by
Robert Taylor
Overall print size 34" by 23"
Image size 29" by 16"
The weather on the morning of 31 December, 1944 was already unpleasant. In the Ardennes, hard-pressed German troops were battling Allied ground forces advancing through several inches of snow. Above, darkening skies heralded the arrival of more snow. At 10.45am, in deteriorating weather, a battle formation of 30 Fw190D fighters climbed out of Varrelbusch and headed south over the snowcovered landscape. Under the command of 12./JG54 Staffelkapitan, Oblt. Hans Dortenmann, and initially tasked to provide air cover to their beleaguered comrades below, the group was re-assigned to intercept enemy aircraft in the region of Limburg almost immediately the pilots were airborne. Flying south they ran directly into the oncoming weather, and with visibility dangerously reduced, Dortenmann elected to climb through the solid cloud into clear air. As the Fw190s broke cloud above the area of Koblenz they sighted a formation of nine 2nd Air Division B-24 Liberators and formed up for an attack. Some 6000 feet above, top-cover P-51 Mustangs had watched the Fw190s climbing through the banks of clouds, and turned 180 degrees to position behind the Luftwaffe fighters. Diving in from their height advantage, the Mustang pilots entered the fray and within seconds the sky was filled with swirling dogfights.
THE FIGHTER PILOTS EDITION
400 signed and numbered - $320
Every print in this edition has been signed in pencil by THREE top
pilots who flew with
JG54 - The Green Hearts. Each print is also signed by artist
Robert Taylor, and individually hand-numbered.
see detailed biographies of the signors here
Major HANS-EKKEHARD BOB
Leutnant NORBERT HANNIG
Major ERIC RUDORFFER
THE GREEN HEART EDITION
350 signed and numbered - $395
The Green Heart Edition has also been signed by the following four
JG54 Aces,
and three pilots from the 453rd Bomb Group USAAF,
as well as the three signors of the Fighter Pilots Edition
to give a total of TEN signatures in this edition.
see detailed biographies of the signors here
Major HANS-EKKEHARD BOB
Leutnant NORBERT HANNIG
Major ERIC RUDORFFER
First Lieutenant ALBERT ‘BERT’ BIEL
Leutnant HUGO BROCH
Colonel WILBUR LEE ‘WIB’ CLINGAN
Unteroffizzier GUSTAV DREES
Lieutenant Colonel G W FORD
Feldwebel HERIBERT KOLLER
Leutnant HERMANN SCHLEINHEGE
