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Green Heart Warriors by Nicolas Trudgian.
In the summer of 1940, as a 28 year old captain, Hannes Trautloft took command
of JG 54. During the next three years this extraordinary fighter leader shaped
the unit into one of the most successful combat fighter wings of World War II.
The Green Heart emblem of his home town Thuringischen, in the heart of Germany,
became the Groups symbol and the fighter pilots famous as Trautlofts Green Heart
Warriors. They carried their reputation throughout almost every European
theatre. After campaigning in the Balkans, the unit moved to the Russian Front,
where it flew Me109s and Fw190s in the heavy fighting of the Northern Region. By
the war-end no fewer than twenty Green Heart Aces had achieved more than 100 air
victories, its pilots collecting 58 Knights Cross awards. Nicolas Trudgian
portrays a typical scene on the Eastern Front in 1943: IL 2 Stormoviks have
attacked a German armoured division who have called for air support. JG 54 Green
Hearts have quickly scrambled to the scene and have broken up the attack,
downing several Russian aircraft during the encounter. In the foreground, Hannes
Trautlofts Fw190 hurtles out of the canvas towards us, as the Ace glances over
his shoulder to see an unfortunate IL-2 moments before hitting the snow-covered
landscape a few feet below. Behind, two more Fw190s give support while in the
background the low-level aerial contest is furiously fought. The drama unfolds
in an exquisitely painted landscape, the northern morning sun casting long
shadows across the snow drifts. |
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Green Heart Warriors by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
In the summer of 1940, as a 28 year old captain, Hannes Trautloft took command of JG 54. During the next three years this extraordinary fighter leader shaped the unit into one of the most successful combat fighter wings of World War II. The Green Heart emblem of his home town Thuringischen, in the heart of Germany, became the Groups symbol and the fighter pilots famous as Trautlofts Green Heart Warriors. They carried their reputation throughout almost every European theatre. After campaigning in the Balkans, the unit moved to the Russian Front, where it flew Me109s and Fw190s in the heavy fighting of the Northern Region. By the war-end no fewer than twenty Green Heart Aces had achieved more than 100 air victories, its pilots collecting 58 Knights Cross awards.
Nicolas Trudgian portrays a typical scene on the Eastern Front in 1943: IL 2 Stormoviks have attacked a German armoured division who have called for air support. JG 54 Green Hearts have quickly scrambled to the scene and have broken up the attack, downing several Russian aircraft during the encounter. In the foreground, Hannes Trautlofts Fw190 hurtles out of the canvas towards us, as the Ace glances over his shoulder to see an unfortunate IL-2 moments before hitting the snow-covered landscape a few feet below. Behind, two more Fw190s give support while in the background the low-level aerial contest is furiously fought. The drama unfolds in an exquisitely painted landscape, the northern morning sun casting long shadows across the snow drifts.
Limited edition of 75 publishers proofs. Paper size 32 inches x 25 inches (81cm x 64cm). Price £430.00 Signed by Hannes Trautloft (deceased), Franz Eisenach (deceased), Dieter Hrabak (deceased), Leutnant Hugo Broch and Major Hans-Ekkehard Bob.
ITEM CODE DHM2666
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Green Heart Warriors by Nicolas Trudgian
- The Signatures
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 | Hannes Trautloft (deceased)
Hannes Trautloft is one of the Luftwaffe's great fighter leaders, scoring his first air victory in the Spanish Civil War in August 1936. Returning to Germany in 1937 he joined the national aerobatics team flying the Me109. Soon after the outbreak of World War II, Hannes took command of I./JG20 taking part in the Battle of Britain, before moving to the Balkans as Kommodore of JG54. Now leading the group on the Russian Front, JG54 took part in the heavy fighting, first in the Me109, then the Fw190. In the summer of 1943 Hannes Trautloft joined General Galland's staff. As a 'mutineer' he was sacked by Goering, thus ending an illustrious combat career comprising 550 combat missions and 57 aerial victories. he died 11th January 1995.
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Franz Eisenach (deceased)
From 1940 Franz Eisenach flew with various Groups, until joining 9./JG 54 on the Eastern Front in October 1942. As Squadron Leader of 3./JG 54 he had considerable success until, flying an Fw190A in December 1943, he was kit by flak and badly wounded. After convalescence heymned I./JG 54, becoming its Gruppenkommandeur but in September 1944 he was wounded again, this time after an encounter with a bomber. Awarded the Knights Cross he returned to the Front until the wars end. His final tally was 129 victories, 52 of which were IL-2s, and flew 317 combat missions. He died 21st August 1998.
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 | Dieter Hrabak (deceased)
Dieter Hrabak was shot down in his first aerial combat during the Polish Campaign. He survived to become one of the Luftwaffes most respected and popular leaders. He scored his first victory in the Battle of France, and got 15 more during the Battle of Britain. By Eagle Day he was in command of II./JG 54, which he led until taking command of JG 52 in 1942. He was the first JG 54 Ace to be awarded the Knights Cross. He ended the war back in command of JG 54, and was credited with 125 victories.
Dieter Hrabak was born on 19th December 1914 in a small village near Leipzig. Upon graduation from high school, he hoped to become a commercial pilot, but in 1934 Hrabak joined the Reichsmarine. Within 6 months he transferred to the newly formed Luftwaffe for flight training. By April 1939, Hrabak was recognised as an experienced pilot and given command of a squadron in Vienna. On his very first combat mission in September 1939 over Poland, he was shot down - the first of 11 times. Hrabaks first aerial victory came during the Battle of France. Flying an Me109, he claimed five more victories before the armistice. In the summer of 1940, his squadron was incorporated into a newly formed fighting wing, JG54 Green Hearts. Hrabak commanded II./JG54, one of the wings three groups as the Luftwaffe began its assault on England. During the Batttle of Britain he brought his score to 16 Royal Air Force fighters and Field Marshal Goring personally decorated him with the Knights Cross. In the spring of 1941, II./JG54 flew in the short campaign against Yugoslavia. When Operation Barbarosa began in Russia, he flew on the northern sector of the front and fought over Leningrad. In November 1942, Hrabak took command of JG52 on the southern front and fought over Stalingrad. In August 1943, he got his 100th aerial victory and in November, Hitler awarded him Oak Leaves to the Knights Cross. In early 1944, JG52 achieved its 10,000th aerial victory - the most by any Luftwaffe wing. In October 1944, he returned to his old wing, the Green Hearts, as Commander. Flying the Focke Wulf Fw190, he fought until near the end of the war in Kurland. After the war, he worked in the auto and chemical industry. He was a key architect in rebuilding the modern German Air Force. In 1953, Chancellor Adenaur asked him to help form a new German Air Force. Hrabak personally interviewed most of the officers who would form the nucleus. In mid-1955, he came to the United States and trained on modern jets. In the summer of 1956, he returned home to command the Advanced Pilot Training Centre at Furstenfeldbruck AB. By 1960, he commanded all GAF flying training centres. Two years later, he took charge of the air defence sector covering northern Germany and the Netherlands. In 1964, he was named NATOs Chief of Air Defence, Central Europe, until he became special manager for the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. Finally, as a major general, he commanded the GAFs tactical command, retiring on 1st October 1970.
He died on 15th September 1995.
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 | Leutnant Hugo Broch
Vital to all fighter units are the pilots who make such superb wingmen that their leaders are loath to part with them. Hugo Broch was one such wingman. Having joined VI./JG54 in January he flew first with Horst Adameit (166 victories), and later with 'Bazi' Sterr (130 victories), but soon demonstrated his own skill in combat. By the end of 1944 he had lifted his personal score to 71 victories. One of JG54's great Fw190 Aces, Hugo Broch saw combat on the Eastern and Baltic Fronts, and completed the war having flown 324 combat missions, and claiming 81 victories. He was awarded the Knight's Cross.
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 | Major Hans-Ekkehard Bob
After success in the Battle of Britain, Hans-Ekkehard Bob took over leadership of 9./JG54 in 1940. The following year he was awarded the Knight's Cross. Transferring to the Eastern Front his victories rose steadily to 50 by September 1942. His Group later transferred back to the West for a short period, where in April 1943, he rammed a B-17 Fortress. Returning to the Eastern Front as Kommander of IV./JG3, he ended the war as Adjutant of Galland's JV44 in the West. In his 700 missions he scored 60 victories.
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Hans-Ekkehard Bob signing the print - JV44 Kette of Swallows - by Graeme Lothian. |
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