ALLIES IN ARMS
Front and center in this scene is top-scoring RAF ace J. E..“Johnnie” Johnson, in a Spitfire Mk IX bearing his initals on its fuselage, while serving as Commander of the RAF’s 144 Wing (Canadian), during the weeks following after D-day
Overall size: 33” x 24.75” • Image size: 26”.75 x 17.5”
Front & center in this scene is top-scoring RAF ace J. E..“Johnnie” Johnson, in a Spitfire Mk IX bearing his initals on its fuselage, while serving as Commander of the RAF’s 144 Wing (Canadian), during the weeks following after D-day. Inspired in part by quotes from Johnnie’s classic 1956 memoir “Wing Leader”, this painting depicts Johnson & his Canadian mates fending off enemy fighters from a formation of American B-17s of the “Bloody Hundredth” , as they return home to their base at Thorpe Abbots, England.
By mid-summer 1944, the skies over Europe had not seen a day or night without battle in several years. During the first phases of World War II, the possibility that Hitler’s Axis forces would prevail seemed great...only the combined efforts of freedom-loving nations cooperating with maximum effort could defeat this spreading evil.
Following D-Day in June ’44, the tide began to turn; Over 130,000 troops from more than eight Allied countries including Britain, the United States, Canada and other Commonwealth nations, landed on Normandy’s beaches in the first 24 hours. These nations combined to drive Nazi forces from France, paving the way to eventual surrender, and their firm alliance in the air was finally beginning to wither Goering’s Luftwaffe. But like a cornered animal, the enemy’s resistance would grow more desperate over the final months.
Around the clock bombing of Germany had begun one year before, from British precision bombers at night, and American B-17s and B-24s by day. Allied fighters played a critical role, not only in the defense of the ‘Heavies', but also by waging an effective offense. American and RAF fighters would routinely work together in this incredible effort, the latter of which would be comprised of pilots not only from England, but also Commonwealth nations including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and others. Not without great cost, the solidarity of these countries and their combined effort ultimately brought an end to the tyranny that threatened the world during history’s greatest conflict.
In collaboration with Aces High CA, we’re pleased to present this powerful piece featuring the original autograph of legendary Wing Leader “Johnnie” Johnson, the highest scoring RAF Ace of WWII, along with other distinguished Canadian Spitfire Aces & American B-17 pilots, all true allies in arms.
All editions include informative Certificate of Authenticity
Main Edition Prints $295
(100 signed/numbered prints)
THREE Veteran Signatures: Air Vice Marshal J.E. ‘Johnnie’ Johnson & B-17 veterans Ken Sharp & Irving Poff
Collector’s Edition $395
(110 signed/numbered prints)
SEVEN Veteran Signatures- Signed by the names below, plus RAF Aces Wing Cmdr J.F. ’Stocky’ Edwards, Wing Cmdr James Lindsay & Lt Gen Don Laubman, plus B-17 veteran Charles ’Norm’ Stevens
Artist Proof Edition $445 - SOLD OUT
(20 total in Edition)
SEVEN Veteran Signatures- Signed by the names below, plus RAF Aces Wing Cmdr J.F. ’Stocky’ Edwards, Wing Cmdr James Lindsay & Lt Gen Don Laubman, plus B-17 veteran Charles ’Norm’ Stevens
Canvas Giclee Edition-The next best thing to owning the original painting!
These beautiful Canvas Giclées are individually printed, and are hand-varnished, signed & numbered by the artist. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery, as these custom items require special ordering. Canvases are shipped rolled & ready for stretching
36" x 24” Canvas Giclee $795
42” x 28” Canvas Giclee $995
60” x41” Canvas Giclee $1,395
Custom sizes are also available! Please contact us for pricing on custom sizes not listed above. Please feel free to call with questions 407-718-8187
• MORE INFORMATION BELOW•
About the Painting…
Front & center in this scene is legendary ace James Edgar “Johnnie” Johnson, in a Spitfire Mk IX bearing his initals on its fuselage, while serving as Commander of the RAF’s 144 Wing (Canadian), during the weeks following after D-day. Inspired in part by quotes from Johnnie’s classic 1956 memoir “Wing Leader”, this painting depicts Johnson & his Canadian mates fending off enemy fighters from a formation of American B-17s, an all too familiar situation for the top-scoring RAF ace of WW2.
“We joined together and flew above the white, fleecy blanket towards our rendezvous point with the Forts. As usual, they were dead on time,: they flew a converging course with ours, and I thought how beautiful and stately they looked when they winged their way through the high sky in a good, balanced formation”…
“We saw the glinting bombers from a great distance, for the bright sun reflected from a hundred places on each silver aircraft. They made a most impressive sight when they pounded their stately way through the skies in battle array. Flak and fighters could not stop them. Here and there, a bomber fell burning to the ground below, but the rest pressed on, determined, irresistible, blazing a new daylight trail over Europe and somehow symbolic of the country’s star they bore”.
-Johnnie Johnson, from Wing Leader, 1956
Artist notes:
There are relatively few photos or pieces of artwork depicting these two great warbirds together in the same scene- The Spitfire and B-17 Fortress… I thought it would be great to highlight them together, and call attention to the way the Allies worked together during those amazing days. For years, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Johnnie Johnson’s son, Mike, and thought it would be a great tribute to his famous father to feature his beloved Mark IX Spitfire in this scene. Both Johnnie and his son Mike always had a great affection for the B-17, so this seemed a natural fit.
Brief Biographies of these distinguished Signers…
Air Vice Marshal J.E “JOHNNIE” JOHNSON
Born in 1915, “Johnnie”Johnson is best known as the highest-scoring Western Allied fighter ace against the German Luftwaffe. Joining the RAF in 1939, some previous injuries resurfaced during his training, which prevented him from participating the early battles in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the Battle of Britain; In 1941, he began flying regularly in offensive sweeps over occupied Europe, and experienced frequent heavy fighting during this period. His His combat tour included the Battle of Normandy, Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. A well-loved Wing Leader from 1942 through war’s end, he would hold multiple commands, among them 610 Squadron, Wings 144, 127, 125 and 124. All his aerial victories were against enemy fighters, primarily FW 190s and Bf 109s, scoring his last in September 1944, by which time, according to official records, he had achieved 34 individual victories, 7 shared victories and 3 probables (many other records list him with 38 individual victories). One of the most inspirational Wing Leaders of the war, ‘Johnnie’ finished as the highest scoring RAF Ace of WWII – and by most accounts, also the top Allied Ace in Europe.
On that note, the Telegraph publication wrote: “Johnson accounted for at least 38 enemy aircraft over Britain and occupied Europe, yet his actual score was almost certainly higher. Of the many enemy aircraft he shot down, he waived shared credits to boost the scores – and the confidence – of younger pilots.”
His last victory took place in September 1944 but he continued to fly combat missions to the last day of the war. He went on to serve in the Korean War, flying the F-80 Shooting Star, and later flew F-86 Sabres with the US Air Force Tactical Air Command. He retired at the rank of Air Vice Marshall.
James Edgar “Johnnie” Johnson, one of history’s greatest air aces, died at age 85 in January 2001.
Wing Commander J.F. “STOCKY” EDWARDS DFC • DFM (Appears on Collector’s Edition only)
Joining the RCAF as a Sergeant Pilot in October 1940, Stocky was posted to 92 Sqn RAF in the Western Desert flying Hurricanes and Kittyhawks. After moving to 260 Sqn as a Flight Commander he saw a great deal of action, scoring a significant number of victories. His second tour saw him flying Spitfires with 417 Sqn RCAF in Italy, then with 92 Sqn, before taking command of 274 Sqn flying Spitfire IXs during D-Day. After a spell in England flying Tempests on anti-V1 sorties in August 1944, his final tour was in command of 127 Canadian Wing RCAF and he finished the war with 16½ confirmed victories. James Francis “Stocky” Edwards passed away at age 100 in May, 2022.
Lt General DON LAUBMAN •DFC (Appears on Collector’s Edition only)
Joining the RCAF in September 1940 he served as an instructor and with 133 Sqn in Canada until his first posting to England with 412 Sqn RCAF, flying Mk.V and then Mk.IX Spitfires. He was prolific throughout D-Day and the Normandy invasion including the destruction of German forces at Falaise and he downed 8 German fighters over Arnhem, becoming one of the leading Aces in the 2nd TAF. For his second tour he commanded 402 Sqn RCAF in April 1945 but after only a week with the unit he was forced to bale out after his Spitfire was hit by flak, becoming a POW for last few weeks of the war, having scored 15 aerial victories.
In preparation for the release, Johnnie Johnson and the Canadian Pilots personally signed the sheets used for this edition during their lifetimes, giving collectors the rare opportunity to acquire a new release from one of the world’s foremost artists, personally endorsed by legendary WWII Fighter Aces. Donald Currie Laubman passed away at age 88 in June,2010.
Wing Commander JAMES LINDSAY • DFC (Appears on Collector’s Edition only)
James Lindsay enlisted in the RCAF in February 1941 and initially stayed in Canada as a flying instructor, before joining 403 Sqn RCAF in England becoming a Flight Commander. Flying a Mk IX Spitfire over France he scored his first victory in May 1944 and was prolific during the Normandy invasions scoring 7 victories, including 3 in one minute on 2 July. In April 1945 he was posted to 416 Sqn RCAF. In 1952 he was posted to Korea attached to the USAF flying F-86s claiming 2 MiG 15s and two damaged, for a total of 9 victories in WWII and Korea.
First Lt CHARLES "NORM" STEVENS DFC • 4 Air medals (Appears on Collector’s Edition only)
Volunteering for the USAAF in April 1943, ‘Norm’ was posted to the 351st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force as a Bombardier. Commissioned soon after, he and his recently formed crew flew a brand new B-17Gs from Nebraska to their new base in England, joining the 509th Bomb Sqn at Polebrook in Northamptonshire. He flew his first combat mission on 14 June, 1944, a raid on Le Bourget airfield near Paris, followed by operations to targets across occupied France, Holland, Belgium and Germany. His final mission was a bombing raid on the Luftwaffe airfield at Kassel on 22 September, 1944 and he finished the war having completed a total of 34 daylight Operations.
Lt Colonel IRVIN POFF •3 Air Medals
Joining the USAAF in December 1942, Irvin completed Pilot training and joined the 9th Bomb Sqn, 2nd Bomb Group, 15th Air Force in April 1944, as a Co-Pilot flying B-17s from Foggia, Italy. Keen to fly as often as possible he volunteered for any mission he could get, volunteering for aircraft that were short of crew, and by June 1944 had completed 50 missions as both a Pilot and Co-Pilot - a staggering achievement in such a short space of time. Regularly escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen, his operations included the oil refineries in Ploesti and Austria and targets in Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Greece and Northern Italy. After the war he continued as an instructor until 1967.
First Lt KEN SHARP • 3 Air Medals
After joining the USAAF in March 1943, Ken completed Pilot training and was posted to the 8th Air Force, serving with the 388th Bomb Group flying B-17Gs with the 561st Bomb Sqn from RAF Knettishall in Suffolk, England. He flew his first mission in January 1945 and went on to complete a total of 18 perilous daylight Operations over occupied Europe, including numerous trips to Berlin, the Ruhr Valley and, as the war in Europe was coming to an end, picking up 30 French POWs from Linz in Austria to return them home to Paris.