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Day of the Fighters by Nicolas Trudgian.
The pilots of I Gruppe JG-1 were up early on August 17, 1943. It5 was high
summer, and even as the first streaks of light appeared in the sky to the east,
four pilots got airborne out of Deelan, Holland, and headed for the coast. It
was the first routine reconnaissance of the morning. By 0730 German listening
services were picking up signals indicating large formations of enemy aircraft
assembling to the west of Great Yarmouth, South East England. By 0800 it was
clear to the German interceptor fighter groups stationed in Holland that this
was going to be no ordinary day. Shortly after 0930 the first wave of a force of
some 375 B-17s and B-24s, heavily escorted by fighters, started crossing the
Dutch coast south of the Scheldt estuary, their destination Schweinfurt and
Regensburg. They were shadowed by the German fighters of 1, 2 & 3 Gruppe
along their entire route over Europe. When the Allied fighter escort turned back
at the limit of their range, the Luftwaffe fighters made their attack. It was
the start of a day of incessant aerial combat which raged all the way across
Holland, Belgium and Germany, and all the way back to the coast again as the
Americans returned to England. It was one of the longest air-to-air battles of
the war and became known by the Luftwaffe pilots as the Day of the Fighters. |
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Day of the Fighters by Nicolas Trudgian.
The pilots of I Gruppe JG-1 were up early on August 17, 1943. It5 was high summer, and even as the first streaks of light appeared in the sky to the east, four pilots got airborne out of Deelan, Holland, and headed for the coast. It was the first routine reconnaissance of the morning. By 0730 German listening services were picking up signals indicating large formations of enemy aircraft assembling to the west of Great Yarmouth, South East England. By 0800 it was clear to the German interceptor fighter groups stationed in Holland that this was going to be no ordinary day. Shortly after 0930 the first wave of a force of some 375 B-17s and B-24s, heavily escorted by fighters, started crossing the Dutch coast south of the Scheldt estuary, their destination Schweinfurt and Regensburg. They were shadowed by the German fighters of 1, 2 & 3 Gruppe along their entire route over Europe. When the Allied fighter escort turned back at the limit of their range, the Luftwaffe fighters made their attack. It was the start of a day of incessant aerial combat which raged all the way across Holland, Belgium and Germany, and all the way back to the coast again as the Americans returned to England. It was one of the longest air-to-air battles of the war and became known by the Luftwaffe pilots as the Day of the Fighters.
Signed limited edition of 1000 prints. Paper size 35 inches x 24.5 inches (89cm x 63cm). Price £ Signed by Major Gerhard Schopfel (deceased) Hauptmann Alfred Grislawski (deceased) and Oberleutnant Adolf Glunz (deceased)
Limited edition of 75 publishers proofs. Paper size 35 inches x 24.5 inches (88cm x 62cm). Price £330.00 Signed by Oberleutnant Adolf Glunz (deceased), Hauptmann Alfred Grislawski (deceased) and Major Gerhard Schopfel (deceased).
ITEM CODE DHM2661
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Day of the Fighters by Nicolas Trudgian
- The Signatures
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 | Oberleutnant Adolf Glunz (deceased)
Adolf Glunz served with 4/JG-52 on both the Channel Coast and then in Russia. Returning to the English Channel with II./JG-25 he became one of the most successful fighter pilots on the Western Front. Adolf Glunz saw combat continuously right up to the war end and, remarkably, was never shot down or wounded in over 574 missions, many whilst flying the Fw190. Awarded the Knight's Cross in 1943, he acheived a personal score of 71 victories. He died 1st August 2002.
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 | Hauptmann Alfred Grislawski (deceased)
Alfred Grislawski joined 9./JG52 in 1940, quickly becoming an Ace. An outstanding fighter pilot, his air victories were 133 in over 800 combat missions until he was severely wounded. he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. Died 19th September 2003.
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 | Major Gerhard Schopfel (deceased)
Gerhard Schopfel was Staffelkapitan of 9./JG26 at the outbreak of war, and became Kommandeur of III./JG26 in August 1940. In December 1941 he succeeded Adolf Galland as Kommodore of JG26 until Januray 1943. Later, Kommodore of JG4 and JG6. He flew over 700 combat missions, achieving 40 victories, all in the West. He was awarded the Knight's Cross in 1940. Died 17th May 2003.
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Gerhard Schopfel and artist Graeme Lothian with the original painting - Fighter General. |
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