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| Raising Havoc in the Ardennes by Nicolas Trudgian.
It is January 1945, and its cold. The German advance in the Ardennes is nearly over, but the Panzer Army is desperately throwing more troops into the breach who try to keep their momentum going in The Battle of the Bulge. Tasked with preventing German reinforcements from reaching the battle front, the Ninth Air Force launched a series of low-level attacks on enemy ground forces as they wind their way through the Ardennes. Flying conditions were not easy, cloud bases were low, and snow was in the air. Nicolas Trudgians new painting recreates an attack on January 23, 1945, by Douglas A-20 Havocs of the 410th Bomb Group. Locating an enemy convoy in open space near the German town of Blankenheim, the Havoc pilots make a swift attack diving from 8000 feet, catching the German force by surprise: Hurtling down the line of vehicles at 320mph they release their parafrag bombs from 300 feet then, dropping just above the roofs of the army trucks continue down the column blasting everything in sight with their forward-firing .50mm caliber machine guns. In the space of a few minutes the attack is completed and the convoy decimated. With ammunition expended and fuel running low the A-20 Havocs climb out of the zone and head for base in France. A 20mm shell has hit the lead aircraft wounding the Bombardier/Navigator Gordon Jones, which will seriously hamper their return through a blizzard, but all aircraft make it safely home - the lead aircraft, on landing, counting over 100 holes of various sizes. For their part in leading the successful attack the Lead Pilot Russell Fellers and Bombardier/Navigator Gordon G. Jones received the Silver Star.
Published 2001.
Signed by A-20 Havoc combat aircrews, including two Silver Star recipients, from World War Two. |
| AMAZING VALUE! - The value of the signatures on this item is in excess of the price of the print itself! | Item Code : NT0322 | Raising Havoc in the Ardennes by Nicolas Trudgian. - This Edition | Buy 1 Get 1 Half Price! |
| TYPE | EDITION DETAILS | SIZE | SIGNATURES | OFFERS | YOUR PRICE | PURCHASING | PRINT | Collectors edition of 500 prints.
Less than 20 copies available. Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | 26 inches x 21 inches (64cm x 53cm) | Minech, John L (signed in person) Aines, Howard B (signed in person) Bjornson, Donald (signed in person) Coe, Jerome M (signed in person) Davis, Narval F (signed in person) Haeuser, Karl (signed in person) Nicols, James R (signed in person) Wethe, J Duane (signed in person) + Artist : Nicolas Trudgian
Signature(s) value alone : £350 | £85 Off! | Now : £125.00 |
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SPECIAL OFFER : ADD A CLIPPED SIGNATURE TO THE ABOVE PRINT AT A VERY SPECIAL RATE! | Add Signature : Wayne E Downing. for £100.00 Buy One Get One Half Price Add this signature to the print for £175.00
| Add Signature : Vivian Snell. for £55.00 Buy One Get One Half Price Add this signature to the print for £152.50
| Add Signature : Leonard R McBride. for £65.00 Buy One Get One Half Price Add this signature to the print for £157.50
| Add Signature : Ralph F Conte. for £100.00 Buy One Get One Half Price Add this signature to the print for £175.00
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Other editions of this item : | Raising Havoc in the Ardennes by Nicolas Trudgian. | NT0322 |
| TYPE | EDITION DETAILS | SIZE | SIGNATURES | OFFERS | YOUR PRICE | PURCHASING | ARTIST PROOF | Collectors edition of 25 artist proofs. Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Paper size 26 inches x 21 inches (64cm x 53cm) | Barkalow, Jame F (signed in person) Jones, Gordon (signed in person) LaMond, Charles D (signed in person) Minech, John L (signed in person) Aines, Howard B (signed in person) Bjornson, Donald (signed in person) Coe, Jerome M (signed in person) Davis, Narval F (signed in person) Haeuser, Karl (signed in person) Nicols, James R (signed in person) Wethe, J Duane (signed in person) + Artist : Nicolas Trudgian
Signature(s) value alone : £455 | £50 Off! | Now : £270.00 | VIEW EDITION... | PRINT | Portfolio edition of 100 prints.
Less than 8 copies available (No companion print with these) Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Paper size 26 inches x 21 inches (64cm x 53cm) | Barkalow, Jame F (signed in person) Jones, Gordon (signed in person) LaMond, Charles D (signed in person) Minech, John L (signed in person) Aines, Howard B (signed in person) Bjornson, Donald (signed in person) Coe, Jerome M (signed in person) Davis, Narval F (signed in person) Haeuser, Karl (signed in person) Nicols, James R (signed in person) Wethe, J Duane (signed in person) + Artist : Nicolas Trudgian
Signature(s) value alone : £455 | £50 Off! | Now : £250.00 | VIEW EDITION... | PRINT | Signed limited edition of 100 portfolio edition print, supplied with companion print.
Less than 20 copies available.
Supplied with companion print V.E. Day - Heading Home Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Paper size 26 inches x 21 inches (64cm x 53cm) | Barkalow, Jame F (signed in person) Jones, Gordon (signed in person) LaMond, Charles D (signed in person) Minech, John L (signed in person) Aines, Howard B (signed in person) Bjornson, Donald (signed in person) Coe, Jerome M (signed in person) Davis, Narval F (signed in person) Haeuser, Karl (signed in person) Nicols, James R (signed in person) Wethe, J Duane (signed in person) Bell, J Frank (companion print) Conte, Ralph F (companion print) Downing, Wayne E (companion print) Milow, Arthur R (companion print) McBride, Leonard R (companion print) Schuler, Arthur J (companion print) Shea, Daniel F (companion print) Wheeler, Dick (companion print) + Artist : Nicolas Trudgian
Signature(s) value alone : £745 | £100 Off! | Now : £350.00 | VIEW EDITION... | FLYER | Nicolas Trudgian Promotional Flyer. | A4 Size Double Sheet 11.5 inches x 8 inches (30m x 21cm) | none | | £2.00 | VIEW EDITION... | SLIGHT BORDER DAMAGE | Collectors edition of 500 prints.
The print has slight damage to the border area, mostly on a corner. Not noticeable once framed.N Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | 26 inches x 21 inches (64cm x 53cm) | Minech, John L (signed in person) Aines, Howard B (signed in person) Bjornson, Donald (signed in person) Coe, Jerome M (signed in person) Davis, Narval F (signed in person) Haeuser, Karl (signed in person) Nicols, James R (signed in person) Wethe, J Duane (signed in person) + Artist : Nicolas Trudgian
Signature(s) value alone : £350 | £110 Off! | Now : £100.00 Better Than Half Price! | VIEW EDITION... | EX-DISPLAY PRINT | ** (Ex Display) Signed limited edition of 500 prints. (Two copies reduced to clear)
Ex display prints in near perfect condition. Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | 26 inches x 21 inches (64cm x 53cm) | Minech, John L (signed in person) Aines, Howard B (signed in person) Bjornson, Donald (signed in person) Coe, Jerome M (signed in person) Davis, Narval F (signed in person) Haeuser, Karl (signed in person) Nicols, James R (signed in person) Wethe, J Duane (signed in person) + Artist : Nicolas Trudgian
Signature(s) value alone : £350 | £95 Off! | Now : £115.00 | VIEW EDITION... |
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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 |
Captain Jerome M Coe *Signature Value : £45
| Lead pilot with the 647th Sqn. Flew the first of his 61 combat missions in the A-20 on 15 Aug 1944 |
Captain John L Minech *Signature Value : £45
| A pilot with the 647th Squadron, 410th Light Bomb Group, John Minech flew the first of his sixty-five combat missions in May 1944, flying the Douglas A20 Havoc. he flew two missions on d-Day itself, the second of which was a low level attack at 300ft during the evening. He flew thirty-five missions as a Flight Leader, and was Squadron Operations Officer for 5 months. He flew in Europe until the end of the war. |
Captain Narval F Davis (deceased) *Signature Value : £50
| Narval Francis Davis proudly served in the Army Air Corp during World War Two as a Captain with the 647th Squadron, part of the 410th Bomb Group flying 72 combat missions on both the A-20 and A-26 aircraft, the first on D-Day June 1944. He participated in five major battles including the Battle of the Bulge and earned the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross. Sadly Captain Narval F Davis passed away on 27th June 2002. |
Lt Colonel J Duane Wethe (deceased) *Signature Value : £50
| Pilot with the 646th Sqn. 65 mission pilot over occupied Europe. Awarded the Silver Star for heroism in action.
Lt Col Jay Duane Wethe was born on 21st May 1921 and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He entered the army in July 1940 and trained to become an A-20 Havoc bomber pilot with the 646th Squadron of the 410th Bomb Group, flying 65 missions as pilot over occupied Europe. Awarded the Silver Star for heroism in action, he was at the controls of his plane when the twin-engine aircraft of the 410th Bombardment Group struck at a vital enemy railhead at Ahutte, Germany, a key link in the German communications network supplying the front. Spearheading ground assaults, the 'Raiders' winged over Ahutte through a wall of flak and Capt. Wethe's right engine was disabled. Although stability and control were difficult, Wethe kept on the bombing run and strike attack photos showed 'excellent' results after the raid. Winging over the target, Capt. Wethe was hit again by flak, this time being wounded by a flak splinter. He kept control however, and piloted his crew home to a successful emergency landing. Lt Col Jay Duane Wethe died in California on 2nd October 2004 aged 83. |
Major Howard B Aines *Signature Value : £40
| Lead Bombardier / Navigator with the 644th Sqn. Flew the first of his 65 combat mission in the A-20 on 4th May 1944. |
Major James R Nicols *Signature Value : £40
| Bombardier / Navigator with the 644th Sqn. Flew his first mission August 15th 1944 against Chantilly fuel dump in France. |
Staff Sergeant Donald Bjornson (deceased) *Signature Value : £40
| Born on February 8th 1923 in Bentley - Alberta, Canada, and raised raised in Spokane, Washington. He worked briefly in the Civilian Conservation Corps at age 16. Moved to Portland, Oregon and after some temporary jobs, received training and went to work for Boeing Aircraft in Seattle. Don went on to serve in the Army-Air Force during World War Two. He received 21 weeks of training in airplane mechanics, sheet metal fabrication, arc welding, and 50 caliber gunnery operation. He became a Aerial Gunner with the 645th Sqn and was assigned to an A-20 Havoc Light Bomber. He flew 65 combat missions with his crew in the battles of Normandy, Rhineland, the Ardennes, including the Blankenheim Strike and Northern France, Europe and Western Europe, engaging some of America's adversaries of that time, firing his two 50 caliber machine guns in direct airborne combat. He earned the silver star and five oak leaf clusters, the European-African-Middle Eastern Service, American Victory, and Good Conduct Medals. Separated from the 645th Bomb Squadron, then honorably discharged from the Army-Air Force on June 16th, 1945. Donald died on the 7th of May 2012 in West Sacramento. |
Staff Sergeant Karl Haeuser (deceased) *Signature Value : £40
| Born February 14th, 1922, in Paso Robles, California, Karl attended local schools until he went off to Concordia High School in Oakland. In February of 1943 Karl and his best friend, Gene Ernst, compelled by their deep love of their country, went to San Francisco to enlist in the military. Gene became a Marine and Karl enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Karl became a Turret Gunner with the 644th Sqn and his first combat mission was in July 1944. Shot down and taken prisoner in August 1944, he was sent to Stalag Luft 4 near Grosstychow, Prussia, which is now Tychowo, Poland. There were 6,660 American POWs held there. Karl was imprisoned for 601 days - one year and nine months. He was included in the number of survivors liberated when released to Americans after the 86 day German Death March, as the war ended. Karl died on 29th March 2017. |
The Aircraft : | Name | Info | Havoc | A-20 |
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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