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Robert Taylor Prints  Royal Air Force  Tempest |
[UP] - Spitfire - Hurricane - Mosquito - Typhoon - Lancaster - Stirling - Sunderland - Canberra - Hercules - Harrier - Beaufighter - Blenheim - Kittyhawk - Phantom - Wellington - Halifax - Gladiator - Swordfish - Camel - Bristol F2B - Lysander |
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| Text for the above items : |
The Final Show by Robert Taylor. In May 1944 Wing Commander Roland 'Bee' Beamont led three squadrons of Hawker Tempests into operations for the first time. Flying from RAF Newchurch in Kent, one of the advanced landing grounds constructed in preparation for the invasion of France, they formed 150 Wing RAF. The far-sighted Beamont had almost single-handedly overseen the transformation of the Hawker Typhoon into the most potent ground attack aircraft of its day before turning his attention to its successor - the Tempest. With thinner wings, greater range, improved ailerons, a redesigned windscreen and all-round 'rear vision' canopy it was a significant improvement on the Typhoon. Through the last year of the war the unwavering pilots who flew these two mighty aircraft became the scourge of the German Army, blasting their way through armoured formations, destroying airfields, shipping, barges, bridges, trains, marshalling yards, rail hubs, anything to support the advancing British and Canadian armies as they battled their way through Belgium and the Netherlands towards the Rhine. And, as an increasingly desperate enemy fought back with V-1 'Doodlebug' flying bombs, the Typhoon and Tempest pilots destroyed those too - 150 Wing alone accounting for 638 V-1s destroyed. As the remnants of Hitler's once-fabled army collapsed under the onslaught, many high-ranking Nazis were faced with a choice - go down fighting or cut and run. Many chose to run, heading north to the Baltic coast with one aim in mind - a last-chance passage to neutral Sweden. The Tempest pilots of 150 Wing were amongst those tasked with stopping their escape. Some of the greatest pilots of the RAF flew this iconic aircraft and this painting depicts the final combat of the war for one such pilot - the legendary fighter Ace Pierre Clostermann. A Flight Commander with 3 Squadron, Clostermann is at the controls of his distinctive Tempest Le Grand Charles during a strafing raid against the heavily defended seaplane base at Grossenbrode, on the coast to the north of Lübeck. Having just destroyed two Dornier Do18 flying boats on the water, he now helps finish off a Bf109 and a Fw190 that have tried to pounce from above. |
| Top Aces for : Tempest | ||
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name. | ||
| Name | Victories | Info |
| Pierre H Closterman | 26.00 | The signature of Pierre H Closterman features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| James Francis Edwards | 16.50 | The signature of James Francis Edwards features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| David C Fairbanks | 12.50 | |
| James Douglas Lindsay | 7.00 | The signature of James Douglas Lindsay features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Joseph Berry | 3.00 | |
| Tempest Pilot and aircrew signature details |
 Major Bill Allen Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Major Bill Allen Commissioned in November 1943, Bill Allen was posted to England, joining the 55th Fighter Group based at Wormingford, on May 15th 1944. Posted into the 343rd Fighter Squadron the following day, Bill flew his first combat mission on 14th June 1944. He flew both P38 Lightnings and P51 Mustangs through his tour, becoming an Ace in one day on 5th September 1944, when he shot down 5 German aircraft whilst flying his P51 'Pretty Patty II'. |
  Wing Commander Roland Bee Beamont CBE DSO DFC DL Our estimated value of this signature : £65 Died : 2001 | Wing Commander Roland Bee Beamont CBE DSO DFC DL One of World War IIs great characters, Bee flew Hurricanes with 87 Squadron, later leading a Tempest Wing. He had 8 victories plus a further 32 VIs destroyed. After the war he became a highly respected Chief Test Pilot.Wing Commander Roland Beamont, one of the RAFs top buzz bomb interceptors, was born in Enfield England on August 10, 1920. Educated at Eastborne College, Beamont accepted a short service commission with the Royal Air Force in 1938. He commenced flying in 1939 at the the No. 13 Reserve Flying School at White Waltham. His initial duty was with the Group Fighter Pool at St. Athan where he learned to fly the Hurricane. Beamont was soon posted with the No. 87 Squadron which was part of the Advanced Air Striking Force in France. Seeing action in both France and Belgium prior to the Allied withdrawl, Beamont rejoined 87 Squadron in England during the Battle of Britain. In the spring of 1941 Beamont was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after destroying five enemy aircraft. As Commanding Officer of 609 Squadron, Beamont pioneered both day and night ground attack missions utilizing the Typhoon. Beamont was credited with destroying 25 trains in a three month period. He was then made responsible for organizing and commanding the first Tempest Wing at Newchurch. Three days after D-Day Bearnont shot down an Me-109, marking the first aerial combat victory for the Hawker Tempest. In the summer of 1944 Beamont destroyed 32 buzz bombs prior to leading his wing to a Dutch Airfield at Volkel on the Continent. In October of 1944 Beamont was shot down during a ground attack mission over Germany, and he remained a prisoner of war until wars end. Following repatriation Beamont became an experimental test pilot with the Gloster Aircraft Company, which had developed the RAFs first jet aircraft. Turning down a permanent commission with the RAF, Beamont then joined English Electric Company in Wharton as the Chief Test Pilot for the B3/45 (Canberra) jet bomber program. He managed all prototype testing on the Canberra, and in the process set two Atlantic speed records. Later Beamont was involved with the supersonic P1/Lightning program, and became the first British pilot to fly at twice the speed of sound. From 1965 until 1970 he was a founding member of Britains highly succesful Saudi Arabian export program. For several years prior to his retirement in 1979, Beamont was Director of Operations for British Aerospace and Panavia where he was in charge of flight testing for the Tornado. Since his retirement Beamont has authored nine books, and published numerous magazine articles. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Scociety and an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots in America. He died 19th November 2001. |
Flying Officer John Byrne Our estimated value of this signature : £40 | Flying Officer John Byrne With the RAF since 1938, Byrne flew Hurricanes, Spitfires, P-47s, Tempests and Typhoons during WWII. Upon joining 197 Sqn in March 1944 he flew Typhoons during one the squadrons most hectic periods in the run up to D-Day and throughout the subsequent Allied invasion, mostly on low-level bombing missions. In total Byrne completed over 150 combat operations and finally left the RAF in 1946. |
| Tempest Squadron details |
No.247 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st December 1963 Known Codes : , HP, ZY, | No.247 Sqn RAF China-British Rise from the east |
No.501 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 10th March 1957 Known Codes : , SD, RAB, ZH, | No.501 Sqn RAF County of Gloucester, City of Bristol (Auxiliary) Nil time - Fear nothing |
No.54 Sqn RAF Country : UK Known Codes : , KL, DL, HF, | No.54 Sqn RAF Audax omnia perpeti - Boldness to endure anything |
No.56 Sqn RAF Country : UK Known Codes : , US, LR, ON, | No.56 Sqn RAF Punjab Quid si coelum ruat - What if heaven falls |
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