19 replies to this topic

[Cheater]

My friends send me a lot of interesting emails and when I received these photos from my friend Ralph Ricks (who has driven his Model T speedster across the country in the Great Race THREE times!) I was stunned by the artistry they exhibit.

These paintings are by noted aviation artist Nicolas Trudgian, and are among the finest aviation artworks I have ever seen. The man's command of light is just stunning.

[Ron Hershman]

Simply stunning and awesome.

[TSR]

Greg,

I must have been brainwashed when I was a kid because I can name every aircraft shown and even which VERSION of them from memory!

Nice paintings...

[BackAgain]

Simply stunning and awesome.

My thoughts exactly...

Thanks for posting those, Greg.

[Jairus]

While the artwork, coloring and illustration is beautiful to say the least.... I find some of the proportions off a little bit.

And I suppose I'm the only one who thinks it weird that B-24 bombers would be flying so low, straight ahead, after hitting a target and that the three "dam-buster" Lancaster bombers would still be on-scene when the dam bursts? Not to mention the fact that most of the fighters are too damn low! (exception made for the "tank buster" Typhoons of course)

Hey, the enemy could be pouncing at any minute from higher altitudes!!!!

Artist license for me, an artist, can only be explained so far...

[TSR]

if you want to be technical, what does a crashed P40 with Flying Tiger-like markings has anything to do with ME109's that are not even in desert trim even if they do have the extra dust filters?

[Jairus]

The P40 fought in all theaters of war from 1939 to 1945 (only plane to do so I believe). Some in the African campaign actually did have the tiger mouth on the nose... strange as it seems, but I didn't check out the tail numbers.

[Mopar Rob]

Flying Tigers copied the shark tooth from the RAF 112 squad that operated in North Africa. Based on this real photo, I would say the crashed P40 is pretty acurate?

[Cheater]

And I suppose I'm the only one who thinks it weird that B24 bombers would be flying so low, straight ahead, after hitting a target and that the three "dam-buster" Lancaster bombers would still be on-scene when the dam bursts? Not to mention the fact that most of the fighters are too damn low! (exception made for the "tank buster" Typhoons of course).

Jairus,

Methinks you need to study up on the detailed history of WWII aviation a little bit.

The painting of the B24s at low level is titled "Operation Tidal Wave", which was the infamous low-level raid against the oil refineries of Ploiești, Romania. See this LINK. This raid was "one of the costliest for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in the European Theatre, accounting for the loss of 53 aircraft and 660 aircrewmen. It was the worst loss ever suffered by the US air forces on a single mission." Which is why such a low-level raid was never attempted again against any target.

As an aside, about eight years ago I met Major Norman C. Appold, who led a group of six bombers from the 376th Bombardment Group on this raid. He passed way in 2004.

As for what is commonly known as the Dambusters mission (it was officially termed Operation Chastise), the Wikipedia entry regarding this raid contains this comment regarding the attack on the Möhne dam: "... the aircraft was hit by flak as it made its low-level run and was caught in the blast of its own bomb, crashing shortly afterwards when a wing disintegrated," which suggests that the bombers were indeed on-scene when the bombs exploded. The "Dambuster" bombs were unique weapons created by Barnes Wallis especially for this mission.

As a fairly serious student of WWII history, I believe the paintings are historically accurate to a very high degree.

[Ron Hershman]

Methinks or likes to believe that the "emphasis" is put on the planes more than the backgrounds.

[Cheater]

Ron,

Today the market for these sorts of paintings pretty much demands a very high degree of historical accuracy. The artist himself states this in the Anatomy of a Painting section of his website.

I've emailed the artist to point him to this thread and to invite him to comment on the historical accuracy of his paintings. If he replies, I will post his comments here.

[Jairus]

The wingspan of a B24 was 110 feet. The lead plane in the picture doesn't look like it is even THAT high off the ground! True the raid took place as a "low level campaign" in order to avoid flak gunners adjustments. But all historical records suggest that the planes were flying at 250 to 300 ft.

The "dambuster" bomb skipped over the surface before crashing into the concrete reinforced structure. It then proceeded to sink to the based of the wall where the hydro-burst of the bomb would have greatest effect. Are you suggesting that the planes were flying so slowly as to allow the bomb to skip ahead of a speeding aircraft AND sink and explode?

Hard to believe...

Incidentally, I distrust what Wiki says...

[Cheater]

Jairus,

My best reference on Operation Tidal Wave, this book:



is on loan to the head of Auburn's history department, so I can't reference it right now. It contains very detailed notes on the low-level raid written by a number of participants.

However, at this LINK, you can find these statements:

The crews of the large planes had undergone intense training for several weeks for this first-ever, low level, coordinated, daylight raid. They would be blasting the oil refinery at altitudes ranging from 30 to 100 feet above the ground while traveling at speeds of 225 miles an hour.

At the height of the raid, Hughes’s plane was shot up and was streaming fuel from the left wing. The leak was so heavy that it was blinding his waist gunner’s view. Hughes continued to hold his plane in formation at 30 feet, knowing full well that if he didn’t pull up he would be flying through walls of fire with gas spraying from his wing.

There are quite a few pictures and some film clips from the actual raid. Here's a few pics and a couple of links to videos. Sure doesn't look like everyone was at "250 to 300 ft."



The caption on the above pic where I snagged it pointed out that the plane the photographer was flying in was LOWER than the planes in the picture!











You can decide for yourself whether the artist exercised a significant amount of "license" in these paintings. From what I have read and seen, I don't think so.

[Jairus]

I give up, you win.

All my years of art and studying perspective are now shot to hell. Guess I had better go sign up for a seeing eye dog then. (Explains why nobody will hire me...)

[Cheater]

Jairus,

Please, this is not a win or lose proposition.

I've been interested in this raid since I was ten or eleven years old and have read a large part of the historical record concerning it. And, as mentioned, I have met and conversed with an actual participant and flight leader.

I don't claim that Trudgian didn't exercise any "artistic license"; all artists do in one way or another.

I was just rebutting some of your "facts", my friend.

[Cheater]

Well, that was fast! Isn't email great?

I have received a reply from Nicolas Trudgian, after I sent him a link to this thread:

Hi Greg,

Many thanks for contacting me and for your very kind comments about my work.

I do try to make my paintings accurate and to that end enjoy the help of a small band of friends who know much more than I do. It's never possible to make everything perfect but it is my aim.

If your friends have any questions about the accuracy of the pictures I would welcome their feedback and pass it on to those that help me. If we have made a mistake it'll mean we get it right next time!

Thank you again.

With kind regards,

Nick Trudgian

What a nice reply!

Jairus, if you wanna discuss his work and technique, artist-to-artist, I'll hook you up. Lemme know.

[68Caddy]

All I can say is thanks for posting this subject matter, sure it was a sad times, I should know after all I was born in a refuge camp after the war!

Love the artwork he did, after all its great art, and I'm glad that this paintings are done to capture the moment in that time.

Have to say I always loved the paintings on the noose cones of the war planes back then. GIRLS...

Nesta

[Cheater]

I was delighted to receive a further reply regarding this wonderful artwork. I had replied to Nick that I posted his first response to this thread.

Hi Greg,

Thank you very much for your kind support of Nick's work. Nick's reply to your email was typically modest and self-effacing. In fact, he and his colleagues do a collosal amount of research for each painting before the design is finalised, including, when possible, speaking to veterans who flew on the missions. Interestingly, sometimes the veterans' recollections contradict the history books, in which case Nick has to decide for the best!

Every possible effort is made to ensure technical accuracy and to combine this with portraying the 'atmosphere' of the event too. Nick's most recent release, 'Target London' was described by Hajo Herrmann KCOS, who flew in the raids over London, as "the best Luftwaffe bomber painting I have ever seen... it captures the atmosphere exactly".

Nick has written in detail in his books 'Air Combat Legends Volume I' and 'Air Combat Legends Volume II' about the facts surrounding the portrayed events and his research and subsequent design decisions. With regard to the Dambusters painting for instance, this was the first aviation painting to portray the part of the mission when three of the Lancasters flew over the dam after it had been breached. Most of the Lancasters had flown over the dam in single file, with enough separation to allow the waves caused by the previous bomb to settle so as not to deflect the next bomb off course. My understanding is that after all but two of the Lancasters had completed their bomb runs, the dam remained unbreached. In desperation, to draw fire away from the penultimate Lancaster as it approached the dam, (probably) Guy Gibson bravely flew his Lancaster alongside. The dam was successfully breached and two Lancasters then drew fire by escorting the final Lancaster on its bomb-run. This is the moment which Nick painted.

Regarding perspective and proportions, Nick trained originally as a technical illustrator in the days before computers calculated what shape an object should be, when we used ellipse templates and very sharp pencils. He has used technical construction plus photos and models for every painting since. He was much in demand as an advertising illustrator for his ability to construct a totally convincing scene out of nothing.

As Nick said, mistakes can be made, but it's not for lack of effort! Ultimately, the priority is to produce a picture that is attractive enough for people to enjoy seeing it on their walls.

I hope I have answered some of the queries posted in your forum. Thank you very much to your forum members for their comments and interest. If any of your forum members have any further questions it might be possible for me to provide more information.

Kind regards to all,

Ruth Wollen
Nicolas Trudgian Ltd
uk@nicolastrudgian.com

[Joe Mig]

This is a special day for my dad and if my dad were around he would know as he was a WWII Vet and his passion for the WWII aircraft was never-ending. It was my dad who started H.A.R.P at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. (RIP Dad.)

See the link:

Veterans and Volunteers Rebuild Classic War Planes

The artwork speaks words that you can't even explain.

[Uncle Fred]

An old friend of mine, Mike Patlin, supplies historic aircraft for films. Mike may have even slot raced a little in the late '60s.

Check this out:

Airpower Aviation