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Please note that our logo is used on our website images only and does not appear on our products. A Novel Concept by Stan Stokes. (C) The grandfather of todays cruise missiles, the Mistel was the piggyback aircraft of the Luftwaffe during WW II. This combination aircraft arose out of research conducted to find a better means for towing gliders into combat. About two hundred of these combinations were ultimately built. The British had experimented with a piggyback combination of a commercial transport on the back of a flying boat in the late 1930s. The Mistel project in Germany had its share of skeptics. As the program evolved and Germanys strategic position in the War eroded, the Mistel project became focused on using unmanned obsolete Ju-88 bombers loaded to the gills with explosives as a very large guided bomb. The top aircraft in the combination, either a Bf-109 or Fw-190, would be piloted into the proximity of the target. A rudimentary guidance system would then be locked on the target, and the unmanned Ju-88 would fly itself into the target. Some Mistel combinations utilized normal looking Ju-88s, whereas others were fitted with a sinister-looking warhead in place of the cockpit. In the fall of 1944 the Luftwaffe laid plans for utilizing Mistels for attacks on Soviet targets like power plants and armament factories. Because the Ju-88 component only went one-way on these missions, the Mistels would have superior range and bomb capacity when compared to manned bombers. With Germanys forces in retreat at this point, the distances from the strategic Russian targets became even too great for the Mistel. Instead Mistels were targeted at key bridges, the destruction of which was designed to slow the advancing Red Army. The Last Mistel attack of the War took place in April of 1945. Four Mistel aircraft, with a hollow charge warhead instead of the normal Ju-88 cockpit, coupled to a top-mounted Fw-190 fighter were prepared at the Pennemunde airbase. The target for the operation would be the bridge over the river Oder at Tantow. One of the four aircraft encountered technical problems and had to jettison the Ju-88. The remaining three piloted by Lt. Dittman OFw Braun and Uffz Seitz proceeded to the target. They acquired an unexpected escort in the form of eight Bf-109s, but the fighters engaged Russian fighters along the route and the Mistels proceeded to their target alone. The Mistel piloted by Ofw Braun was hit by anti-aircraft fire and the Ju-88 was jettisoned prematurely. The Mistel piloted by Uffz Seitz was apparently shot down. Lt. Dittman, however, was able to lock the guidance system of his Ju-88 on the target, and flew his 190 safely to an alternate base. AMAZING VALUE! - The value of the signatures on this item is in excess of the price of the print itself! Item Code : STK0108C A Novel Concept by Stan Stokes. (C) - This Edition TYPE EDITION DETAILS SIZE SIGNATURES OFFERS YOUR PRICE PURCHASING PRINT Prints from the 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilots. Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! Image size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Kesten, Kurt (signed in person) Rubmeyer, Karl (signed in person) Wiesner, Karl-Heinz (signed in person) + Artist : Stan Stokes Signature(s) value alone : £120 £25 Off! Now : £100.00 SPECIAL OFFER : ADD A CLIPPED SIGNATURE TO THE ABOVE PRINT AT A VERY SPECIAL RATE! Add Signature : Gunther Seeger. for £40.00 Buy One Get One Half Price Add Signature : Dieter Hrabak. for £60.00 Add Signature : Erich Rudorffer. for £50.00 Buy One Get One Half Price Add Signature : Walter Briegleb. for £40.00 Buy One Get One Half Price All prices on our website are displayed in British Pounds Sterling

Other editions of this item : A Novel Concept by Stan Stokes. STK0108 TYPE EDITION DETAILS SIZE SIGNATURES OFFERS YOUR PRICE PURCHASING PRINT Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Artist : Stan Stokes £15 Off! Now : £35.00 VIEW EDITION... PRINT 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilot, and a remarque. Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! Image size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Kesten, Kurt (signed in person) Rubmeyer, Karl (signed in person) Wiesner, Karl-Heinz (signed in person) + Artist : Stan Stokes Signature(s) value alone : £120 £35 Off! Now : £115.00 VIEW EDITION... SLIGHT BORDER DAMAGE Prints from the 225 prints from the signed limited edition of 4750 prints, with signature of Stan Stokes and pilots. The print has slight damage to the border area, mostly on a corner. Not noticeable once framed. Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! Image size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Kesten, Kurt (signed in person) Rubmeyer, Karl (signed in person) Wiesner, Karl-Heinz (signed in person) + Artist : Stan Stokes Signature(s) value alone : £120 £35 Off! Now : £90.00 VIEW EDITION... General descriptions of types of editions :

Extra Details :

About this edition : A photograph of this print, showing the pilot signatures in the border.

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
Feldwebel Karl Rubmeyer *Signature Value : £40	Karl Rubmeyer was born in 1918 at Roche near UeIzen, Germany. He entered the Luftwaffe in 1940. He flew the standard types of training aircraft and the He-111, ju~86, Ju-88, captured French Saiman 202, Caudron 405, and the Mistel combination. He served with Uberfuhrunggsgeschader West and KG 30 and KG 200 where he flew the Mistel. His last assignment was at the former Heinkel factory airfield at Rostock-Marienehe. Rubmeyer attained the rank of Feldwebel and received the Iron Cross Class 2. Following the War Rubmeyer served as the Secretary in a printing business. He currently resides in Germany.
Unteroffizier Karl-Heinz Wiesner *Signature Value : £40	Karl-Heinz Wiesner was born at Charlottenhof/Gorlitz in 1921. He entered the German Air Force in 1941. Wiesner flew captured French aircraft including the Saiman 202 and Cuadron 445. His last assignment was at Rostock-Marienehe where he first flew Mistel combinations, and later Fw-190 fighter bombers. He served with Sammelgeschwader 200 at Gatow, KG 30, and KG (j) 30 where he flew the Mistel combination. Following the cessation of Mistel operations he was assigned to Schlachtgeschwader 3 flying fighter bomber missions in the Focke-Wulf Fw-190 F. Wiesner's last rank was Unteroffizier, and he received the Iron Cross Class 1. He currently resides in Germany at Fuldabruck-Dornhagen.
Unteroffizier Kurt Kesten *Signature Value : £40	Kurt Kesten was born in 1922 and entered the Luftwaffe in 1941. He flew many types of training aircraft, and later flew the He-111, Do-17, and ju-88. Kesten served with SG 3, KG 30, and KG (j) 30 where he flew the FW190 F Mistel combination. His last assignment prior to the end of the War was at Rostcock-Marienehe, a former Heinkel factory airfield, where he flew the Mistel combination. After Mistel operations had ended Kesten flew a number of fighter-bomber missions in the FW-190 F. Kesten was awarded the Iron Cross Class 2. He currently resides in Hannoversch-Munden, Germany.

Artist Details : Stan Stokes

Click here for a full list of all artwork by Stan Stokes

Stan Stokes Stan Stokes is a California native with more than 37 years as a full time professional artist, who developed a passion for vintage cars, trains and airplanes at an early age. Model building and RC planes filled the many hours of the young enthusiasts free time. However, unlike most other young aviation enthusiasts Stokes also displayed a great gift for artistic talent. After studying art in College, Stan decided to pursue a career as a professional artist. Stokes initially focused his great talents on depicting uniquely realistic landscapes of the western desert and mountain scenes. More than thirty years ago a good friend suggested that Stan combine his passion for aviation history and flying with his artistic talents, and render an aircraft or two. The rest is history. Stan has won many prestigious awards including the Benedictine Art Award in 1975 and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museums Golden Age of Flight award in 1985. In May of 2000, Stan was honored with the National Museum of Naval Aviations R. G. Smith Award for Excellence in Naval Aviation Art. Commissioned by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, Stans 12 x 120 foot mural of the History of the Flying White House is on permanent display in the Air Force One Pavilion. In addition Stans painting of the USS Ronald Reagan is hanging in the Legacy Room of the library. In 2005 Stan also completed a painting of our nations next aircraft carrier, the USS George H. W. Bush, which is on permanent display at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. Stan has also completed several impressive murals for the Palm Springs Air Museum including: The Tuskegee Airmen at 12 x 60 feet and contains 51 portraits of the original Tuskegee Airmen. Dauntless at Midway at 12 x 34 feet and Corsair on Approach at 19 x 55 feet. Stans work also hangs in the Air Force art collection, the Pentagon, San Diego Aerospace Museum, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. Stan has had the pleasure of meeting and working with many of his boyhood aviation heroes, including the late General Jimmy Doolittle, the late Pappy Boyington, Chuck Yeager, and many many others. A true aviation history buff, Stan often spends more time pouring over research materials for his paintings to assure their accuracy to the smallest detail than he does behind the canvas. Noted for his incredible detail and strikingly realistic illustration, Stans canvases have a life-like three-dimensional effect that often leaves viewers spellbound. Today his work encompasses not only aviation and space but also portraits, landscapes, ships, classic cars and his new collection of cat-related fine art paintings. Stan particularly enjoys the tough assignment. During his 37 years as a professional artist, he has been asked to produce literally hundreds of paintings documenting historical events, people and places. Although Stan has logged many hours flying his own airplanes, in recent years pleasure flying has had to take a backseat to the artistic demands of his backlog. Stan was commissioned to paint more than twenty original paintings for an aviation museum being in the Philippines. Since the mid-1980s NASA has also tapped Stans talents from time to time and he has completed more than fifteen paintings ranging from the space shuttles to the SR 71 Blackbird. Stan has also painted numerous works for the cutting edge genius in aviation and space design, Burt Rutan. More about Stan Stokes

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