1942 RAF General Hotspur II

  Aeroplane identification poster, published 1942 63 x 47 cm A particularly unusual style of aeroplane identification poster, owing to the very arty images. Most such posters rely on very plain silhouettes, this series - and we have several in this series; view them here - have a much more arty approach to the task with shading and an interesting angle view. A particularly unusual style of aeroplane recognition poster, owing to the very arty images. Most such posters rely on very plain silhouettes, this series - and we have several in this series - have a much more arty approach to the task with shading and an interesting angle view. The General Aircraft GAL.48 Hotspur was a military glider designed and built by the British company General Aircraft Ltd during World War II. When the British airborne establishment was formed in 1940 by order of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, it was decided that gliders would be used to transport airborne troops into battle. General Aircraft Ltd were given a contract by the Ministry of Aircraft Production in June 1940 to design and produce an initial glider for use by the airborne establishment, which resulted in the Hotspur. Conceived as an "assault" glider which necessitated a compact design and no more than eight troops carried, tactical philosophy soon favoured larger numbers of troops being sent into battle aboard gliders. Due to this, the Hotspur was mainly relegated to training where it did excel and it became the basic trainer for the glider schools that were formed. The Hotspur was named after Sir Henry Percy, a significant captain during the Anglo-Scottish wars who was also known as "Hotspur". A Hotspur Mark II (HH268) replica is on display at the Museum of Army Flying in Hampshire, England. The front fuselage of a Hotspur was preserved at the Parachute Regiment And Airborne Forces Museum in Aldershot prior to the museum''s 2007 closing, in anticipation of a move to the Imperial War Museum Duxford. Condition: generally very good. If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.

Royal Air Force Handley Page "Hampden" Bomber

  Aeroplane identification poster, published 1943 63 x 47 cm A particularly unusual style of aeroplane identification poster, owing to the very arty images. Most such posters rely on very plain silhouettes, this series - and we have several in this series; view them here - have a much more arty approach to the task with shading and an interesting angle view. The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden is a British twin-engine medium bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was part of the trio of large twin-engine bombers procured for the RAF, joining the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Vickers Wellington. The Hampden was powered by Bristol Pegasus radial engines but a variant known as the Handley Page Hereford had in-line Napier Daggers. The Hampden served in the early stages of the Second World War, bearing the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-bomber raid on Cologne. When it became obsolete, after a period of mainly operating at night, it was retired from RAF Bomber Command service in late 1942. By 1943, the rest of the trio were being superseded by the larger four-engined heavy bombers such as the Avro Lancaster. Condition: generally very good. If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.

Army FW-189 "Flying Eye"

  Aeroplane identification poster, published 1942 63 x 47 cm A particularly unusual style of aeroplane identification poster, owing to the very arty images. Most such posters rely on very plain silhouettes, this series - and we have several in this series; view them here - have a much more arty approach to the task with shading and an interesting angle view. The Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu ("Eagle Owl") was a German twin-engine, twin-boom, three-seat tactical reconnaissance and army cooperation aircraft. It first flew in 1938, entered service in 1940 and was produced until mid-1944. It was nicknamed the “Flying Eye.” Patrolling the vast flatlands of Ukraine and Belarus, the Flying Eye was used extensively on the Eastern Front with great success. It was nicknamed "Rama" ("frame") by Soviet forces, in reference to its distinctive tailboom and stabiliser shapes, which gave it its characteristic quadrangular appearance. Despite its low speed, the Fw 189's manoeuvrability made it a difficult target for attacking Soviet fighters. When attacked, the Flying Eye was often able to out-turn enemy fighters by simply flying in a tight circle. Condition: generally very good. If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.