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Battle of Kursk by Nicolas Trudgian.
On 5 July, 1943 over 6000 German and Russian tanks clashed near the town of
Kursk, just 300 miles south of Moscow. It was the beginning of what became the
greatest tank battle in history. In the skies above this conflagration, an air
battle of monumental proportions raged, with the German and Russian air forces
locked in combat. This was war on a scale hitherto never imagined. A full week
later the Battle was still raging, reaching a crescendo on 12 July when Hoths
4th Panzer Army met head-on with Rotmistrovs 5th Guards Tank Army near the
village of Prokhorovka. With the Russian T34s electing to fight at close
quarters, so desperate was the fighting that opposing tanks resorted to ramming
each other. As the battle moved across the landscape all became utter confusion.
Playing a major role in the air were the Luftwaffes Ju-87 Stukas, equipped with
massive 37mm cannons slung under their wings. Led by Hans-Ulrich Rudel, the
legendary Stuka pilot, these formidable tank-busters made a significant
contribution to the Battle of Kursk. Nicolas Trudgians painting records the
dramatic events at Kursk in a spectacular rendition that captures the very
essence of this mighty land and air battle. Dominating the scene are a pair of
Ju-87s. Having knocked out two T34s, they weave over the landscape as they try
to avoid the attentions of Russian Yak 9s, the gunner of Rudels aircraft - in
the foreground - blazing away with his machine gun. A pair of Fw190s have
entered the fray, and the air is filled with smoke and cordite. In a typically
detailed Nicolas Trudgian landscape, below the aerial contest Russian and Panzer
tanks are seen in close combat, desperately maneuvering to gain some advantage.
The old farm buildings show the ravages of war; tank tracks crisscross the
fields, stretching into the distance where the battle extends to the horizon. A
masterpiece in military art. |
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Battle of Kursk by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
On 5 July, 1943 over 6000 German and Russian tanks clashed near the town of Kursk, just 300 miles south of Moscow. It was the beginning of what became the greatest tank battle in history. In the skies above this conflagration, an air battle of monumental proportions raged, with the German and Russian air forces locked in combat. This was war on a scale hitherto never imagined. A full week later the Battle was still raging, reaching a crescendo on 12 July when Hoths 4th Panzer Army met head-on with Rotmistrovs 5th Guards Tank Army near the village of Prokhorovka. With the Russian T34s electing to fight at close quarters, so desperate was the fighting that opposing tanks resorted to ramming each other. As the battle moved across the landscape all became utter confusion. Playing a major role in the air were the Luftwaffes Ju-87 Stukas, equipped with massive 37mm cannons slung under their wings. Led by Hans-Ulrich Rudel, the legendary Stuka pilot, these formidable tank-busters made a significant contribution to the Battle of Kursk. Nicolas Trudgians painting records the dramatic events at Kursk in a spectacular rendition that captures the very essence of this mighty land and air battle. Dominating the scene are a pair of Ju-87s. Having knocked out two T34s, they weave over the landscape as they try to avoid the attentions of Russian Yak 9s, the gunner of Rudels aircraft - in the foreground - blazing away with his machine gun. A pair of Fw190s have entered the fray, and the air is filled with smoke and cordite. In a typically detailed Nicolas Trudgian landscape, below the aerial contest Russian and Panzer tanks are seen in close combat, desperately maneuvering to gain some advantage. The old farm buildings show the ravages of war; tank tracks crisscross the fields, stretching into the distance where the battle extends to the horizon. A masterpiece in military art.
Limited edition of 50 publishers proofs. Paper size 35 inches x 23 inches (88cm x 58cm). Price £430.00 Signed by Oberfahnrich Heinz Meyer, Major Fritz-Rudolf Schultz (deceased) and Unteroffizier Josef Werth.
ITEM CODE DHM2668
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Battle of Kursk by Nicolas Trudgian
- The Signatures
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 | Oberfahnrich Heinz Meyer
One of the most successful of the younger Stuka pilots, Heinz Meyer joined the Luftwaffe in January 1940, and completed his Stuka pilot training in 1942. In July of that year he first saw action 3./St.G. 102 in Foggia, Italy, whilst flying on an armed reconnaissance mission. In February 1943 he joined 8./SG2 Immelmann on the Eastern Front. With his Staffel he was one of the most highly regarded pilots on the entire Eastern front and took part in the Battle of Kursk with Rudel. Heinz flew his 500th combat mission on 31st May 1944, and received the German Cross in August 1944. By the end of the war he had completed 618 combat missions, including 30 in the Fw190, and destroyed 40 tanks, 40 gun positions, 100 vehicles, 3 bridges, 2 ammunition dumps and 2 supply trains. He was awarded the Knights Cross on 17th April 1945.
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 | Major Fritz-Rudolf Schultz (deceased)
At the outbreak of war Fritz-Rudolf Schultz was assistant adjutant with Panzer Regiment 35, and took part in both the invasion of Poland and the Western campaign. Posted to the Eastern Fron with Panzer Regiment 35, from November 1942 he was Commander of the 2nd Company, and from July 1943 Commander of the 1st Company. Taking part in the Battle of Kursk he became the Regimental Commander of the 1./ Panzer Regiment 35, 4. Panzer Division in the autumn of that year. In January 1945 he was transferred to the Fuhrer Reserve of the Wehrmacht Supreme Council, and was the Panzer officer of the Centre Army Group in the final months of the war. He was awarded the Knights Cross on 21st April 1944 as Kommandeur of the I./Panzer Regiment 35, and the Oak Leaves to the Knights Cross on 28th October 1944. He died 2nd March 2002.
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 | Unteroffizier Josef Werth
Josef Werth joined the Luftwaffe in 1937 and after the outbreak of war was posted to train as a Stuka radio operator in Nordhausen. Joining SG2 Immelmann on the Eastern Front, under the command of Hans-Ulrich Rudel, he flw his first combat mission in March 1943. He flew as radio operator / gunner continuously with SG2 in the east and completed a total of 300 combat missions. On 8th May 1945 he was taken prisoner of was by the Americans outside Prague in Czechoslovakia. Josef Werth was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, and the German Cross of Gold.
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