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Mosquito Magic. Flypast Magazine Article from August 1993 featuring two of Ivan Berryman's Mosquito aircraft prints. |
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WHEN DE HAVILAND built the DH.98 Mosquito it did so as an act of the purest faith in
its design since the Air Ministry had already dismissed the company's proposal for the
all-wood aircraft as impractical and unworkable.
When E-0234 first flew on November 25, 1940, it demonstrated remarkably smooth handling characteristics and its speed, as expected, was outstanding. Here at last was a bomber which, in a straight line, could outfly even the Spitfire, giving rise to such nicknames as Wooden Wonder, and succinctly, The Aeroplane. It was soon realised that with such an aircraft many new possibilities were open to the RAF. among them the chance to initiate precision raids whereupon carefully selected, isolated targets could be attacked with pinpoint accuracy. Just such a raid took place on February 18, 1944. involving 18 Mosquitos of 464 and 487 Squadrons in an operation on the jail at Amiens, France, where a large number of the French resistance were being held for questioning by the Gestapo. It was thought unlikely that any of them would survive the ordeal at the hands of their inquisitors and it was considered more sensible to try to aid their escape by breaching the prison walls, even if it meant that some of the prisoners might be killed in the process. An accurate model of the jail and the nearby town was constructed and each pilot viewed the model from eye level to familiarise himself with the view that he would get from a planned height of 50ft (1 5m). With this knowledge and some carefully selected reference points such as church spires and chimneys, the Mosquitos, led by G/C Charles Pickard, were able to brush over the rooftops of the town and deliver thei r bombs with incredible accuracy, breaching the prison walls in four places. In all, 258 prisoners escaped in the ensuing chaos and were quickly spirited away by other resistance groups waiting outside. Sadly, a number of French prisoners were killed in the raid, and added to the losses on the day was G/C Pickard himself who fell victim to marauding Focke Wulf Fw 190s However, the raid was a tremendous success.and further precision attacks using the Mosquito were carried out throughout 1944 and 1945, each one making its own significant contribution to the downward turn in the fortunes of Hitler's Reich.
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PATH FINDER FORCE - 8 (PFF) Group was created within the structure of Bomber Command during World War Two. charged with the awesome task of pinpointing and marking key German ~ in m~ for attack by the main bomber force which, by the very nature of rts nocturnal operations. needed clear and accurate indicators upon which to release
its deadly cargo of high explosive. Fraught with enormous difficulties arid perhaps the most surprising aspect of the PFF is that it was made up almost entirely of volunteers and was widely regarded as the elite of the elite within Bomber Command - a fact made even more staggering by the slim chances of any aircrew ever completing the 60 sorties tour of operations that was asked of them. Nevertheless, the PFF was never short of gallant volunteers and such was the pride within the group that to be posted away to other operations was regarded as a downward step. Shining the Way depicts a typical de Havilland Mosquito B.1X of the Light Night Striking Force, PFF, bomb doors closing, beginning a turn to starboard having dropped a cluster of green Christmas Tree markers over the target area where already the first wave of bombers has done its work. Clear moonlit nights such as these were much-feared by the aircrews as the combined light of the moon, their own brilliant flares and the enemy searchlights afforded them little sanctuary from the many flak batteries placed around potential targets. -------------------------------------------------------------- |
BORN in Shoreham, Sussex. in 1958. lvan Berryman moved to the Isle of Wight with his family in 1964 when his father began work for the fledgling Britten Norman aircraft
company, having worked for both Miles Aircraft and Beagle, based at Shoreham Airport. Ivan studied in state education and, although demonstrating a promising artistic ability, chose not to go to art college, but to pursue a career in photography instead, concentrating his attentions on commercial and industrial subjects and specialising in aircraft. Discovering in the late 1970s that demand for his meticulous paintings was greater than the demand for his skills as a photographer, Ivan made the transition to full time artist, selling mainly aviation paintings to many of the contacts and publishers with whom he had built up strong, professional relationships through his photography. Gradually, his work has become well known and highly acclaimed in these specialised circles and in recent years he has been widely published. A fruitful relationship was formed in 1991 with Kent-based publisher Noel
Tatt which has led to a vast selection of fine art greetings cards and an ever-growing portfolio of quality limited
edition prints. |
The Mosquito Prints |
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