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Herky Green
| Major Herky Green (deceased) 'Herky' Green arrived in North Africa in January 1943 flying with the 325th Fighter Group. During his first action his P40 was so riddled with tracer that it had to be scrapped - but he still managed to shoot down one of his attackers. Flying from North Africa, and later Italy, 'Herky' flew P40s, P47s and P51s, scoring victories in all three types. In March 1944 he took command of the 317th Fighter Squadron, flew over 100 missions, ending the war with 18 air victories. Herky Green died 16th August 2006. |
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Herky's Big Day by Stan Stokes. The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, or Jug7 as it was more popularly called, was the mount of many of the American aces of WW 11. The P-47 represented the crowning achievement from two aircraft designers, Alexander Kartvelli and Alexander De Seversky, both immigrants from Russia. It came on the heels of two other aircraft, the P-35 and P-43, which were satisfactory pre-war designs, but not up to the new standards required to compete against Bf-109 fighters in Europe or Mitsbushi Zeroes in the Pacific. The P-47 was the largest and heaviest single seat American fighter of the War. Powered by a huge 2000-HP radial engine, more than 15,000 Jugs were produced. The first production variant was the P-47B which had a razorback fuselage. During tests the aircraft attained a speed of 429-MPH with a maximum range at 10,000 feet of 835 miles. Later variants included a C and D model with the razorback fuselage. Belly tanks and wing tanks became standard equipment as the range of this fighter was stretched for bomber escort missions in Europe. In mid- 1943 one of the biggest pilot complaints about the aircraft was remedied when a bubble top canopy and redesigned fuselage was incorporated into the D model. This dramatically improved rearward vision of the pilots. These aircraft were armed with 8 machine guns, and could carry up to 2500 pounds of additional fuel or ordinance. Herschel Herky Green was one of the top USAAF aces in Europe with a total of 18 confirmed aerial victories (3 in P-40s, 10 in P-47s, and 5 in P-5 Is.) Green was born in 1920 in Mayfield, Kentucky. While studying mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University he learned to fly in the Civilian Pilot Training Program. He joined the Army as an aviation cadet in 1941 and earned his wings an a commission at Foster Field in 1942. One of Greens first assignments was flying P40s in North Africa. He scored a total of three victories in P-40s before his squadron transitioned to the Jug. As depicted in Stan Stokes painting, appropriately entitled Herkys Big Day, Green downed six enemy aircraft on one mission over Northern Italy on January 30, 1944. Greens flight initially encountered a group of Ju-52 transports, and Green bagged four of them. About thirty minutes later the ace encountered a lone Macchi 202. In a low level turning duel Green eventually got in position and nailed the Italian fighter. Its wing dipped, caught the ground, and sent the Macchi into a terrible cartwheel of destruction. Heading home Green encountered a Do-217, which quickly became victim number 6. Green went on to later add four more P-47 victories, and after his group changed to the P-51 he scored an additional five, making him an ace in both the Jug and the Mustang. Green remained in the Air Force following the War, serving as Deputy Commander of the 4th Fighter Group at Selfridge Field. He also held a number of important staff positions prior to his retirement in 1964. Since that time he has been a successful businessman. Greens numerous decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, The Air Medal with 25 Oak Leaf Clusters, and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm. Green resides in Southern California. |
Opening Sky by Robert Taylor. With the morning sun glinting on their fuselages, P-51 Mustangs of the 78th Fighter Group cross the Dutch coastline far below, as they head back towards their base at Duxford, England at the end of a long sweep east of the Rhine crossing, Spring 1945. The final months of the war in Europe lie ahead, and for the P-51 pilots victory is within sight. Finally, after years of toil, the sky was theirs. |
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. |
Clipped Signature - Herky Green. Herky Green flew with the 325th Fighter Group in North Africa, scoring victories in each of the P-40 Warhawk, P-47 Thunderbolt and P51 Mustang. He flew over 100 missions in command of the 317th Fighter Squadron, and is credited with 18 victories. He died in 2006. |
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. |
Running the Gauntlet by Robert Taylor. Though some 1400 of Germanys remarkable Me262 jet aircraft were built, fewer than 300 ever saw action during its short 10 month combat career, the 550 mph fighter-bomber arriving in service too late to make any impression on the course of the war. Most famous of all Me262 units was Jagdverband 44, commanded by General Adolf Galland. Instructed by Hitler to set up a small defensive fighter unit to make the most of the new Me262, Gallands JV44 attracted other top-scoring pilots, including top aces Macky Steinhoff and Walter Krupinski, and the unit soon became dubbed Gallands Squadron of Experts. Though doing their best to repel daylight attacks on jet production plants in Southern Germany, JV44 were fighting a losing battle. During a raid on 9 April 1945 the unit lost nine aircraft - a pattern that was to continue. Also, American fighter pilots, unable to catch the 262 in the air, found success taking the jets out as they took off or landed, catching them while at their most vulnerable. With the Allies driving deeper and deeper into Germany, production of aircraft, spares, fuel, and ammunition, steadily dried up. The point came when JV44, Gallands now legendary Squadron of Experts, finally ground to a halt. Running the Gauntlet shows Me262s of JV44 returning to base in southern Germany, having come under attack from P-51 Mustangs of the 353rd Fighter Group. Almost out of fuel and ammunition, the Me262s have little option but to complete their landing sequence, hoping fervently they are not bounced by American fighters loitering in the area. They are out of luck on this occasion, and although Galland has organised a unit flying Focke-Wulf Fw190D-9s to provide air cover in the area of the airfield, they too have been caught by the 353rd Fighter Groups surprise attack. At the relatively slow speed required on final approach, the Me262s handling is sluggish and the pilot is having enough trouble without the attentions of a bunch of P-51 pilots. At this point the JV44 Me262 remains unscathed, and with the arrival of the Fw190s, there is the possibility this particular jet pilot will survive the day. |
Eagles on the Rampage by Robert Taylor. Dominating the skies over Germany, P-51s of the 4th Fighter Group - The Eagles - sweep across the cloud tops, their pilots scanning the distant horizon for any signs of the Luftwaffe. They are ready for trouble should the enemy decide to chance their luck. The greatness of the Mustang is beyond doubt; it was the fighter pilot's ultimate machine. Tough, hard-hitting, it handled beautifully and - once the mighty Merlin engine had been included - possessed a performance unrivalled by any single piston-engined fighter of World War II. British inspired and American built, the P-51 was the aircraft the eager young pilots of the Eighth Air Force had been waiting for. Formed in September 1942 from the RAF Eagle Squadrons, the Fourth Fighter Group was the oldest fighter unit in the Eighth Air Force. Under the command of Don Blakeslee, described as probably the best fighter leader of the war, the combined air and ground victories notched up by 'The Eagles' during World War II surpassed any other fighter group. They were the first to penetrate German air space, and the first to engage the Luftwaffe over Berlin. Hermann Goering later remarked 'When I saw those Mustangs over Berlin, I knew that the war was lost'. Each print in this outstanding edition is signed by some of the most famous Mustang pilots that flew in the European Theatre during World War II. Every signatory in the edition has reached Ace status, creating a historic new collectors' edition which may never be surpassed. |
Home at Dusk by Robert Taylor. SOLD OUT. |
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