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Ardennes Offensive by Nicolas Trudgian.
As 1944 drew to a close, Hitler made his final gamble of the war, mounting a
massive strike force aimed at splitting the Allies forces advancing upon
Germany. His armour, supported from the air, would rip through the Ardennes to
Antwerp, capture the Allied fuel supplies, and cut off all the opposing forces
to the north. Hitlers commanders were dubious of the outcome but nevertheless
obeyed orders, and the operation was launched on 16th December. Allied
intelligence had discounted any German counter-offensive and the initial wave,
comprising 8 Panzer divisions, took the Allied forces completely by surprise. A
parachute drop of English-speaking German soldiers in American uniforms behind
the assault zone added to the confusion. Advancing some 30 miles, and almost in
sight of the River Meuse, by 26th December the SS Panzers had ground to a halt
with empty fuel tanks, and were at the mercy of Allied counter-attacks. By 16th
January the German penetration was repulsed and Hitlers beloved Panzer units
retreated in tatters. The Fuhrers last gamble had failed. Fw190s of JG1 provide
close support to the 9th SS Panzer Division, as they spearhead Germanys final
major offensive of World War II. Seen advancing on the 82nd Airborne Division,
the King Tiger tanks, with the aid of Luftwaffe ground-attack fighters, drive
the Americans back through the snowy fields of the Ardennes on Christmas Day,
1944. It was the last, short-lived and ultimately unsuccessful advance made by
the German forces during World War II. |
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Ardennes Offensive by Nicolas Trudgian.
As 1944 drew to a close, Hitler made his final gamble of the war, mounting a massive strike force aimed at splitting the Allies forces advancing upon Germany. His armour, supported from the air, would rip through the Ardennes to Antwerp, capture the Allied fuel supplies, and cut off all the opposing forces to the north. Hitlers commanders were dubious of the outcome but nevertheless obeyed orders, and the operation was launched on 16th December. Allied intelligence had discounted any German counter-offensive and the initial wave, comprising 8 Panzer divisions, took the Allied forces completely by surprise. A parachute drop of English-speaking German soldiers in American uniforms behind the assault zone added to the confusion. Advancing some 30 miles, and almost in sight of the River Meuse, by 26th December the SS Panzers had ground to a halt with empty fuel tanks, and were at the mercy of Allied counter-attacks. By 16th January the German penetration was repulsed and Hitlers beloved Panzer units retreated in tatters. The Fuhrers last gamble had failed. Fw190s of JG1 provide close support to the 9th SS Panzer Division, as they spearhead Germanys final major offensive of World War II. Seen advancing on the 82nd Airborne Division, the King Tiger tanks, with the aid of Luftwaffe ground-attack fighters, drive the Americans back through the snowy fields of the Ardennes on Christmas Day, 1944. It was the last, short-lived and ultimately unsuccessful advance made by the German forces during World War II.
Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Paper size 18 inches x 12 inches (46cm x 31cm). Price £200.00 Signed by Oberstleutnant Helmut Bennemann (deceased),
Oberstleutnant Hans Lutz (deceased),
Leutnant Siegfried Muller (deceased)
and
Oberst Eberhard Stephan (deceased).
Limited edition of 50 artist proofs. Paper size 18 inches x 12 inches (46cm x 31cm). Price £230.00 Signed by :
Oberstleutnant Helmut Bennemann (deceased),
Oberstleutnant Hans Lutz (deceased),
Leutnant Siegfried Muller (deceased)
and
Oberst Eberhard Stephan (deceased).
Limited edition of 25 publishers proofs. Paper size 18 inches x 12 inches (46cm x 31cm). Price £210.00 Signed by :
Oberstleutnant Helmut Bennemann (deceased),
Oberstleutnant Hans Lutz (deceased),
Leutnant Siegfried Muller (deceased)
and
Oberst Eberhard Stephan (deceased).
Nicolas Trudgian Promotional Flyer. A4 Size Double Sheet 11.5 inches x 8 inches (30m x 21cm) . Price £1.50
Remarque edition of 50 prints. Paper size 18 inches x 12 inches (46cm x 31cm). Price £ Signed by :
Oberstleutnant Helmut Bennemann (deceased),
Oberstleutnant Hans Lutz (deceased),
Leutnant Siegfried Muller,
Oberst Eberhard Stephan (deceased)Generalmajor Heinz Gunther Guderian.
** (Ex Display) Signed limited edition of 500 prints. (Three copies reduced to clear) Paper size 18 inches x 12 inches (46cm x 31cm). Price £130.00 Signed by Oberstleutnant Helmut Bennemann (deceased),
Oberstleutnant Hans Lutz (deceased),
Leutnant Siegfried Muller (deceased)
and
Oberst Eberhard Stephan (deceased).
ITEM CODE DHM2466
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Ardennes Offensive by Nicolas Trudgian
- The Signatures
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 | Oberstleutnant Helmut Bennemann (deceased)
Helmut Bennemann was born 16th March 1915. During the Battle of Britain Helmut Bennemann was Gruppenadjutant with I./JG52 on the Channel Front. In April 1942 he was Staffelkapitan of 3./JG52 in the east and was appointed Kommandeur of I./JG52 from June 1942 until October 1943. Posted to Italy in November 1943, he was promoted to Kommodore of JG53 (Ace of Spades) in this theatre and in the defence of Germany. He commanded JG53 on Operation Bodenplatte. Helmut Bennemann flew over 400 missions, scoring 92 victories and was awarded the Knight's Cross. He died 17th November 2007.
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 | Oberstleutnant Hans Lutz (deceased)
Joining the Wehrmacht in 1938, Hans Lutz served in the Polish and French campaigns before being posted to the Russian Front in 1941. In 1944 he transferred to the 116th Panzer Division on the Western Front and was awarded the Knight's Cross on 9th December 1944. Hanz Lutz died 26th August 2005.
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 | Leutnant Siegfried Muller (deceased)
Born in 1924, Siegfried Muller first flew with JG1 Molders in the south of France. In 1943 he took part in the air battles over Salerno and Monte Cassino. He joined IV./JG3 Udet in June 1944, where he was promoted to Staffelkapitan of 16 Staffel /IV Sturm Gruppe flying heavily armoured Fw190s. With this Gruppe he took part in the Ardennes Offensive and on 1st January 1945, Operation Bodenplatte. At the end of the war he was attached to JG7 for training on the Me262 jet fighter. Awarded the Iron Cross 1 and 2, he scored 17 victories, including 9 four-engined bombers.
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 | Oberst Eberhard Stephan (deceased)
After serving in the Polish and French campaigns, Eberhard Stephan joined the 14th Panzer Division in 1941. In Russia he led his tanks to the Caucasus, and led one of the Panzer groups trying to break through to Stalingrad. With the 5th Panzer Division he took part in the biggest tank battle in history at Kursk. He was a commander in the 116th Panzer Division during the D-Day invasion: he fought at Caen, and the Battle of Arnhem. In the Ardennes Offensive, he led a crack unit of the 5th Panzer Army, and was awarded the Knight's Cross. He was one of the leading Panzer Commanders of World War II. Sadly he died on 22nd October 2008.
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 | Colonel Herbert Ihlefeld (deceased)
Born 1st June 1914 in Pinnow Pommern and died 8th August 1995 in Wenningen lower Saxony. Joined the Luftwaffe in 1936 and scored nine victories during the Spanish Civil War. Flew 1000 combat missions and claimed 132 enemy aircraft with 56 on the Western Front including 26 spitfires and 67 on the Russian Front. Participated in the air war over Poland, France and the Battle of Britain. In 1941 Ihlefeld was transferred to the Balkans for the invasion of Yugoslavia. He was shot down by AA fire and captured by the Yugoslavian Army. 8 days lated he was rescued by the German troops. Ihlefeld participated in the assault on Crete, claiming his 36th kill, a Hurricane. He then commanded Jagdgeschwader 77 in time for Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. In April 1942 Ihlefeld became the 5th pilot to reach 100 victories and his unit 1/JG77 was credited with 323 enemy aircraft kills compared to the loss of only 17 Bf109s. Ihlefeld then took command of Jagdgeschwader 52 in June 1942 but he was involved in a landing accident and badly injured and was not ready to return to active service until July 1943. In May 1944 he commanded JG11 and then JG1 during the defence of the Reich. In 1945 he took command of Jagdgeschwader 1 equipped with the Heinkel 162.
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