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Background
At the age of 30, following four years of combat the charismatic
Adolf Galland had risen to the position of General der Jagdflieger.
When he tested the revolutionary Me-262 jet in May 1943, at
a time when the war was already pressing back onto the Reich
itself, General Galland called it "our fighter pilot's
greatest hope".
Yet through political bungling and strategic ineptitude in
the highest echelons, the air war had turned into a disaster
for Germany by late 1944. A scapegoat had to be found so the
outspoken Galland was dismissed - an outrageous action that
precipitated the ensuing "Mutiny of the Kommodores".
It was then that Galland and his crowd of exiles were ordered
to form Jagdverband 44 to fly the Me-262 in Defense of the
Reich during the final months of the war.
So it came to be that this remarkable unit whose highly decorated
members were the cream of the Luftwaffe's fighter pilots and
whose unofficial unit insignia was the Knight's Cross were
to stand shoulder-to-shoulder against the final onslaught
of the Allied air forces.
In this intensely researched new work, Mike Howard has pieced
together this part of history to depict a scene from the flightline
at Munchen-Rhiem, JV-44's airbase. This day the General did
not fly, but he is anxious to hear of the outcome of this
last sortie of the day. He greets the returning Eagles - Obertsleutnant
Heinz Bar, the top scoring Me-262 ace, and Hauptmann Walter
Krupinski of JG-52 fame, as Oberts Johannes Steinhoff and
Gunther Lutzow approach. Major Gerhard Barkhorn observes.
Behind the group looms a Me-262A-1a/U5 - the only prototype
mounting six 30mm cannons flown by Obertsleutnant Bar, while
Major Willi Herget screams overhead in a 50mm cannon armed
Me-262A-1a/U4.
Accompanying the main print is a colour Companion Print showing
the colourful FW-190Ds that were used to fly protective cover
for the Me-262s during their vulnerable takeoffs and landings.
The Generals' Portfolio has an additional B&W Companion
Print of a pencil drawing which shows General Galland conferring
with his friend Hauptmann Krupinski as they await the return
of the last kette.
Print Specifications
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Main Print:
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"JV-44 Galland's Eagles" 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
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Colour Companion Print:
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"Papagei" 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
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Black & White Companion
Print:
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"Galland 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
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"JV-44 Galland's Eagles" Limited Edition
Print
signed by Leutnant Walter Schuck and Artist and and
numbered
"Papagei" Limited Edition Colour Companion
Print
initialed by Artist and numbered
Limited to 650 Editions
Price: US$95.00 plus shipping
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"JV-44 Galland's Eagles" Limited Edition
Print
signed by Leutnant Walter Schuck and Artist and and
numbered
"Papagei" Limited Edition Colour Companion
Print
initialed by Artist and numbered
Limited to 50 Proofs
Price: US$145.00 plus shipping
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"JV-44 Galland's Eagles" Limited Edition
Print
signed by General Gunther Rall, Leutnant Walter Schuck
and Artist and numbered
"Papagei" Limited Edition Colour Companion
Print
signed by Friedrich Obleser and initialed by Artist
and numbered
"Galland Portrait" Limited Edition Black
& White Companion Print
signed by Walter Krupinski and initialed by Artist and
numbered
Limited to 25 Remarques
Price: US$345.00 plus shipping
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"JV-44 Galland's Eagles" Limited Edition
Print
signed by General Gunther Rall, Leutnant Walter Schuck
and Artist and numbered
"Papagei" Limited Edition Colour Companion
Print
signed by Friedrich Obleser and initialed by Artist
and numbered
"Galland Portrait" Limited Edition Black
& White Companion Print
signed by Walter Krupinski and initialed by Artist and
numbered
Limited to 425 Editions
Price: US$245.00 plus shipping
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