|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
||
| Navigation Menus |
|
Military Art Index |
Aviation Art Index |
Naval Art Index |
Artists Index |
Aviation History Archive |
Naval History Archive |
|
| HALF PRICE AND FREE PRINT SPECIAL OFFERS | ||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Some other related items available from this site. | ||||
  Rearm and Resupply by David Pentland. |   Rearm and Resupply by David Pentland. |   The Tigers Roar, Malinava, Latvia, July 22nd 1944 by David Pentland. |   The Last Bridge by David Pentland. | |
| Signatures on these products | |
| *The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature and is for the unmatted version where available. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare. | |
| Name | Info |
  Oberst Eberhard Stephan (deceased) Died : 2008 *Signature Value : £60 Editions signed : Knights Cross Panzer Commanders Presentation edition of 2 prints. | Stephan, Eberhard (Oberst Eberhard Stephan (deceased)) After serving in the Polish and French campaigns, Eberhard Stephan joined the 14th Panzer Division in 1941. In Russia he led his tanks to the Caucasus, and led one of the Panzer groups trying to break through to Stalingrad. With the 5th Panzer Division he took part in the biggest tank battle in history at Kursk. He was a commander in the 116th Panzer Division during the D-Day invasion: he fought at Caen, and the Battle of Arnhem. In the Ardennes Offensive, he led a crack unit of the 5th Panzer Army, and was awarded the Knight's Cross. He was one of the leading Panzer Commanders of World War II. Sadly he died on 22nd October 2008. |
  Oberstleutnant Hans Lutz (deceased) Died : 2005 *Signature Value : £65 Editions signed : Knights Cross Panzer Commanders Presentation edition of 2 prints. | Lutz, Hans (Oberstleutnant Hans Lutz (deceased)) Joining the Wehrmacht in 1938, Hans Lutz served in the Polish and French campaigns before being posted to the Russian Front in 1941. In 1944 he transferred to the 116th Panzer Division on the Western Front and was awarded the Knight's Cross on 9th December 1944. Hanz Lutz died 26th August 2005. |
  Albert Kerscher (deceased) Died : 2011 *Signature Value : £80 Editions signed : Knights Cross Panzer Commanders Presentation edition of 2 prints. | Kerscher, Albert (Albert Kerscher (deceased)) German Army - Knights Cross with Oak Leaves. Oberfeldwebel Albert Kerscher was, like Otto Carius, a panzer ace from schwere Panzer Abteilung 502. He achieved his 100th kill in defending the Neuhauser Forest near Pillau, East Prussia in April 1945. On 22nd July 1944, 1st Lieutenant Otto Carius with his company of eight Tigers advanced towards the village on Malinava (northern suburb of Dunaburg) in order to halt the Russian advance. Carius and Kerscher took a Kubelwagen in order to check if the village was already in Russian hands. They discovered that Malinava had already been taken by the enemy. Carius recognised that the Russian tanks in the village were only advance troops waiting for the main force to arrive. He decided to recapture the village before the arrival of more Russian tanks. Carius returned to his company for briefing and explained his plan to take the village. He decided to attack the village with only two Tigers because there was only one road leading to the village and it meant very risky business. Six Tigers remained in the reserve while the Tigers of Carius and Kerscher moved towards the village of Malinava. Speed was the essence of the plan to take the Russians by surprise and immobilise their tanks. When they were about to enter the village, they could see two T-34/85 tanks rotating their turrets in their direction. Immediately Kerscher, following Carius at about 150 metres, fired two shots in rapid succession, and destroyed the two enemy tanks. This was the first time that Carius had encountered one of the latest JS-1 heavy tanks. The silhouette of the new heavy Russian tank was somewhat similar to that of the Tiger II, and Carius got confused at first but after a little hesitation, ordered his crew to fire at once, and the JS-1 burst into flames. Afterwards they realised that the entire battle was over in about twenty minutes. In such a short time, the two Tigers of Carius and Kerscher had knocked out 17 Russian tanks including the new JS-1. The Russians were taken by surprise and their quick and accurate perception of the situation were the main factors that led the two Tigers to victory. The achievement of Carius and Kerscher at Malinava is on the same level as the famous action of Michael Wittmann at Villers Bocage. He ended the war with a total score of 107. Albert Kerscher passed away on 12th June 2011. |
|
Contact Details |
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com |
Signature(s) value alone : £205