The Homecoming by Robert Taylor

After the fall of France the German Kriegsmarine were quick to seize control of the ports in the north west, and from the summer of 1940 onwards they enjoyed free access to the busy merchant shipping lanes of the Atlantic. Brest provided an important naval dockyard and arsenal for the German navy, and together with Lorient and St. Nazaire, became base to the U-boat submarine fleets that roamed the Atlantic.

The importance of the naval facilities in the region made the occupied French ports a favorite target for RAF and USAAF bombers, requiring the area of north-west France to become one of the most heavily defended until neutralized by the Allied invasion in 1944.

In 1942 the Focke Wulf FW190s of III./JG2, under the command of Major "Assi" Hahn, formed part of the massive aerial defenses. Based at Morlaix 40 miles northeast of Brest, the JG2 pilots were in constant action against raiding bomber and fighter forces based in England. Robert Taylor's painting - reproduced as his final print of the millennium - recreates a scene from the period: Returning from an evening coastal sweep, Fw190 pilots of JG2 make a low pass to welcome home the type VII U-boats of the 9th Submarine Flotilla as they sail into the calm waters of the Brest Roads. Relaxed now, but weary from an arduous period of action in the North Atlantic, the U-boat crews wave acknowledgement to the aerial salute from their Luftwaffe comrades.

Overall print size: 34 1/4" wide x 23 3/8" high.

A limited edition print by Robert Taylor featuring Fw190s of JG2 with U-boats, at Brest, 1942.

The Homecoming by Robert Taylor
600 signed and numbered prints with SIX signatures.	SOLD OUT
60 Artist's Proofs with SIX signatures.	US $750

Each print in the edition has been individually hand-signed by three leading Knight's Cross holders who flew the Fw190 in combat on the Western Front, and three distinguished U-boat captains, all Knight's Cross holders.

Adding great collectibility to Robert Taylor's final limited edition issue of the 20th Century, each print is individually signed by three U-boat captains and three distinguished Fw190 pilots from World War II.

The Signatures

Oberst Adolf Dickfeld
Joining I./JG52 in 1939, Adolf Dickfeld was posted to Russia with III./JG52 in 1941. A highly successful Ace - in May 1942 he scored 9 victories in a day on the 14th, and 11 in a day on the 18th. He was one of the first pilots to score 100 victories. Later with JG2 in North Africa and JG11 in 'Defense of the Reich', bringing his total to 136 victories. He was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.

Kapitanleutnant Siegfried Koitschka
Captain of U-boat U-616. Siegfried Koitschka's first patrol in the Atlantic was unsuccessful and U-616 was badly damaged in action. U-616 was badly damaged again in the Mediterranean after being depth-charged following an attack on two destroyers and a cruiser. In October 1943, Koitschka left Toulon to attack the Allied landings at Salerno, and sank the USS Buck on October 9, and two other ships. Eventually U-616 was sunk in May 1944 - Koitschka and 53 sailors survived and were taken prisoner. Siegfried Koitschka was awarded the Knight's Cross on January 27, 1944.

Oberleutnant Erhard Nippa
Erhard Nippa joined JG2 in 1942, serving firstly with 10./JG2 'Richthofen'. This was one of the Luftwaffe's most successful fighter bomber units attacking British coastal shipping in the English Channel. This unit was amalgamated with 15./SG210 at the end of 1942. Nippa then flew in the Mediterranean theater before joining II./SG10 in Russia. He was awarded the Knight's Cross in March 1944 for his successful sorties against ground and shipping targets. He flew over 300 combat missions.

Major Erich Rudorffer
Joining the Luftwaffe in 1938, Erich Rudorffer joined I./JG2 'Richthofen' in November 1939, and was soon flying combat patrols. He took part in Battle of France, and the Battle of Britain and became Adjudant of II./JG54 in Russia. In February 1945 he took command of I./JG7 flying the jet Me262. Erich Rudorffer was the master of multiple scoring - and achieved more multiple victories than any other pilot. This included 8 RAF aircraft in only 4 minutes. He ended the war with 222 victories in over 1000 missions and was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

Kapitanleutant Heinrich Schroeteler
Captain of U-667 and U-1023. Heinrich Schroeteler took command of U-667 in October, 1942 taking it on several Atlantic patrols. U-667 was heavily depth-charged several times but sank shipping totaling 18,000 tons. He later commanded U-1023 and was at sea on May 10, 1945 when received the order to surrender. Heinrich Schroeteler was awarded the Knight's Cross on May 2, 1945.

Korvettenkapitan Helmut Witte
Captain of U-boat U-159. After serving on the most successful patrol ever undertaken by a German submarine, Helmut Witte took command of U-159 operating from its base in Lorient. In May 1942 Witte took U-159 on patrol into the waters off Panama where he sank 10 ships. His third patrol took U-159 into the South Atlantic off Cape Town where he sunk 11 ships. He later became second in command of Germany's special naval forces. Helmut Witte was awarded the Knight's Cross on October 22, 1942.