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Pack 757. Pack of two Thunderbolt prints by Robert Taylor. - Military Art
DHM1726B. The Wolfpack by Robert Taylor. <p> The 56th Fighter Group was led by some of Americas greatest fighter leaders of World War II and was home to many of its leading fighter Aces.  Under successive commanders Hub Zemke, Robert Landry and David Schilling, the 56th destroyed more enemy aircraft in combat than any other fighter group in the Eighth Air Force.  Arriving in England in January 1943 under the command of Colonel Hub Zemke, a master tactician and fearless leader, the 56th quickly emerged as an outstanding fighting unit.  The only Eighth Air Force Group to fly P-47 Thunderbolts throughout the war, the 56th spawned more fighter Aces than any other USAAF group - legends such as Gabby Gabreski, Robert Johnson and the colourful Ace Walker Bud Mahurin.  Under Hub Zemkes mercurial leadership they became known and feared as Zemkes Wolfpack.  On 26 November, 1943, the P-47s of the 56th Fighter Group were tasked to escort B-24 Liberators of the 392nd Bomb Group on a dangerous mission to attack the heavily defended industrial and dockyard facilities in the German port of Bremen. Zemke knew the Luftwaffe would be waiting for them as they approached the target, and they were - in force! It was to become a day of high drama. With the Luftwaffe throwing all the fighters they could muster at the American heavy bombers, a massive aerial battle ensued. In the running dogfights high over Bremen, the Wolfpack claimed their most successful action of the war with 23 confirmed kills, 3 probables, and 9 damaged, creating an all-time record in the European Theatre. The 392nds B-24 Liberators could not have been in safer hands on that eventful day. <b><p>Signed by <br>Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin (deceased), <br>Brigadier General Leslie C Smith, <br>Brigadier General Lyle Adrianse, <br>Captain Walter Groce, <br>Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Whitley, <br>Lieutenant John Bradshaw - Companion Print, <br>Colonel Billy Gene Edens - Companion Print, <br>Chief Warrant Officer Russell Kyler - Companion Print and <br>Colonel Robert J Shorty Rankin (deceased) - Companion Print. <p> Collectors edition of 350 prints.  <p> Paper size 35 inches x 26.5 inches (88cm x 66cm) - Image size 24.5 inches x 22 inches (62cm x 56cm)
DHM2073.  Thunderbolt Strike by Robert Taylor. <p>A flight of P47 thunderbolts of the 404 Fighter group, 9th Air force, clear the target area after a low-level attack on the airfield inland from Le Havre, Normandy, 1944. Tracer winds up towards them from ground defences and almost all the aircraft have taken hits. Ground-attack pilots went in low, did the job and got our fast!<b><p>Signed by General Paul Douglas (deceased), <br>General James Hill (deceased) <br>and <br>Colonel Joe Matte (deceased).<p>Signed limited edition of 1250 prints.  <p>Paper size 27 inches x 20 inches (69cm x 51cm)

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  Website Price: £ 410.00  

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Pack 757. Pack of two Thunderbolt prints by Robert Taylor.

PCK0757. Pack of two Robert Taylor aviation art prints showing WW2 US P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft.

Aviation Print Pack.

Items in this pack :

Item #1 - Click to view individual item

DHM1726B. The Wolfpack by Robert Taylor.

The 56th Fighter Group was led by some of Americas greatest fighter leaders of World War II and was home to many of its leading fighter Aces. Under successive commanders Hub Zemke, Robert Landry and David Schilling, the 56th destroyed more enemy aircraft in combat than any other fighter group in the Eighth Air Force. Arriving in England in January 1943 under the command of Colonel Hub Zemke, a master tactician and fearless leader, the 56th quickly emerged as an outstanding fighting unit. The only Eighth Air Force Group to fly P-47 Thunderbolts throughout the war, the 56th spawned more fighter Aces than any other USAAF group - legends such as Gabby Gabreski, Robert Johnson and the colourful Ace Walker Bud Mahurin. Under Hub Zemkes mercurial leadership they became known and feared as Zemkes Wolfpack. On 26 November, 1943, the P-47s of the 56th Fighter Group were tasked to escort B-24 Liberators of the 392nd Bomb Group on a dangerous mission to attack the heavily defended industrial and dockyard facilities in the German port of Bremen. Zemke knew the Luftwaffe would be waiting for them as they approached the target, and they were - in force! It was to become a day of high drama. With the Luftwaffe throwing all the fighters they could muster at the American heavy bombers, a massive aerial battle ensued. In the running dogfights high over Bremen, the Wolfpack claimed their most successful action of the war with 23 confirmed kills, 3 probables, and 9 damaged, creating an all-time record in the European Theatre. The 392nds B-24 Liberators could not have been in safer hands on that eventful day.

Signed by
Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin (deceased),
Brigadier General Leslie C Smith,
Brigadier General Lyle Adrianse,
Captain Walter Groce,
Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Whitley,
Lieutenant John Bradshaw - Companion Print,
Colonel Billy Gene Edens - Companion Print,
Chief Warrant Officer Russell Kyler - Companion Print and
Colonel Robert J Shorty Rankin (deceased) - Companion Print.

Collectors edition of 350 prints.

Paper size 35 inches x 26.5 inches (88cm x 66cm) - Image size 24.5 inches x 22 inches (62cm x 56cm)


Item #2 - Click to view individual item

DHM2073. Thunderbolt Strike by Robert Taylor.

A flight of P47 thunderbolts of the 404 Fighter group, 9th Air force, clear the target area after a low-level attack on the airfield inland from Le Havre, Normandy, 1944. Tracer winds up towards them from ground defences and almost all the aircraft have taken hits. Ground-attack pilots went in low, did the job and got our fast!

Signed by General Paul Douglas (deceased),
General James Hill (deceased)
and
Colonel Joe Matte (deceased).

Signed limited edition of 1250 prints.

Paper size 27 inches x 20 inches (69cm x 51cm)


Website Price: £ 410.00  

To purchase these prints individually at their normal retail price would cost £535.00 . By buying them together in this special pack, you save £125




All prices are displayed in British Pounds Sterling

 

Signatures on this item
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare.
NameInfo


Brigadier General Leslie C Smith (deceased)
*Signature Value : £25 (matted)

Les Smith was born on October 31, 1918, in Mitchell, South Dakota. He graduated from Fresno State College in May 1940, and entered the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces on November 7, 1941. Smith was commissioned a 2d Lt and awarded his pilot wings at Kelly Field, Texas, on July 3, 1942, and then joined the 61st Fighter Squadron of the 56th Fighter Group, deploying with the group to England in January 1943. Arriving in England in February 1943, Les Smith flew two tours with the 56th Fighter Group, first as flight leader of the 61st Fighter Squadron, then as Commanding Officer of the 62nd Fighter Squadron. During that time he notched up 7 aerial victories,plus 4.5 on the ground while strafing enemy airfields. Les Smith became commander of the 62nd Fighter Squadron of the 56th Fighter Group in September 1944, and destroyed 1 more enemy aircraft in the air before becoming Deputy Commander of the 56th Fighter Group in January 1945 ending the war as Deputy Group Commanding Officer. He transferred to the 65th Fighter Wing in England and served as Air Inspector from April to June 1945. Col Les Smith left active duty and on the 10th of January 1946 joined the Air Force Reserve, serving until May 18, 1948, after which he joined the California Air National Guard. Col Les Smith served as Commander of the 144th Fighter Group from May to July 1948, and Commander of the 194th Fighter Squadron from July 1948 to April 1952, and Commander of the 144th Fighter Group from May 1952 to September 1955. Col Smith then served on the staff of the 144th Fighter Interceptor Wing from September 1955 to September 1957, followed by service as Deputy Commander of the 144th Air Defense Wing from September 1957 to January 1959. Gen Smiths final assignment was as Commander of the 144th Air Defense Wing from January 1959 and finally on 1st july 1963 he retired from the California Air National Guard. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2015. He died on 2nd September 2016.


Brigadier General Lyle Adrianse
*Signature Value : £15 (matted)

Joining the service in 1941, Lyle Adrianse was one of the early members of the 56th Fighter Group, arriving in England with them in early 1943 and flying P47s with the 63rd Fighter Squadron. He completed a total of 101 combat missions with the Group, and remained in Europe until the end of the war.


Captain Walter Groce
*Signature Value : £20 (matted)

Flying with the 63rd Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Group, Walter Groce flew the first of his 73 combat missions shortly after D-Day, 1944. He flew the longest combat mission in a P-47 without landing, after bailing out on his return. Scoring 3.5 victories he was one of the rare breed of fighter pilots to have shot down an Me262 jet in combat, claiming a share of one on 1st November 1944.


Chief Warrant Officer Russell Kyler
*Signature Value : £20 (matted)

Joining up in September 1942, Russell Kyler flew 57 combat missions in P-47s with the 61st Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Group, from September 1944 until the end of World War II. Enlisting in the army after the war, he then flew two tours on Huey helicopters during the conflict in Vietnam.


Colonel Billy Gene Edens
*Signature Value : £20 (matted)

Born on January 21st, 1923, in Cassbille, Mo., Billy Edens graduated form school on June 1st, 1942, and on the 27th of June Billy Edens joined the Army Air Corp. On May 3rd 1943 Edens became an aviation cadet and received all his flight training in Alabama, receiving his wings and commission on November 3rd 1943. Second Lieutenant Edens was assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron of the 56th Fighter Group in England in April 1944. On the 8th of June 1944, while defending flight leader Mark Moseley, Edens destroyed two Me109s and an Fw190 to earn a triple in one day. On 10th September 1944 during his 89th and final mission Edens was hit by flak over France and shot down (for the fourth time) while strafing the Seligenstadt Airdrome and became a POW at Stalag Luft I in Barth, Germany for the remainder of the war. Edens wouold go on to fly F-84s during the Korean War, where he would again be shot down but not captured. That was the end of his flying during the Korean war but, Eden, who had flown 153 missions, went on to fly F-100s in Vietnam, becoming a full colonel during his second tour. Col. Billy G. Edens received the Silver Star, DFC with 3 OLCs, Bronze Star, Purple Heart with one OLC, and the Air Medal with 15 OLCs.


Colonel Robert J Shorty Rankin (deceased)
*Signature Value : £30 (matted)

Robert James Rankin was born on 23rd October 1918 in Washington, D.C. Joining the Army Air Corps on 6th March 1941, he served in the enlisted ranks until he became an aviation cadet on 15th July 1942. He graduated from pilot training at Luke Field, Arizona on 11 April 1943. Posted to join the 56th Fighter Group, he arrived in based at Halesworth, England in April 1943 and was allocated to the 61st Fighter Squadron. His victories steadily mounted and by the end of the war his tally stood at 10 aerial victories. Rankin's record day came on 12th May 1944, flying in bomber formation to deceive the enemy into mistaking them for the bomber force, at a predetermined point the 56th fanned out into flights of four to encounter enemy fighters forming up to intercept the 'bombers'. Rankin led his flight to an attack on 25 plus Me-109s, claiming two kills. A short time later, he and his wingman joined with the Group Commander who was circling with 50 plus enemy fighters. Providing cover for the Group Commander, Rankin destroyed three Me-109s. He became the European Theater of Operations first P-47 pilot to score five victories on one mission. Rankin served in the Korean War, serving as director of operations for the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing. During the next 11 years, he commanded six fighter-Interceptor squadrons. On the 9th November 1963 Rankin was promoted to Colonel , he retired as Vice-Commander of the 20th Air Division on 1 April 1973. Shorty Rankin passed away on 14th March 2013.


The signature of Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin (deceased)

Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin (deceased)
*Signature Value : £60 (matted)

Walker Melville 'Bud' Mahurin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on 5th December 1918. He joined the Army reserves on 29th September 1941 and entered flight training, being commissioned as a pilot on the 29th of April 1942 at Ellington Field Texas. 'Bud' Mahurin gained a reputation as one of the USAAF's most colourful fighter Aces. Arriving in the European theatre, flying with the 56th Fighter Group at Boxted, England, on the 17th of August the 56th Fighter group flew escort for the Eighth Air Force Bombers whose mission was to bomb Schweinfurt and Regensburg. They encountered a large force of German fighters and Bud Mahurin shot down two Fw190s. He went on to become an Ace on the 4th of October, and by the end of November he had achieved 10 kills. Bud Mahurin was promoted to Major on the 21st of March 1944. On the 27th of March he shared a victory of a Do217 but was hit by the bomber and was forced to bail out of his Thunderbolt, when his aircraft was set ablaze by the gunfire. Mahurin evaded the Germans with help of the French resistance and returned to Britian. He had by this time shot down 20 German aircraft. He then transferred to the south west Pacific Commanding the 3rd Air Commando Squadron where he added a Japanese aircraft to his score, shooting down a KI-46 Dinah, making hinm one of very few American pilots to shoot down German and Japanese aircraft. Mahurin saw combat from New Guinea to Okinawa. After this tour he returned to the US and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. After the war he spent two tours at the Pentagon and went on to obtain an aeronautical engineering degree. During the Korean War 'Bud' Mahurin commanded the 4th Fighter Interceptor Group in Korea where he added 3.5 MiG-15s to his tally before being shot down in his Sabre. He was shot down by ground fire on the 13th of May 1952, and bailed out for the last time, to spend a gruelling sixteen months as a POW in North Korea undergoing extensive torture. Mahurin returned to the US and stayed in the USAF until 1956 when he worked for the aerospace industry. Sadly, Bud Mahurin passed away on 11th May 2010.


Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Whitley
*Signature Value : £20 (matted)

Posted to fly P-47s with the 56th Fighter Group in England, ed Whitley was an original cadre member of the 63rd Fighter Squadron. His first combat mission came in April 1943, and another 35 were to follow. He was credited with two air victories, one of which came on 17th August 1943 - the famous Double Strike mission when the 8th Air Force bombed Schweinfurt and Regensberg.


Lieutenant John Bradshaw
*Signature Value : £25 (matted)

Volunteering to fly with the RAF, John Bradshaw flew Spitfires with 41 Squadron. An experienced pilot, he transferred to the USAAF in 1943 and was immediately posted to the 56th Fighter Group, flying with the 63rd Fighter Squadron. He flew a total of 126 combat missions, flew on D-Dat, belly-landed twice in Holland, and downed 1.5 enemy aircraft.
Signatures on item 2
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare.
NameInfo
The signature of Colonel Joe Matte (deceased)

Colonel Joe Matte (deceased)
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)

Col. Joseph 'Joe' Zannet Matte was born on the 23rd July 1920 in Port Arthur, Texas and graduated from North Texas State University. Joe Matte joined the Army Air Corps in 1942, and flew the P-40 and P-47 in training before arriving in England and being assigned to the 362nd Fighter Group - one of the four original Fighter Groups making up the 9th Air Force in England. After flying 75 high altitude bomber escort and ground support missions over the entire European battle front, on August 20th, 1944, he scored his first air victory. Leading a flight of 8 aircraft on a German convoy strike, they were attacked by 12 Me109s. In the ensuing battle Joe Matte downed no fewer than four of the enemy aircraft. On November 8th, Matte was credited with another 3 aircraft, Fw190s, when leading 16 P-47s on a low-level dive bombing mission in support of General Pattons 3rd Army. To add to his air victories he was also credited with numerous aircraft destroyed on the ground by gunfire and bombs. Matte became senior advisor to the Military Assistance and Advisory Group (MAAG) in Taipei, Taiwan. His final assignment was as Chief of Maintenance, Air Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas where he retired after 31 years of distinguished service to his country. His numerous decorations, medals, and citations include the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross w/OLC, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal w/18OLC, Air Force Commendation Medal w/OLC, Presidential Unit citation w/OLC, European Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and a special award of Chinese Pilots Wings presented to him by the Taiwanese Government. Matte lived in San Antonio where where he had a successful career in oil and gas exploration and residential home construction. Joe Matte was an active member of the American Fighter Aces Association, the 362nd Fighter Group Association, the 9th Air Force Association, the Air Force Association, and the Order of the Daedalions. Sadly Colonel Joe Matte, at the age of 83, passed away on February 10th 2004 in Fredericksburg.


The signature of General James Hill (deceased)

General James Hill (deceased)
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)

James Hill joined the Army Air Corps in March 1942, completing pilot training in February 1943. Assigned to the 388th Fighter Group in Europe he began his 400 combat mission career flying P-47s. At the end of his European tour, which included taking part in the D-Day operations, he had flown 127 combat missions and was credited with two Me109s and three Fw190s shot down. He continued active flying in the Korean conflict with the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing, flying a further 128 combat missions as an F-80 pilot, when he added to his air victory score by downing a MiG-15. He later joined headquarters 5th Air Force at Osan Air Base in Korea as Chief of Fighter Operations Division and Directorate of Operations. Back in the US, he was appointed Commander NORAD at Colorado Springs. Hill died on May 20th, 1999


The signature of General Paul Douglas (deceased)

General Paul Douglas (deceased)
*Signature Value : £30 (matted)

After joining the military as a Private in 1940 Paul Douglas transferred to the USAAF for pilot training, arriving in Europe to join the 268th Fighter Group. Flying P-47 Thunderbolts, he was credited with 8 air victories and destroying 27 enemy aircraft on the ground. On two occasions he shot down three enemy aircraft on one mission. He commanded the 396th Fighter Squadron and became deputy commander of the 386th Fighter Group, flying a total of 136 combat missions in World War II. He later commanded the 36th Fighter Group in Belgium, France and Germany. Paul Douglas later flew 101 combat missions in the F-105 in Vietnam, and in all completed over 6000 flying hours as a command pilot, and is one of the most highly decorated Air Force pilots. Douglas died on December 26, 2002. He is buried in the Central Texas State Veteran's Cemetery in Killeen, Texas
Artist Details : Robert Taylor
Click here for a full list of all artwork by Robert Taylor


Robert Taylor

The name Robert Taylor has been synonymous with aviation art over a quarter of a century. His paintings of aircraft, more than those of any other artist, have helped popularise a genre which at the start of this remarkable artist's career had little recognition in the world of fine art. When he burst upon the scene in the mid-1970s his vibrant, expansive approach to the subject was a revelation. His paintings immediately caught the imagination of enthusiasts and collectors alike . He became an instant success. As a boy, Robert seemed always to have a pencil in his hand. Aware of his natural gift from an early age, he never considered a career beyond art, and with unwavering focus, set out to achieve his goal. Leaving school at fifteen, he has never worked outside the world of art. After two years at the Bath School of Art he landed a job as an apprentice picture framer with an art gallery in Bath, the city where Robert has lived and worked all his life. Already competent with water-colours the young apprentice took every opportunity to study the works of other artists and, after trying his hand at oils, quickly determined he could paint to the same standard as much of the art it was his job to frame. Soon the gallery was selling his paintings, and the owner, recognising Roberts talent, promoted him to the busy picture-restoring department. Here, he repaired and restored all manner of paintings and drawings, the expertise he developed becoming the foundation of his career as a professional artist. Picture restoration is an exacting skill, requiring the ability to emulate the techniques of other painters so as to render the damaged area of the work undetectable. After a decade of diligent application, Robert became one of the most capable picture restorers outside London. Today he attributes his versatility to the years he spent painstakingly working on the paintings of others artists. After fifteen years at the gallery, by chance he was introduced to Pat Barnard, whose military publishing business happened also to be located in the city of Bath. When offered the chance to become a full-time painter, Robert leapt at the opportunity. Within a few months of becoming a professional artist, he saw his first works in print. Roberts early career was devoted to maritime paintings, and he achieved early success with his prints of naval subjects, one of his admirers being Lord Louis Mountbatten. He exhibited successfully at the Royal Society of Marine Artists in London and soon his popularity attracted the attention of the media. Following a major feature on his work in a leading national daily newspaper he was invited to appear in a BBC Television programme. This led to a string of commissions for the Fleet Air Arm Museum who, understandably, wanted aircraft in their maritime paintings. It was the start of Roberts career as an aviation artist. Fascinated since childhood by the big, powerful machines that man has invented, switching from one type of hardware to another has never troubled him. Being an artist of the old school, Robert tackled the subject of painting aircraft with the same gusto as with his large, action-packed maritime pictures - big compositions supported by powerful and dramatic skies, painted on large canvases. It was a formula new to the aviation art genre, at the time not used to such sweeping canvases, but one that came naturally to an artist whose approach appeared to have origins in an earlier classical period. Roberts aviation paintings are instantly recognisable. He somehow manages to convey all the technical detail of aviation in a traditional and painterly style, reminiscent of the Old Masters. With uncanny ability, he is able to recreate scenes from the past with a carefully rehearsed realism that few other artists ever manage to achieve. This is partly due to his prodigious research but also his attention to detail: Not for him shiny new factory-fresh aircraft looking like museum specimens. His trade mark, flying machines that are battle-scarred, worse for wear, with dings down the fuselage, chips and dents along the leading edges of wings, oil stains trailing from engine cowlings, paintwork faded with dust and grime; his planes are real! Roberts aviation works have drawn crowds in the international arena since the early 1980s. He has exhibited throughout the US and Canada, Australia, Japan and in Europe. His one-man exhibition at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC was hailed as the most popular art exhibition ever held there. His paintings hang in many of the worlds great aviation museums, adorn boardrooms, offices and homes, and his limited edition prints are avidly collected all around the world. A family man with strong Christian values, Robert devotes most of what little spare time he has to his home life. Married to Mary for thirty five years, they have five children, all now grown up. Neither fame nor fortune has turned his head. He is the same easy-going, gentle character he was when setting out on his painting career all those years ago, but now with a confidence that comes with the knowledge that he has mastered his profession.

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