A
spectacular painting paying tribute to the courage and resolve
of the Luftwaffe fighter pilots of World War Two, all of whom
flew combat without respite, some surviving more than five
years of continual air fighting to record thousands of combat
missions.
350 signed & numbered with 4 signatures
All prints in every edition are issued with a matching-numbered
copy of Nicolas Trudgian’s color companion print ‘Kings
Cliffe Lightning’ signed by a top P38 Ace.
A P-38 Lightning from the 20th Fighter Group based at Kings
Cliffe, England, during the summer of 1944. The Lightning,
with its radical twin-engine, twin boom design, dubbed by
the Germans 'the fork-tailed devil', was one of the toughest,
hard-hitting and most versatile fighters of its day.
Overall print size: 11 1/2" wide x
9" high.
*Note: Further copies of 'Kings Cliffe Lightning may be issued
with a future release bearing a different pilot signature.
Nobody, least of all Allied aircrew, ever doubted the tenacity
of the Luftwaffe, more particularly that of the German fighter
pilots. From the early encounters during the Battle of Britain
to the great air battles in defense of their homeland late
in the war, at all times they were held in high regard, even
if resented as a foe. At no time was their dedication, determination,
and courage better demonstrated than during the final stages
of World War Two.
By the summer of 1944 the Allies had gained a foothold in
Normandy, and total air superiority above northern France.
German installations and ground positions were being pounded
daily from the air, and the Ruhr, the heartland of industrial
Germany, was under constant siege. Even the factories in southern
Germany were not safe from the attentions of the USAAF bombers
by day, and the RAF by night. But in spite of the pressures
of mounting losses and diminished supplies, the Luftwaffe
fought doggedly on in best traditions of the fighter pilot.
The morning of 19 July 1944 saw the USAAF's 8th and 15th
Air Forces mount an attack of awesome proportion against the
aircraft factories in the region Munich. To combat a seemingly
overwhelming force of 1400 bombers and almost as many fighter
escorts, the Luftwaffe were able to put up just three Gruppen
from JG300 and one from JG302, flying a mix of Me109G's and
Fw190's - barely 50 serviceable fighters between them. They
were joined by a dozen Me109's of II./JG27, these fighters
desperately trying to defend the very factories in which they
were made.
In a beautiful and symbolic painting, Nicolas Trudgian shows
the Messerschmitt Me109G's of II./JG27, sporting their sage
green 'Defense of the reich' markings, returning to base at
Fels am Wagram after the ferocious combat fought on that warm
summer day. A P-38 Lightning, one of 47 Allied aircraft brought
down during the air fighting, lies crash-landed in the spectacular
Bavarian countryside, testimony to the fact that this is
still very much "Messerschmitt Country". |
|
Overall print
size: 31 3/4” wide x 23 1/2” high.
Image size: 25 1/4” wide x 16”
high.
| Messerschmitt
Country by Nicolas Trudgian |
| 350 s/n prints w/FOUR
signatures. |
US $170 |
|
| 25 Portfolio Artist Proofs w/FIVE
signatures. |
SOLD OUT |
| 50 Portfolio Remarques w/FIVE signatures. |
SOLD OUT |
Oberleutnant Siegfried
Bethke
Siegfried Bethke joined the Luftwaffe
in 1935 and was posted to II./JG2 shortly before the Battle
of France. During the Battle of Britain he was Staffelkapitan
of 2./JG2, and by the end of 1940 his tally of victories had
reached 10. He later flew on the famous Channel Dash operation,
but a serious accident soon after halted his flying career.
Siegfried Bethke was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class,
he had a total of 14 victories.
 Oberleutnant
Günther Seeger
In February 1940 Günther Seeger
was a Unteroffizier with 3./JG-2, scoring his first victory
in the early days of the Battle of Britain. He served on the
Channel Front until December 1942, including several months
with the Geschwaderstabsschwarm. He transferred to the Mediterranean
theater with II./JG-2 before joining 6./JG-53. In February
1943 he joined 7./JG-53 becoming Staffelkapitan in September
1944. Awarded the Knight's Cross, Günther Seeger scored
56 victories.
 Oberleutnant
Ernst Scheufele
Joining the Luftwaffe in October
1940, Ernst Scheufele went straight into pilot training. On
gaining his wings he was posted, in June 1942, to 4./JG5 in
Norway. There, flying the Messerschmidt Bf109, he carried
out a total 67 escort missions for the Bismarck and Prinz
Eugen, and later for the Tirpitz. In October 1943 he joined
II./JG5, flying over Arctic waters, in Finland, and on the
Russian Front, before transferring in June 1944 to defense
of the Reich. On 3 December 1944 he was shot down by an American
flak battery near Saxony, wounded and taken prisoner. He had
scored a total of 18 victories.
Colonel Darrell
G. Welch
(Companion Print ‘Kings Cliffe
Lightning')
Commisioned in 1941, Darrell Welch
was assigned to the 27th Squadron of the 1st Fighter Group,
which became the first squadron to be equipped with the new
P-38 Lightning. Arriving in England in August 1942, the 1st
Fighter Group was part of a large American force despatched
to Algiers in November for the North African campaign, where
he made his first kill in January 1943 while escorting B17s
over Tripoli. A few months later, whilst leading the 27th
on a big intercept mission, Welch became an Ace when he notched
up a further three victories in the space of just twenty-five
minutes, bringing his tally up to five confirmed victories.
He later saw service in the Pacific, and retired the service
in 1970.
|
Major