Edition is personally
signed by artist Robert Taylor, and individually hand-numbered;
together with
TWO RAF aircrew who flew Halifaxes during WWII, and TWO Hurricane
fighter pilots.
Warrant Officer HARRY IRONS DFC – Rear Gunner / 158 Sqn
Warrant Officer LAURIE GODFREY – WOP/Air Gunner / 408sqn
Warrant Officer ERIC CARTER – Hurricane Pilot / 615 sqn
Lieutenant STANISLAW NAWARSKI DFC KM – Hurricane Pilot / 302 sqn
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