US Naval Aviation Training Division

B-25 Bomber North American Mitchell World War 2 US airplane

Original aeroplane identification poster, 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 - have a much more arty approach to the task with shading and an interesting angle view. Manufactured by North American Aviation and named in honour of Major General William 'Billy' Mitchell, a pioneer of US military aviation its first flight was in 1940 but it remained in service until 1979 (in the Indonesian air force). A particularly durable aircraft, one from the 321st Bomb Group was nicknamed 'Patches' on account of its (by the end of the war) 400 patched holes which had been painted with bright-yellow zinc chromate primer. Having completed over 300 missions and belly-landed six times the airframe was so distorted that 'straight-and-level' flight involved 8 degrees of left aileron trim and 6 degrees of right rudder causing the aircraft to 'crab' sideways through the air. Over one hundred B-25 Mitchells survive, with about 45 still airworthy. Seventeen flyable aircraft (and one hulk which was sacrificed to a crash scene) starred in the 1970 film 'Catch 22' fifteen of which still exist. If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.

US Naval Aviation Training Division

Vickers Wellington

  Aeroplane identification poster, 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 Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson; a key feature of the aircraft is its geodetic airframe fuselage structure, which was principally designed by Barnes Wallis. Development had been started in response to Air Ministry Specification B.9/32, issued in the middle of 1932, for a bomber for the Royal Air Force. This specification called for a twin-engined day bomber capable of delivering higher performance than any previous design. Other aircraft developed to the same specification include the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and the Handley Page Hampden. During the development process, performance requirements such as for the tare weight changed substantially, and the engine used was not the one originally intended. The Wellington was used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, performing as one of the principal bombers used by Bomber Command. During 1943, it started to be superseded as a bomber by the larger four-engined "heavies" such as the Avro Lancaster. The Wellington continued to serve throughout the war in other duties, particularly as an anti-submarine aircraft. It holds the distinction of having been the only British bomber that was produced for the duration of the war, and of having been produced in a greater quantity than any other British-built bomber. The Wellington remained as first-line equipment when the war ended, although it had been increasingly relegated to secondary roles. The Wellington was one of two bombers named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, the other being the Vickers Wellesley. A larger heavy bomber aircraft designed to Specification B.1/35, the Vickers Warwick, was developed in parallel with the Wellington; the two aircraft shared around 85% of their structural components. Many elements of the Wellington were also re-used in a civil derivative, the Vickers VC.1 Viking. If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.