Graf Spee

German Pocket Battleship the Graf Spee, naval art print by Randall Wilson.

Admiral Graf Spee enters Montevideo by Ivan Berryman Showing visible signs of her tangle with British cruisers at the Battle of the River Plate, the German pocket battleship Graf Spee slips into the neutral waters of the Montevideo roadstead accompanied by the Uruguayan gunboat Rio Negro for light repairs. (Damage can be seen on the hull and behind the Conning tower ) . This was to be the last haven for the Graf Spee which was later scuttled at the harbour mouth, her commander Kapitan zur See Langsdorff believing a large British fleet to be waiting for attempted escape into the South Atlantic.

The Battle of the River Plate by Randall Wilson Under attack from HMS Ajax, HMS Exeter and HMS Archilles. The German Pocket battleship Graf Spee os shown at speed returning salvos, December 1939.

Admiral Graf Spee by Ivan Berryman showing visible signs of her tangle with British cruisers at the Battle of the River Plate, the German pocket battleship Graf Spee slips into the neutral waters of the Montevideo roadstead for light repairs. This was to be the last haven for the Graf Spee which was later scuttled at the harbour mouth, her commander Kapitan zur See Langsdorff believing a large British fleet to be waiting for attempted escape into the South Atlantic.
The Graf Spee by Simon Atack With war but a few months old, the German pocket-battleship Graf Spee was roaming the South Atlantic trade routes sinking British merchant shipping with impunity. Within a few weeks, under the wily captain Hans Langsdorf, the battleship had sunk or captured merchantmen totalling over 50,000 tons, without loss of life to either side. Commodore Henry Harwood hunted Graf Spee down, his three Royal Navy cruisers engaging the battleship on 13th of December 1939, in what became the Battle of the River Plate. During the two hour engagement, in which two British cruisers were badly damaged, Graf Spee had also been hit, and put into the neutral port of Montevideo for repairs. Believing Harwoods force to be larger than it was, trapped in port, Langsdorf scuttled the great warship in the harbour. It was the Royal Navy's first major coup of the war.The painting shows Graf Spee making her way through a choppy cross-current as she leaves the German port of Wilhelmshaven for final trials just a few weeks before the outbreak of war in September 1939.

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ARTIST
Featured Artist - Ivan Berryman

Ivan Berryman - Battle of Britain Art

Artist Ivan Berryman has been producing many pencil drawings depicting scenes from the Battle of Britain. Each of these is signed by one of the pilots who was actually present at the battle, and is often inspired by the events they took part in themselves. Special signed print editions have also been created from existing full colour print editions, with some featuring multiple pilot signatures. You can find all of Ivan's Battle of Britain artwork on his website - www.ivanberryman.com, or see a full list of pencil drawings - updated regularly, in our dedicated section of pencil drawings.

When you go to a product page for an item in our shop, click on the names of the pilots where they are linked in the text for an item to see a profile page for that pilot. Often we include photos of signing sessions along with details of their flying career, and a full list of all items signed by the pilot.

Pilot Signed Battle of Britain Prints and Original Pencil Drawings

Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain

We are busy building up a portfolio of many many original pencil drawings which depict events from the Battle of Britain, the famous air battle won by 'the Few' in the summer of 1940. The British and Commonwealth pilots defended the air above Britain and the surrounding seaways from the might of the German Luftwaffe. Greatly outnumbered, the bravery of these young pilots saved the country from invasion, and let Britain survive to go on to defeat Germany. Without that first crucial victory, the outcome of the war could have been so very different. We have been busy arranging signing sessions with the few pilots who fought in that great battle who remain with us to this day. Our newly commissioned pencil drawings are often based on the descriptions of the battle by these great men, and are authenticated by their signatures. We have also had several editions of existing prints signed in full, or have signatures added to parts of existing editions. We have also incoporated signatures of some of the German pilots who also took part in the battle, some of whom went on to become top scoring aces of the war. See our Original Pencil Drawings Section - particularly the section of artists David Pentland and Ivan Berryman. Also, see our New Signature Editions section to see all of our newly signed editions.

DETAIL IMAGES

More of the best in naval art from our database :
The Graf Spee by Simon Atack (B)	The Battle of the River Plate by Randall Wilson. (B)	US Steel by Randall Wilson. (P)