Coup
de Grace by Michael Rondot
30th
January 1991. Day 14 of Operation Desert Storm, and ships
of the Iraqi navy make a desperate dash for the northern waters
of the Persian Gulf and sanctuary in Iranian waters. Only
a few of them will make it through the gauntlet of Allied
air-power lying in wait to attack any surface contacts.
Already on fire amidships after being attacked by US Navy
aircraft, this Polnocny C class landing ship has fallen prey
to a pair of rocket and cannon-armed Jaguars only a few miles
from the mouth of the Shatt-al-Arab waterway in southern Iraq.
The Jaguars, led by Wing Commander Bill Pixton AFC, make a
low pass to confirm the identity of the ship and turn away
to position for their attack that will leave the Polnocny
sinking, ablaze from end to end.
'Coup
de Grace' portrays the incident as it unfolds, capturing the
moment when the Jaguar flight leader looks back over his shoulder
at the burning ship and prepares to attack. The Jaguars will
unleash four pods of CRV-7 rockets onto their target and then
re-attack with 30mm cannon before returning to base at the
end of a harrowing 3-hour mission.
Heavily
armed, and using Victor tankers to in-flight refuel, RAF Jaguars
often flew combat air patrols over the northern Persian Gulf
from their base at Al-Muharraq, Bahrain, during the first
weeks of Operation Desert Storm.
Their task was to seek and destroy Iraqi army and naval targets,
or to locate and to suppress enemy AAA during rescue missions
for downed Allied airmen. The results were invariably the
same: the targets were hit, and the Jaguars, despite coming
under fire, returned safely home.
Michael
Rondot flew on some of these missions. His first hand experiences
add a unique authenticity to his paintings, bringing to life
the drama of war witnessed from the air. Each print is signed
and numbered, and countersigned by the two pilots who took
part in the attack. Wing Commander Bill Pixton AFC, the Commanding
Officer of the RAF Gulf Jaguar Detachment, and his wingman,
Flight Lieutenant Pete Tholen add their signatures to enhance
the value of this strictly limited single edition.
|
Signatories
Wg
Cdr Bill Pixton AFC
Commanding Officer of the RAF Gulf Jaguar Detachment
and his wingman, Flt Lt Pete Tholen
|
Coup
de Grace by Michael Rondot
Print
size: 25 x 19ins approx
| Primary |
Edition
size: 500 |
Price: £95.00 |
| Artist Proof |
Edition
size: 50 |
Price: £150.00 |
| Remarque |
Edition
size: |
Price: £235.00 |
PRINT
TERMINOLOGY
- see below |
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