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Flying Fortress Aviation Art by Nicolas Trudgian and Robert Tomlin.
PCK2576. Flying Fortress Aviation Art by Nicolas Trudgian and Robert Tomlin. Aviation Print Pack.
Items in this pack :
Item #1 - Click to view individual item
DHM2176. Return to Rattlesden by Nicolas Trudgian. With their crews, the 447th Bomb Group B-17 Fortresses arrived at Rattlesden in late 1943, the East Anglian base from which the group flew all its missions until the end of the war. Entering combat on December 24, the 447th targeted submarine pens, naval installations, ports and missile sites, airfields and marshalling yards in France, Belgium and Germany in preparation for the Normandy invasion. In the thick of the bomber offensive, the 447th took part in the Big-Week raids, supported the D-Day landings, aided the breakthrough at St. Lo, pounded enemy positions during the airborne invasion of Holland, and dropped supplies to the Free French forces fighting behind enemy lines. During the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 - January 1945, the group attacked marshalling yards, railroad bridges and communications centers in the combat zone, later resuming their offensive against targets deep inside Germany. When the war ended the 447th had flown over 257 individual missions, with one of their aircrew, Robert Femoyer, being awarded the Medal of Honor. Theirs was typical of the action packed campaigns flown by the American Eighth Air Force bomb groups in Europe during WWII.
Published 2001.
Signed by eight combat crew veterans flying B-17 Flying Fortresses for the 447th BG out of Rattlesden, England, during World War II. Signed by T/Sgt John C Bitzer,
T/Sgt Norman Bussel,
Colonel Edward A Dingivan (deceased),
First Lt Frank Frision,
S/Sgt John H Osbah,
S/Sgt Orlando Pete Petrillo,
Sgt Byron Schlag
and
S/Sgt Don Sherman, in addition to the artist. Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Paper size 37 inches x 22 inches (94cm x 56cm)
Item #2 - Click to view individual item
DHM2515. A Green Hill Far Away by Robert Tomlin. On the morning of October 14th 1943 along with 15 others from the 305th Bomb Group, Lazy Baby set off from Chelveston in England on Mission 115, the second Schweinfurt raid, later to become known as Black Thursday. By the time they reached Aachen on the outward leg only Lazy Baby and two others of the 305th were left flying, They were then seriously damaged and three crew severely injured whilst two bailed out. Diving from 23,000 ft to only 3,000 ft, pilot Ed Dienhart managed to escape the attacking fighters. With the ball turret gunner trapped and navigator seriously injured they proceeded at 30 to 50 feet, hedge-hopping all the way, to Switzerland and safety. Guided by the navigator Don Rowley who, despite having both arms virtually severed, managed to steer them from memory for over an hour to Switzerland where they made a dramatic crash landing only four miles from the German border. The navigator died the following day from his injuries. Whilst the pilot drew upon every ounce of his flying skills, the rest of the crew exhibited untold valour in the face of terrible adversity and selfless devotion to their stricken comrades. This print is autographed by pilot Ed Dienhart and Swiss Schoolmaster Leo Thuring who helped to rescue the mortally wounded navigator. Accompanying the print is a 24 page illustrated book which charts the story from take off, through the landing, to the eventual escape of some of the crew back to England. An individual book plate is also signed by members of the crew, the author and relevant Swiss personalities providing not only a complete historical record of the heroism and valour of the crew, but a tribute to all who fought for the freedom which we now enjoy.
Supplied with a 28-page booklet about the incident depicted in the print and the crew of the aircraft. Signed by ,
Lt Edward Dienhart,
S/Sgt Christy Zullo,
S/Sgt Robert Cinibulk,
Leo Thuring,
2nd Lt Brunson Bolin,
and
S/Sgt Raymond Baus. Limited edition print. Image size 30 inches x 15 inches (76cm x 38cm)
Website Price: £ 185.00
To purchase these prints individually at their normal retail price would cost £380.00 . By buying them together in this special pack, you save £195
All prices are displayed in British Pounds Sterling
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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 | Colonel Edward A Dingivan DFC (deceased)
*Signature Value : £40 (matted)
| Edward Dingivan was pilot of 'Brass Wagon', flying his first combat mission to Neuminster , Germany in September 1944. He completed a tour of 30 combat missions in the B-17. after the war, Director of Traffic during the Berlin Airlift and Commander of the 35th Air Transport Squadron. Later Military Executive to the Assistant Secretary of the US Air Force, he retired in 1969. Sadly, Edward Dingivan passed away on 2nd December 2010. | First Lt Frank Frision
*Signature Value : £30 (matted)
| Frank Frision was Bombardier on the Fortress 'Bouncin Baby' flying his first mission on 2nd November 1944 when the Luftwaffe mounted one of their largest fighter operations of the war. He flew the last of his 35 combat missions on 22nd March 1945, supporting the Rhine Crossings. | S/Sgt Don Sherman
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)
| Don Sherman was the ball-turret Gunner on the B-17 'Buddy Buddy'. The first of his 31 combat missions was in December 1944 to Mainz in Germany. His final mission was flown in April 1945 against German targets holding out a Royan in France. | S/Sgt John H Osbahr (deceased)
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)
| John Osbahr of Nahant died Friday February 17th 2006, aged 80 at his home after a brief illness. Born and raised in Bayonne, New Jersey, he was the son of the late William and Anna (Sopko) Osbahr. He had lived in Nahant for the past 42 years. After graduating from high school in 1943 he volunteered for the Army Air Corps. He served as a Ball Turret (belly) Gunner on the B-17 'Bouncin Baby' in the 447th bomber group, flying his first combat mission on 2nd November 1944, flying to Merseberg, Germany. He flew on 32 Combat Missions over Germany in 1944 and 1945, was a survivor of an emergency crash landing in France, when he was listed as MIA for 3 days, and received various medals and citations. He attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. John completed the last of his 32 missions in March 1945 on a mission to Dresden. He is featured in the documentary, produced by Julie Gerisch, titled 'Though The Heavens Fall' - Courage Beyond History which details the 'Heroic Exploits' of the 447th Bomb Group during World War II. | S/Sgt Orlando Pete Petrillo (deceased)
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)
| Pete Petrillo was a Waist Gunner on the B-17 'Bit o' Lace'. He flew his first combat mission to Caen, France in August 1944, and the last of his 35 missions was in December 1944 to Mainz in Germany. One of his memorable trips was a supply drop to the French Maquis. He died on 12th November 2007 aged 92. | Sgt Byron Schlag (deceased)
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)
| Byron Schlag was the Tailgunner of B-17 'Ol Scrapiron', flying his first combat mission on 26th February 1945 to Berlin. On 23rd March his B-17 collided mid-air with another B-17, cutting the tail off. He managed to bail out at just 400ft; his ball-turret gunner fell in his turret from 23,000ft and survived. The rest of the crew died. Byron Schlag was taken PoW; he escaped and was recaptured four times. He died 25th November 2003. | T/Sgt John C Bitzer (deceased)
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)
| John Bitzer joined the service in 1942 before tramsferring to England. On 30th December 1943 flying the B-17G Fortress 'Maid to Please', on his very first combat mission his aircraft was shot down and he had to bail out. John was taken prisoner by the Germans and remained in captivity until May 1945. Died 1st August 2016. | T/Sgt Norman Bussel
*Signature Value : £40 (matted)
| As Radio Operator on the B-17 'Mississippi Lady', Norman Bussel flew his first combat mission in March 1944 to Frankfurt. On 29th April 1944 his aircraft was shot down over Berlin, the worst day for losses for the 447th during the entire war. Bailing out with his clothes on fire, four of his crew died that day. Norman was taken PoW for the rest of the war. |
| 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. | | Name | Info | 
2nd Lt Brunson Bolin
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)
| Co-pilot of B-17 Flying Fortress 'Lazy Baby'. Brunson Bolin was just 18 years old when he volunteered for the Army Air Force. Within months, he was training to be a pilot and flew the B-17 named the Lazy Baby. 2nd Lt Brunson Bolin was on his seventh mission - flying as a co-pilot. Their mission was to bomb the ball-bearing factory on the Schweinfurt Raid. They had just dropped their bombs when the plane was attacked. The left board engine was on fire, communication systems were destroyed and the navigator was mortally wounded. The situation looked grim and the pilot ordered everyone to bail out. With the plane in distress, Brunson Bolin jumped from the bomb bay - he slammed into one of the doors breaking most of his ribs. As he tumbled towards the earth, Brunson stretched back and noticed holes popping up inside his parachute. He looked down to find a group of German farmers taking shots at him. The only thing that saved his life was a German Army Corporal who got to him before the farmers did. And in the middle of a huge hay field, Brunson Bolin was captured. He would spend the next 18 months at Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Poland as a prisoner of war. When 2nd Lt Brunson Bolin returned after the war he was awarded a Purple Heart and the Air Medal for his service to our nation. After the war, he took a job with Delta Air Lines. | 
Leo Thuring
*Signature Value : £10 (matted)
| Schoolmaster, Aesch, Switzerland. Was at the scene as B-17 Flying Fortress 'Lazy Baby' came down and assisted the crew out of the aircraft. | 
Lt Edward Dienhart
*Signature Value : £30 (matted)
| Pilot of B-17 Flying Fortress 'Lazy Baby'. | 
S/Sgt Christy Zullo
*Signature Value : £30 (matted)
| Waist Gunner of B-17 Flying Fortress 'Lazy Baby'. | 
S/Sgt Raymond Baus
*Signature Value : £15 (matted)
| Ball Turret Gunner of B-17 Flying Fortress 'Lazy Baby'. | 
S/Sgt Robert Cinibulk
*Signature Value : £30 (matted)
| Waist Gunner of B-17 Flying Fortress 'Lazy Baby'. |
| Artist Details : Nicolas Trudgian | | Click here for a full list of all artwork by Nicolas Trudgian |
Nicolas Trudgian
Cranston Fine Arts have now taken over all remaining stocks of Nicolas Trudgian prints from his previous publishers. We have made available a great many prints that had not been seen for many years, and have uncovered some rarities which lay unnoticed during this transition. Having graduated from art college, Nicolas Trudgian spent many years as a professional illustrator before turning to a career in fine art painting. His crisp style of realism, attention to detail, compositional skills and bright use of colours, immediately found favour with collectors and demand for his original work soared on both sides of the Atlantic. Today, more than a decade after becoming a fine art painter, Nicolas Trudgian is firmly established within a tiny, elite group of aviation artists whose works are genuinely collected world-wide. When he paints an aircraft you can be sure he has researched it in every detail and when he puts it over a particular airfield, the chances are he has paid it a recent visit. Even when he paints a sunset over a tropical island, or mist hanging over a valley in China, most probably he has seen it with his own eyes. Nick was born and raised in the seafaring city of Plymouth, the port from which the Pilgrim Fathers set sail in 1620, and where Sir Francis Drake played bowls while awaiting the Spanish Armada. Growing up in a house close to the railway station within a busy military city, the harbour always teeming with naval vessels and the skies above resonating with the sounds of naval aircraft, it was not at all surprising the young Nick became fascinated with trains, boats and aircraft. It was from his father, himself a talented artist, that Nick acquired his love of drawing and surrounded by so much that was inspiring, there was never a shortage of ideas for pictures. His talent began to show at an early age and although he did well enough at school, he always spent a disproportionate amount of time drawing. People talked about him becoming a Naval officer or an architect but in 1975 Nick's mind was made up. When he told his careers teacher he wanted to go to art school the man said, 'Now come on, what do you really want to do? After leaving school Nick began a one-year foundation course at the Plymouth College of Art. Now armed with an impressive portfolio containing paintings of jet aircraft, trains, even wildlife, he was immediately accepted at every college he applied to join. He chose a course at the Falmouth College of Art in Cornwall specialising in technical illustration and paintings of machines and vehicles for industry. It was perfect for Nick, and he was to become one of the star pupils. One of the lecturers commented at the time: Every college needs someone with a talent like Nick to raise the standards sky high; he carried all the other students along with him, and created an effect which will last for years to come. Two weeks after leaving art college Nick blew every penny he had on a trip to South Africa to ride the great steam trains across the desert, sketching them at every opportunity. Returning to England, in best traditions of all young artists, he struggled to make a living. Paintings by an unknown artist didn't fetch much despite the painstaking effort and time Nick put into each work, so when the college he had recently left offered him a job as a lecturer, he jumped at the chance. The money was good and he discovered that he really enjoyed teaching. Throughout the 1970s Nick was much involved with a railway preservation society near Plymouth and it was through the railway society that he had his first pictures reproduced as prints. But Nick felt he needed to advance his career and in summer 1985 Nick moved away from Cornwall to join an energetic new design studio in Wiltshire. Here he painted detailed artwork for many major companies including Rolls Royce, General Motors, Volvo Trucks, Alfa Romeo and, to his delight, the aviation and defence industries. He remembers the job as exciting though stressful, often requiring him to work right through the night to meet a client's deadline. Here he learned to be disciplined and fast. Towards the end of the 1980's Nick had the chance to work for the Military Gallery. This was the break that for years he had been striving towards and with typical enthusiasm, flung himself into his new role. After completing a series of aviation posters, including a gigantic painting to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Royal Air Force, Nick's first aviation scene to be published as a limited edition was launched by the Military Gallery in 1991. Despite the fact he was unknown in the field, it was an immediate success. Over the past decade Nick has earned a special reputation for giving those who love his work much more than just aircraft in his paintings. He goes to enormous lengths with his backgrounds, filling them with interesting and accurate detail, all designed to help give the aircraft in his paintings a tremendous sense of location and purpose. His landscapes are quite breathtaking and his buildings demonstrate an uncanny knowledge of perspective but it is the hardware in his paintings which are most striking. Whether it is an aircraft, tank, petrol bowser, or tractor, Nick brings it to life with all the inordinate skill of a truly accomplished fine art painter. A prodigious researcher, Nick travels extensively in his constant quest for information and fresh ideas. He has visited India, China, South Africa, South America, the Caribbean and travels regularly to the United States and Canada. He likes nothing better than to be out and about with sketchbook at the ready and if there is an old steam train in the vicinity, well that's a bonus!
More about Nicolas Trudgian
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