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A Pistol Whipping by Stan Stokes. - Cranston Military Prints

A Pistol Whipping by Stan Stokes.


A Pistol Whipping by Stan Stokes.

There were tens of thousands of aerial combat encounters during World War II. One of the most unusual was a dogfight that took place between Captain Arthur C. Fiedler, Jr. and an unidentified German Bf-109 pilot on June 28, 1944. Fiedler was an Illinois native who received his wings in July 1943. He was assigned as a flight instructor in Dover, Delaware, but in May 1944 he was assigned to the 317th Fighter Squadron of the 325th Fighter Group. Flying P-51B Mustangs the 317th was based in Lesina, Italy. Fiedler named his Mustang after his wife Helen. On a combat mission on June 24th Fiedler claimed a probable. Four days later the eventual ace was flying near Polesti, Rumania when a Bf-109 crossed directly in front of his aircraft. Slamming his P-51 into a near vertical bank he trailed the 109 for a few seconds attaining several hits before his guns jammed. As Fiedler rolled out of his bank he found himself flying in formation parallel to the 109, and headed towards Russia. Fiedler was not willing to make himself a target for the 109, and with his Mustang low on fuel and with jammed guns, Fiedler reactively drew his service revolver. As he drew his .45 pistol, the German pilot unexpectedly jettisoned his canopy and bailed out. Fiedler was given the nickname Svengali for this incident. Fiedler continued his combat tour into 1945, and by January he had attained 8 confirmed aerial victories. Fiedler remained in the Air Force following the War. Flying in both Korea and Vietnam, he was promoted to Colonel in 1969, and retired from the Air Force in 1975. The P-51 Mustang and the Messerschmitt Bf-109 were two of the most important aircraft of WW II. More than 15,000 P-51s were produced, the most of any American-built fighter, while the Bf-109 was the most produced fighter aircraft of the war with 35,000 produced. The P-51 was designed by Raymond Rice and Edgar Schmued of North American Aviation, because the President of the company thought he could do better than merely produce Curtiss P-40s under license for the RAF. Initially introduced with an Allison liquid-cooled V-12, the P-51 performed poorly despite its superior airframe. As early Mustangs arrived the British were anxious to see how this aircraft would perform with the powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engine. The aircraft was about 13 percent faster and could climb to combat altitude in 45 percent less time than the Allison-equipped aircraft. Going into production as the P-51B the Brits received about 1000 aircraft while the USAAF took an additional 1000. The first P-51B models were in service with the Eighth Air Force in December 1943. The excellent performance of these aircraft and their excellent range when equipped with external wing tanks, made the P-51 a tremendous asset when accompanying American daylight bombers on their raids into Germany. The 109 was arguably the most advanced fighter aircraft from 1935 until 1940. The 109 was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Walter Rethel with the goal of packing the most powerful engine available into the smallest possible aircraft structure. During the Spanish Civil War the 109 proved its superiority. Despite numerous technical enhancements as the war progressed, by the end of the War the 109 was both outclassed and outnumbered by its rivals.
Item Code : STK0040GSA Pistol Whipping by Stan Stokes. - Editions AvailableExtra....

A photograph of an edition of the print :

DESCRIPTIONSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSPRICEPURCHASINGPACKS
Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Artist : Stan Stokes£15 Off!
Add any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout!		Now : £35.00

Quantity:
225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot, and a remarque.Image size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm)
Fiedler, Arthur C

Died : 2016
Colonel Arthur C Fiedler (deceased)
Arthur Charles Fiedler was born in Oak Park, Illinois on August 1, 1923. In April of 1942, five months after America entered WW 11, Fiedler enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was sent to Avon Park, Florida for primary training, followed by basic training at Macon, Georgia, and advanced training at Marianna, Florida. He graduated with Class 43G in July of 1943, and was assigned as a flight instructor, flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts at Dover, Delaware. In April of 1944 Second Lieutenant Feidler
Signature Value : £55
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
+ Artist : Stan Stokes

Signature(s) value alone : £55		£20 Off!Now : £125.00

Quantity:
Limited edition of 100 giclee art prints. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm)Artist : Stan Stokes£150.00

Quantity:
Prints from the 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot. Image size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm)
Fiedler, Arthur C

Died : 2016
Colonel Arthur C Fiedler (deceased)
Arthur Charles Fiedler was born in Oak Park, Illinois on August 1, 1923. In April of 1942, five months after America entered WW 11, Fiedler enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was sent to Avon Park, Florida for primary training, followed by basic training at Macon, Georgia, and advanced training at Marianna, Florida. He graduated with Class 43G in July of 1943, and was assigned as a flight instructor, flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts at Dover, Delaware. In April of 1944 Second Lieutenant Feidler
Signature Value : £55
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILE
 
+ Artist : Stan Stokes

Signature(s) value alone : £55		£55 Off!
Add any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout!		Now : £90.00

Quantity:
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm)noneSOLD
OUT		NOT
AVAILABLE


Some other related items available from this site.

Mustang Mk.IIIs of No.19 Sqn, 1944.

Mustang Mk.III by Ivan Berryman. 		The 73 Sqn Hurricane of Sqn Ldr Derek Ward is shown having received fatal strikes from the guns of Bf 109 F-4 flown by the 'Star of Africa' Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Marseilles of 3/JG27 on 17th June 1942. Ward was Marseilles' third victim in this single action when he returned to the combat zone to cover the safe descent by parachute of the German ace's first two victories, both of whom had been shot down within seconds of each other.

Victory over Africa by Ivan Berryman. 		The Hawker Hurricane powered by the powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engine is shown in combat with Luftwaffe aircraft during the Battle of Britain. The Hurricane played a major role in the aerial victory along with its companion the Spitfire.

Merlin Roar by Anthony Saunders. 		The roar of Daimler-Benz engines at full power awakens the day as Gunther Lutzow, his aircraft still in the markings of his previous unit JG51, leads his Me109Fs of JG3 into combat from a snow covered airfield at Schatalowka on the Russian Front, in December 1941. With prints signed by no less than four veteran Me109 pilots who fought on the cruel Eastern Front, this is sure to be a valuable addition to any aviation art collection.

Morning Chorus by Gerald Coulson.
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




Colonel Arthur C Fiedler (deceased)
Died : 2016
*Signature Value : £55

Editions signed :

225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot, and a remarque.
Prints from the 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot.


Fiedler, Arthur C
(Colonel Arthur C Fiedler (deceased))

Arthur Charles Fiedler was born in Oak Park, Illinois on August 1, 1923. In April of 1942, five months after America entered WW 11, Fiedler enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was sent to Avon Park, Florida for primary training, followed by basic training at Macon, Georgia, and advanced training at Marianna, Florida. He graduated with Class 43G in July of 1943, and was assigned as a flight instructor, flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts at Dover, Delaware. In April of 1944 Second Lieutenant Feidler was assigned to combat duty, and was assigned to the 317th Fighter Squadron of the 325th Fighter Group (the 'Checkertails'), based in Lesina, Italy. He transitioned to the North American P-51 Mustang, naming his assigned aircraft after his wife 'Helen' whom he had married in 1943. On June 24, Fiedler claimed a probable. On June 28 he attained his first two aerial victories. At that morning's briefing Fiedler was elated to learn that his squadron's mission would be a fighter sweep over Polesti, Rumania, in advance of a bombing mission targeting the massive oil refining operations in that area.. When flying fighter escort for bombers the fighters were prohibited from flying below 15,000-feet. This gave the Germans a dog fighting advantage, as the early Allison-powered Mustangs were good performers at low altitudes but relatively poor performers at higher altitudes. Forty P-5 Is from the 325th 17G took off at 0725 hours for the fighter sweep. Sweeping the target area at 25,000-29,000 feet for about 45 minutes a total of 47 enemy aircraft were encountered. During this mission Fiedler would earn his first two victories. Fiedler became an ace on July 26 when he downed his fourth and fifth aircraft, a Fw- 190, south of Vienna, and a 109 several minutes later. Promoted to Captain, Fiedler attained his eighth and final victory on January 20, 1945 while escorting B-17s to Regerisbuurg. His flight of four P-51s broke-up an attacking force of 40 German fighters. Following the War Fiedler left the military and attended the University of Illinois, earning a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He was recalled for active duty during the Korean War, and decided to make a career in the Air Force. In addition to his 66 combat missions flown in WW 11, Fiedler would fly 247 combat missions in C-130s during the Vietnam War Col. Fiedler retired from the USAF in 1975, and currently resides in Southern California. His decorations include the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one OLC, the Air Medal with 22 OLCs, and the Partisan Star. He died on 11th May 2016.
Squadrons Related to This Print
317th Fighter Squadron
Aircraft Related to This Print
Me109

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