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STORMBIRDS RISING
by Robert Taylor
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A POWERFUL EDITION FEATURING THE WORLD’S FIRST COMBAT JET FIGHTER – THE Me262
The Me262 was sleek, beautifully
proportioned and deadly, and with a top
speed of around 540mph was a 100mph faster
than anything in the Allied arsenal. It
could have changed the course of the war.
April 1945: and the end of the war was
growing closer. By now the weather was
improving and, as the days began to
lengthen, the American Eighth Air Force
was able to dispatch well over a thousand
bombers, with a fighter escort to match,
on some of the largest raids of the war.
The Allies’ overwhelming strength meant
the contest was all but one-sided; yet the
expert pilots of the Luftwaffe were still
a force to be reckoned with – especially
when armed with their revolutionary Me262
jets.
Had Hitler recognized the jets’ full
potential as a fighter, as Adolf Galland
had pushed for, then the course of the war
might have been very different. But he
didn’t, and by the time this radical new
jet was put into mass production as a
fighter, it was too late to save Hitler’s
Reich.
Although some 1,400 Me262s were built,
rarely more than a couple of hundred were
fully operational at any one time,
continually hampered by shortages of fuel,
spare parts and trained pilots. American
factories, in contrast, could build that
number of combat aircraft in a day.
Even so, Allied bombers had frequent
contacts with Me262s, especially those of
JG7, and had run into serious trouble from
the large jet formations that the Gruppe
had managed to assemble. Eight B-17s had
been lost in one such encounter and the
Fortress crews were more than wary of what
they might expect as they battled through
the skies above what remained of the Nazi
heartland.
Robert Taylor, the master of aviation art,
portrays the Me262s of III./JG7 in his
powerful painting as a tribute to this
revolutionary aircraft. He captures a
scene during the final weeks of the war as
Leutnant Hermann Buchner, by now one of
the most famous jet Aces and recipient of
the coveted Knight’s Cross, joins his
fellow pilots of III./JG7 as they climb to
intercept a large formation of American
bombers having just left their base at
Parchim. Below them the tranquillity of
the meandering River Havel, flowing
gracefully through the countryside west of
Berlin, is in stark contrast to the deadly
encounters that will soon take place
overhead.
Overall Print Size: 32" wide x 24" high
Adding great historical importance, the prints in this powerful edition are autographed by some of the most highly-decorated pilots to fly the Luftwaffe’s revolutionary jet aircraft including Hermann Buchner himself. This is likely to be a landmark edition from the world’s most collected aviation artist with a collection of signatories that will sadly never be repeated.
THE SIGNATURES
THE LIMITED EDITION
Joining artist Robert Taylor, every print is individually numbered and personally signed by the artist together with two highly-regarded Jet pilots, including the Ace featured in Stormbirds Rising:
Oberst HERMANN BUCHNER
Knight’s Cross / 58 victories
Oberleutnant WOLFGANG WOLLENWEBER
Iron Cross First Class
THE COLLECTOR’S EDITION & ARTIST PROOFS
Each print in this memorable four signature edition is signed by two more prominent veterans who flew Luftwaffe jets in combat during the final days of the war in Europe:
Major ERICH RUDORFFER
Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves & Swords / 222 victories
Leutnant JORG CZYPIONKA
Iron Cross / 2 victories
THE ACES EDITION & REMARQUES
These historic seven signature editions are additionally autographed by a further three famous Luftwaffe Aces who flew Me262s in combat with JG7 during WWII:
Oberleutnant WALTER SCHUCK
Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves / 206 victories
Leutnant ALFRED AMBS
7 victories
Leutnant NORBERT HANNIG
Iron Cross First Class / 42 victories
THE REMARQUES - Regarded as the world’s finest aviation artist, Robert Taylor’s original work is extremely limited so a hand-drawn pencil Remarque is one of the best ways to own a unique ‘one of a kind’ piece of his artwork. Each print in the edition will have a delicately crafted original pencil drawing, skilfully created by Robert in the lower margin.
Every Remarque drawing is different and unique!
The DOUBLE REMARQUES, restricted to just 10 copies worldwide, will be issued with a double size drawing, even larger and crammed full of detail and content.
THE TRIBUTE EDITION
with an ORIGINAL PENCIL DRAWING and TWELVE signatures
With all signatures of the Aces Edition, each print is issued with an exquisite original pencil drawing, specially created for this edition by Robert Taylor, which is signed by two leading fighter Aces who flew the Me262 jet:
Major HANS-EKKEHARD BOB
Knight’s Cross / 60 victories
Oberleutnant ERWIN LEYKAUF
German Cross in Gold / 33 victories
Each drawing is conservation matted to include the original signatures of a further three famous Luftwaffe Me262 Aces who fought in the skies over Germany towards the end of war:
Generalleutnant ADOLF GALLAND
Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords & Diamonds / 104 victories
General JOHANNES ‘MACKY’ STEINHOFF
Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves & Swords / 178 victories
Feldwebel ERNST GIEFING
Iron Cross / 6 victories
PLEASE CLICK HERE to see the matted Tribute Edition.
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THE LIMITED EDITION
US $295.00 UK £195.00
Edition Size - 150
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In Stock |
THE COLLECTORS EDITION
US $345.00 UK £250.00
Edition Size - 75
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In Stock |
THE COLLECTORS ARTIST PROOFS
US $495.00 UK £360.00
Edition Size - 25
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In Stock |
THE ACES EDITION
US $525.00 UK £385.00
Edition Size - 115
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In Stock |
THE REMARQUES
US $1195.00 UK £825.00
Edition Size - 15
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Sold Out |
THE DOUBLE REMARQUES (subject to availability)
US $1950.00 UK £1395.00
Edition Size - 10
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Sold Out |
THE TRIBUTE EDITION (Subject to availability)
US $3850.00 UK £2795.00
Edition Size - 5
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Sold Out |
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