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Savage Skies by Robert Taylor. (AP) - Cranston Military Prints

Savage Skies by Robert Taylor. (AP)


Savage Skies by Robert Taylor. (AP)

The weather on the morning of 31 December, 1944 was already unpleasant. In the Ardennes, hard-pressed German troops were battling Allied ground forces advancing through several inches of snow. Above, darkening skies heralded the arrival of more snow. At 10.45am, in deteriorating weather, a battle formation of 30 Fw190D fighters climbed out of Varrelbusch and headed south over the snowcovered landscape. Under the command of 12./JG54 Staffelkapitan, Oblt. Hans Dortenmann, and initially tasked to provide air cover to their beleaguered comrades below, the group was re-assigned to intercept enemy aircraft in the region of Limburg almost immediately the pilots were airborne. Flying south they ran directly into the oncoming weather, and with visibility dangerously reduced, Dortenmann elected to climb through the solid cloud into clear air. As the Fw190s broke cloud above the area of Koblenz they sighted a formation of nine 2nd Air Division B-24 Liberators and formed up for an attack. Some 6000 feet above, top-cover P-51 Mustangs had watched the Fw190s climbing through the banks of clouds, and turned 180 degrees to position behind the Luftwaffe fighters. Diving in from their height advantage, the Mustang pilots entered the fray and within seconds the sky was filled with swirling dogfights.
Item Code : DHM2590APSavage Skies by Robert Taylor. (AP) - Editions AvailableExtra....



A photograph of this print ( including signatures of Greenhearts edition)

DESCRIPTIONSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSPRICEPURCHASINGPACKS
Signed limited edition of 25 artist proofs.
Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item!
Print paper size 35 inches x 23.5 inches (89cm x 60cm)
Broch, Hugo

Leutnant Hugo Broch
Vital to all fighter units are the pilots who make such superb wingmen that their leaders are loath to part with them. Hugo Broch was one such wingman. Having joined VI./JG54 in January he flew first with Horst Adameit (166 victories), and later with Bazi Sterr (130 victories), but soon demonstrated his own skill in combat. By the end of 1944 he had lifted his personal score to 71 victories. One of JG54s great Fw190 Aces, Hugo Broch saw combat on the Eastern and Baltic Fronts, and completed
Signature Value : £60
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

Koller, Herbert
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
Feldwebel Herbert Koller
Posted to II./JG54 on the Eastern Front, Herbert Koller flew Fw190s with 5./JG54, scoring his first victory on 19th February 1943, over an Il-2. By the end of the year his victory claims had risen to 12, including 8 Il-2 Shturmoviks, and a Boston bomber. The year 1944 saw intense combat 5./JG54 on an almost daily basis, and month by month Herbert Kollers victories continued to mount, by the end of 1944 his tally had risen to 48. His final, and 49th victory came on 9th April 1945 when he downe
Signature Value : £40
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

Drees, Gustav

Unteroffizier Gustav Drees
Born in 1923, Gustav Drees was called up for military service in 1942, and with a passion for flying joined the Luftwaffe. After training as a fighter pilot he was immediately posted to the Eastern Front with his first front-line unit - JG54 Green Hearts, where he flew the Me 109. In very early 1943 he became one of the first of the JG54 pilots to fly the Fw190A in combat. With four air victories to his credit with JG54 in Russia, towards the end of the war he was posted to join JG 108 in Austri
Signature Value : £55
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

Schleinhage, Hermann
Died : 2014
Leutnant Hermann Schleinhage (deceased)
Born in 1916 Hermann Schleinhage joined I./JG3 as an Unteroffizier in 1941 before being posted to join II./JG54 Green Hearts in May 1942. He then flew continuously with JG54 through to the end of the war, by which time he was Staffelkapitan of 8./JG54. Flying a total of 484 combat missions, by the end of the war Hermann Schleinhage had reached a total of 98 victories, including 38 Soviet Il-2 Shturmoviks. In February 1945 he was awarded the Knights Cross.
Signature Value : £45
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Biel, Albert Bert
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
First Lieutenant Albert Bert Biel
Signature Value : £30
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

Ford, G W
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
Lieutenant Colonel G W Ford
Signature Value : £25
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

Rudorffer, Erich

Died : 2016
Major Erich Rudorffer (deceased)
Erich Rudorffer was born on November 1st 1917 in the town of Zwickau in Saxony. Erich Rudorffer joined the Luftwaffes I./JG2 Richthofen in November 1939, and was soon flying combat patrols in January 1940 and was assigned to I/JG 2 Richthofen with the rank of Oberfeldwebel. He took part in the Battle of France, scoring the first of his many victories over a French Hawk 75 on May 14th, 1940. He went on to score eight additional victories during the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain.
Signature Value : £70
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Bob, Hans-Ekkehard

Died : 2013
Major Hans-Ekkehard Bob (deceased)
After success in the Battle of Britain, Hans-Ekkehard Bob took over leadership of 9./JG54 in 1940. The following year he was awarded the Knights Cross. Transferring to the Eastern Front his victories rose steadily to 50 by September 1942. His Group later transferred back to the West for a short period, where in April 1943, he rammed a B-17 Fortress. Returning to the Eastern Front as Kommander of IV./JG3, he ended the war as Adjutant of Gallands JV44 in the West. In his 700 missions he score
Signature Value : £50
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Hannig, Norbert
Died : 2014
Leutnant Norbert Hannig (deceased)
Norbert Hannig began operations with JG54 on the Eastern Front near Leningrad in early 1943, flying first the Messerschmitt Bf109G, later converting to the Fw190. He became a Staffelkapitan with JG54, notching up an impressive 42 victories. Towards the end of the war, in early 1945, he converted to fly the new jet fighter, the Me262, and flew it in combat with III./JG7 from their airfield base at Brandenberg-Briest. Norbert Hannig died on 21st February 2014.
Signature Value : £25
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
Clingan, Wilbur
NO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
Col Wilbur Lee Wib Clingan
Signature Value : £40
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE

+ Artist : Robert Taylor


Signature(s) value alone : £440
£60 Off!Now : £395.00

Quantity:


Some other related items available from this site.

 Erich Rudorffer commanding I./JG7 flying the Me262.  Erich Rudorffer was the master of multiple scoring - achieving more multiple victories than any other pilot.

Ready for Combat by Ivan Berryman.
 An Me109 pilot, Dieter Hrabak scored a victory during the Battle of France, 15 more during the Battle of Britain, commanded JG54 and JG52 and survived the war scoring a total of 125 victories.  He is shown here flying Bf109 G-6 of JG52, Krakow, Poland in 1944.  After the war he was instrumental in rebuilding the German Air Force, retiring in 1970.  He died in 1995.

Tribute to Dieter Hrabak by Ivan Berryman.
  Erich Rudorffer's Me 262 brings down a B-17 Flying Fortress during the defence of Germany.

Defending the Homeland by Ivan Berryman.
 Messerschmitt Me262s of JG7 race back to their base at Brandenburg after intercepting a USAAF bomber raid on Munich, and Luftwaffe air bases in the area. Below them a B-26 has crash-landed in the fields still covered with a sprinkling of late winter snow. In the distance the afternoon sun glistens on the Bavarian Alpine mountains.

Return of the Hunters by Nicolas Trudgian.
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.
NameInfo




Leutnant Hugo Broch
*Signature Value : £60

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Broch, Hugo
(Leutnant Hugo Broch)

Vital to all fighter units are the pilots who make such superb wingmen that their leaders are loath to part with them. Hugo Broch was one such wingman. Having joined VI./JG54 in January he flew first with Horst Adameit (166 victories), and later with Bazi Sterr (130 victories), but soon demonstrated his own skill in combat. By the end of 1944 he had lifted his personal score to 71 victories. One of JG54s great Fw190 Aces, Hugo Broch saw combat on the Eastern and Baltic Fronts, and completed the war having flown 324 combat missions, and claiming 81 victories. He was awarded the Knights Cross.
Feldwebel Herbert Koller
*Signature Value : £40

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Koller, Herbert
(Feldwebel Herbert Koller)

Posted to II./JG54 on the Eastern Front, Herbert Koller flew Fw190s with 5./JG54, scoring his first victory on 19th February 1943, over an Il-2. By the end of the year his victory claims had risen to 12, including 8 Il-2 Shturmoviks, and a Boston bomber. The year 1944 saw intense combat 5./JG54 on an almost daily basis, and month by month Herbert Kollers victories continued to mount, by the end of 1944 his tally had risen to 48. His final, and 49th victory came on 9th April 1945 when he downed a Yak 3.




Unteroffizier Gustav Drees
*Signature Value : £55

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Drees, Gustav
(Unteroffizier Gustav Drees)

Born in 1923, Gustav Drees was called up for military service in 1942, and with a passion for flying joined the Luftwaffe. After training as a fighter pilot he was immediately posted to the Eastern Front with his first front-line unit - JG54 Green Hearts, where he flew the Me 109. In very early 1943 he became one of the first of the JG54 pilots to fly the Fw190A in combat. With four air victories to his credit with JG54 in Russia, towards the end of the war he was posted to join JG 108 in Austria, where he stayed until the end.


Leutnant Hermann Schleinhage (deceased)
Died : 2014
*Signature Value : £45

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Schleinhage, Hermann
(Leutnant Hermann Schleinhage (deceased))

Born in 1916 Hermann Schleinhage joined I./JG3 as an Unteroffizier in 1941 before being posted to join II./JG54 Green Hearts in May 1942. He then flew continuously with JG54 through to the end of the war, by which time he was Staffelkapitan of 8./JG54. Flying a total of 484 combat missions, by the end of the war Hermann Schleinhage had reached a total of 98 victories, including 38 Soviet Il-2 Shturmoviks. In February 1945 he was awarded the Knights Cross.
First Lieutenant Albert Bert Biel
*Signature Value : £30

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Biel, Albert Bert
(First Lieutenant Albert Bert Biel)

Lieutenant Colonel G W Ford
*Signature Value : £25

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Ford, G W
(Lieutenant Colonel G W Ford)





Major Erich Rudorffer (deceased)
Died : 2016
*Signature Value : £70

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Rudorffer, Erich
(Major Erich Rudorffer (deceased))

Erich Rudorffer was born on November 1st 1917 in the town of Zwickau in Saxony. Erich Rudorffer joined the Luftwaffes I./JG2 Richthofen in November 1939, and was soon flying combat patrols in January 1940 and was assigned to I/JG 2 Richthofen with the rank of Oberfeldwebel. He took part in the Battle of France, scoring the first of his many victories over a French Hawk 75 on May 14th, 1940. He went on to score eight additional victories during the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain. Rudorffer recalled an incident in August 1940 when he escorted a badly damaged Hurricane across the Channel - ditching in the English Channel was greatly feared by pilots on both sides. As fate often does, Rudorffer found the roles reversed two weeks later, when he was escorted by an RAF fighter after receiving battle damage. By May 1st 1941 Rudorffer had achieved 19 victories, which led to the award of the Knights Cross. In June 1941 Rodorffer became an Adjutant of II./JG2. In 1942 Rudorffer participated in Operation Cerberus (known as the Channel Dash) and flew over the Allied landings at Dieppe. Erich Rudorffer along with JG2 was transferred to North Africa in December 1942. It was in North Africa that Rudorffer showed his propensity for multiple-victory sorties. He shot down eight British aircraft in 32 minutes on February 9th 1943 and seven more in 20 minutes six days later. After scoring a total of 26 victories in Tunisia, Rudorffer returned to France in April 1943 and was posted to command II./JG54 in Russia, after Hauptmann Heinrich Jung, its Kommodore, failed to return from a mission on July 30th 1943. On August 24th 1943 he shot down 5 Russian aircraft on the first mission of the day and followed that up with three more victories on the second mission. He scored seven victories in seven minutes on October 11th but his finest achievement occurred on November 6th when in the course of 17 minutes, he shot down thirteen Russian aircraft. Rudorffer became known to Russian pilots as the fighter of Libau. On October 28th 1944 while about to land, Rudorffer spotted a large formation of Il-2 Sturmoviks. He quickly aborted the landing and moved to engage the Russian aircraft. In under ten minutes, nine of the of the II-2 Sturmoviks were shot down causing the rest to disperse. Rudorffer would later that day go on and shoot down a further two Russian aircraft. These victories took his total to 113 and he was awarded the Oak Leaves on April 11th 1944. Rudorffer would on the 26th January 1945 on his 210th victory receive the addition of the Swords. In February 1945 Rudorffer took command of I./JG7 flying the Me262. He was one of the first jet fighter aces of the war, scoring 12 victories in the Me262. He shot down ten 4-engine bombers during the 'Defense of the Reich missions'. He was the master of multiple scoring - achieving more multiple victories than any other pilot. Erich Rudorffer never took leave, was shot down 16 times having to bail out 9 times, and ended the war with 222 victories from over 1000 missions. He was awarded the Knights Cross, with Oak Leaves and Swords. Erich Rudorffer died on 8th April 2016.




Major Hans-Ekkehard Bob (deceased)
Died : 2013
*Signature Value : £50

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Bob, Hans-Ekkehard
(Major Hans-Ekkehard Bob (deceased))

After success in the Battle of Britain, Hans-Ekkehard Bob took over leadership of 9./JG54 in 1940. The following year he was awarded the Knights Cross. Transferring to the Eastern Front his victories rose steadily to 50 by September 1942. His Group later transferred back to the West for a short period, where in April 1943, he rammed a B-17 Fortress. Returning to the Eastern Front as Kommander of IV./JG3, he ended the war as Adjutant of Gallands JV44 in the West. In his 700 missions he scored 60 victories.


Leutnant Norbert Hannig (deceased)
Died : 2014
*Signature Value : £25

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Hannig, Norbert
(Leutnant Norbert Hannig (deceased))

Norbert Hannig began operations with JG54 on the Eastern Front near Leningrad in early 1943, flying first the Messerschmitt Bf109G, later converting to the Fw190. He became a Staffelkapitan with JG54, notching up an impressive 42 victories. Towards the end of the war, in early 1945, he converted to fly the new jet fighter, the Me262, and flew it in combat with III./JG7 from their airfield base at Brandenberg-Briest. Norbert Hannig died on 21st February 2014.
Col Wilbur Lee Wib Clingan
*Signature Value : £40

Editions signed :

Signed limited edition of 25 artist proofs.


Clingan, Wilbur
(Col Wilbur Lee Wib Clingan)

Squadrons Related to This Print
JG54
Aircraft Related to This Print
Fw190
Liberator

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