|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gerhard Barkhorn
| Gerhard Barkhorn (deceased) Gerhard Barkhorn joined II/JG52 in August 1940. In June 1943 he was promoted Kommandeur II/JG52, and in November that year he became only the fifth fighter pilot to reach 200 victories. He achieved his 300th victory on 5th January 1945. Promoted Komodore of JG6 near the end of the war, he was then summoned by Galland to join JV44. Barkhorn flew 1104 missions, and with 301 victories was the second highest scoring Ace in history. He was awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Born 20th May 1919, died alongside his wife 8th January 1983 in a car accident. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Text for the above items : |
Evening Reflection by Richard Taylor. With soft evening sunlight radiant behind them, Hauptmann Wolfgang Ewald, Gruppenkommandeur of 1./JG52, leads a schwarm of Bf109s back to their base near Calais after another hectic encounter with pilots of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, September 1940. This evocative new painting pays a fitting tribute to the Luftwaffe pilots that fought during this crucial period in history. |
Horrido! by Robert Taylor. Of the many outstanding Luftwaffe fighter Wings of World War II, JG52 became the most successful. Many of the most famous Aces flew with this legendary wing, including one-time Squadron Commander Adolf Galland. JG-52 was home to the only fighter Aces in history to destroy more than 300 enemy aircraft - Erich Hartmann and Gerhard Barkhorn. The wings top ten scoring Aces amassed a staggering 2286 aerial victories and, by the end of the war, JG-52s pilots had recorded over 10,000 aerial victories; sixty-seven of their number were awarded the coveted Knights Cross or higher decorations, but the cost to the Wing was high: 678 of its aircrew perished in combat, while many others were taken prisoner following combat. Appropriately, Robert Taylor has chosen the Me109s of JG52 as his subject to represent the fighter pilots of the Luftwaffe in his tribute to these courageous flyers, with his breathtaking painting Horrido! With the traditional battle cry ringing in their ears, Squadron Commander Hptm Wolfgang Ewald leads pilots of I./JG52 into combat. Based at Coquelles/Calais in September 1940, the JG-52 Me109s hurtle down in a high-speed dive to engage the enemy during the ferociously fought Battle of Britain. Robert eloquently depicts these sleek and deadly fighters high over the Channel, glinting and menacing against an ominous backdrop of heavy cumulous clouds. |
Jet Hunters by Robert Taylor. On 10th April 1945, thirteen hundred bombers of the Mighty Eighth set out to destroy the last of the Luftwaffe's jet force. But, unknown to the bomber crews and their fighter escort, the enemy jets were already airborne and waiting to spring their deadly trap. As the war in mainland Europe entered its final, bloody phase, the German Armies defending Berlin fought on with a savage determination, slowly disintegrating before the mighty weapon of war unleashed against them. What remained of the Luftwaffe was mercilessly pounded from the air, their airfields hammered relentlessly. Aircraft, fuel, spare parts, ammunition and pilots all in short supply but still they fought on, with deadly effect. At the forefront of the German offensive and pivotal during the defence of the Reich, were the highly advanced jet fighters of the Luftwaffe, and in particular the legendary Me262. B17s of the First Air Division with streaming contrails in the cold clear air as they turn for home. Several Me262s have already torn through the massed formation, but a P-51 from the escorting 356th Fighter Group has quickly spotted his target and presses home his attack. The hunter becomes the hunted as the Mustang pilot, Wayne Gatlin, skillfully positions himself behind the Me262 ready for the kill. Throughout the final stages of the war there were many examples of the determination and skill of Allied pilots flying slower piston-engined fighters triumphing over the cream of the Luftwaffe in their highly advanced but often temperamental jet fighters. |
Knight of the Reich by Robert Taylor. On the morning of 15th October 1943, as Bf109G's from III./JG52 dive into attack a group of Russian fighters high over Zaporozhye in south-east Ukraine, their Kommandeur Hauptmann Gunther Rall pounces on a Soviet La-5 to claim his 222nd victory. During this astonishing one month period Rall shot down 40 aircraft and at the end of November 1943 achieved 250 victories - at the time only the second Ace to do so after Walter Nowotny. By the time he was posted back to the West, he was well on the way to his final score of 275 victories, making him the third highest-scoring Ace in history. Had he not been wounded in action numerous times and forced to spend months in hospital, he might well have been the highest-scoring Ace of them all. |
Hunters at Dawn by Robert Taylor. Those Aces with over 100 victories were exceptional. To reach 200 victories was a spectacular achievement. Yet two men went even further and accomplished a feat that will never be repeated - both of them shot down more than 300 enemy aircraft which placed them in a league of their own. They were the elite of the elite, and their names are legendary - Erich Hartmann and Gerhard Barkhorn. It is no surprise that these iconic Aces scored their victories whilst flying with the legendary fighter wing JG52. Active from the beginning of the war, the unit fought in the Battle of France, but suffered terrible losses during the Battle of Britain before transferring to the Eastern Front at the outset of Operation Barbarossa, and it was here that it solidified its fearsome reputation. Operating the Bf109 throughout the war, the Geschwader boasted some of the greatest Luftwaffe pilots of world war two among its ranks - including the top three Aces of all time. Such renowned pilots as Gunther Rall (275 victories), Wilhelm Batz (237 victories), Hermann Graf (212 victories) and Helmut Lipfert (203 victories) helped this formidable unit notch up more than 10,000 victories, making it the most successful fighter wing in history. Hunters at Dawn features Hptm. Gerhard Barkhorn, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG52. The great Ace, flying his Bf109 G-6, leads the Stab as they climb out from their base near the Black Sea, early November 1943. The crisp air of day break is temporarily punctuated by the roar of Daimler-Benz engines as the deadly Messerschmitt fighters set off on their daily hunt for Soviet aircraft over the front line. |
|
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
|
|
|
