QUEEN OF THE SKY - Original Oil on Canvas

With dusk approaching, the tranquillity of a snow-clad English countryside reverberates to the sound of Pratt & Whitney radial engines as the B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 350th Bomb Squadron, 100th Bomb Group make their final approach to Thorpe Abbotts airfield after a mission during the winter of 1944.

When the prototype of Boeing’s new B-17 bomber took to the air for the first time a keen-eyed reporter from the Seattle Times described the impressive-looking machine bristling with machine-gun positions as a ‘flying fortress’. The name stuck, but few could have foreseen that within a decade of that maiden flight some 12,730 such machines would have been built, the majority of them serving in the forefront of the U.S. Eighth Air Force’s tough and deadly daylight bombing campaign to defeat Hitler and the Nazi regime in Europe.

For some of those who flew this sleek, graceful yet deadly machine they had another name for the Flying Fortress – the Queen of the Sky; the title that renowned aviation artist Anthony Saunders gives to his spectacular painting. Earning the nickname 'The Bloody Hundredth' due to the heavy losses they suffered, Anthony has fittingly chosen the 100th Bomb Group to represent all those who flew B-17s so heroically with the Eighth Air Force in England during World War II.

Against a stunning snow-clad landscape we see B-17 ‘Heaven Sent’ and other Flying Fortresses of the 100th BG (350BS) on final approach to their base at Thorpe Abbots in Norfolk after a mission during the bitterly cold winter of 1944. The weary crews of will soon be enjoying a few hours of warm, well-deserved relaxation.

"I've been on a few short breaks with my family to the North Norfolk coast. Each time we go I stop at the small octagonal All Saints Church at Thorpe Abbots. It's a very interesting place, which I knew was near the 100th bomb Group air field. When I did a bit more research into the area, I realised that the church was just a couple of hundred yards away from the main base, and so a perfect excuse to work it into the painting.

Working out a composition for a landscape painting can be quite a long process and by the time I was happy with it, the unique church at Thorpe Abbots was pushed some way back; but if you look carefully the unique corners of the church are there." - Anthony Saunders

✅ This powerful original painting, created with oil on canvas, is now proudly on display at our Steventon gallery.

🌎 Available now to collect or fully-insured worldwide shipping!