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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. | |
Name | Info |
Albert Kerscher (deceased) *Signature Value : £80 | German Army - Knights Cross with Oak Leaves. Oberfeldwebel Albert Kerscher was, like Otto Carius, a panzer ace from schwere Panzer Abteilung 502. He achieved his 100th kill in defending the Neuhauser Forest near Pillau, East Prussia in April 1945. On 22nd July 1944, 1st Lieutenant Otto Carius with his company of eight Tigers advanced towards the village on Malinava (northern suburb of Dunaburg) in order to halt the Russian advance. Carius and Kerscher took a Kubelwagen in order to check if the village was already in Russian hands. They discovered that Malinava had already been taken by the enemy. Carius recognised that the Russian tanks in the village were only advance troops waiting for the main force to arrive. He decided to recapture the village before the arrival of more Russian tanks. Carius returned to his company for briefing and explained his plan to take the village. He decided to attack the village with only two Tigers because there was only one road leading to the village and it meant very risky business. Six Tigers remained in the reserve while the Tigers of Carius and Kerscher moved towards the village of Malinava. Speed was the essence of the plan to take the Russians by surprise and immobilise their tanks. When they were about to enter the village, they could see two T-34/85 tanks rotating their turrets in their direction. Immediately Kerscher, following Carius at about 150 metres, fired two shots in rapid succession, and destroyed the two enemy tanks. This was the first time that Carius had encountered one of the latest JS-1 heavy tanks. The silhouette of the new heavy Russian tank was somewhat similar to that of the Tiger II, and Carius got confused at first but after a little hesitation, ordered his crew to fire at once, and the JS-1 burst into flames. Afterwards they realised that the entire battle was over in about twenty minutes. In such a short time, the two Tigers of Carius and Kerscher had knocked out 17 Russian tanks including the new JS-1. The Russians were taken by surprise and their quick and accurate perception of the situation were the main factors that led the two Tigers to victory. The achievement of Carius and Kerscher at Malinava is on the same level as the famous action of Michael Wittmann at Villers Bocage. He ended the war with a total score of 107. Albert Kerscher passed away on 12th June 2011. |
Lt John Gorman *Signature Value : £55 (clipped) | While probing forward near Cagny on the initial day of the Goodwood offensive, Lt John Gorman, a troop commander of 2nd Armoured Battalion, Irish Guards, suddenly found himself confronted by a Tiger II and three Tiger Is of the elite 503rd Heavy Tank Battalion. Supported by only one other Sherman, and aware that their 75mm guns would be ineffective against such monsters, he gave the order to his driver to ram the King tiger. Gormans tank Ballyragget succeeded in colliding with its target before the Tigers 88mm gun could be brought to bear on his Sherman, and with both tanks immobilised the crews quickly abandoned their tanks. Lt. Gorman, however, was not finished and making his way off the field, he returned shortly afterwards with a Sherman Firefly, to finish off the stricken Tiger II and one of the Tiger Is. For this action he was awarded the Military Cross, and his driver L/Cpl Baron the Military Medal. |
Oberstleutnant Alfred Rubbel (deceased) *Signature Value : £50 (clipped) | Alfred Rubbel was born in Tilsit on June 28, 1921, and volunteered for the Wehrmacht at the age of eighteen. After his basic training in the infantry replacement regiment 21 and his transfer to the armoured weapon, Alfred Rubbel began the Russian campaign on 22nd June 1942 in the 9th Panzer Regiment 29 of the 12th Panzer Division. First as a charge guard in the chief battalion, then as a guardsman, he experienced the rapid advance of the Army Group to the east. In the fighting around Leningrad on September 3rd, 1941, wounded by grenade splinters, he was transferred to the homeland. In January 1942 he returned to his unit, he took part in the fighting at the Volkhov. After refreshing and rebuilding his company in Silesia, he returned to Panzer Regiment 4 with the long-handled cannon to the Eastern Front. As an unofficial and tank commander, his path led him on a long Panzer raid to the West Caucasus, where the battles in Eastern Caucasus were connected between September and December 1942. In December 1942, he and his comrades in Putlos and Paderborn began the conversion to Panzer VI Tiger. Went to 503th Panzer Division 503, and set in the railway transport in the direction of Rostov, he took part in the retreat to the Dnieper and the battle for the Kessel of Cherkassy as a Panzer commander at Operation Zitadelle, the largest tank battle of the Second World War. After officers' training courses in Ohrdruf and Krampnitz in December 1944, he moved to the 3rd Panzer Division 503, he fought in the King (Tiger II) in Hungary and Austria. At the end of the war, lieutenant of the reserve Alfred Rubbel can look back on a total balance of 57 tank victories in 79 Panzer battles on 81 deployments in the tank and 41 months on the front. He was awarded the Iron Cross I and II. Rubbel was a close friend of Kurt Knispel, a fellow tank commander of Pz Abt 503 and top-scoring Panzer Ace. |
Paul Egger (deceased) *Signature Value : £60 (clipped) | Knights Cross winning tank commander, SS Panzer Abteilung 502. Received Knights Cross 28th April 1945. 7th highest scoring Panzer Ace with a score of 113. Paul Egger was born in Mautern , Austria on the 23rd November 1916 and after finnishing high school in June 1935 he worked as a clerk until joining the Luftwaffe in late 1938. paul Egger was already a Glider Pilot and was trained as a bomber Pilot joining Kampfgeschader 51., Flying the Diver Bomber Junkers JU 87 Stuka. Paul Egger took part in the Invassion of Poland. he was then transferred tp Jagdeschwader 27 becoming a fighter Pilot flying the Messerschmitt BF 109 taking part in the Battle of france and the Battle of Britain, flying a total of 112 misions and was shot down three times. He had 2 kills. In his last mission he was shot down over the English Channel and had severe head wounds which stopped him flying and he was eventually transferred to staff duties. Paul Egger voluntered for the Waffen SS in May 1941 and was trained as aanti tank gunner. After traingin ghe moved to the Motorcycle Battalion of the Das reich division and transferred later to the 8th Compnay SS Panzer Regiment 2. As a tank commander he soon hsowed skill as a commander during the battle of Kieve he destroyed 28 tanks, 14 anti tank guns, 8 artillery batteries and 40 various Russian vehicles. In February 1943 durign the Thrid battle of Kharkov he recorded his 65th tank victory but his company was all but wiped out apart form his tank and one other. Paul Egger transferred to the 102 SS Heavy Panzer battalion commanding a Tiger tank in October 1943. After the D - Day landings. Paul Egger battalion was deployed to Normandy where he fought at point 122 destroying 14 allied tanks and 4 anti tank guns. His commander reccomended him for a knights cross for this action but received a German cross in Gold instead. Egger's battalion was almost completely destroyed during the fighting and in September 1944, and reformed in Sennelager Germany and renamed the 502 SS Heavy Panzer Battalion. In 1945 Egger was promoted to Untersturmfuhrer. 502 SS Heavy Panzer Battalion was sent to the Eatsern Front and fought around Stettin. paul Egger destroyed another 19 tanks during the fighting. In April 1945 Egger was promoted to Obersturmfuhrer took over command of the 1st Company. Egger recieved the Knight's Cross by Felix Steiner the commander of the XI SS Panzer Army Commander On the 3 May 1945, Paul Egger became the seventh top panzer ace recording his 113th tank destroyed. Paul Egger escaped from berlin and the Russian but surrendered to the American forces at the River Elbe after being shoot in the arm. he became a prisoner of war for 30 months and released in November 1947. Egger became a sports reporter. In civilian life he became a sports reporter. He died on 12 July 2007. |
Artist Details : David Pentland |
Click here for a full list of all artwork by David Pentland |
David Pentland One of Europe's Leading Military and Aviation Artists, David Pentland has produced a wealth of Paintings for Cranston Fine arts, who are proud to have David as one of their leading Artists. As you browse down his wonderful work you may be interested to know that many of the Paintings are still available, and to a collector his work would certainly be a valuable addition. David's Paintings have gone up in value over the past 2 years, and have seen a growth in value of nearly 100%. |
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