Beaufighter (No. 307 Squadron RAF) Giclée Art Print

Original illustration of a Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, a twin-engine heavy fighter used by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Developed from the Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber, the Beaufighter was one of the heaviest fighters of its time, and was particularly lethal with four 20mm Hispano cannons and six .303 Browning machine guns. Depicted in this illustration if a Beaufighter Mk.IIF - a variant powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines rather than the 'typical' Bristol Hercules - in the colours of No. 307 (Polish) 'City of Lwow' Squadron, one of the many Polish squadrons that served in the British RAF throughout the war.

This particular Beaufighter, T3046 EW-D, was flown by pilot Władysław Illaszewicz and navigator Zbyszko Lissowski during the Exeter Blitz of April and May 1942. 307 Squadron - who at the time had only a handful of operational Beaufighters - were the city's only defence against heavy Luftwaffe raids. Illaszewicz and Lissowski together shot down two Ju88 bombers, and claimed another two as 'probables.' Their actions on the night of 4 May 1942 earned them both the British Distinguished Flying Cross and the Polish Virtuti Militari - the highest honour in the Polish military. Sadly, however, they did not survive the war, as they were lost at sea in July 1942.

The illustration was produced in partnership with the Polish Heritage Flight, which honours the memory of the Polish pilots who served with the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. You can learn more about them and their mission here.

This illustration by Tom Wisdom is a high quality Giclée art print on cotton-rich fine art paper.

12x16" print shown. Cropping and title position (if applicable) may differ slightly on 'A' size prints.