Aircraft Me109G4, Russian Stormovik

A unique limited edition published in tribute to the highest scoring fighter Ace in the history of air combat.

Each print has been individually hand signed by Colonel Erich Hartmann in Germany in April, 1990, and the edition was released under arrangements made with Colonel Hartmann.

As the days lengthened with the coming of spring, and clear blue skies beckoned, an eager young flyer wrestled with the difficult task of surviving his first hectic missions as a novice fighter pilot. North of the Caucasus Mountains, the landscape was unfamiliar to the raw recruit, and in the maelstrom of the dog-fight it was easy for an inexperienced pilot to become quickly and hopelessly lost. Below, a hostile territory waited to claim anybody breaking the rules of combat.

Like most novice fighter pilots, this fresh-faced, blond-headed lad needed some luck and, not without some effort and determination on his part, he got it. During his first combat he became totally disorientated, ran out of fuel but, largely due to his piloting skill, survived the inevitable crash-landing. Then, a few days later having just achieved his first aerial victory, he was immediately shot down – again crash-landing and escaping his burning aircraft moments before it blew up. It was an initiation that would have demoralised most aspiring fighter pilots, but not this man. This man was made of sterner stuff. This man would go on to become the highest-scoring fighter Ace in history. This man was Erich Hartmann.

This is a special Tribute Edition to the fighter pilot whose record in aerial combat is never likely to be equalled. To facilitate this memorable and highly collectable limited edition print, Robert Taylor painted a superb picture depicting Erich Hartmann in his Me109G4 in the spring of 1943. In a dramatic and moving scene during the Kuban battle in Southern Russia, Russian Stormoviks have made a determined attack on Panzer division. Luftwaffe Me109s from JG-52 have beaten off the attack, and the German tanks are on the move again.

In the foreground the crew of a Russian Stormovik evacuate their stricken aircraft, while overhead a jubilant Erich Hartmann and friends make a low pass to celebrate their victory. Painted with superb skill by the world’s most collected painter of aircraft, this outstanding edition has become one of the most sought-after aviation art editions.

Overall print size: 33" wide x 25" high

Orders from outside the European Union are free from VAT.

ERICH HARTMANN 1922 – 1993

During an astonishing 1400 combat mission career, operating on the Eastern Front between 1942 – 1945, Erich Hartmann was credited with 352 Aerial Victories, to become the highest scoring fighter Ace in history. It is a record likely to stand for all time.

Learning to fly gliders in his teens the young Erich showed an unusual talent in the air and, by the age of 16, was a qualified glider instructor. Joining the Luftwaffe when old enough he started training in October, 1940, and celebrated his 20th birthday by checking out on the Me109.

In August, 1942, he was posted to Russia, joining JG-52 under its highly respected Kommodore, Dieter Hrabak. In common with other novice pilots joining his Wing, Hrabak assigned Hartmann to fly as wingman to one of his senior pilots, Paule Rossman.

Operating west of Mostock on the northern side of the Caucasus Mountains, Erich Hartmann scored his first victory on November 5, 1942, but it was not until spring of 1943 that Kommodore Hrabak realised that in Erich Hartmann he had more than just an ordinary fighter pilot. By April his new protege had claimed 11 victories, no mean score for a pilot with less than 6 months combat experience. By summer of that year he was flying upwards of 4 missions a day, rarely coming home without a victory. On July 7, he scored 7 kills in one day, and it was not long before the young Hartmann was catching up with the scores of some of the Wing’s more illustrious Aces, Walter Krupinski, Gerhard Barkhorn and Gunther Rall.

Hartmann spurned the more traditional techniques of deflection shooting favoured by most fighter pilots, always claiming he was no marksman. His approach was to bide his time until the moment of attack was right, then bore in at high speed, getting as close as possible to his quarry before firing. He claimed that this technique, which took great courage and inordinate piloting skills to avoid mid-air collision, made each attack more effective, and conserved ammunition. It was not however without its hazards - of the 16 times Hartmann was forced down, 8 were as a result of flying into the debris of Russian aircraft he had exploded at point-blank range.

As his aerial victories multiplied, so did his status within JG-52, and by the war end, with the rank of Major, Erich Hartmann was Group Commander of I./JG-52.

During an astonishing 1400 combat missions his personal score had mounted to an incredible 352 air-to-air victories, and he had been decorated with the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds – Germany’s highest military award.

Of all this great fighter pilot’s accomplishments, the one of which he was most proud was that in all his long combat career he never lost a wingmen. That meant as much to him as any one of his 352 victories, and speaks volumes for the character of the man we remember as the greatest Ace of them all – ‘The Blond Knight’ – Colonel Erich Hartmann.

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