Nicolas Trudgian
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Renowned aviation artist Nicolas Trudgian, aviation art prints of the United States Air force shown in aviation art prints available from Cranston Fine Arts. 

Return to Rattlesden by Nicolas Trudgian.

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Signed limited edition of 500 prints. £110.00
Limited edition of 25 artist proofs. £170.00
Limited edition of 25 publishers proofs. £160.00
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Defenders of the Reich by Graeme Lothian.
for £175
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A Green Hill Far Away by Robert Tomlin.
for £185
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Return to Rattlesden by Nicolas Trudgian.

With their crews, the 447th Bomb Group B-17 Fortresses arrived at Rattlesden in late 1943, the East Anglian base from which the group flew all its missions until the end of the war. Entering combat on December 24, the 447th targeted submarine pens, naval installations, ports and missile sites, airfields and marshalling yards in France, Belgium and Germany in preparation for the Normandy invasion. In the thick of the bomber offensive, the 447th took part in the Big-Week raids, supported the D-Day landings, aided the breakthrough at St. Lo, pounded enemy positions during the airborne invasion of Holland, and dropped supplies to the Free French forces fighting behind enemy lines. During the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 - January 1945, the group attacked marshalling yards, railroad bridges and communications centers in the combat zone, later resuming their offensive against targets deep inside Germany. When the war ended the 447th had flown over 257 individual missions, with one of their aircrew, Robert Femoyer, being awarded the Medal of Honor. Theirs was typical of the action packed campaigns flown by the American Eighth Air Force bomb groups in Europe during WWII.

Published 2001.

Signed by eight combat crew veterans flying B-17 Flying Fortresses for the 447th BG out of Rattlesden, England, during World War II.

Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Paper size 37 inches x 22 inches (94cm x 56cm). Price £110.00

Signed by T/Sgt John C Bitzer,
T/Sgt Norman Bussel,
Colonel Edward A Dingivan (deceased),
First Lt Frank Frision,
S/Sgt John H Osbah,
S/Sgt Orlando Pete Petrillo,
Sgt Byron Schlag
and
S/Sgt Don Sherman, in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of 25 artist proofs. Paper size 37 inches x 22 inches (94cm x 56cm). Price £170.00

Signed by T/Sgt John C Bitzer,
T/Sgt Norman Bussel,
Colonel Edward A Dingivan (deceased),
First Lt Frank Frision,
S/Sgt John H Osbah,
S/Sgt Orlando Pete Petrillo,
Sgt Byron Schlag
and
S/Sgt Don Sherman, in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of 25 publishers proofs. Paper size 37 inches x 22 inches (94cm x 56cm). Price £160.00

Signed by T/Sgt John C Bitzer,
T/Sgt Norman Bussel,
Colonel Edward A Dingivan (deceased),
First Lt Frank Frision,
S/Sgt John H Osbah,
S/Sgt Orlando Pete Petrillo,
Sgt Byron Schlag
and
S/Sgt Don Sherman, in addition to the artist.

ITEM CODE DHM2176

Ace of Diamonds by Nicolas Trudgian

From the day they began their aerial campaign against Nazi Germany to the cessation of hostilities in 1945, the USAAF bomber crews plied their hazardous trade in broad daylight. This tactic may have enabled better sighting of targets, and possibly less danger of mid-air collisions, but the grievous penalty of flying daylight missions over enemy territory was the ever presence of enemy fighters. Though heavily armed, the heavy bombers of the American Eighth Air Force were no match against the fast, highly manoeuvrable Me109s, Fw190s and, late in the war, Me 262 jet fighters which the Luftwaffe sent up to intercept them. Without fighter escort they were sitting ducks, and inevitably paid a heavy price. Among others, one fighter group earned particular respect, gratitude, and praise from bomber crews for their escort tactics. The 356th FG stuck rigidly to the principle of tight bomber escort duty, their presence in tight formation with the bombers often being sufficient to deter enemy attack. Repeatedly passing up the opportunity to increase individual scores, the leadership determined it more important to bring the bombers home than claim another enemy fighter victory. As the air war progressed this philosophy brought about an unbreakable bond between heavy bomber crews and escort fighter pilots, and among those held in the highest esteem were the pilots of the 356th. Top scoring ace Donald J Strait, flying his P-51 D Mustang Jersey Jerk, together with pilots of the 356th Fighter Group, are seen in action against Luftwaffe Fw 190s while escorting B-17 bombers returning from a raid on German installations during the late winter of 1944. One minute all is orderly as the mighty bombers thunder their way homeward, the next minute enemy fighters are upon them and all hell breaks loose.

Published 2003.

Signed by three of the top pilots from the 356th Fighter group.

Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Paper size 35 inches x 24 inches (89cm x 61cm). Price £120.00

Signed by Lieutenant Colonel Charles E Beck (deceased),
Captain Clinton DeWitt Burdick
and
Major General Donald J Strait, in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of 25 artist proofs. Paper size 35 inches x 24 inches (89cm x 61cm). Price £165.00

Signed by Lieutenant Colonel Charles E Beck (deceased),
Captain Clinton DeWitt Burdick
and
Major General Donald J Strait, in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of 25 remarques. Paper size 35 inches x 24 inches (89cm x 61cm). Price £

Signed by Lieutenant Colonel Charles E Beck (deceased), Captain Clinton DeWitt Burdick and Major General Donald J Strait, in addition to the artist.

** (Ex Display) Signed limited edition of 500 prints. (Two copies reduced to clear) Paper size 35 inches x 24 inches (89cm x 61cm). Price £110.00

Signed by Lieutenant Colonel Charles E Beck (deceased),
Captain Clinton DeWitt Burdick
and
Major General Donald J Strait, in addition to the artist.

ITEM CODE NT0008

Warm Winters Welcome by Nicolas Trudgian.

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Signed limited edition of 500 prints. £120.00
Limited edition of 25 artist proofs. £180.00
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Hot Pursuit by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
for £460
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Welcome Respite by Nicolas Trudgian.
for £185
Save £75 !

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(Items similar or related to this item)

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3 Specially Selected Items
(USAAF 357th Fighter Group Aviation Art.)
for £600
Save £315 !

Warm Winters Welcome by Nicolas Trudgian.

As the Autumn of 1944 turned to winter, the USAAF Eighth Air Force bombers were penetrating ever deeper into enemy territory, attacking distant targets in central and south-east Germany. Large formations of seven or eight hundred bombers, escorted by as many fighters, darkened the skies over the Reich. Central to the massive daylight raids was the long-range capabilities of the P-51 Mustang, the most versatile fighter of the war. Despite incessant pounding from the air, the Luftwaffe were putting up determined resistance, particularly in the south, often sending up several hundred fighters to meet the challenge. Huge aerial battles were fought between the opposing groups of fighters, and though the Allied pilots usually gained the upper hand in these encounters, the air fighting was prolonged and furious. Typical of those encounters, on a single mission in November the Allied estimate of Luftwaffe sorties flown against them exceeded 750, but often the German fighters were handicapped by poor direction from the ground, hampering their effectiveness - on the 27th, several Gruppen were vectored directly towards the P-51s of the 357th and 353rd Groups believing them to be in-coming bombers. They paid the price, the Leiston based pilots of the 357th bagging 30 enemy fighters before they knew what hit them. Successful as they were, the long-range escort missions flown by the P-51s were both hazardous and grueling. The weather, particularly in winter, was often appalling, and even an experienced pilot could become disoriented after hectic combat, and lost in the far reaches of the Reich. The return to base in England after combat over distant enemy territory was always exhilarating, and the pilots often hedgehopped gleefully over towns and villages on their way home after crossing the English coast. Nicolas Trudgians painting depicts such a scene, with P-51 Mustangs of the 357th Fighter Group racing over a typical English village as they head for Leiston and home. As the evening light fades, the peace and tranquillity of the snowy village, broken momentarily by the roar of Merlin engines, seems to bid the returning fighter boys a warm winters welcome.

Published 2000.

Signed by four P-51 Mustang pilots who flew with the 357th Fighter Group in combat during World War II.

Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Image size 23 inches x 17 inches (58cm x 43cm). Price £120.00

Signed by Colonel C E Bud Anderson,
Captain Robert P Winks (deceased),
First Lieutenant John Skara
and
First Lieutenant Raymond T Conlin.

Limited edition of 25 artist proofs. Image size 23 inches x 17 inches (58cm x 43cm). Price £180.00

Signed by Colonel C E Bud Anderson,
Captain Robert P Winks (deceased),
First Lieutenant John Skara
and
First Lieutenant Raymond T Conlin.

ITEM CODE NT0005

Eagles of the Eighth by Nicolas Trudgian.

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Limited edition of 400 prints. £58.00
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Eagles of the Eighth by Nicolas Trudgian.

Major Jim Goodson taxies his 4th (The Eagles) Fighter Group P-51 D Mustang at Debden following a mission to supply air support over the Normandy beaches soon after D-Day, June 1944. Having previously flown Spitfires and Hurricanes with the RAF, Spitfires with 133 Eagle Squadron, and P-47 Thunderbolts with the Fourth fighter group, Jim Goodson became one of the USAAFs top fighter pilots of WWII.

Limited edition of 400 prints. Paper size 12 inches x 9.5 inches (31cm x 24cm). Price £58.00

Signed by Jim Goodson.

ITEM CODE NT0001

D-Day Armada by Nicolas Trudgian.

There was never a greater concentration of air power deployed in an active theater of war as over the English Channel in May and June 1944. As D-Day approached, the USAAFs Ninth Air Force had assembled over 3500 aircraft a day, they were pounding enemy positions all the way from Pas de Calais to the coast of Normandy. 6 June 1944, arguably the most decisive single day in modern military history, saw the sky filled with waves of troop carrying aircraft towing gliders, dropping over 20,000 highly trained men in support of the massed sea-borne landings on the beaches below. Grabbing all the airspace they could find, the combat wings of the Ninth Air Force were creating havoc among the German ground forces as they scrambled to get troops and armor to the battlefront.

Limited edition of 350 prints. Print size 35 inches x 23.5 inches (89cm x 60cm). Price £110.00

Signed by Captain Clayton Gross,
Colonel Maurice Long (deceased)
and
Major General Donald Strait, in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of 25 artist proofs, with eight signatures. Paper size 35 inches x 23.5 inches (89cm x 60cm). Price £250.00

Signed by Captain Clayton Gross,
Colonel Maurice Long (deceased),
Major General Donald Strait,
Colonel Ricahrd Dick Denison,
First Lieutenant Wayne E Downing,
Captain John L Minech,
Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Milow
and
Lieutenant Colonel William Bill D Mitchell, in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of 150 prints. Paper size 35 inches x 23.5 inches (89cm x 60cm). Price £200.00

Signed by Captain Clayton Gross,
Colonel Maurice Long (deceased),
Major General Donald Strait,
Colonel Ricahrd Dick Denison,
First Lieutenant Wayne E Downing,
Captain John L Minech,
Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Milow
and
Lieutenant Colonel William Bill D Mitchell, in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of 50 remarques, with eight signatures. Inscribed with original pencil drawing by Nicolas Trudgian. Paper size 35 inches x 23.5 inches (89cm x 60m). Price £

Signed by Captain Clayton Gross,
Colonel Maurice Long (deceased),
Major General Donald Strait,
Colonel Ricahrd Dick Denison,
First Lieutenant Wayne E Downing,
Captain John L Minech,
Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Milow
and
Lieutenant Colonel William Bill D Mitchell, in addition to the artist.

Nicolas Trudgian Promotional Flyer. A4 Size Double Sheet 11.5 inches x 8 inches (30m x 21cm) . Price £1.50

ITEM CODE DHM2275

Duxford Eagles by Nicolas Trudgian

Base to the legendary Douglas Bader Fighter Wing during the Battle of Britain, Duxford became home to the 78th Fighter Group in April 1943. Today it appropriately houses the American Air Museum, and hosts the many summer air-shows where crowds thrill to the sight and sound of the glorious WWII warbirds. First equipped with P-47 Thunderbolts then P-51Ds, the 78th Fighter Group was credited with 688 enemy aircraft destroyed, 474 in the air, and another 406 destroyed on the ground during low-level strafing missions. Charles London of the 78th became the 8th Air Forces first fighter ace of the war and a 78th pilot, Quince Brown, was the first to down a Me262 jet in August 1944. It is March 1945. Led by Colonel John Landers flying Big Beautiful Doll, one of the 8th Air Forces most flamboyant fighters, the 78th P-51D Mustangs roar off the field to begin an escort mission taking B-17 Fortresses already airborne in the background all the way to Hamburg.

Signed limited edition print. . Price £

Limited edition of artist proofs. Paper size 38 inches x 24 inches (97cm x 61cm). Price £

Signed by Lt Colonel Clark W Clemons and Captain Wayne L Coleman, in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of 50 publishers proofs. Paper size 38 inches x 24 inches (97cm x 61cm). Price £340.00

Signed by Lt Colonel Clark W Clemons and Captain Wayne L Coleman, in addition to the artist.

ITEM CODE NT0316

Mustang Mayhem by Nicolas Trudgian.

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Signed limited edition of 600 prints. £120.00
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. £200.00
Limited edition of 100 artists special reserve edition prints. £115.00
Big Savings on Special Two Print Packs !

Buy This Edition With :
Mustangs Over the Mediterranean by Nicolas Trudgian.
for £220
Save £100 !

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(Items similar or related to this item)

Buy This Edition With :
3 Specially Selected Items
(Nicolas Trudgian P-51 Mustang Print Pack.)
for £400
Save £300 !

Mustang Mayhem by Nicolas Trudgian.

As Red Dog Norleys P-51D screams across the field at hangar height with his squadrons Mustangs fanned out behind him, the 4th Fighter Group pilots jink through the intense groundfire wreaking havoc on the ground. In this, its final major mission of the war, the group destroyed no fewer than 105 enemy aircraft in two blishtering airfield attacks.

Signed limited edition of 600 prints. Paper size 34 inches x 23 inches (86cm x 58cm). Price £120.00

Signed by Captain Richard Braley,
Major General Carroll W McColpin (deceased)
and
Colonel Steve N Pisanos, in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. Paper size 34 inches x 23 inches (86cm x 58cm). Price £200.00

Signed by Captain Richard Braley,
Major General Carroll W McColpin (deceased)
and
Colonel Steve N Pisanos, in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of 100 artists special reserve edition prints. Paper size 34 inches x 23 inches (86cm x 58cm). Price £115.00

ITEM CODE DHM2053

Mustangs Over the Mediterranean by Nicolas Trudgian.

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Click the editions below.

Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. £110.00
Limited edition of artist proofs. £185.00
Limited edition of 125 publishers proofs. £170.00
** (Ex Display) Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. (Three copies reduced to clear) £95.00
Big Savings on Special Two Print Packs !

Buy This Edition With :
Mustang Mayhem by Nicolas Trudgian.
for £220
Save £100 !

Buy This Edition With :
Red Tail Escort by Richard Taylor. 
for £175
Save £80 !

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3 Specially Selected Items
(Nicolas Trudgian P-51 Mustang Print Pack.)
for £400
Save £300 !

Mustangs Over the Mediterranean by Nicolas Trudgian.

Mustangs of the 31st Fighter Group pass low over an Italian fishing village, heading out on another combat patrol.

Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. Paper size 34 inches x 24 inches (86cm x 61cm). Price £110.00

Signed by Captain Jim Brooks,
Bob Curtis,
Colonel Bob Goebel (deceased),
and
George Loving.

Limited edition of artist proofs. Paper size 34 inches x 24 inches (86cm x 61cm). Price £185.00

Signed by Captain Jim Brooks,
Bob Curtis,
Colonel Bob Goebel (deceased)
and
George Loving.

Limited edition of 125 publishers proofs. Paper size 34 inches x 24 inches (86cm x 61cm). Price £170.00

Signed by Captain Jim Brooks,
Bob Curtis,
Colonel Bob Goebel (deceased)
and
George Loving.

** (Ex Display) Signed limited edition of 1250 prints. (Three copies reduced to clear) Paper size 34 inches x 24 inches (86cm x 61cm). Price £95.00

Signed by Captain Jim Brooks, Bob Curtis, Colonel Bob Goebel, and George Loving.

ITEM CODE DHM2027

Last Man Home by Nicolas Trudgian.

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Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. £150.00
Limited edition of artist proofs. £185.00
**Signed limited edition of 1000 prints (Three prints available) £100.00
Big Savings on Special Two Print Packs !

Buy This Edition With :
Winter of 45 by Philip West.
for £225
Save £110 !

Buy This Edition With :
Checkertail Clan by Nicolas Trudgian
for £230
Save £150 !

Buy This Edition With :
Red Tail Escort by Richard Taylor. 
for £200
Save £95 !

Even More Savings with Special Collectors' / Trade Packs !
(Items similar or related to this item)

Buy This Edition With :
3 Specially Selected Items
(USAAF 357th Fighter Group Aviation Art.)
for £600
Save £315 !

Buy This Edition With :
3 Specially Selected Items
(Nicolas Trudgian P-51 Mustang Print Pack.)
for £400
Save £300 !

Last Man Home by Nicolas Trudgian.

In a scene that was repeated almost daily throughout the long war years, the pilots of the 357th Fighter Group have returned from a gruelling mission to their base in Leiston, Suffolk. As they clamber out of their aircraft, all eyes are turned anxiously skyward, awaiting the return of the last man home.

Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. Paper size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £150.00

Signed by Colonel C E Bud Anderson,
Brigadier General Thomas L Hayes (deceased),
Captain William R OBrien (deceased)
and
Major Richard Bud Peterson (deceased), in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of artist proofs. Paper size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £185.00

Signed by Colonel C E Bud Anderson,
Brigadier General Thomas L Hayes (deceased),
Captain William R OBrien (deceased)
and
Major Richard Bud Peterson (deceased), in addition to the artist.

**Signed limited edition of 1000 prints (Three prints available) Paper size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £100.00

Signed by Colonel C E Bud Anderson,
Brigadier General Thomas L Hayes (deceased),
Captain William R OBrien (deceased)
and
Major Richard Bud Peterson (deceased), in addition to the artist.

ITEM CODE DHM2025

Checkertail Clan by Nicolas Trudgian

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Click the editions below.

Signed limited edition of 600 prints. £130.00
Limited edition of 60 artist proofs. £235.00
Limited edition of publishers proofs. £215.00
** (Ex Display) Signed limited edition of 600 prints. (Two copies reduced to clear) £90.00
Big Savings on Special Two Print Packs !

Buy This Edition With :
Twilight Conquest by Nicolas Trudgian.
for £240
Save £100 !

Buy This Edition With :
Last Man Home by Nicolas Trudgian.
for £230
Save £150 !

Buy This Edition With :
Fighting Red Tails by Robert Taylor.
for £300
Save £80 !

Even More Savings with Special Collectors' / Trade Packs !
(Items similar or related to this item)

Buy This Edition With :
3 Specially Selected Items
(Nicolas Trudgian Combat Over Europe Aviation Prints Pack.)
for £430
Save £240 !

Buy This Edition With :
3 Specially Selected Items
(Nicolas Trudgian P-51 Mustang Print Pack.)
for £400
Save £300 !

Checkertail Clan by Nicolas Trudgian

With their brightly coloured checkertail tails there was no mistaking the P.51 Mustangs of the 325th Fighter Group. Escorting B-24s over Austria in August 1944, tangled with a group of Fw190 fighters. The ensuing dogfight spiraled down below the mountain peaks as Herky Green led the Checkertails in a low-level chase. Herky nails one Fw190. Behind him his pilots will take out the two Fw190. When all is done this day the 325th will be credited with 15 enemy fighters destroyed.

Signed limited edition of 600 prints. Paper size 27 inches x 19 inches (69cm x 48cm). Price £130.00

Signed by Major Robert M Barkey (deceased),
Colonel Arthur C Fielder
and
Major Herky Green (deceased), in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of 60 artist proofs. Paper size 27 inches x 19 inches (69cm x 48cm). Price £235.00

Signed by Major Robert M Barkey (deceased),
Colonel Arthur C Fielder
and
Major Herky Green (deceased), in addition to the artist.

Limited edition of publishers proofs. Paper size 27 inches x 19 inches (69cm x 48cm). Price £215.00

Signed by Major Robert M Barkey (deceased),
Colonel Arthur C Fielder
and
Major Herky Green (deceased), in addition to the artist.

** (Ex Display) Signed limited edition of 600 prints. (Two copies reduced to clear) Paper size 27 inches x 19 inches (69cm x 48cm). Price £90.00

Signed by Major Robert M Barkey, Colonel Arthur C Fielder and Major Herky Green (deceased), in addition to the artist.

ITEM CODE DHM2023

 
Return to Rattlesden by Nicolas Trudgian  The painting shows a battle damaged B-17G of the 447th on final approach to Rattlesden, returning from a strike against road and rail communications in northern Germany in February, 1945. A P-51 pilot from 359th Fighter Group, having escorted the bomber all the way home, sees his charge safely back to base.   With their crews, the 447th Bomb Group B-17 Fortresses arrived at Rattlesden in late 1943, the East Anglian base from which the group flew all its missions until the end of the war. Entering combat on December 24, the 447th targeted submarine pens, naval installations, ports and missile sites, airfields and marshalling yards in France, Belgium and Germany in preparation for the Normandy invasion.

In the thick of the bomber offensive, the 447th took part in the Big Week raids, supported the D-Day Landings, aided the breakthrough at St Lo, pounded enemy positions during the airborne invasion of Holland, and dropped supplies to the Free French forces fighting behind enemy lines. During the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944- January 1945, the group attacked marshalling yards, railroad bridges and communications centres in the combat zone, later resuming their offensive against targets deep inside Germany. When the war ended the 447th had flown over 257 individual missions, with one of their aircrew, Robert Femoyer, being awarded the Medal of Honour. Theirs was typical of the action packed campaigns flown by the American Eight Air Force bomb groups in Europe during WWII.

Ace of Diamonds by Nicolas Trudgian  From the day they began their aerial campaign against Nazi Germany to the cessation of hostilities in 1945, the USAAF bomber crews plied their hazardous trade in broad daylight. This tactic may have enabled better sighting of targets, and possibly less danger of mid-air collisions, but the grievous penalty of flying daylight missions over enemy territory was the ever presence of enemy fighters. Though heavily armed, the heavy bombers of the American Eighth Air Force were no match against the fast, highly manoeuvrable Me109s, Fw190s and, late in the war, Me 262 jet fighters which the Luftwaffe sent up to intercept them. Without fighter escort they were sitting ducks, and inevitably paid a heavy price. Among others, one fighter group earned particular respect, gratitude, and praise from bomber crews for their escort tactics. The 356th FG stuck rigidly to the principle of tight bomber escort duty, their presence in tight formation with the bombers often being sufficient to deter enemy attack. Repeatedly passing up the opportunity to increase individual scores, the leadership determined it more important to bring the bombers home than claim another enemy fighter victory. As the air war progressed this philosophy brought about an unbreakable bond between heavy bomber crews and escort fighter pilots, and among those held in the highest esteem were the pilots of the 356th. Nicolas Trudgian pays tribute to the escort fighter pilots of the USAAF Eighth Air Force, and in particular to those who flew with the 356th, with his new action packed aerial panorama Ace of Diamonds. Top scoring ace Donald J Strait, flying his P-51 D Mustang Jersey Jerk, together with pilots of the 356th Fighter Group, are seen in action against Luftwaffe Me 109s while escorting B-17 bombers returning from a raid on German installations during the late winter of 1944. His fine rendition brings home the devastating speed with which these attacks were fought: One minute all is orderly as the mighty bombers thunder their way homeward; the next minute enemy fighters are upon them and all hell breaks loose.
Warm Winters Welcome by Nicholas Trudgian  The P-51 Mustangs of the 357th Fighter Group race over a typical English village as they head for Leiston and home.  The return to base after combat over enemy territory was always exhilarating, and pilots often hedgehopped over towns and villages on their way home.  As the autumn of 1944 turned to winter, the USAAF Eight Air Force were penetrating ever deeper into enemy territory, attacking distant targets in central and south east Germany.  Large formations of seven or eight hundred bombers, escorted by as many fighters, darkened the skies over the Reich.  Central to the massive daylight raids was the long range capabilities of the P-51 Mustang, the most versatile fighter of the war.

Despite incessant pounding from the air, the Luftwaffe were putting up determined resistance, particularly in the south, often sending up several hundred fighters to meet the challenge.  Huge aerial battles were fought between the opposing groups of fighters, and though the Allied pilots usually gained the upper hand in these encounters, the air fighting was prolonged and furious.  Typical of those encounters, on a single mission in November the Allied estimate of Luftwaffe sorties flown against them exceeded 750, but often the German fighters were handicapped by poor direction from the ground, hampering their effectiveness - on the 27th, several Gruppen were vectored directly towards the P-51s of the 357th and 353rd Groups believing them to be incoming bombers.  They paid the price, the Leiston based pilots of the 357th bagging 30 enemy fighters before they knew what hit them.

Successful as they were, the long range escort missions flown by the P-51s were both hazardous and gruelling.  The weather, particularly in winter, was often appalling, and even an experienced pilot could become disorientated after hectic combat, and lost in the far reaches of the Reich.  The return to base in England after combat over distant enemy territory was always exhilarating, and the pilots often hedgehopped gleefully over towns and villages on their way home after crossing the English coast.

Eagles of the Eighth by Nicholas Trudgian  Major Jim Goodson taxies his 4th (The Eagles) Fighter Group P-51 D Mustang at Debden following a mission to supply air support over the Normandy beaches soon after D-Day, June 1944. Having previously flown Spitfires and Hurricanes with the RAF, Spitfires with 133 Eagle Squadron, and P-47 Thunderbolts with the Fourth fighter group, Jim Goodson became one of the USAAF's top fighter pilots of WWII.

D-Day Armada by Nicolas Trudgian  There was never a greater concentration of air power deployed in a n active theatre of war as over the English Channel in May and June 1944.  As D-Day approached, the USAAF's Ninth Air Force had assembled over 3500 aircraft and, dispatching up to 1000 aircraft a day, they were pounding enemy positions all the way from Pas de Calais to the coast of Normandy.  6 June 1944, arguably the most decisive single day in modern military history, saw the sky filled with waves of troop carrying aircraft towing gliders, dropping over 20,000 highly trained men in support of the massed sea-borne landings on the beaches below.  Grabbing all the airspace they could find, the combat wings of the Ninth Air Force were creating havoc among the German ground forces as they scrambled to get troops and armour to the battlefront.  Click Here For Signatory Information 

Duxford Eagles by Nicholas Trudgian   A group of P-51 mustangs take off for a sortie.  Duxford: A name synonymous with military aviation.  Built during the First World War, that most famous of airfields later became home to some of the most distinguished fighter squadrons of World War Two.  That expanse of rolling Cambridgeshire countryside has harkened to the sounds of piston-engined aircraft for over 80 years.  Base to the legendary Douglas Bader Fighter Wing during the Battle of Britain, it became home to countless thousand Americans of the 8th Air Force in 1942.  Today  it appropriately houses the magnificent American Air Museum, and hosts the many summer air shows where crowds thrill to the sight and sound of the glorious veteran warbirds that fought in the hostile skies above Europe in World War II.

The 78th Fighter Group, briefly stationed at Goxhill, flew their P-47 Thunderbolts into Duxford in April 1943, the Group remaining operational there until the end of the war.  Initially flying high altitude sweeps over France and Holland, the aggressive pilots spoiling for a scrap constantly challenged the Luftwaffe to come up and fight.  As the great daylight raids built up, the 78th took up escort duties and, now equipped with the P-51 Mustang fitted with auxiliary tanks, flew and fought all the way to the target and back.  By the end of the war the 78th Fighter Group was credited with 688 enemy aircraft destroyed, 474 in the air, and another 406 destroyed on the ground during low-level strafing missions.  Charles London of the 78th became the 8th Air Force's first fighter Ace of the war and a 78th pilot, Quince Brown, was the first to down an Me262 jet in August 1944
A limited edition featuring the P-51 Mustangs of the 4th Fighter Group in action over Gablingen airfield, Bavaria, 1945.

Of all the 4th Fighter Group's many famous actions in World War II, it saved one of the most remarkable till last. In its final major mission of the war on 16 April, 1945, in two blistering airfield attacks, its pilots destroyed no fewer than 105 enemy aircraft.  While "A" Group attacked airfields in the region of Prague, "B" Group consisting of the 334th Squadron led by Major 'Red Dog' Norley, devastated the Luftwaffe base at Gablingen in 40 minutes of continuous strafing. That same day other 8th Air Force fighter groups attacked Luftwaffe airfields all over Germany, claiming a total of 752 aircraft destroyed. The Luftwaffe never recovered from this terrible and devastating blow.

Nicolas Trudgian's new limited edition re-lives that momentous aerial assault in graphic detail with a superbly realistic view of the snow-covered Gablingen airfield in Bavaria. As 'Red Dog' Norley's P-51D screams across the field at hangar height with his squadron's Mustangs fanned out behind him, the 4th Fighter Group pilots jink through the intense groundfire wreaking havoc on the ground.  In the foreground a couple of brave Fw190 pilots make a gallant attempt to get airborne while an assortment of Luftwaffe aircraft - Me262s, Me410s, Ju88s, Stukas and Fw190s - come under fire. Ground personnel take cover as best they can. In the distance hangars and aircraft are on fire and a fuel dump has exploded.

The painting is packed with action and all the accurate detail for which this talented artist has become so well known. In addition to the 334th's P-51s, there are over twenty aircraft visible on the ground, and the remains of others having been destroyed in earlier attacks.  With each print in the edition individually signed by World War veteran P-51 Aces, Mustang Mayhem is surely one of the finest collector pieces issued and available today.

 Mustangs Over the Mediterranean by Nicholas Trudgian  P-51 Mustangs of the 31st Fighter Group pass low over an Italian fishing village heading out on another combat patrol.

 Last Man Home by Nicholas Trudgian  Pilots and crews of 375th Fighter Group at Leiston, Suffolk, anxiously await the return of the last man from today's mission

Checkertail Clan by Nicholas Trudgian  There was no mistaking the 325th Fighter Group. Their reputation preceded them, the brightly coloured checkerboard tails of their P-51 Mustangs signaling a calling card most Luftwaffe pilots hated to see. By May 1944, based in Italy, the 325th were escorting the heavy bombing missions deep into Rumania, France, Germany and Austria. Escorting B-24s to bomb the airfield at Markersdorf in Austria, August 1944, the 325th tangled with a group of Fw190 fighters. The ensuing dogfight spiraled down below the mountain peaks as Herky Green led the Checkertails in a high-speed, low-level chase through a spectacular Austrian mountain pass. Herky nails one Fw190. Behind him his P-51 pilots take out two Fw190s off his starboard wing. When all is done this day the 325th will be credited with 15 enemy fighters destroyed.  Signed by Robert Barkey, Arthur Fiedler, Herky Green. .
FIRST STRIKE ON BERLIN by Nicholas Trudgian"No bomb shall fall on German soil" was the brash claim made by Reichmarshal Hermann Göring before the start of World War II.  A couple of years into the war the Luftwaffe's boastful commander up-dated his arrogant statement with "If enemy bombers ever appear over Berlin you can call me Meier". On March 6, 1944 they called him Meier. The German supremo would have kept his head well down on that day, for it was the day the Eighth Air Force arrived overhead the German capital.

Berlin - Big B to the bomber crews - was protected by the cream of the Luftwaffe, and by thousands of anti-aircraft batteries strategically positioned around the city. To approach Berlin from the air was the bomber pilots nightmare. Of the 700 bombers that set out that historic day, 69 would not return; but the B-17 gunners and their escort fighters gave as good as they got.   On that first successful daylight raid, and on the many missions to Berlin that followed, losses were high, but the daytime bomber strikes against the heart of Nazi Germany had an incalculable effect on enemy morale, to say nothing of the disruption to the German war machine. They did more: they signalled to Göring and his Führer that their fate, and that of the Third Reich, was sealed; and the 140,000 USAAF aircrew who flew the torturous attacks to Berlin earned themselves a special place among those who have endeavoured against tyranny.

Nicolas Trudgian's new painting relives the fearsome aerial combat on March 6, 1944, as B-17 Flying Fortresses are attacked en-route for Berlin. Screaming in head-on, Fw190s of II./JG I based at Stormede, charge into the bomber stream. With throttles wide open, 56th Fighter Group P-47 Thunderbolts come hurtling down to intercept. B-17 gunners are working overtime; the air is full of cordite, smoke, jagged pieces of flying metal and hot lead. We are in the midst of one of the fiercest aerial battles of the war.  In the foreground Lucky Lee survives the first onslaught, but her luck won't hold today. Our Girl Sal to the right of the picture will fare better - she will be the only 100th BG aircraft to make it back to her home base from this epic raid.  Limited edition prints are signed by bomber and fighter pilots who flew the Berlin raids more than half a century ago.
Stormclouds Gather by Nicholas Trudgian   Signed by Günter Seeger, Siegfried Bethke.  By mid August 1940, the Battle of Britain had reached its most crucial stage. The all-powerful Luftwaffe was inflicting huge losses on RAF Fighter Command, many of its young and inexperienced pilots becoming easy victims of the battle-hardened German Aces. The contest was desperate. Air supremacy was vital. Each day, weather permitting, armadas of German fighters and bombers set forth across the Channel; the great aerial battles continuing from dawn until dusk. By September , I.?JG2 Richthofen was under command of the brilliant Helmut Wick. Leading the famous wing, Wick was the top-scoring Luftwaffe Ace in the Battle of Britain with 56 victories.  The print depicts Wick, with Günther Seeger off his starboard wing, leading Me109s of I./JG2 out on a mission in September 1940. Heinkel 111 bombers of the Kampfgeschwadern are assembling for another raid on England. A Blenheim of No2 Group has force-landed on the beach, testimony to Bomber Command's contribution to the historic battle.
 

 


HALF PRICE PRINTS!

Half Price Aviation Art
View All		 A Vought A-7 Corsair of VA-146 makes its final approach to the sprawling deck of the USS America, (CVA-66) as she skirts Vietnamese waters in company with a little Rock-class missile / command cruiser. The A-7 became the Navys prime weapon toward the end of the war, playing a vital role in the anti-radiation Linebacker Raids.

USS America by Ivan Berryman (P)
Half Price - £3000.00 		With his personal emblem of black and white fuselage band adorning his Fokker E.V, 153/18, Richard Wenzl briefly commanded Jasta 6, based at Bernes in August 1918, and claimed a modest 6 victories during his career with JG 1. The Fokker E.V was both fast and manoeuvrable, but a series of engine and structural failures meant that these exciting new machines saw only brief service before being re-worked to emerge as the D.VIII, sadly too late to make any impression on the war. Wenzl is shown here in combat with Sopwith Camels of 203 Sqn, assisted by Fokker D.VIIs, which served alongside the E.Vs of Jasta 6. The D.VII shown is that of Ltn d R Erich Just of Jasta 11, also based at Bernes.

Leutnant d R Richard Wenzl by Ivan Berryman.
Half Price - £40.00 		The Vulcan B2 of 50 Squadron heads to Ascension Island from its base at Waddington, where it had been completely overhauled, including the fitting of a refuelling probe, which had to be found from various stores at Catterick, Goosebay in Labrador, Canada, and Wright-Patterson Airfield in Ohio, USA. The Vulcan would take part in the seven planned bombing missions during the Falklands campaign codenamed Operation Black Buck. Each mission would require a solo Vulcan Bomber (plus an airborne reserve Vulcan in case of problems with the first) to fly and bomb the Argentinean airfield at Port Stanley, requiring the support of 12 Handley Page Victor K2 tankers of 55 and 57 squadron on the outward journey and 2 Victors and a Nimrod on the return journey.

Vulcan B.2, 50 Sqn, Waddington by Ivan Berryman. (Y)
Half Price - £50.00 		The highest scoring US pilot of the Second World War, <a href=http://www.military-art.com/mall/aces.php?PilotID=2127>Richard Bong</a>, is depicted in his personal P.38J <i>Marge</i>, claiming just one of his 40 confirmed victories. Insisting that he was not the greatest of marksmen, it was Bongs habit to manoeuvre to impossibly close distances before opening fire on his opponents. His eventual total may well have been greater than 40, as a further 8 probables could be attributed to him, together with 7 damaged. He was killed whilst testing a P.80 jet for the USAF in August 1945.

Richard Bong by Ivan Berryman. (P)
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Half Price Naval Art
View All		 HMS Broadsword and the aircraft carrier Hermes battle their way through the storm on their way to the Battle for the Falklands.

Storm Force to the Falklands by Anthony Saunders (P)
Half Price - £2050.00 		The Leander class cruiser HMS Orion is shown departing Grand Harbour Malta late in 1945.

HMS Orion by Ivan Berryman. (AP)
Half Price - £25.00 		The destroyer HMS Kelly passes close to the old carrier HMS Eagle as she escorts a convoy in the Mediterranean early in 1941.

HMS Kelly by Ivan Berryman.
Half Price - £15.00 		The King George V class battleship HMS Anson is pictured in Sydney Harbour where she joined the Pacific Fleet in July 1945, viewed across the flight deck of HMS Vengeance, where ten of her Vought F4.U Corsairs are ranged in front of a single folded Fairey Barracuda. 

HMS Anson at Sydney Harbour, July 1945 by Ivan Berryman (P)
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Half Price Military Art
View All		 US Air Force F15 Eagle over flys British Challenger Tank during the Gulf War.
Gulf Buddies by Geoff Lea.
Half Price - £50.00 		Gunners of Captain W. Johnstons Company, 4th Battalion Royal Artillery, tenaciously defend the Queens Redoubt against the Spanish army.

Seige of Pensicola by David Rowlands. (Y)
Half Price - £50.00 		Napoleon with an army of 36,000 seized Malta on the 10th of June 1798 form the Knights of St John then sailed on to land west of Alexandria on July 1st. They seized Alexandria form the Mameluke ruler Ibrahim who fled into Syria. But the Mameluke military Commander Murad Bey was determined to stop Napoleon entering Cairo, so blocked the French advance at Embabeh on the left bank of the Nile near the pyramids. Under his command he had 40,000 troops but only 6,000 of these were the fierce fighting force of Mamelukes. On July 21st napoleon moved onto the Egyptian positions and Murad launched an all out attack with his cavalry. But the 6,000 Mamelukes were no match for the French infantry and artillery which fired volley after volley, devastating the Mamelukes. When the charge had failed the disorganized Egyptian infantry fled. With only 300 casualties, Napoleon marched into Cairo.
Battle of the Pyramids 21st July 1798 by Louis Lejeune.
Half Price - £30.00 		22 SAS Squadron in the Gulf, having been dropped by Chinook of the 7th Squadron RAF.

The Winged Dagger by Simon Smith. (Y)
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Half Price Sport Art
View All		DB006. Michael Schumacher by Darren Baker.
Michael Schumacher by Darren Baker.
Half Price - £75.00 		B40. Jean Alesi/ Benetton B.196

Jean Alesi/ Benetton B.196 by Ivan Berryman
Half Price - £40.00 		Whilst flat-racing enthusiasts may argue which horse was the best Derby Winner, artist Peter Deighan was deciding for himself, he made a short list of six. His canvas entitled Derby Winners depicts these six. They include the great Shergar, who ran the fastest Derby in history and won by a record ten lengths. Also included are Golden Fleece, Reference Point, Teenoso, The Minstrel and the fantastic Nashwan. Any of these could be classified as the greatest.

Derby Winners by Peter Deighan.
Half Price - £60.00 		Celebrating Sir Alexs magnificent orchestration of Manchester Uniteds historic treble cup success of 1999.
Sir Alex Ferguson by Darren Baker.
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Half Price Landscape Art
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Moorland View by Rex Preston.
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Loch Long by Richard Sidney Percy.
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Highland Cattle, Glen Coe by Rex Preston.
Half Price - £29.00 		GL0023. Henley by Graeme Lothian.

Henley by Graeme Lothian.
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More Items from our database

A Zeppelin over London by Ivan Berryman.



Captain Arthur Henry Cobby by Ivan Berryman.



Four Me110 aircraft prints by Nicolas Trudgian.



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