WWI Art....

1918 Red Baron - Roy Cross....


1917 Aviatik Berg I - Vlastimil Suchy....


1918 Sopwith Triplane Red Air Force....


1918 Voisin Red Air Force, Russian Civil War....


1916 Fokker D.II - Zdenek Machacek....

1916 Roland CII strafing - Roy Cross....


1916 RE8 vs Roland C.ll - Roy Cross....


1916 RAF Be 2e....


1916 Zeppelin L15 sinking....

The commander of the L15 was Kapitanleutnant Joachim Breithaupt. On the 31st March 1916 (note date!), at 21.45 hours, the L15 received a direct hit from the AA gun at Purfleet, Essex.The AA shell damaged four of the gas cells (numbers 9, 11, 12, and 16), and the L15 began to lose height - despite the crew chucking out everything, to lose weight.While the L15 got closer to earth, it was attacked by 2Lt Alfred de Bathe Brandon RFC, 19 RA Sqn (Hainault Farm), in a BE 2C. Brandon climbed above the L15 and tried to destroy it by dropping incendiary bombs, and Ranken darts onto the top of the hull. He was not succesful. But eventually the Zeppelin became too heavy to fly, and she came down in the sea off Margate at 00.15 (1st April) - close to the Kentish Knock lightship. One crew member, ObsigMt Willy Albrecht, was drowned. The rest of the crew (16 members in total) were rescued by the armed trawler Olivine (and then transferred to HMS Vulture).The sodden, half-sunk remains of the L15 were then taken under tow but the airship broke up off Westgate and only small sections were hauled ashore, where parts were obviously liberated by souvenir hunters. Eventually the sea reclaimed what was left of the airship on the beach.


1915 Maurice Farman MF11....

1910s Airplane vs racing car - Carlo Demand....


1917 Nieuport 27 Edward Mannock - Steve Anderson....


1919 SPAD XIII victory flight - Michael Backus....

In January 1919 the 94th Aero Squadron, known as the "Hat In The Ring" squadron, was stationed in Koblenz, Germany as part of the Allied occupational force. In April the squadron flew their specially decorated SPAD XIIIs towards Paris for a French sponsored pennant prese
ntation.


1917 04 Bloody April....


1916 09 17 The first victory of MvR - Alex Hamilton....

17th of September 1916.
Victory #1 When patrol flying I detected shrapnel clouds in direction of Cambrai. I hurried forth and met a squad which I attacked shortly after 1100. I singled out the last machine and fired several times at closest range (ten metres). Suddenly the enemy propeller stood stock still. The machine went down gliding and I followed until I had killed the observer who had not stopped shooting until the last moment.
Now my opponent went downwards in sharp curves. At approximately 1,200 metres a second German machine came along and attacked my victim right down to the ground and then landed next to the English plane.

1917 Sopwith Camel MacGregor 10 RNAS Sqn....


1917 Gotha G IV collides with barrage balloon - Sergey Yershov....


1917 Albatros DV Richthofen's 59th victory - Sebastián Tonello....


1916 Fokker E-III - Brian Knight....


1918 The Ringmaster - Steve Anderson....

1918 Schweidnitz, Herr Rittmeister - James Field....

Rittmeister Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen, The Red Baron, was given one of only three Albatros CIX as his personal transport aircraft. He would have used it on his official trips to headquarters and other squadrons airfields and when going on vacation to his home town of Schweidnitz, Prussia, (now Świdnica, Poland).


1918 Furious Camels - James Field

After the second Flight deck was added, which failed to solve the problem of landing on board, HMS Furious was used for anti-Zeppelin work in the North Sea. In July1918 seven Sopwith Camels took off from Furious in the early hours to bomb theZeppelin sheds at Tondern with some success as two Zeppelins were destroyed, but one pilot was lost. The painting shows three of the Tondern Raid Sopwith 2F1 Camels flying over HMS Furious, the nearest was flown by Captain B A Smart.The 2F1 variant of the famous Sopwith Camel had a slightly shorter wingspan, one of the Vickers machine guns replaced by an over wing Lewis but most significantly was the fuselage behind the cockpit which was detachable and containe dflotation gear.


1918 Caught on the water - James Field....

In 'The Spiders Web' Squadron Leader T D Hallam describes an occasion when two of Felixstowes flying boats came across a flight of five German seaplanes on the sea. As the enemy planes scrambled to take off they dived into the attack destroying one two-seater and forcing a single-seater to land on the water. The remaining seaplanes were all forced to withdraw as best they could.


1918 Strangers in the night - James Field....

Handley-Page 0/400This painting is based on an incident recalled in Humphrey Wynn's 'The Darkness Shall Cover Me'. It is the true story of Wynn's friend 2/Lt Leslie Blacking, a nineteen year old pilot in the RFC and RAF during the last year of the First World War. On a night bombing mission Blacking and his two gunners in their Handley Page 0/400 have the briefest of encounters with an unidentified German two-seater (shown here as a Hannover CLIII).


1918 Sunset Return - James Field....

Returning late in the day from patrolling the North Sea, two Felixstowe F2a flying boats make landfall as the sun sets. The 'Dazzle' paint schemes were introduced in the spring of 1918.

1918 Sunrise Start - James Field....

A pair of Felixstowe F2a flying boats head out on patrol over the North Sea in the later stages of the First World War. Based in Felixstowe they are seen here flying over Orfordness.


1917 Leckie's First - James Field....

During a reconnaissance flight on 14th May 1917 Flight Commander Robert Leckie and his crew destroyed Zeppelin L22 near Terschelling in their RNAS Curtiss H12. Leckie was later credited with a second Zeppelin in August 1918 flying as gunner to Major Egbert Cadbury.


Furious Pup - James Field....

HMS Furious was laid down as a battlecruiser but was completed as Britain's first designated Aircraft Carrier. Originally built with only a forward flight deck, Sopwith Pups were taken on board for flying trials. While take off was a relatively easy operation landing was an entirely different matter as the aircraft had to manoeuvre around the superstructure. After two successful landings were made by Squadron Commander Dunning, the third attempt ended in disaster and Dunning was drowned. As a result Furious was returned to the dockyard for a second, aft flight deck to be installed. The painting shows Furious as built with one of her pilots in Sopwith Pup N6454 contemplating the problem.


1917 James and the Whale - James Field....

James McCudden made his fifth of fifty-seven confirmed claims on February 15th 1917 after bringing down a Roland CII Walfisch (whale) near Monchy while flying a DH2. Later that day McCudden's C.O. led a flight of six aircraft to the wreck site and in turn each pilot fired three drums of Lewis machine gun ammunition into the remains of the Roland for gunnery practice.


1916 Empress at Stavros - James Field....

HMS Empress a former L&SWR cross channel steamer, converted to a seaplane carrier, received three Short 166's including two built by Westland's (9754 and 9755) in October 1916. They were used for anti-submarine patrols in the north Aegean, 9754 being replaced by another Westland built 166 (9758) in November. By January 1917 these had all been transferred elsewhere in the Mediterranean. One of four of James' paintings included in 'The Art of Flight' celebrating 100 years of Westland built aircraft.

1916 Albert and the Whale - James Field....

During the summer and autumn of 1916 Albert Ball seems to have developed a personal grievance against Roland aircraft claiming seventeen between July 2nd and September 30th, in most cases specifying the CII Walfisch (whale). His mount was the Nieuport 17 armed with an over wing Lewis machine gun. He flew mainly in two aircraft, number A201 and then A213, as seen here, which had a red spinner added to the Nieuport's propeller boss.


1916 Rutland at Jutland - James Field....

Flying in Short 184 8359 Lieutenant F. J. Rutland with Assistant Paymaster G. S. Trewin make the first airplane reconnaissance of an enemy fleet during the opening sequences of the Battle of Jutland. The initial report was the sighting of three German cruisers and five destroyers. After a few more reports were made a ruptured fuel line caused a forced landing on the sea where Rutland was able to make repairs. However, due to the heavy swell he was ordered to taxi back to their mother ship the seaplane carrier H.M.S.Engadine. During the flight they had been subjected to heavy anti-aircraft fire. For this action Rutland was awarded his first Distinguished Service Cross, he was to receive a second the following year.


1915 Boelcke Takes Off With Nurse Blanka - James Field

The emerging fighter ace Leutnant Oswald Boelcke takes nurse Blanka for a pleasure flight in his Fokker E1. News of these unofficial sorties quickly came to the attention of the C.O. who immediately banned any further misuse of his front line fighter aircraft.


1915 Shipshape and Bristol Fashion - James Field....

On 3 November 1915 the first land plane to be flown from an aircraft carrier, was Bristol Scout C 1255 piloted by Flight Lieutenant H.F. Towler RNAS. He took to the air from the flying off platform built onto the bows of the seaplane carrier HMS Vindex. HMS Vindex was converted from the Isle of Man Steam Packet, Viking.

1915 Rise and Shine, HMS Ark Royal - James Field....

In the early morning light, one of H.M.S. Ark Royal's Short 166 seaplanes takes off from Kephalo Bay, Imbros. The second of five Ark Royals, she was the first to carry aircraft. She spent most of the First World War in the Mediterranean supporting the campaigns in Gallipolli and Salonika as well as acting as depot ship for aircraft flying anti-submarine patrols. The Short 166 main difference from its slightly bigger brother the Short 184 was the use of the Salmson Canton-Unne radial engine, the 184's using a variety of inline engines.

1914 Harvey-Kelly first aerial victory....

Having been the first to fly an aeroplane to war for Britain Lieutenant H. D. Harvey-Kelly was involved in the first recorded aerial victory for the Royal Flying Corps on 25th August 1914. Seeing an Rumpler 'Taube' whilst flying with two companions of 2 Squadron RFC, Harvey-Kelly dived on the tail of the enemy aircraft. The terrified German pilot tried to escape the whirling blades of Harvey-Kelly's BE2b. The two other British pilots joined in the game 'boxing in' the hapless German who had no other choice but to land in the nearest field. Before the 'Taube' came to a complete halt the German pilot was out of the cockpit and disappeared into a nearby wood. During the whole engagement not a single shot was fired as none of the 'combatants' was armed!


1914 Harvey-Kelly First to France - James Field....

On the 13th August 1914 Britain goes to war in aeroplanes for the first time. Lieutenant H.D. Harvey-Kelly of 2 Squadron Royal Flying Corps being the first to arrive in France . Harvey-Kelly rounds Dover Castle in his B.E.2a, before setting off across the English Channel, landing near Amiens almost two hours later.


1917 Albatros Richthofen - Benjamin Freudenthal....


1917 Bloody April....


1916 Siemens Schuckert DI - Taras Shtyk....

1918 10 27 Sopwith Snipe William Barker - Russell Smith....


1918 SPA 150, the Forgotten Squadron - Benjamin Freudenthal....

Early in the morning squadron SPA 150 gets ready to escort a observation airplane. A mechanic swings the propeller of the plane of Lieutenant Decaix. The Maréchal des logis Chavastelle, in airplane number n°5, casts a distracted glance at the dog Domino, who is the pet of the squadron… On the left, on the foreground, an unlucky pilot comes to meet an officer to tell him his engine has broken down.


1918 The SPA 48 squadron takes a rest - Benjamin Freudenthal....


1917 Udet vs Guynemer - Benjamin Freudenthal....


1917 Recon Mission, Breguet XIV and Spad VII, SPA 48 - Benjamin Freudenthal....

1918 DH.9s of No.108 Squadron Attacked by Fokker D.VIIs - C. Rupert Moore....


1918 Anti-Submarine Patrol Handover - Kenneth McDonough....


1918 Last Flight of Baron von Richthofen - John Young....


1918 Tondern Raid, Sopwith Camel - John Young....


1917 Bloody April, Albatros and Sopwith Dogfight - Don Breckon....

1917 Cambrai, De Havilland DH 5 - John Young....


1917 Sopwith 1 ½ Strutter - John Young....


1917 Royal Aircraft Factory FE2b - John Young....


1916 BE2c - Kai Choi....


1916 Airships at the Royal Navy Air Station, Capel, Surrey....

1915 The Eighteen-Metre Nieuport - Kenneth A. McDonough....


1915 Richard Bell-Davies, VC, Rescues Gilbert Formby Smylie at Ferrijik Junction, Bulgaria - Kenneth A. McDonough....


1915 Major Lionel Wilmot Brabazon Rees VC - D. Gardner....


1915 Vickers Gunbus - Frank Wootton....


1914 Avro 504 - Cuxhaven raid - John Young....

1915 BE2b - John Young....


1914 Sopwith Tabloid - John Young....


1910 Captain Bertram Dickson Flying a Bristol Biplane over Stonehenge - Kenneth A. McDonough....


1911 Eastchurch - Kenneth A. McDonough....

Henri Farman III designed by George Cockburn with Gnome rotary engine.


1918 Dark Camel - Steven Heyen....

Lt E G Forder of 28 Squadron RFC.

1917 SE5a Billy Bishop - Steven Heyen....


1917 Lloyd CV serie 83 - Stan Hajek....

The Lloyd C.V was a reconnaissance aircraft produced in Austria-Hungary during the First World War. It was a departure from Lloyd's previous reconnaissance types, which had all been based on a pre-war design. The C.V was a more compact and streamlined aircraft with an unusual wing structure.

The design was fairly conventional, except for the interplane struts. These were arranged in two sets, front and rear, with the rear sets consisting of two struts per wing, and the forward sets of only one strut per wing. When viewed from the front of the aircraft, the rear struts formed a V-shape, converging to the point where they met the lower wings. From bottom wing to top, the single forward struts sloped inwards towards the centreline, matching the angle of the inboard rear struts. The fin was triangular and similar to the unit on earlier Lloyd designs, but featured an extension at the top of the rudder that reached over the top of the fixed part of the fin. With its curved leading edge and scalloped trailing edge, this rudder resembled the tail of a rooster.

The wings departed from the conventional structure of one or more spars surrounded by airfoil-shaped ribs and were built instead from ribs surrounded by longerons that stretched span-wise along the wings. This was all then covered in plywood sheeting. While this made for a strong, light structure, it also meant that repairs to damaged wings were difficult, and proved impossible to carry out in the field. Damaged aircraft were sent to depots for exchange. Another problem was that moisture trapped inside the wings had no way to escape quickly. This could cause the plywood skin to buckle or delaminate.

Lloyd built 96 C.Vs in 1917, powered by Austro-Daimler engines, while WKF built another 48 with Benz engines. The type saw only brief front-line service before being relegated to secondary duties. A number of continued in service after the war with the military forces of Poland, Hungary, and the Ukraine. In Poland, six; aircraft were operated until 1924.


1918 HMS Vindictive, Sopwith Camel 2F.1 - Paul Wright....


1918 Sopwith Snipe - Paul Monteagle....


1918 Fokker DVI - P. Martinicky....

1918 Manfred von Richthofen - Andrey Karashchuk....


1918 Ernst Udet - Andrey Karashchuk....


1918 SPAD XIII vs Fokker DVII - Shigeo Koike....


1918 Hanriot HD-1 Willy Coppens - S. Tarasovic....


1918 Pfalz D.IIIa Jasta 23b Otto Kissenberth - Roberto Zanella....

1918 Head to Head - Spike Wademan....


1917 Bright lights over London - Spike Wademan....


1918 Handley Page 0/400....


1917 Gotha vs SE5 - Brian Knight....


1916 Death of Oswald Boelcke - Paul Lengelle....

1918 Head to Head - Spike Wademan....


1917 Bright lights over London - Spike Wademan....


1918 Handley Page 0/400....


1917 Gotha vs SE5 - Brian Knight....


1916 Death of Oswald Boelcke - Paul Lengelle...

1918 Brumowski Escape - James Dietz....


1918 Blackburn Kangaroo sinks an U-boat in the North Sea....


1916 Morane Saulnier N - Takara....


1916 L'Aéronautique Maritime - Daniel Bechennec....


1915 L'Aéronautique Maritime - Daniel Bechennec....