Art and the Futility of War
Art is in many forms. These are products of my imagination, but each tells a chilling story, a reminder of the futility of war. These works relate to the Strategic Air Offensive against Nazi Germany from 1939-1945. Each is of particular relevance to me; they tell part of my family's need to deal with an aggressor and the terrifying price paid by both, indeed, all sides.
In the first painting, we see the Searchlights Probing the Night Sky over Koblenz, in the Rheinland Pfalz. The air offensive resulted in the obliteration of Koblenz on 6 November 1944, and by the end of the War in Europe on 8 May 1945, only 20 percent of the city remained. I have very close ties with Koblenz and Düsseldorf, a blessing indeed.
In the second painting, the title needs no further explanation ~ Berlin ~ A Rain of Fire 1944. Again, Berlin is very close to my heart as I was stationed at RAF Gatow in Berlin in 1990 for a short commandant posting with what was then the Air Training Corps.
This dovetails with the third painting entitled Berlin 1944 ~ Maximum Effort Lancasters Over the Reichstag. I was honoured to give a toast in one of the Ante-Chambers of the beautifully restored Reichstag on my command's behalf, to the German People.
The fourth painting comes closer to home for me personally ... entitled Avro Lancaster Disintegrating Over Hamburg. A city I always find to be peaceful, warm, and affectionate.
The final painting is perhaps the most evocative ... entitled Mid-Air Collision Two Avro Lancasters over Pfaffenhausen, das Beyern, Deutschland am 16-17 Januar. 1945.
This last relates to PB402 LQ-M (my uncle's aircraft) in collision with KB850 WL-O.
Why am I moved to create these pieces?
It is my way of communicating to us all, the absolute terror, for both sides, when one man unleashes an unprovoked war, just like another man did in September 1939 and which resulted in a Nation's absolute resolve just across the English Channel that when all had fallen beside them, to remain standing, firm, and then to do the most awful thing of all ... to wage total war and to bring about total destruction.
They are deliberately abstract. A myriad thoughts race through our minds, often images, distorted, imperfect, but nonetheless, conveying genuine sentiment.
Yes, war is futile, but when an aggressor seizes lands and seas, the aggressor deserves to be pushed back to their borders with such ferocity that they will not dare to chance their hand again.
3 September 2023
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© 2023 Eyes to the Skies
First written February 2023
