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| CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF ALL NICOLAS TRUDGIAN PRINTS BY TITLE |
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Nicolas Trudgian Prints  German Air Force  Ju87 |
[UP] - Me109 - Me262 - Fw190 - Ju88 - Me110 - Do17 - He219 - He162 - Me163 - Fokker Dr.I - Albatros - Ju87 - German Aviation Print List |
Ju87 By 1935 the German Luftwaffe was developing its first monoplane divebomber which entered production in 1936 as the Ju87 Stuka. The Stuka was to evolve into arguably the most successful single engine Axis divebomber of WW II. Utilizing a nearly vertical dive position the Stuka was stunningly accurate in the days when horizontal bombing was a relatively inaccurate science. The Ju87 was built for functionality and ruggedness. A fixed landing gear and exceptionally strong wing design were incorporated and no attempt was made to minimize protrusions. The Stuka was not designed for speed; it was an aerodynamic nightmare. The Stuka also incorporated a siren which when activated during a dive was designed to inflict psychological damage on the enemy below. The Ju87 was used with tremendous success in the Blitzkrieg attacks on Norway, Poland, Belgium, France, Holland, Yugoslavia, and Greece. Virtually unchallenged in the air during these Blitzkriegs the Stukas took a devastating toll on Allied ground and mechanized forces. Shipping was also vulnerable to the pinpoint attacks of the Stuka, and the Ju87 destroyed more Allied shipping than all other German aircraft put together during WW II. During Hitlers air attacks on Britain the Stukas reputation for invulnerability was shattered. Facing British Hurricanes and Spitfires the slower and less maneuverable Ju87s were destroyed in large numbers, eventually forcing their withdrawal from that conflict. Germanys attempt to develop an improved twin engine divebomber resulted in the introduction of the Messerschmitt 210 which was an unmitigated disaster. As a result, the Stuka remained in production longer than expected and the aircraft played a major role in Germanys surprise attack on Russia. In the first day of combat alone Stukas were credited with the destruction of over 700 Russian aircraft with minimal losses. One of Germanys top aces of WW II was Hans-Ulrich Rudel. Rudel flew over 2,500 combat missions in Ju87s, and was shot down on twelve occasions. Rudel was credited with destroying 519 tanks, 800 vehicles, 150 artillery pieces, one Russian battleship, one cruiser and one destroyer. Rudel was also credited with shooting down nine Russian aircraft in air-to-air combat. |
| Nicolas Trudgian Ju87 Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Battle of Kursk by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) On 5 July, 1943 over 6000 German and Russian tanks clashed near the town of Kursk, just 300 miles south of Moscow. It was the beginning of what became the greatest tank battle in history. In the skies above this conflagration, an air battle of monumental proportions raged, with the German and Russian air forces locked in combat. This was war on a scale hitherto never imagined. A full week later the Battle was still raging, reaching a crescendo on 12 July when Hoths 4th Panzer Army met head-on with Rotmistrovs 5th Guards Tank Army near the village of Prokhorovka. With the Russian T34s electing to fight at close quarters, so desperate was the fighting that opposing tanks resorted to ramming each other. As the battle moved across the landscape all became utter confusion. Playing a major role in the air were the Luftwaffes Ju-87 Stukas, equipped with massive 37mm cannons slung under their wings. Led by Hans-Ulrich Rudel, the legendary Stuka pilot, these formidable tank-busters made a significant contribution to the Battle of Kursk. Nicolas Trudgians painting records the dramatic events at Kursk in a spectacular rendition that captures the very essence of this mighty land and air battle. Dominating the scene are a pair of Ju-87s. Having knocked out two T34s, they weave over the landscape as they try to avoid the attentions of Russian Yak 9s, the gunner of Rudels aircraft - in the foreground - blazing away with his machine gun. A pair of Fw190s have entered the fray, and the air is filled with smoke and cordite. In a typically detailed Nicolas Trudgian landscape, below the aerial contest Russian and Panzer tanks are seen in close combat, desperately maneuvering to gain some advantage. The old farm buildings show the ravages of war; tank tracks crisscross the fields, stretching into the distance where the battle extends to the horizon. A masterpiece in military art. |
| Known Aces for this aircraft |
| Ace Name | Victories |
| Hans-Ulrich Rudel | 11.00 |
| Ju87 Pilot and aircrew signature details |
 Oberfahnrich Heinz Meyer Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 1987 | Oberfahnrich Heinz Meyer One of the most successful of the younger Stuka pilots, Heinz Meyer joined the Luftwaffe in January 1940, and completed his Stuka pilot training in 1942. In July of that year he first saw action 3./St.G. 102 in Foggia, Italy, whilst flying on an armed reconnaissance mission. In February 1943 he joined 8./SG2 Immelmann on the Eastern Front. With his Staffel he was one of the most highly regarded pilots on the entire Eastern front and took part in the Battle of Kursk with Rudel. Heinz flew his 500th combat mission on 31st May 1944, and received the German Cross in August 1944. By the end of the war he had completed 618 combat missions, including 30 in the Fw190, and destroyed 40 tanks, 40 gun positions, 100 vehicles, 3 bridges, 2 ammunition dumps and 2 supply trains. He was awarded the Knights Cross on 17th April 1945. He died on 22nd September 1987. |
  Major Werner Roell Our estimated value of this signature : £75 Died : 2008 | Major Werner Roell Werner Roell flew initially in Norway, and was one of the first pilots to land in Norway during that campaign. He later flew operations in Yugoslavia and Crete as Staffelkapitan of 4./St77, subsequently flying in Russia. Transferring to the Ju87, he flew over 400 combat missions in the Stuka, destroying a Soviet cruiser near the Crimea. In early 1945 he was summoned by Adolf Galland to join his famous Me262 Squadron of Experts in JV44, where he served until the end of the war. Werner Roell flew a total of 477 combat missions, and was awarded the Knights Cross. Passed away 10th May 2008. |
 Unteroffizier Josef Werth Our estimated value of this signature : £55 | Unteroffizier Josef Werth Josef Werth joined the Luftwaffe in 1937 and after the outbreak of war was posted to train as a Stuka radio operator in Nordhausen. Joining SG2 Immelmann on the Eastern Front, under the command of Hans-Ulrich Rudel, he flw his first combat mission in March 1943. He flew as radio operator / gunner continuously with SG2 in the east and completed a total of 300 combat missions. On 8th May 1945 he was taken prisoner of was by the Americans outside Prague in Czechoslovakia. Josef Werth was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, and the German Cross of Gold. |
| Ju87 Squadron details |
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