Be part of the action as you piece together this puzzle, featuring a detailed section of Alan Moore’s painting Attack by No. 3 and 450 Squadrons on enemy shipping near Venice.

The product:

• Premium boxed puzzle
• Full-colour image printed on premium quality card
• 1,000 pieces
• Finished jigsaw size: 58.4 cm (h) x 73.6 cm (w) x 0.2 cm (d), Box size: 22.5 cm (h) x 35.1 cm (w) x 4.5 cm (d) 
• Recommended for ages 12+
• Exclusive to the Memorial Shop

The story:

Painted after the Second World War, Moore depicts an attack by Mustang and Kittyhawk aircraft from No. 3 and 450 Squadrons, Royal Australian Air Force, against shipping installations in Venice during the campaign in Italy in March 1945. 

This airborne attack sank a 35,000-tonne merchant ship, a torpedo boat and a coastal vessel, and blew away much of the west quay, destroying five large waterfront warehouses. By the end of the month, largely as a result of the dominance which the aircraft had attained over Italy, no target could be adequately defended against them, and no movement of enemy troops or supplies over a very large area was possible without danger of surprise attack by the aircraft. On 2 May 1945 all German forces in Italy and western Austria surrendered.   

The original artwork is held in the Memorial's National Collection - view it here.

Artwork credit: Alan Moore. Attack by No. 3 and 450 Squadrons on enemy shipping near Venice. 1968. Oil with scratching in on canvas on hardboard. 153 x 274.6 cm. Australian War Memorial, Canberra. ART27619.

Note: The original artwork has been cropped to fit the puzzle.