Background

The Russian Front was a place of extremes. Spring was a quagmire of mud and mosquitos, summer was short, hot and dusty, the winter was bleak, desolate and brutally cold, and the land was inhospitable, featureless and interminable. Add to this an innumerable and unrelenting foe.

Therefore it was here, perhaps more than anywhere else, that among the pilots and ground crew of the Luftwaffe, united against such overwhelming odds that the spirit of comradeship burned so brightly. Such was the bond between the men of JG-52. In almost 4 years of combat ranging across a front nearly 2000 miles wide, JG-52 became the most successful Geschwader in history tallying no less than 10,000 victories. It produced the Luftwaffe's top aces: the legendary Erich Hartmann, Gerhard Barkhorn, Gunther Rall, Walter Krupinski, Fritz Obleser and Johannes Steinhoff, to name a few.

In preparation for this painting, Mike Howard spent a week with General Gunther Rall, both in technical research and in absorbing the tales and anecdotes that convey the hopes and fears, the mood and the atmosphere of those times. This magnificent new work captures all of this in a scene showing Leutnants Gunther Rall and Walter Krupinski conferring while a young Erich Hartmann looks on. In the background, the dedicated ground crew labour in the freezing cold to prepare the aircraft for the next mission, at least a little warmth was got from the bonfires set to prevent the engines from freezing over. Major Steinhoff's Gruppe takes off on long range sortie.

Accompanying this Main Print is a colour Companion Print paying tribute to the other famous aircraft and Geschwader fighting alongside JG-52 - the hardy FW-190A in the livery of JG-54, the "Greenhearts".

The General's Portfolio has an additional B&W Companion Print of a pencil drawing showing Staffelkapitan Krupinski in front of his Me-109 G-6 as a rotte of his comrades roar overhead.

Print Specifications

Main Print:	"JG-52 Comrades-in-Arms" Limited Edition Print Limited to 1150 Prints, Certificate of Authenticity provided Full colour, 33" (width) x 27" (height) Printed on 300gsm archival paper with fade resistant inks
Colour Companion Print:	"Chance Encounter" Limited Edition Colour Companion Print Limited to 1150 Prints Full colour, 18" (width) x 12" (height) Printed on 250gsm archival paper with fade resistant inks
Black & White Companion Print:	"Krupinski Portrait" Limited Edition Black & White Companion Print Limited to 1150 Prints Black & White, 25" (width) x 17" (height) Printed on 250gsm archival paper with fade resistant inks

The Signatories

General Gunther Rall fought in the Battle of Britain, the Mediterranean Theatre, on the Russian Front, and in the Defense of the Reich. He commanded III JG-52, II JG-11, and JG-300 and flew all the front-line fighters including the FW-190 Dora and the Me-262. At war's end, he became the third highest ace in history with 275 victories, earning the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and is now the world's leading living ace of all time.

General Walter Krupinski fought in the Battle of Britain, on the Russian Front, and in the Defense of the Reich. He commanded 6 JG-52, II JG-11 and III JG-26 before joining JV-44, and flew Me-109s, FW-190s and the Me-262. He completed the war with 197 victories and was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.

Leutnant Walter Schuck was with JG-3 and later commanding 10 JG-5, he became the leading ace on the Arctic Front. Later flying the Me-262 in Defense of the Reich, he became the leading jet ace. His final score was 206 victories and he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.

General Friedrich Obleser flew with JG-52 for the duration of the war and rose to command 8 JG-52. He was a Knight's Cross winner with 120 victories.