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Messerschmitt
Bf109, Me109. The Messerschmitt
fighter aircraft Me109 or Bf109 in aviation art prints by Graeme Lothian, Nicholas
Trudgian featuring German aces including Adolf Galland, Günther Rall,
Walter Wolfrum, Franz Woidich, Werner Hohenberg, Erwin Leykauf, Günther
Scholz, Erich Hartmann and Helmut Wick. Art prints available from
aviationprints.co.uk.
Willy Messerschmitt designed the BF109 during the early 1930's The
BF109 was one of the first all metal monocoque construction fighters
with a closed canopy and retractable undercarriage. During World
War Two the BF109 was the main fighter for the Luftwaffe until 1942 when
the FW190 entered service and shared this position. The BF109
scored more kills than any other fighter of any country during the war.
and was built in greater numbers with a total of over 31,000 aircraft
being built. The BF109 was flown by the three top German aces opf
the war war. Erich Hartmann with 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with
301 victories and Gunther Rall with 275 kills. All three Pilots
flew with Jagfgeschwader 52. The Messerschmitt BF109 was credited
with over 10,000 victories
Adolf
Galland / Messerschmitt Bf109 E-4 by Ivan Berryman Germany's primary
fighter during World War II, the Daimler-Benz DB601A-powered BF109E-4
was much loved by its pilots, combining good speed and manoeuvrability
with a powerful armament, namely two 7.9mm MG 17 machine guns in the
nose top decking, two wing-mounted 20mm MG FF canon and a further 20mm
MGFF/M canon mounted in the engine, firing centrally through the
propeller spinner.
The Last Patrol by David Pentland A pair of Bf109 G-14s of 9th
Staffel, Jagdgeswader 54 (Greenheart
Wing) make a final sortie during the last days of March 1945.
Caucasus Dawn by Graeme Lothian Günther Rall leading 111 JG52 squadron April 1943. Signed by four
top German aces: Walter Wolfrum, Franz Woidich, Gunther Rall, Werner
Hohenberg.
A Costly Victory by Stan Stokes. Gunther
Rall, who attained 275 confirmed aerial
victories, was the third highest scoring ace of all time. In Stans
dramatic painting Rall is about to have a mid-air collision with a
Lagg-5 during the Battle of Kursk on the Eastern Front. Rall would
survive this collision and continue to chalk-up victories until the end
of the war. Rall flew about 800 combat missions and missed nearly a year
of flying when he suffered a broken back. |
 | One to One by Ivan Berryman. | 8 editions available from £95.00 |  | Eastern Med 1943 by Richard Ward | £13.00 |  | Me109 of Fighter Ace Walter Wolfrum by Ivan Berryman. | 3 editions available from £34.00 |  | Horrido! Rall by Les Carter. | £135.00 |  | Merlin Roar by Anthony Saunders. | 6 editions available from £28.00 |  | No Escape by David Pentland. | 9 editions available from £37.80 |  | The Last Patrol by David Pentland. | 13 editions available from £37.80 |  | Zemkes First Fan by David Pentland. | 3 editions available from £135.00 |  | Combat Over Normandy by Graeme Lothian. | £105.00 |  | Fighter General by Graeme Lothian. | £145.00 |  | Eagles Over the Steppes by Graeme Lothian. | 2 editions available from £220.00 |  | Caucasus Dawn by Graeme Lothian. | 1 editions available from £155.00 |  | The Right of the Line by Graeme Lothian. (AP) | 1 editions available from £155.00 |  | The Battle for the Skies Over Dieppe, 19th August 1942 by Graeme Lothian. | 6 editions available from £95.00 |  | Adolf Galland / Messerschmitt Bf109 E-4 by Ivan Berryman | 9 editions available from £95.00 |  | Bf109 K-4 by Randall Wilson. (GS) | 2 editions available from £460.00 |  | Voyage into Destiny by Robert Taylor. | 2 editions available from £ |  | Arctic Hunters by Richard Taylor. | 4 editions available from £95.00 |  | Stormclouds Gather by Nicolas Trudgian | 2 editions available from £145.00 |  | Tigers in Normandy by Nicolas Trudgian. | 5 editions available from £165.00 |  | Most Memorable Day by Robert Taylor. | 2 editions available from £375.00 |  | Head on Attack by Robert Taylor | £135.00 |  | Angels Three Zero by Robert Taylor | £135.00 |  | Combat Over Beachy Head by Nicolas Trudgian. | 3 editions available from £80.00 |  | Dragons of Colombert by Nicolas Trudgian | 3 editions available from £140.00 |  | Fighter Legend - Adolf Galland by Nicolas Trudgian. | £110.00 |  | First Flap of the Day by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) | 3 editions available from £110.00 |  | Assault on the Capital by Robert Taylor | 1 editions available from £ |  | Head to Head by Nicolas Trudgian | 2 editions available from £195.00 |  | Combat Over London by Robert Taylor | SOLD OUT / SOLD |  | Special Duties by Robert Taylor. | 2 editions available from £200.00 |  | Russian Roulette by Robert Taylor. | 2 editions available from £200.00 |  | Steinhoff Tribute by Robert Taylor. | 3 editions available from £225.00 |  | Three Hundred Club by Nicolas Trudgian (FLY) | 1 editions available from £1.50 |  | Kursk - Clash of Steel by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) | 5 editions available from £ |  | Looking for Trouble by Philip West. | 3 editions available from £75.00 |  | The Battle for Britain by Robert Taylor. | 4 editions available from £200.00 |  | Foes Now Friends by Alan S Holt | 2 editions available from £95.00 |  | The Black Tulip by Philip West. | 3 editions available from £75.00 |  | Knights Move by Robert Taylor (C) | 4 editions available from £ |  | Messerschmitt BF109E-3 by Keith Woodcock. | 2 editions available from £32.00 |  | Final Victory by Simon Atack. | 2 editions available from £115.00 |  | High Summer High Battle by Nicolas Trudgian. | 4 editions available from £120.00 |  | Black Devil by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) | £465.00 |  | Hot Pursuit by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) | £480.00 |  | Morning Chorus by Gerald Coulson. | 3 editions available from £165.00 |  | Horrido! by Robert Taylor. (B) | 3 editions available from £ |  | Desert Victory by Nicolas Trudgian. | 3 editions available from £220.00 |  | The Last Eagle, Innsbruck, Austria, May 1945 by David Pentland. | 6 editions available from £95.00 |  | Hande Hoch! by Michael Turner. | £35.00 |  | Achtung - Indianer, Rechts by Iain Wyllie. | £14.00 |  | High Summer by James Dietz. | 2 editions available from £135.00 |  | Duel Below Zero by Keith Woodcock. | £16.00 |  | Defence of the Realm by Adrian Rigby. | £95.00 |  | Final Encounter (Spitfire v Messerchmitt) by Michael Turner. | £180.00 |  | Eagle Attack by Nicolas Trudgian | 2 editions available from £55.00 |  | Desert Sharks and Eagles by Nicolas Trudgian. | 4 editions available from £165.00 |  | Spitfire Country by Nicolas Trudgian. (AP) | 1 editions available from £ |  | Messerschmitt Country by Nicolas Trudgian (FLY) | 4 editions available from £1.50 |  | Eagles on the Channel Front by Robert Taylor. | 2 editions available from £200.00 |  | Malta - George Cross by Robert Taylor. | 2 editions available from £250.00 |  | Eagle Strike by Simon Atack. | 2 editions available from £95.00 |  | A Pistol Whipping by Stan Stokes. | 6 editions available from £37.00 |  | A Costly Victory by Stan Stokes. | 4 editions available from £74.00 |  | Black Devil of the Ukraine by Stan Stokes. | £37.00 |  | Canadian Heroes by Stan Stokes. | 2 editions available from £37.00 |  | Defiant but Doomed by Stan Stokes. | 4 editions available from £37.00 |  | Yellow 14 by Stan Stokes. | 3 editions available from £37.00 |  | Hunter of the Arctic Sea by Timothy OBrien. | £14.00 |
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No Escape by David Pentland Bf109 G2 of Major Gunther Rall pursues and downs an unidentified
Soviet aircraft over the Caucasus, Russia, early Autumn 1943. Rall went
on to become the third highest scoring ace of all time, with 275
victories in only 621 missions.
COMBAT OVER NORMANDY BY GRAEME LOTHIAN pitfires of R.C.A.F 144 Wing led by Wing Commander Johnson in combat
with ME109's of JG3 over Arromanches, France June 1944. with
three signatures of British RAF fighter Pilots Air Vice Marshal
J E Johnnie JOhnson C.B, C.B.E D.S.O , D.F.C D.L Air
Commodore Pete BrothersC.B.E. D.S.O D.F.C (Wing Commander Flying
Culmhead Wing) Wing Commnder Geoffrey page D.F.O D.F.C
Wing Commander flying 125 Wing
Achtung - Indianer, Rechts by Iain Wyllie Leutnant
Julius Maimberg in Messerschmitt ME 109E white 11 and his 'Katschmarek'
Unteroffizier Rudolf Miese of 4 Staffel, J.G.2 'Richtofen' turn towards a
distant squadron of RAF fighters during the Battle of Britain
Yellow 14 by Stan Stokes. Hans-Joachim
Marseille – Germanys Eagle of the Desert, had a less than auspicious
start as a fighter pilot. Having completed his training in the autumn of
1940 he participated in the Battle of Britain while based in western
France. Although Marseille was credited with downing eight RAF aircraft,
he had a reputation for losing lots of aircraft. In fact he had bailed
out of six Bf-109s and during his units transfer to North Africa, the
young ace lost another 109. The Bf-109 was one of the most successful
fighters of WW II, and was produced in large quantities for a very long
production run. Marseilles debonair manner harkened back to the earlier
era of WW I when knights of the sky faced death every day on their
canvas-covered wings. He was very aggressive, and very often would dive
his aircraft into enemy formations without regard for the consequences.
Marseilless commanding officer was Capt. Eduard Neumann, and he deserves
credit for the maturation of the young pilot. He convinced
Marseille that it would take more than luck to become a truly
outstanding fighter pilot. Marseille took these observations to heart
and began to devote much of his free time to improving his tactics. He
practiced shooting from all angles and his flying and shooting skills
began to improve. By the summer of 1941 the young ace had attained 18
victories, and by September he had reached 24 by bagging five on one
mission. By late in 1941 his score was approaching fifty, and he was
awarded the Knights Cross. With it came certain privileges, including
his own personal aircraft, Yellow 14. As his victory tally rose his
reputation grew on both sides. In Stan Stokes painting Marseille is
depicted on a mission on June 3, 1942. Escorting Stukkas against Ben
Hacheim. The force was intercepted by RAF fighters and the No. 5
Squadron of the South African Air Force, flying American-made P-40s.
Marseille and his wingman, Sgt. Rainer Pöttgen swept into the melee.
The South Africans formed a defensive circle, but Marseille got inside
it flying incredible slowly and still managing to turn inside the South
Africans. He decimated the formation – downing six of the P-40s while
utilizing only a small percentage of his ammunition. Marseille was a
master of low-speed combat. By June of 42 the aces total had exceeded
100. Recognizing the signs of combat fatigue, Neumann sent Marseille on
leave for several months. Back in Germany the dashing and flamboyant
Marseille made the party rounds, and attracted more than his share of
young women. On September 1, following his return to fighting, Marseille
had an unbelievable day when he downed seventeen aircraft, and two days
later he was awarded the Diamonds to the Knights Cross. Marseilles
victory total reached 158 before he flew his final mission in September
of 1942. Bailing out of his smoking inverted 109; he appeared to strike
the tail plane. No parachute opened and the Eagle of the Desert fell to
his death. He was buried where he fell.
Defiant but Doomed by Stan Stokes.
Jagdeschwader
26, or JG 26, was one of the Lufwaffes elite fighter forces. Nicknamed
the Abbeville Boys, or the Abbeville Kids,"JG 26 gained tremendous
notoriety early in the War while operating out of Abbeville in Northern
France. Although JG 26 never operated with more than 124 fighter
aircraft, the unit dominated its airspace over Northern France and
Belgium for more than a two year period. Adolf Galland was one of
Germanys top fighter aces of the War, with more than 100 confirmed
victories. For most of his flying career Galland was associated with JG
26. By year-end 1940 he had attained 57 victories, and was awarded the
Oak Leaves, the highest award of the time. Galland took over command of
JG 26 in August 1940 during the Battle of Britain. In Stan Stokes
painting, entitled Defiant, But Doomed, Galland is depicted during a
mission with the Abbeville Kids on August 28, 1940. Flying low cover for
a formation of Heinkel bombers Galland was shocked to see a squadron of
12 Royal Air Force Defiants flying directly below the bombers. The
Defiant was a unique British aircraft which was utilized as a daylight
fighter incorporating four machine guns enclosed in a top mounted
hydraulic turret operated by a gunnery officer. Despite serving
admirably during the Dunkirk evacuation, the Luftwaffe had devised
tactics which made the Defiant only marginally successful. By utilizing
its turret guns RAF 264 Squadron was preparing to decimate the Heinkels
with an attack on their vulnerable underbellies. Climbing straight up
into the formation Galland broke up the attack. Minutes later he was
engaged with the Defiant piloted by 264 Squadron Commander Garvin.
Although struck four times by the Defiants machine guns, Galland was
ultimately victorious. Gallands JG 26 flew the Messerschmitt Bf-109
(also often referred to as the ME-109) of which over 30,000 were
produced. The first large scale production model of the 109 was the E
series. Powered by a 12 cylinder water cooled engine the 109e was
capable of 360 MPH, and had a ceiling of 33,000 feet. The 109 was very
maneuverable and had a very strong airframe capable of sustaining high G
maneuvers. Utilizing a low-wing cantilever design, the 109 had
retractable landing gear and initially was produced with fuselage
mounted machine guns. Galland complained about this configuration and
actually modified several of his aircraft to incorporate wing mounted
machine guns, which would provide a wider field of fire. A few of these
aircraft were utilized during the Spanish Civil War in 1939, and proved
vastly superior to anything they faced. The 109, unlike many other
fighters which were in service at the start of the War, remained
effective for the entire War, and in fact became a de facto standard by
which many other aircraft would be judged. Adolf Galland was promoted to
General of the Fighter Arm in late 1941, and became preoccupied with
fighter tactics for the duration of the War.
Kursk - Clash of
Steel by
Nicolas Trudgian. The Germans launched their attack on the Kursk salient
on 5th July 1943, and for both sides this was maximum effort. The
Soviets, however, informed by intelligence of the impending German
attack, had ample time to prepare huge defensive works with hundreds of
planned anti tank belts. They deployed 10 Tank Corps, 5 Tank
Armies, 1 mechanised Corps and 14 Field Armies equipped with 4000 anti
tank guns and 6000 tanks. The Soviet Air Forces were equally
impressive - 2600 aircraft. The Germans, outnumbered in every
department, were forced to scrape together whatever serviceable tanks
they could from their badly under strength Panzer formations. Most
of the tanks deployed were old Panzer IIIs or IVs, with only 147 Tigers
available for action. The northern German attack made very little
headway, but, in the south, the Germans had grouped all of the SS Panzer
forces into the II SS Panzer Corps and these units, despite the enormous
Soviet forces ranged against them, began to smash their way through the
Soviet defences. The Luftwaffe too had brought together 1200
aircraft and these made an immediate impact on the fighting - on the
first day alone German fighters broke up massive formations of Soviet
aircraft, over 400 victories being claimed.
The Black Tulip by Philip E West. Erick Hartmann flying his Me 109 Black Tulip during a quiet
moment, late on a busy day of combat. By wars end he had scored
352 combat victories during 1400 missions. Hartmann was decorated
with the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, Germanys
highest military award.
Desert Sharks and Eagles by Nicholas Trudgian
The air war fought in the skies above the inhospitable wastelands of
the North African desert were among the most hotly contested of the
war. The outcome of the bitter land war raging below largely depended
upon who controlled the air space above, and both sides knew it.
Nick's powerful painting brings home the intensity of the air
fighting. A dog-fight between Me109s from JG-27 and P-40 Kittyhawks of
the RAF's 12 Squadron, led by 'Killer' Caldwell, and later Billy
Drake, 112 Squadron were in constant combat with Edu Neumann's
fighters as they jousted for air supremacy above Rommel's advancing
Afrika Korps tanks. Below them, the desolate beauty of the Libyan
desert stretches as far as the eye can see.
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| Eagle Strike by Simon Atack
Painting shows Major Günther Rall bringing down Hub Zemke's wingman,
the first of two victories claimed before himself being brought down by
56th Fighter Group P47s later in the combat. After recuperation, Günther
Rall returned to combat flying, commanding JG300 until the end of
hostilities by which time, with 275 air victories, he became the third
highest scoring Ace in history. "My dread would have been all the greater had I known that the
pilot I had just seen dispatch Johnson and Piper was the third ranking
Ace of the Luftwaffe." Col. Hub Zemke. In the early spring of 1944, the Luftwaffe's 'Sturmgruppe' tactics -
large assault groups comprising as many as 100 heavily armoured Fw190s -
were bringing down large numbers of USAAF bombers. Shrewd ground control
kept the assembled German assault groups clear of advance Allied fighter
sweeps, while above high altitude Me109s provided top cover to protect
the weighty, vulnerable Fw190s. The scene was set for massive aerial
engagements, and the action fought on May 12, 1944 was typical of that
period. Led by Colonel Hub Zemke, the 56th Fighter Group played advance guard
to a deep penetration bomber raid to central Germany. As his forty-eight
P47 Thunderbolts arrived to sweep the sky around the Koblenz - Frankfurt
area, the Me109s of II/JG11 pounced from a 5000 feet height advantage.
Led by Gruppe Kommandeur Major Günther Rall, already with 250 air
victories to his credit, the sharp-shooting Luftwaffe fighter pilots had
immediate success. |
Most Memorable Day by Robert Taylor
A limited edition from the final drawing for Robert Taylor's third and
final painting in his important Galland Tribute Trilogy. Each print has
descriptive text personally hand-written by the artist.
Robert Taylor writes: "I met General Adolf Galland many times. In 1987 he and his wife
Heidi did me the honor of flying from Germany to Washington DC to attend
the opening of my exhibition of aviation paintings at the Smithsonian. We
travelled together, and during the trip spent much time talking about
aviation in World War II. There were three episodes in his distinguished career that specially
stood out in the memory of this great fighter leader, and he spoke of them
with great pride. It is these three episodes that I chose to portray in my
Galland Tribute Trilogy. I painted them in reverse chronological order,
leaving 'till last the period of his career of which he spoke most fondly.
General Galland signed each print in the suite. Galland's Squadron of Experts, his JV-44 Wing flying the incredible
Me262 in 1945, pioneered the jet age, and having led the first jet
fighting unit in combat meant a great deal to Dolfo. I painted that first.
Next, because he was immensely proud of the role he played, I painted the
famous Channel Dash, Galland's first assignment as a newly promoted
General. Lastly, because Dolfo was a fighter pilot through and through, I
portrayed his beloved JG-26. I believe this period was dearest to his
heart. The subject for the painting came from a Pilot Report written by Adolf
Galland describing his most memorable day as a combat pilot. Trying many
different approaches and making many sketches, I completed a final drawing
prior to starting the painting. Further research uncovered that Dolfo was
in fact flying an Me109F model that day and not an E as I thought. When my
publishers said they wanted to make a print from this drawing I decided I
would like to hand write the descriptive notes on each copy before signing
and numbering the prints. I have also individually signed a letter for
collectors which comes with each print." |
| Although the true qualities of a fighter pilot
cannot be measured simply by tallying his number of air victories - some
of the greatest fighter leaders do not feature in the top score sheets -
there can be no question that any fighter pilot whose victory tally is
counted in 100's has got to be exceptional. That two of them
achieved more than 300 air-to-air victories is pure phenomena. In
paying tribute to Erich Hartmann and Gerhard Barkhorn, the only two
fighter pilots ever to top the 300 victory mark, Nicolas Trudgian has
painted a gripping combat scene being played out in the typically harsh
environment where these two remarkable fighter aces achieved
immortality. Both "300 Club" members flew the majority of
their combat missions with JG-52, the most successful fighter wing of
WWII, where, on the Eastern Front they encountered and conquered every
type of fighter including British built Spitfires and Hurricanes, the
American Aircobra, and all the best Russian built fighters, including the
Yak-9. |
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