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Closing the Gap by Robert Taylor.
As Typhoon Mk1b fighter-bombers of 247 Squadron exit the target area near
Falaise at full throttle, the havoc wreaked in their wake bears witness to the
devastation of their powerful rockets. Fuel and ammunition from the retreating
German column explode with shattering detonations, the savagery of the attack
demoralising the enemy into stunned oblivion. The Typhoons will hurtle back to
base to re-arm and hastily re-fuel, ready for yet another withering strike on
the encircled Wehrmacht columns. This stunning rendition from the the worlds
premier aviation artist pays tribute to the brave young RAF fighter pilots of
the twenty squadrons of rocket-firing Hawker Typhoons who flew those perilous
ground attacks during the Battle of Normandy. |
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Closing the Gap by Robert Taylor.
As Typhoon Mk1b fighter-bombers of 247 Squadron exit the target area near Falaise at full throttle, the havoc wreaked in their wake bears witness to the devastation of their powerful rockets. Fuel and ammunition from the retreating German column explode with shattering detonations, the savagery of the attack demoralising the enemy into stunned oblivion. The Typhoons will hurtle back to base to re-arm and hastily re-fuel, ready for yet another withering strike on the encircled Wehrmacht columns. This stunning rendition from the the worlds premier aviation artist pays tribute to the brave young RAF fighter pilots of the twenty squadrons of rocket-firing Hawker Typhoons who flew those perilous ground attacks during the Battle of Normandy.
Signed limited edition of 350 prints. Paper size 35 inches x 25 inches (89cm x 64cm) Image size 28.5 inches x 17 inches (72cm x 43cm). Price £200.00 Signed by Squadron Leader Percival H. Beake DFC, Warrant Officer Jack Hodges DFC and Warrant Officer John Abe Lincoln.
Typhoon edition of 25 artist proofs. Paper size 35 inches x 25 inches (89cm x 64cm) Image size 28.5 inches x 17 inches (72cm x 43cm). Price £395.00 Signed by Squadron Leader Percival H. Beake DFC, Warrant Officer Jack Hodges DFC, Warrant Officer John Abe Lincoln, Flight Lieutenant Sir John Atkinson KCB DFC, Flying Officer Kenneth Junior Kneen, Air Commodore C D Kit North Lewis DSO DFC (deceased), Warrant Officer Douglas Oram, Squadron Leader Basil Stapleton DFC (deceased), Flying Officer Frank Wheeler DFC and Pilot Officer Rusty Townsend.
Typhoon edition of 300 prints. Paper size 35 inches x 25 inches (89cm x 64cm) Image size 28.5 inches x 17 inches (72cm x 43cm). Price £275.00 Signed by Squadron Leader Percival H. Beake DFC, Warrant Officer Jack Hodges DFC, Warrant Officer John Abe Lincoln, Flight Lieutenant Sir John Atkinson KCB DFC, Flying Officer Kenneth Junior Kneen, Air Commodore C D Kit North Lewis DSO DFC (deceased), Warrant Officer Douglas Oram, Squadron Leader Basil Stapleton DFC (deceased), Flying Officer Frank Wheeler DFC and Pilot Officer Rusty Townsend.
Normandy Veterans edition of 95 prints. Paper size 35 inches x 25 inches (89cm x 64cm) Image size 28.5 inches x 17 inches (72cm x 43cm). Price £395.00 Signed by Squadron Leader Percival H. Beake DFC, Warrant Officer Jack Hodges DFC, Warrant Officer John Abe Lincoln, Flight Lieutenant Sir John Atkinson KCB DFC, Flying Officer Kenneth Junior Kneen, Air Commodore C D Kit North Lewis DSO DFC (deceased), Warrant Officer Douglas Oram, Squadron Leader Basil Stapleton DFC (deceased), Flying Officer Frank Wheeler DFC, Pilot Officer Rusty Townsend, Staff Sergeant Peter B Boyle, Staff Sergeant John Brown, Lance Corporal Alex Coventry, Lance Corporal Alex Dixon, Gunner Bill Grantham, Lance Corporal Ray Williams, Sergeant Titch Rayner, Driver Tom Sherbrook, Corporal Bob Weedon and Private Wally Menday.
Knights Cross edition of 15 prints. Paper size 35 inches x 25 inches (89cm x 64cm) Image size 28.5 inches x 17 inches (72cm x 43cm). Price £1895.00 Signed by Squadron Leader Percival H. Beake DFC, Warrant Officer Jack Hodges DFC, Warrant Officer John Abe Lincoln, Flight Lieutenant Sir John Atkinson KCB DFC, Flying Officer Kenneth Junior Kneen, Air Commodore C D Kit North Lewis DSO DFC (deceased), Warrant Officer Douglas Oram, Squadron Leader Basil Stapleton DFC (deceased), Flying Officer Frank Wheeler DFC, Pilot Officer Rusty Townsend, Staff Sergeant Peter B Boyle, Staff Sergeant John Brown, Lance Corporal Alex Coventry, Lance Corporal Alex Dixon, Gunner Bill Grantham, Lance Corporal Ray Williams, Sergeant Titch Rayner, Driver Tom Sherbrook, Corporal Bob Weedon, Private Wally Menday, Otto Carius, Gerhard Fischer, Walther Girg (deceased), Albert Kerscher, Norbert Kujacinski (deceased) and Richard Rudolf (deceased).
ITEM CODE DHM2711
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Closing the Gap by Robert Taylor
- The Signatures
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Squadron Leader Percival H. Beake DFC
Joining the RAFVR in April 1939, Percival Beake was mobilised at the outbreak of war. Posted to 64 Squadron on Spitfires in the summer of 1940 at the height of the Battle of Britain, he flew with them until June 1941 when he was posted first to 92 Squadron at Biggin Hill, and then 601 Squadron at Duxford. After a spell instructing he returned for his second tour in December 1942, joining 193 Squadron as a Flight Commander. In May 1944 he took command of 164 Squadron at Thorney Island flying Typhoons, moving to France shortly after the Normandy Invasion. With two victories to his credit he was awarded the DFC in September 1944.
Starting with 6th August 1944 my log book records that a successful attack was carried out on an enemy strong point in a quarry and that on the following morning I flew home on a very rare 48 hour leave. For a few days after my return we had only one specific target - an enemy dump which we effectively bombarded with rockets on 11th August - so we were deployed on armed reconnaissances. After landing from one of these on 13th August my Wing Commander, Walter Dring, called me to his caravan and said - Beaky, you have just done your last op. You are not to fly again and that is an order, until returning to the UK. I am arranging for your relief as soon as possible. - I was absolutely stunned and my lasting memory of that period is not of carnage but of acute embarrassment at having been grounded. I just hated sending the squadron up without myself leading and remember making frequent calls to the met office hoping to get forecasts of filthy weather that would make operational flying impossible. In the event, my relief, Squadron Leader Ian Waddy, was shot down by flak within two or three days of taking over command, so maybe Wally Dring had some sort of premonition that prompted my grounding.
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Warrant Officer Jack Hodges DFC
Jack Hodges joined the RAF in late 1940, and after completing his pilot training in Canada he returned to England and was then briefly sent to a Photo Reconnaissance Unit flying Spitfires. He moved to a OTU in Annan, Scotland on Hurricanes before finally moving to a holding unit in Redhill, flying Typhoons. In 1944 he was posted to join 175 Squadron. Shortly after this he moved to 174 Squadron at Westhampnett. He served on operations throughout occupied Europe until the end of the war, being awarded the DFC in 1945 for successfully leading a group of Typhoons against a German Armoured Division.
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Warrant Officer John Abe Lincoln
Born in 1923, Abe Lincoln joined the RAF in August 1942, spending two years training in India and Rhodesia. After training he was posted back to the UK, flying first Spitfires and then on Typhoons with 175 Squadron. The squadron was by then heavily involved with softening up targets with rockets ahead of the armies advance and close support duties at the front as the allies advanced through France into Germany. He remained with the squadron until the end of the war.
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Flight Lieutenant Sir John Atkinson KCB DFC
John Atkinson joined the RAF from Oxford University in 1938 and completed his pilot training in England. His first operational posting was in 1940 to 234 Squadron at St Eval, Cornwall, flying Spitfires, before moving on to 609 Squadron at Warwell, Dorchester. In 1942 he converted to Typhoons with 609 Squadron at Duxford, and from there to Biggin Hill and Manston, launching fighter operations over France. When his tour of operations ended in 1943 he was awarded the DFC and went on to become a Flying Instructor until the war was over. Released from the RAF in 1945, he went on to have a successful career in the civil service, and was knighted in 1979.
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Flying Officer Kenneth Junior Kneen
Training overseas, on arriving back in the UK Ken was posted to Holland joining 175 Squadron flying Typhoons. The squadron at the time being heavily engaged in low level bombing strikes against rail and armoured targets along the Dutch German border region. He remained with the squadron until the end of the war, then joined the RAFVR.
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 | Air Commodore C D Kit North Lewis DSO DFC (deceased)
After joining the Army in 1939, 'Kit' North Lewis transferred to the RAF in 1940. In Aug 1941, after pilot training, he was posted to 13 Squadron, flying Blenheims, where he took part in the first 1000 bomber raids. After a spell with 26 Squadron, flying P-51 Mustangs, in Feb 1944 he joined 182 Squadron on Typhoons, as a Flight Commander. A few months later he was posted to command 181 Squadron. He led this squadron into France where it became part of 124 Typhoon Wing. In Aug 1944 he was promoted Wing Leader 124 Wing, where he remained until the end of the war. He died on 25th March 2008.
Unfortunately my active participation in the Falaise operations was limited as I had a mild form of dysentery from 8th to 14th and I was sent home for a weeks recuperation from 16th to 24th August. However, I was very much involved on the 7th in the German attack at Mortain. I was leading 181 Squadron on an armed reconnaissance when Charles Green who was then the Wing Leader of 121 Wing reported large German tank concentrations at Mortain. Although this was inside the bomb line I accepted his verification and I immediately diverted to Mortain. There we found German tanks strung out along the road. We claimed 10 flamers. I followed this up with two more sorties in which we claimed another 7. There was very little flak, the main danger being the number of allied aircraft around the honey pot. During the period 6th to 21st August the Wing lost 9 pilots killed including Group Captain Charles Appleton and 4 taken POW.
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Warrant Officer Douglas Oram
Doug Oram joined the RAF in 1942 and went out to America to train as a pilot. In 1944 he joined 174 Typhoon Fighter Squadron at Westhampnett, and spent a year on operations serving throughout occupied Europe. In 1945 he became a Flying Instructor and left the RAF in 1946. However he rejoined in 1947 and stayed in the service until retirement in 1967.
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 | Squadron Leader Basil Stapleton DFC (deceased)
Born in South Africa, Basil Stapleton joined the RAF in Jan 1939, being posted to 603 Sqn flying Spitfires. He first saw action off Scotland, sharing in the destruction of two bombers, before the Squadron was posted south to Hornchurch during the height of the Battle of Britain. By Nov 1940 his tally had risen to 6 and 2 shared victories and 8 probables. In March 1942 he was posted to 257 Sqn as flight commander. In August 1944 he commanded 247 Sqn flying Typhoons, taking part in the Arnhem operations. In December 1944, whilst attacking a train, debris hit his aircraft forcing him to land behind enemy lines where he was taken prisoner of war. Stapme Stapleton had scored 6 victories, plus 2 shared, 5 probable and 2 damaged. Sadly, we have learned that Basil Stapleton passed away on 13th April 2010.
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Flying Officer Frank Wheeler DFC
Frank Wheeler joined the RAF in 1941, training in England as a pilot after which he completed a period of instructing. In January 1944 he was posted to join 174 Typhoon Fighter Squadron at Westhampnett, his first operation being as an escort to the Mosquitos taking part in 'Operation Jericho', the Amiens Jailbreak. He stayed with 174 Squadron for the remainder of the War, serving throughout occupied Europe, and in 1945, at the end of his tour of operations, he was awarded the DFC.
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Pilot Officer Rusty Townsend
Australian Rusty Townsend joined the RAF in 1941, trained in the USA, before returning to join 175 Squadron on rocket firing Typhoons at Warmwell. Being in the thick of the action over France against retreating German Forces, he was shot down and taken prisoner of war.
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 | Staff Sergeant Peter B Boyle
One of the pilots in the third glider to arrive alongside what was to become famous as Pegasus Bridge, Boyle had a key role in perhaps the most dramatic action by airborne forces on D-Day. The Horsa landed heavily on the edge of a pond throwing two officers through cockpit windows and temporarily trapping some of the troops in the aircraft - one had been killed, the only fatal casualty in the landings. Boyle then joined in the actions across bridge. Although demanding very accurate flying (all three gliders landed within 500 metres of the bridge), they had been rigorously trained for the landings; Boyle remembers more than 40 individual rehearsals. A few months later he landed another Horsa at Arnhem but was taken prisoner in the subsequent fighting.
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Staff Sergeant John Brown
Royal Engineers, he landed on Gold Beach two weeks after D-Day.
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Lance Corporal Alex Coventry
2nd Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, landed 19th June 1944, served from D-Day through to Germany.
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Lance Corporal Alex Dixon
1st Bucks Battalion xford and Buckinghamshire Regiment, landed on D-Day at Sword Beach, fought in the advance from France through to Germany.
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Gunner Bill Grantham
Royal Artillery, landed on Sword Beach on D-Day + 10. Served from Normandy all the way through to Berlin.
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Lance Corporal Ray Williams
30 Air Sea Rescue Unit, on high speed rescue launches on D-Day, the first unit to bring walking wounded back to Portsmouth from the Normandy beaches.
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 | Sergeant Titch Rayner
Titch Rayner served with the British Parachute Regiment. On D-Day he was flown into France on Horsa glider No.4, which landed off target due to a navigational problem. With the element of surprise gone, he and his fellow Paras had to fight their way through to Pegasus Bridge.
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Driver Tom Sherbrook
3 tonne lorry driver from No 2 Assault Group, Royal Army Service Corps. Landed on D-Day at Sword Beach.
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Corporal Bob Weedon
Royal Army Service Corps, landed on Gold Beach 20th June, fought in the Normandy breakout through northern Europe.
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Private Wally Menday
5th Battalion Queens Royal Regiment, landed 7th June 1944 on Gold Beach.
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 | Otto Carius
German Army - Knights Cross with Oak Leaves. Otto Carius was born on May 27th of 1922 in Zweibrucken, Rheinland-Pfalz in Southwest Germany. Carius volunteered for 104th Infantry Placement Battalion in May of 1940 and was assigned to the 21st Panzer Regiment when he graduated. During the Invasion of Russia, Operation Barbarossa, in June 1941, Carius was a loader Panzer 38 and experienced his first battle as a loader on a Panzer III, light tank In 1941 after serving 11 months in Russia Carius went to Officer training and when commissioned he went to 502nd heavy tank battalion in April 1943. He was assigned as a tank commander in the 2nd battalion 502. The battlion had the new Tiger Tank. Otto Carius and the 2nd Company 502 were stationed in Russia on the Leningrad Front. At the narva bridgehead Carius engaged Russian SU85 tanks destroying 4 of them. In June 1944 carius was sent to Daugavpils in Latvia where he was part of the city. On the 22nd of July 1944 Carius with his company of 8 tigers advanced to Malinava, where his job was to halt the Russian advance. 1st Lieutenant Otto Carius commanding 2nd Company of the 502nd heavy tank Battalion, with eight Tigers, advanced towards the village of Malinava (a northern suburb of Dunaburg) to halt the Russian advance. Following a reconnaissance Lieutenant Otto Carius explained his plan to take the village. He decided to attack using only two tanks because there was only one narrow road leading to the village. Six Tigers therefore remained in the reserve while Lt Carius and Lt. Albert Kerschers (one of the most decorated commanders of sPzAbt 502) tanks moved towards the village. Speed was the essence and afterwards, Otto Carius recalls that the entire battle did not last more than 20 minutes. in this short time, Carius and Kerscher knocked out 17 of the new JS-1 Stalin and 5 T-34 tanks. Following this he deployed 6 of his tanks in an ambush against the remainder of the Soviet tank battalion advancing toward him, unaware of their lead companies demise. Surprise was complete and a further 28 tanks were destroyed along with their supporting trucks and vehicles, the complete battalion had been wiped out for no loss. In November of 1943, Otto Carius destroyed 10 Russian T34s at short range and in August 1944 he was transferred to the newly formed Schwere panzerjager Abteilung 512 equipped with the New Jagdtiger. Carius was stationed at Paderborn and Dollersheim. The 2nd Company which he commanded was ordered to Siegburg as part of the defence of the Rhine, and it was here he eventually surrendered to the US forces on April 15th 1945. Awarded the Knights Cross on 4th May 1944 and Oak Leaves on 27th July 1944.
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 | Gerhard Fischer
German Army Panzer Tank Ace - Knights Cross. Awarded the Knights Cross.
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 | Walther Girg (deceased)
Walter Girg was born in 1919. He joined the SS at the beginning of the second world war serving with Das Reich division in the Balkans and the invasion of Russia - operations Marita and Barbarossa respectively. By 1944 he was a platoon leader in 1 company, 502nd SS Jager Battalion Mitte. In the Carapathian mountains in September 1944, he led his men behind Russian but was discovered and wounded, but facing capture was rescued by a German artillery barrage which allowed him and his men to escape back to German lines. He received the Knights Cross in 1944 for this deed, which provided a great deal of intelligence. In March 1945, Girg was at Kolberg, encircled by Russians, before being evacuated by sea. He was subsequently awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knights Cross on 1st April 1945.
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 | Albert Kerscher
German Army - Knights Cross with Oak Leaves. Oberfeldwebel Albert Kerscher was, like Otto Carius, a panzer ace from schwere Panzer Abteilung 502. He achieved his 100th kill in defending the Neuhauser Forest near Pillau, East Prussia in April 1945. On 22nd July 1944, 1st Lieutenant Otto Carius with his company of eight Tigers advanced towards the village on Malinava (northern suburb of Dunaburg) in order to halt the Russian advance. Carius and Kerscher took a Kubelwagen in order to check if the village was already in Russian hands. They discovered that Malinava had already been taken by the enemy. Carius recognised that the Russian tanks in the village were only advance troops waiting for the main force to arrive. He decided to recapture the village before the arrival of more Russian tanks. Carius returned to his company for briefing and explained his plan to take the village. He decided to attack the village with only two Tigers because there was only one road leading to the village and it meant very risky business. Six Tigers remained in the reserve while the Tigers of Carius and Kerscher moved towards the village of Malinava. Speed was the essence of the plan to take the Russians by surprise and immobilise their tanks. When they were about to enter the village, they could see two T-34/85 tanks rotating their turrets in their direction. Immediately Kerscher, following Carius at about 150 metres, fired two shots in rapid succession, and destroyed the two enemy tanks. This was the first time that Carius had encountered one of the latest JS-1 heavy tanks. The silhouette of the new heavy Russian tank was somewhat similar to that of the Tiger II, and Carius got confused at first but after a little hesitation, ordered his crew to fire at once, and the JS-1 burst into flames. Afterwards they realised that the entire battle was over in about twenty minutes. In such a short time, the two Tigers of Carius and Kerscher had knocked out 17 Russian tanks including the new JS-1. The Russians were taken by surprise and their quick and accurate perception of the situation were the main factors that led the two Tigers to victory. The achievement of Carius and Kerscher at Malinava is on the same level as the famous action of Michael Wittmann at Villers Bocage. He ended the war with a total score of 107.
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 | Norbert Kujacinski (deceased)
Born 11th July 1920 in Berlin. Called up to the army in August 1939, he served in the Fench campaign before joining the 23rd Panzer Division on the eastern front. Fighting in the southern area of the eastern front, his unit avoided involvement at Stalingrad, but was used to relieve the forces involved there. His unit had just 20 tanks left by January 1943 - Kujacinski himself had earned the Iron Cross I and II. The rest of the year saw the unit re-equip before fighting at Dnieper towards the end of 1943. At this time, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold. The panzer division broke out of the fighting at Dnieper, reduced by losses to a Kampfgruppe instead of a Division. Towards the latter part of 1944, the unit had considerable success against the Russians in Poland and Hungary - during the attack on Nyiregyhaza in 7 days in October 1944, 600 Russian armoured vehicles were destroyed or captured. It was for his part in this success that Kujacinski was awarded the Knights Cross on 18th November 1944. His unit were still actively fighting in Austria by the time the war ended, and he was taken into US captivity until July 1945. He rejoined the army after the war and retired as an Oberstleutnant. He died on 2nd May 2009.
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 | Richard Rudolf (deceased)
Born 16th April 1923, Richard Rudolf was awarden the Iron Cross 2nd Class on 8th March 1943, the Iron Cross 1st Class on 3rd July 1944 and finally the Knights Cross on 18th November 1944. He served with the Waffen SS.
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