Back From Normandy by Nicolas Trudgian

Mk IX Spitfires of 126 Squadron, led by Wing Commander Pete Brothers, race back to RAF Culmhead after a low-level attack on enemy transport in Normandy, June 1944.

Like the Messerschmitt 109, its great adversary throughout almost six years of aerial combat, the Spitfire was a fighter par excellence. Good as many other types may have been, these two aircraft became symbols of the two opposing air forces they represented. Their confrontation, which began in 1940 during the Battle of Britain, continued without interruption until the last days of World War Two.

From an air force teetering on extinction in the dark days of 1940, by the summer of 1944 the pilots of RAF Fighter Command had fought their way back to become top dogs. And when the invasion of northern France came, they swept over the beaches in force, cutting deep into enemy occupied territory, hammering the enemy in the air and on the ground. Key to this air superiority was the supreme performance of the Spitfire, its ability to out-fly the Luftwaffe's best, and the leadership of the pilots who had survived the early air battles of the war.

Among the best was 26 year old Pete Brothers, by 1944 a highly successful and experienced fighter pilot commanding his own Wing. Having fought through the battles of France and Britain, now with a clutch of air victories to his credit, in 1944 he took command of first the Exeter Wing, and then the Culmhead Wing, ideally placed to support the coming invasion of Normandy.

Nick Trudgian's striking painting recreates a typical scene as Mk IX Spitfires of 126 Squadron, led by Wing Commander Pete Brothers flying his Mk VII Spitfire wearing high altitude paint scheme, race back to RAF Culmhead after a low-level attack on enemy transport in Normandy. The Culmhead Spitfire Wing flew constant armed "Rhubarb" attacks in support of the invasion from D-Day - June 6 1944 - till the first improvised strips were established in France a few weeks following the invasion.

This beautiful aviation print, contrasting the frenetic pace of war with a restful English coastal landscape, evokes the memory of a legendary fighter aircraft that, flown by gallant pilots, helped change the course of history. Prints are signed by Pete Brothers and two other pilots who flew Spitfires in combat during World War II.

Overall print size: 30 1/2" wide x 23 1/2" high.

Image size: 24" wide x 16" high.

Back From Normandy by Nicolas Trudgian
500 s/n prints w/THREE signatures.	US $175

Each print of BACK FROM NORMANDY is hand signed by THREE highly distinguished pilots who flew Spitfires during the summer of 1944.

Air Commodore Peter Brothers CBE DSO DFC*
Pete Brothers joined the RAF in 1936, and flew as a flight commander in the great air battles over France and Dunkirk. During the Battle of Britain he flew with Bob Stanford Tuck at 257 Squadron. In mid-1941 he was promoted and took command of 457 Squadron (RAAF) in the Kenley Wing on Spitfires. When 457 Squadron returned to Australia he took command of 602 Squadron, which he led over Dieppe. In October 1942 Peter was appointed Spitfire Wing Leader of the Culmhead Spitfire Wing, which he led during D-Day, and the Normandy invasion. One of the RAFs leading Aces, he finished the war with 16 victories.

Lieutenant General Baron Mike Donnet CVO DFC
After escaping from Belgium in a biplane and joining the RAF, Mike Donnet was posted to 64 Squadron, flying Spitfires, eventually becoming Squadron Commander. He took part in the operations against the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau during the Channel Dash, and in the air battles over Dieppe. In March 1944 he took command of 350 (Belgian) Squadron flying Spitfire MK Vs, leading the squadron at D-Day, and later at Arnhem. Appointed Wing Leader at Hawkinge, and later Wing Leader at Bentwaters flying Mustangs, where he led the escort to the Mosquito attack on the Gestapo Headquarters in Copenhagen. Mike Donnet had 3 air victories, 2 probables and 6 damaged.

Squadron Leader Arthur 'Joe' Leigh DFC DFM
Joining the RAFVR in April 1939, Joe was called up at the outbreak of war, flying Spitfires in the Battle of Britain, first with 64 Squadron at Biggin Hill, moving to 611 Squadron in November 1940. By September 1941, Leigh had destroyed two Me109s, and probably destroyed another four. Commissioned in October 1941, he was posted to Gibraltar in April 1943 to fly Hurricanes to Cairo. In July he returned to the UK, joining 56 Squadron on Typhoons at Manston, but was shot down by flak near Calais. He baled out and was rescued by an ASR launch. In September 1943 he was posted to 129 Squadron at Hornchurch, first on Spitfires IXs, and converting to Mustangs shortly before D-Day. 'Joe' Leigh had 4 victories, 5 probables (all Me109s), and 4 damaged.