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Closing the Gap
by Robert Taylor
| August 1944, RAF Typhoons of 247 Squadron, armed with rockets and 20mm cannon launch a series of devastating attacks against the German Seventh Army and Fifth Panzer Army in the Falaise Gap. The German units had been almost completely surrounded by advancing allied ground forces, and contained within an area bounded by the four towns of Trun, Argentan, Vimoutiers and Chambois near Falaise. The Germans began their retreat by the only remaining route, through the Falaise Gap, whereupon the allies began a sustained air assault in an attempt to prevent their escape, and with deadly results. On a single day the Typhoons would destroy 175 German tanks. |
| Overall size: 25¼" x 35" | Available in the following editions |
| 350 | Limited edition | Signed by three Typhoon pilots - low inventory | $320 |
| 300 | Typhoon edition | Signed by Ten Typhoon pilots -low inventory | $425 |
| 25 | Typhoon edition A/P | As above - Sold out | |
| 95 | Normandy Veterans | As above plus 10 British Army veterans of the Normandy Campaign - Sold out | |
| 15 | Knights Cross ed. | As above with original pencil drawing signedby six German tank crew. - Sold out | |
| 5 | Wittmann proof | With original drawing signed by 29 German tank crew, matted with Wittmann signature. - Sold out | |
| Limited edition signatures | ||
| Squadron Leader Percival Beake DFC | Warrant Officer John 'Abe' Lincoln | Warrant Officer Jack Hodges DFC |
| Typhoon edition signatures | ||
| Squadron Leader Percival Beake DFC | Warrant Officer John 'Abe' Lincoln | Warrant Officer Jack Hodges DFC |
| Warrant Officer Doug Oram | Sqdn. Ldr. Basil 'Stapme' Stapleton DFC | Flight Lt. Sir John Atkinson KCB DFC |
| Pilot Officer 'Rusty' Townsend | Flying Officer Kenneth ‘Junior’ Kneen | Flying Officer Frank Wheeler DFC |
| Air Commodore Kit North -Lewis DSO DFC | ||
| The Signatories |
| Squadron Leader Percival Beake DFC Joining the RAFVR in April 1939, Percival Beake was mobilised at the outbreak of war. Posted to 64 Squadron on Spitfires in the Summer of 1940 at the height of the Battle of Britain, he flew with them until June 1941 when he was posted to 92 Squadron at Biggin Hill, and then 601 Squadron at Duxford. After a spell instructing he returned for his second tour in December 1942, joing 193 Squadron as a Flight Commander. In May 1944 he took command of 164 Squadron at Thorney Island flying Typhoons, moving to France shortly after the Normandy invasion. With two victories to his credit he was awarded the DFC in September 1944. Following the Battle of Normandy, 164 Squadron moved forward through Northern France and Belgium in support of the 21st Army Group. |
| Warrant Officer Doug Oram Doug Oram joined the RAF in 1942 and went to the USA to train. In 1944 he joined 174 Typhoon Squadron at Westhampnett, and spent a year on operations serving throughout occupied Europe. He left the RAF in 1946, but rejoined in 1947 and retired in 1967. |
| Flight Lieutenant Sir John Atkinson KCB DFC John Atkinson joined the RAF in 1938, training as a pilot. In 1940 he was posted first to 234 Squadron on Spitfires, and then 609 Squadron. In 1942 the Squadron converted to Typhoons, launching fighter operations over France. Awarded the DFC after his tour ended he went on to become a flying instructor until the war was over. He was knighted in 1979. |
| Flying Officer Kenneth ‘Junior’ Kneen Training overseas, on arriving back in the UK Ken was posted to Holland joining 175 Squadron flying Typhoons. The squadron at this time being heavily engaged in low-level bombing strikes against rail and armoured targets along the Dutch-German border. He remained with the squadron until the end of the war, then joined the RAFVR. |
| Air Commodore D.C. Kit North-Lewis DSO DFC Joining the Army, 'Kit' North-Lewis transferred to the RAF in 1940. In August 1941 he was posted to 13 Squadron flying Blenheims, and then to 26 Squadron on P-51 Mustangs. In February 1944 he joined 182 Squadron as a Flight Commander on Typhoons. A few months later he was posted to command 181 Squadron, which he led into France after D-Day as part of 124 Typhoon Wing. In August 1944 he was promoted to Wing Leader of 124 Wing, which he commanded until the end of the war. |
| Warrant Officer Jack Hodges DFC Jack Hodges joined the RAF in late 1940, and after completing his pilot training in Canada he returned to England and was briefly sent to a photo reconnaissance unit flying Spitfires. He moved to an OTU in Scotland on Hurricanes before finally moving to a holding unit in Redhill, flying Typhoons. In 1944 he was posted to join 175 Squadron. Shortly after, he moved to 174 Squadron at Westhampnett. He served on operations throughout occupied Europe until the end of the war, being awarded the DFC in 1945 for successfully leading a group of Typhoons against a German Armoured Division. |
| Warrant Officer John 'Abe' Lincoln Born in 1923, 'Abe' Linoln joined the RAF in August 1942, spending two years training in India and Rhodesia. After training he was posted back to the UK, flying first Spitfires then on Typhoons with 175 Squadron. The squadron was by then heavily envolved with softening up targets with rockets ahead of the army's advance, and close support duties as the Allies advanced through France into Germany. He remained with the squadron until the end of the war. |
| Squadron Leader Basil 'Stapme' Stapleton DFC 'Stapme' was flying Spitfires with 603 Squadron at the outbreak of war, and flew with them throughout the Battle of Britain, becoming an Ace with seven victories. In 1942 he flew Hurricanes for the Merchant Ship Fighter Unit on Atlantic convoys, before joining 257 Squadron as Flight Commander on Typhoons. In August 1944 he was given command of the squadron , taking part in operations around Arnhem. In December 1944 he was shot down while attacking a train, and taken prisoner. |
| Pilot Officer 'Rusty' Townsend Australian 'Rusty' Townsend joined the RAF in 1941, trained in the USA before returning to join 175 Squadron on rocket-firing Typhoons at Warmwell. Being in the thick of the action over France against retreating German forces, he was shot down and taken prisoner. |
| Flying Officer Frank Wheeler DFC Posted to join 174 Typhoon Squadron at Westhampnett, Frank's first operation was as part of the escort for Mosquitos taking part in Operation Jericho, the Amiens jailbreak. He took part in the operations around the Falaise Gap, and flew with the squadron until the end of the war, by which time he had completed 1,123 ops. and had been awarded the DFC. |