| Mustangs Over the Eagles Nest by Nicolas Trudgian. Obersalzberg, a spectacularly picturesque area of southern Germany in the Bavarian Alps, became a focal point for the Allies as World War II was drawing to its close. This mountain village had become a Nazi stronghold after the Third Reich had seized houses, farms, and some 600 acres, and built private residences for Martin Bormann and Hermann Goering, an SS barracks, and erected a 30kmn fence around the perimeter to deter intrusion. At its centre was the Berghoff, Adolf Hitlers private mountain retreat. Crowning Bormanns lavish building programme was the house he had built on a rocky spur almost 3000 feet above the Obersalzberg, some 6000 feet above sea level. Reached via a twisting road blasted out of the mountainside, the house was approached after entering a tunnel via a large brass two story elevator rising over 400 feet to the building. The Kelilsteinhaus was Martin Bormanns present for Hitter on the occasion of his 50th birthday in 1939. It was known by the Allies as the Eagles Nest. Believing the Obersalzberg to be where Hitler and his closest henchmen would make their final stand, in April 1945 Allied bombing raids reduced much of the area to ruins. The Eagles Nest, intended as a private retreat from which Hitler could gaze over a conquered Europe, being an isolated target, survived this onslaught, and endures to this day. Nicolas Trudgians painting shows P-51Ds of the 339th Fighter Group roaring over the rooftop of Hitlers now abandoned folly. With Germany and the Third Reich on the brink of defeat, this majestic aviation image conveys the poignant irony of the greatest lost cause in human history, with P-51 Mustangs providing a fitting symbol of victory over tyranny. Signed limited edition of 350 Anniversary edition prints. Paper size 35.5 inches x 27 inches (90cm x 69cm). Price £160.00 Signed by Master Sergeant Dale Moon, Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Powell, 1st Lieutenant Ivan Hasek, Captain John L Minech and Major Robert W. Sternfels.
Signed limited edition of 350 Anniversary edition prints featuring two additional P51 Ace signatures. Paper size 35.5 inches x 27 inches (90cm x 69cm). Price £190.00 Signed by Master Sergeant Dale Moon, Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Powell, 1st Lieutenant Ivan Hasek, Captain John L Minech, Major Robert W. Sternfels, Captain Clinton DeWitt Burdick and Colonel Arthur C Fiedler.
Nicolas Trudgian Promotional Flyer. A4 Size Double Sheet 11.5 inches x 8 inches (30m x 21cm) . Price £1.50 ITEM CODE DHM2657 |
| 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. Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Paper size 35 inches x 24 inches (89cm x 61cm). Price £150.00 Signed by Lieutenant Colonel Charles E Beck, 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 £210.00 Signed by Lieutenant Colonel Charles E Beck, Captain Clinton DeWitt Burdick and Major General Donald J Strait, in addition to the artist. ITEM CODE NT0008 |
| P-51 Mustang by Nicolas Trudgian. Part of a small print series of six American WW2 aircraft, signed by some of the great American pilots, some no longer with us. Cranston Fine Arts have purchased the last remaining stocks of this aviation series. Signed limited edition of 450 prints. (Anderson) Special Promotion : This print is 30% off for a limited time only! Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £37.80 Signed by Colonel C E Bud Anderson and the artist.
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. (Anderson) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £60.00 Signed by Colonel C E Bud Anderson and the artist.
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. (East) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £60.00 Signed by Colonel Clyde B East and the artist.
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. (Blakeslee) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £60.00 Signed by Colonel Don Blakeslee and the artist.
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. (Green) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £60.00 Signed by Major Herky Green and the artist.
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. (Mahurin) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £60.00 Signed by Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin and the artist.
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. (Olds) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £60.00 Signed by Brigadier General Robin Olds and the artist.
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. (Mahurin / Blakeslee) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £70.00 Signed by Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin, Colonel Don Blakeslee and the artist.
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. (Brooks) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £60.00 Signed by Captain Jim Brooks and the artist.
Signed limited edition of 450 prints. (East) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £45.00 Signed by Colonel Clyde B East and the artist.
Signed limited edition of 450 prints. (Blakeslee) Special Promotion : This print is 30% off for a limited time only! Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £37.80 Signed by Colonel Don Blakeslee and the artist.
Signed limited edition of 450 prints. (Green) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £45.00 Signed by Major Herky Green and the artist.
Signed limited edition of 450 prints. (Mahurin) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £45.00 Signed by Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin and the artist.
Signed limited edition of 250 prints. (Olds) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £45.00 Signed by Brigadier General Robin Olds and the artist.
Signed limited edition of 250 prints. (Mahurin / Blakeslee) Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £42.00 Signed by Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin, Colonel Don Blakeslee and the artist.
Signed limited edition of 250 prints. (Brooks) Special Promotion : This print is 30% off for a limited time only! Paper size 11.5 inches x 9 inches (30cm x 23cm). Price £37.80 Signed by Captain Jim Brooks and the artist. ITEM CODE DHM2652 |
| 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 £155.00 Signed by Colonel C E Bud Anderson, Brigadier General Thomas L Hayes, Captain William R OBrien and Major Richard Bud Peterson, in addition to the artist.
Limited edition of artist proofs. Paper size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £210.00 Signed by Colonel C E Bud Anderson, Brigadier General Thomas L Hayes, Captain William R OBrien and Major Richard Bud Peterson, in addition to the artist. ITEM CODE DHM2025 |
| Welcome Respite by Nicolas Trudgian. Wherever the GIs went they took their Jeeps with them, and before the war was run the little quarter-ton, 4-wheel drive, utility vehicle was as well known around the world as the Model T Ford. Nicolas Trudgian has painted a compelling image, set back in time when the little Jeep was omnipresent on and around the roads and battlefields of a war-torn world. It is Christmas 1944 and, as a gaggle of 339th FG P-51 Mustangs disturb the peace of this ancient English village, a little Jeep waits patiently outside the pub while her occupants sample the local ale. A wonderfully nostalgic painting that will bring back pleasant memories to many. Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Print paper size 20 inches x 22 inches (51cm x 56cm). Price £85.00
Limited edition of 25 artist proofs. Print paper size 20 inches x 22 inches (51cm x 56cm). Price £135.00 ITEM CODE DHM2591 |
| 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 £145.00 Signed by Major Robert M Barkey, Colonel Arthur C Fielder and Major Herky Green, in addition to the artist.
Limited edition of artist proofs. Paper size 27 inches x 19 inches (69cm x 48cm). Price £210.00 Signed by Major Robert M Barkey, Colonel Arthur C Fielder and Major Herky Green, in addition to the artist.
Limited edition of publishers proofs. Paper size 27 inches x 19 inches (69cm x 48cm). Price £190.00 Signed by Major Robert M Barkey, Colonel Arthur C Fielder and Major Herky Green, in addition to the artist. ITEM CODE DHM2023 |
| 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. Special Promotion : This print is 30% off for a limited time only! Paper size 12 inches x 9.5 inches (31cm x 24cm). Price £42.00 Signed by Jim Goodson. ITEM CODE NT0001 |
| 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 £200.00 Signed by Captain Richard Braley, Major General Carroll W McColpin 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 £270.00 Signed by Captain Richard Braley, Major General Carroll W McColpin 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 £105.00 ITEM CODE DHM2053 |
| 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 £135.00 Signed by Captain Jim Brooks, Bob Curtis, Colonel Bob Goebel, and George Loving.
Limited edition of artist proofs. Paper size 34 inches x 24 inches (86cm x 61cm). Price £140.00 Signed by Captain Jim Brooks, Bob Curtis, Colonel Bob Goebel, and George Loving.
Limited edition of 125 publishers proofs. Paper size 34 inches x 24 inches (86cm x 61cm). Price £160.00 Signed by Captain Jim Brooks, Bob Curtis, Colonel Bob Goebel, and George Loving. ITEM CODE DHM2027 |
| 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 £155.00 Signed by Captain Clayton Gross, Colonel Maurice Long, 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, 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 £240.00 Signed by Captain Clayton Gross, Colonel Maurice Long, 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 £325.00 Signed by Captain Clayton Gross, Colonel Maurice Long, 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 |
| 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. Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Image size 23 inches x 17 inches (58cm x 43cm). Price £150.00 Signed by Colonel C E Bud Anderson, Captain Robert P Winks, 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 £200.00 Signed by Colonel C E Bud Anderson, Captain Robert P Winks, First Lieutenant John Skara and First Lieutenant Raymond T Conlin. ITEM CODE NT0005 |
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