Nicolas Trudgian range of ME 262 Jet Fighter aircraft aviation
signed art prints. This site is dedicated to the artwork of Aviation
artist Nicolas Trudgian. Including the full range of Aviation prints
published by the Military Gallery which Cranston Fine Arts have purchased the
last remaining prints. Which include many rare items. many of Nicolas
Trudgian prints have been signed by Many of the Top Fighter and Bomber Pilots
of World war two over the pats Decade. and many of these great Pilots are no
longer with us. This could be the last chance to own a piece of history which
will soon be no longer available except on the more expensive secondary
market.
The Messerschmitt Me-262 Swallow, a
masterpiece of engineering, was the first operational mass-produced jet
to see service. Prototype testing of the airframe commenced in 1941
utilizinga piston engine.
General Adolf Galland, who was in charge of the German Fighter Forces at
that time, pressured both Goring and Hitler to accelerate the Me-262,
and stress its use as a fighter to defend Germany from Allied bombers.
Hitler, however, envisioned the 262 as the aircraft which might allow
him to inflict punishment on Britain. About 1400 Swallows were produced,
but fortunately for the Allies, only about 300 saw combat duty. While
the original plans for the 262 presumed the use of BMW jet engines,
production Swallows were ultimately equipped with Jumo 004B turbojet
engines. The wing design of the 262 necessitated the unique triangular
hull section of the fuselage, giving the aircraft a shark-like
appearance. With an 18 degree swept wing, the 262 was capable of Mach
.86. The 262 was totally ineffective in a turning duel with Allied
fighters, and was also vulnerable to attack during take off and
landings. The landing gear was also suspect, and many 262s were
destroyed or damaged due to landing gear failure. Despite its sleek
jet-age appearance, the 262 was roughly manufactured, because Germany
had lost access to its normal aircraft assembly plants. In spite of
these drawbacks the 262 was effective. For example, on April 7, 1945 a
force of sixty 262s took on a large force of Allied bombers with escort
fighters. Armed with their four nose-mounted cannons, and underwing
rockets the Swallows succeeded in downing or damaging 25 Allied B-17s on
that single mission. While it is unlikely that the outcome of the War
could have been altered by an earlier introduction or greater production
totals for this aircraft, it is clear to many historians that the
duration of the War might have been drastically lengthened if the Me-262
had not been too little too late.
Victory Over the Rhine by Nicolas Trudgian.
Of the many famous combat aircraft to serve their respective countries in the Second World War, two perhaps more than any others, created huge impact and consternation upon seasoned opposing pilots when they first appeared on the battlefront - the Supermarine Spitfire and the Messerschmitt Me262. Both in their day represented enormous advances in aircraft design and power, and both have continued to capture the imagination of aviation enthusiasts ever since. As the war progressed the Spitfire continually upgraded its performance and by the time the Luftwaffes new Me262 turbo-jet arrived on the scene the sleek new Mk XIV, powered by the awesome Griffon engine, was among the fastest piston-engine fighters of the war. The stage was set for a clash between the most powerful piston-engine fighter and the worlds first turbojet, and it was not long before the pilots of these two most advanced combat aircraft met in the hostile skies over western Europe. Ill-advisedly employed by Hitler as .........
Arguably the most significant fighter leader of World War II, Adolf Galland took command of all German day and night fighters, but was in constant dispute with Luftwaffe supreme, Goering, who ultimately sacked him. Reinstated by Hitler, Galland returned to active combat in the final year of the war, commanding the legendary JV44 fighter wing, flying the Me262 jet. The great Adolf Galland ended the war as he had begun - flying fighters in daily combat, the only serving General ever to lead a combat wing in action. Gallands Me262s of JV-44 climbing to intercept a formation of B-17s in April, 1945.
Item Code : DHM2442
Jet Strike by Nicolas Trudgian (AP) - Editions Available
By late April 1945 most of the Third Reich had been cut to shreds by the advancing Allied forces and those units remaining intact were regrouping in southern Germany and Austria. With American advance units nearing the outskirts of Munich, on 28th April Adolf Galland took the decision to evacuate his precious jets to Salzburg, deep in the mountains. Bad weather prevented their departure until the following morning and they only just managed to escape under the noses of the encircling Americans. Galland had hoped to battle on with JV44 but the unsuitable mountain airfields prevented the famous fighter wing from doing much to delay the inevitable. So the beautiful Alpine meadows became the final resting place for what was potentially the most formidable fighter unit of the war. In just a few days the jets were left abandoned. Their short, exhilarating war, consigned to history.
Item Code : DHM2600
Alpine Thunder by Nicolas Trudgian. - Editions Available
Messerschmitt Me262s of JG7 race back to their base at Brandenburg after intercepting a USAAF bomber raid on Munich, and Luftwaffe air bases in the area. Below them a B-26 has crash-landed in the fields still covered with a sprinkling of late winter snow. In the distance the afternoon sun glistens on the Bavarian Alpine mountains.
Item Code : DHM2662
Return of the Hunters by Nicolas Trudgian. - Editions Available
For bomber crews, any daylight-bombing mission almost certainly meant combat. If it werent the attentions of determined Luftwaffe fighter pilots, it would be an aerial carpet of flak that welcomed the bombers en route to the target - and again on the journey home. On most missions the Eighth Air Force aircrews had to contend with both. Enduring up to ten hours of concentrated flying under cramped conditions, extreme cold, with the constant noise and vibration produced by four powerful engines, made every mission uncomfortable enough without being shot at. But the USAAF aircrews confronted the odds - a one in three chance of completing a 25-mission tour of operations - cheerfully and with gallant resolve. Playing a major role in the great raids on Germany and other targets in occupied Europe from early in 1944, equipped with the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, the USAAF Second Air Division flew no fewer than 95,048 sorties. Based in Norfolk, England, the crews also attacked targets far di.........
The legend of Willie Messerschmitts Me262, and the elite fighter Aces who piloted this revolutionary jet aircraft, is as secure as any born during the Second World War. As they hurtled into the air, climbing at speeds hitherto unknown, a small group of seasoned pilots heralded a new generation of combat aircraft that would extend into the 21st century. At the spearhead of this new era in combat flying was the mercurial fighter leader Adolf Galland. Sacked for opposing the naive tactics of Luftwaffe supremo Hermann Goering, Galland found himself, as a General, once again leading a squadron of fighters into battle. Although too late to change the spectre of imminent defeat, this tiny group of highly decorated Aces fought a courageous rearguard action during the final Defense of the Reich. Seen blasting off an airfield in Bavaria are four Me262s, led by General Adolf Galland. Glistening in the damp air these sleek fighters are on full power in their rush to climb to altitude. With.........
When the American Army reached the Rhine at Remagen on March 7, 1945, such was the speed of their advance, they arrived before the retreating Germans had time to blow the vital bridge. The Americans seized the bridge intact. Realising the threat to the German defences, the Luftwaffe were ordered into destroy the bridge at all costs. Desperate efforts were made to attack the bridge, and over the course of the following days the fighting became one of the legendary battles of the war. Two RAF Tempests have flown right through the Luftwaffe formation of Me262 and Arado 234 jets bombers, the high speed aircraft missing each other by feet. The concentration of the desperate attackers is broken momentarily, sufficiently so that their bombs miss the target - but more Luftwaffe aircraft can be seen streaming into attack
Item Code : DHM2109
Clash Over Remagen by Nicolas Trudgian. - Editions Available
David Dipnals evocative images of the restful idyllic scenes of southern England are well known, epitomising, as they have for years, all that is endearing about traditional English landscapes. His well known images of his beautiful and fertile homeland are a world away from Australia, where he now spends most of his time. In the last decade, David Dipnall estimates that he has travelled nearly 2 million miles, continuing to maintain a busy work schedule of exhibitions and regularly commuting between England and Australia. His originals are highly sought after, and over fifty of his images have been published as limited edition prints, many of which have sold out. Always a traveller, he believes in the philosophy that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and his beautifully detailed traditional English landscapes are definitely painted from the heart.
Spotlight on Landscape Artists
A newly available selection of superb landscape art from some of the best known landscape artists around.
We have now added to a website a large selection of landscape art prints by artists including Bill Makinson, David Dipnall and Rex Preston, in addition to our existing stocks of superb Gerlad Coulson landscape prints. These can be found at our website or see the artists own pages by clicking the images below
