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DESERT WARRIOR
by Robert Taylor
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PART OF THE MILITARY GALLERY ARCHIVE COLLECTION
With Mussolini’s army faring badly in
North Africa, Hitler quickly recognised
that he would have no option but to give
his Italian ally substantial military
assistance. It came in the form of
Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel who, on 12
February 1941, landed in Tripoli ready to
take command of a new German army being
dispatched to Libya. Its name was soon to
be famous around the world – the
Afrika Korps.
Assigned to their support was I./JG27
under the command of Eduard Neumann, one
of the most respected Luftwaffe fighter
leaders of World War 2. The Gruppe was
made up of veterans who’d taken part in
the French campaign and the Battle of
Britain so it didn’t take long for
Neumann’s pilots to make their presence
felt; on their first combat mission from
Ain el-Gazala on 19 April they claimed the
destruction of four RAF Hurricanes and in
the process notched up the Gruppe’s 100th
victory of the war so far.
With the arrival of the rest of the Gruppe
from Russia at the end of 1941, JG27 would
spend the next year defending Rommel’s
front line in North Africa, their name
indelibly linked to the Western Desert.
And it was here that Neumann would mentor
Hans-Joachim Marseilles who, awarded the
Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, scored all but seven of his 158 victories in the Western Desert to become one of the highest-scoring Luftwaffe Aces in history.
Previously unreleased, Desert
Warrior was painted in 1986, a period
of his career that included some of
Robert’s most famous Luftwaffe pieces such
as JG-52 (1986), Ace of
Aces (1988), Swansong
(1988), The Abbeville Boys
(1989), Stuka (1990) and
Gathering Storm (1990). Robert
fittingly depicts a Bf109 from I./JG27
near their base in north-east Libya, a
small dusty village near the coast called
Ain el-Gazala, from which they were tasked
to protect the Ju87 Stukas attacking the
encircled British army in Tobruk, just 40
miles away.
Overall print size: 18" wide x 13 ½" high
As with many of Robert’s early and long sold-out editions, the prints have been signed by an astonishing collection of Luftwaffe veterans which is now impossible to replicate. Included is the legendary Eduard Neumann himself, along with Aces who flew in combat with him in the Western Desert, creating a historic collector’s piece that is destined to become an instant classic.
THE LIMITED EDITION & ARTIST PROOFS
Joining artist Robert Taylor in signing every print are four highly respected Luftwaffe Aces who flew Bf109s with JG27 in the desert:
Oberst EDUARD NEUMANN - 11 victories
Ambassador FRANZ ELLES - 5 victories
Generalmajor FRIEDRICH KÖRNER - 36 victories
Hauptmann FRITZ KELLER - 13 victories
THE MATTED COLLECTOR’S EDITION
Each signed print is issued conservation matted to include the original autographs of a further Luftwaffe Ace who flew in Africa during WWII:
Major ERICH RUDORFFER - 222 victories
Approx matted size: 21 ¼” wide x 19” high
THE MATTED REMARQUE EDITIONS
With the serious collector in mind, these two very exclusive editions will include a hand-crafted original pencil drawing by Robert Taylor. Each exquisite remarque drawing will be individually created on a separate sheet of paper and delicately set into the conservation matting with all components of the Collector’s Edition to create a completely unique piece.
Limited to just fifteen copies worldwide plus ten DOUBLE remarques – with a much larger and even more elaborate drawing – collectors have the opportunity to acquire a highly sought after original work by the world’s most collected aviation artist.
Matted remarque sizes will vary.
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THE LIMITED EDITION
US $135.00 UK £95.00
Edition Size - 650
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In Stock |
THE ARTIST PROOFS
US $210.00 UK £150.00
Edition Size - 65
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In Stock |
THE COLLECTORS EDITION
US $350.00 UK £250.00
Edition Size - 50
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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 |
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