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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art World War Two Veteran Signatures United States S  Stork, Royden |
Captain J Royden Stork
I was co-pilot on a B-25 detailed to attack the chemical plant at the base of the Heneda River. I was designated photographic officer on the raid and had installed 16mm cameras in each bomb bay. After an attack we flew on to China, and the crew bailed out. I knocked myself out on landing, and after regaining consciousness, rolled up my parachute and waited for sunrise. After walking all day I was befriended by a local magistrate who helped me to get to the preassigned rendezvous point some dree days later. I wound up in the 10th Air Force in India where I flew missions over Japanese occupied territory until Air Force intelligence learned that the Japanese had put a $5,000 reward on all who had participated in the Tokyo raid. - Royden Stork died 2nd May 2002.
| Captain J Royden Stork - Signed Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Tokyo Bound by Nicolas Trudgian. On April 18, 1942, under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, a small force of B-25 Mitchell light bombers set forth on one of the most audacious air raids of World War II. Launching in a rough sea from the heaving deck of the carrier USS Hornet, the crews knew that even if they achieved success, they were not to return. Their mission to bomb Tokyo and other industrial targets some 800 miles distant would leave them barely enough fuel to fly on to crash-land in China. Nine aircraft were attacked by enemy fighters, every one made it to the target, all but one aircraft were lost. But the raid was a triumph. The Japanese High Command were so alarmed by the Americans ability to strike at their homeland they attempted to expand the perimeter of activity in the central and southern Pacific - with disastrous results. Lt. Col. Doolittle was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in recognition of the extraordinary feat he and his gallant crews performed. Miraculously most survived to fly and fight again later in the war, Jimmy Doolittle going on to command the Eighth Air Force in Europe at the time of the Normandy invasion. |
Out of the Dragon's Den by Richard Taylor. It was the morning of Monday, 18 April 1942 and, taking a final look at the carrier rapidly disappearing into the distance, the B25 Mitchells headed west on what each of the five man crews knew was a one-way ride. With luck they might make it to Nationalist China but first they had an important mission to complete - destination Tokyo! Four months earlier the Japanese had launched their blistering unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor leaving America reeling. As setback followed setback, America needed retribution and the man chosen for the task was Lt Col James Doolittle. Planning one of the most audacious raids ever undertaken, Doolittle and his chosen band of raiders would attempt the impossible - a direct strike at the heart of Imperial Japan. It was what the enemy least expected. Richard Taylor's powerful painting Out of the Dragon's Den depicts the scene immediately after the Raiders had carried out their mission. One of the last B-25 Mitchells, having successfully bombed its target, makes its escape towards mainland China. As the navigator sets the new course, their path takes them close to targets hit by other Raiders, dark columns of smoke rising rapidly from the burning oil and carnage below. Issued with a copy of Richards pencil print, USS Hornet, every one of these historic two print portfolios is personally signed by Doolittle Raiders and a crew member of the USS Hornet during the raid. This could be one of the final opportunities to acquire a limited edition signed by the last surviving veterans of the legendary Doolittle Raiders. |
Doolittle Raiders by Robert Taylor. Doolittle Raiders take their B-25 bombers down to very low level and head for China after delivering their surprise attack on the industrial and military targets in and around Tokyo on April 18, 1942. The sixteen-ship mission, led by volunteer crews, successfully completed one of the most audacious air raids of World War II. |
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This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com
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