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Eagles at Dawn by Robert Taylor.
On Thursday, August 24, 1944 a 22-year old Oberleutnant Erich Hartmann powered
his Mel09G fighter in a spectacular low pass over his squadrons airstrip in
north-eastern Rumania, wagging his wings to the cheering Luftwaffe personnel on
the ground below. The young flaxen-haired pilot had just become the first
fighter Ace in history to bring down 300 enemy aircraft in combat. As World War
II drew to its close, after three and a half years of continual aerial combat,
this gifted young fighter pilot brought his final tally of aerial victories to
352, bringing down a Yak-7 during the last of his 1400 missions on May 8, 1945.
He was the most successful fighter pilot of all time. In this dramatic
rendition, we see captured a brilliantly colourful midwinter scene during the
final phase of the war on the Eastern Front. Glinting in the sub-zero early
morning sunlight as fresh snow begins to fall, and led by their
Gruppenkommandeur Erich Hartmann, the Mel09G fighters of I./JG-53 scramble off
the snow-covered airstrip at Veszprem in Hungary, February 1945. They will
intercept waves of Russian fighters and bombers in the skies above
Czechoslovakia in a last ditch attempt to repel the impending invasion of
Germany. |
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Eagles at Dawn by Robert Taylor.
On Thursday, August 24, 1944 a 22-year old Oberleutnant Erich Hartmann powered his Mel09G fighter in a spectacular low pass over his squadrons airstrip in north-eastern Rumania, wagging his wings to the cheering Luftwaffe personnel on the ground below. The young flaxen-haired pilot had just become the first fighter Ace in history to bring down 300 enemy aircraft in combat. As World War II drew to its close, after three and a half years of continual aerial combat, this gifted young fighter pilot brought his final tally of aerial victories to 352, bringing down a Yak-7 during the last of his 1400 missions on May 8, 1945. He was the most successful fighter pilot of all time. In this dramatic rendition, we see captured a brilliantly colourful midwinter scene during the final phase of the war on the Eastern Front. Glinting in the sub-zero early morning sunlight as fresh snow begins to fall, and led by their Gruppenkommandeur Erich Hartmann, the Mel09G fighters of I./JG-53 scramble off the snow-covered airstrip at Veszprem in Hungary, February 1945. They will intercept waves of Russian fighters and bombers in the skies above Czechoslovakia in a last ditch attempt to repel the impending invasion of Germany.
Signed limited edition of 360 prints. Paper size 33 inches x 25 inches (84cm x 61cm). Price £ Signed by Oberst Erich Hartmann (deceased).
Commanders edition of 490 prints. Paper size 33 inches x 25 inches (84cm x 61cm). Price £ Signed by
Oberst Erich Hartmann (deceased),
Leutnant Heinz Ewald,
Oberleutnant Gunther Seeger,
Oberleutnant Franz Woidich (deceased),
Unteroffizier Helmut Heckes,
Oberfeldwebel Werner Hohenberg (deceased),
Unteroffizier Friedrich Schelker
and
Oberstleutnant Helmut Bennemann (deceased).
ITEM CODE RST0084
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Eagles at Dawn by Robert Taylor
- The Signatures
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 | Oberst Erich Hartmann (deceased)
Erich Hartmann started his career as 'Paule' Rossman's wingman, and it was obvious that here was a very special pilot. Promoted Staffelkapitan of 7/JG52 in July 1943, he was shot down and taken prisoner for four hours before escaping. In September he took over 9/JG52. In March 1944 he reached the 200 victory mark. He later le 4/JG52, then briefly I/JG52, and lastly Gruppenkommandeur of I/JG52. Hartmann scored a total of 352 victories, more than any other pilot in history, and was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.
Erich Hartmann is the top-scoring fighter pilot in history. During WWII he shot down the equivalent of almost 15 Allied squadrons in aerial combat. In some 850 aerial combats he shot down 352 Allied planes and was shot down himself 16 times. He was never wounded. Hartmanns mother taught him to fly at age 14 and in 1942 at age 20 he was flying Me109s on the Eastern front. His first combat mission was disastrous. He spoiled his leaders attack by going for the kill himself, then mistook his leaders Me109 for a Russian fighter and fled in panic. Were it not for super ace Walter Krupinski believing in Hartmanns abilities he might well have had his flying career ended. Krupinskis tutoring coupled with the fact that Hartmann was a crack shot, turned him around. He scored his first victory on November 5th 1942 and by September 1943 he had completed 300 missions with 95 victories to his credit. In August 1944 Hartmann was awarded the Diamonds to his Knights Cross - Germanys highest decoration and one that was awarded to only 27 German militar ypersonnel. Hitler made the award personally. Before the award ceremony he was demanded to hand over his sidearm before meeting with Hitler. Hartmann told the generals that if Hitler could not trust his front line officers, he could stuff his Diamonds. After a brief confusion he was allowed to carry his pistol. Hartmanns success resulted from the lessons he learned from Krupinski - do not fire until your enemys plane fills your windscreen. That resulted in a sure kill with a minimum amount of ammunition expended. Almost every kill Hartmann made was a near collision. After the war Hartmann surrendered to the Americans, who turned him over to the Russians. He was singled out for especially brutal treatment and was illegally held by the Russians until 1955 when Chansellor Adenaur personally visited Moscow and arranged for his release. The Russians had used every persuasive device known to convert Hartmann to Communism and get him to join the DDR airforce. Upon his return to Germany, his friend and fellow ace, Walter Krupinski, urged him to join the new German Air Force with other old friends such as Barkhorn and Hrabak. Since he felt he was too old to begin a new career, he did. He was given refresher training in the United States and was selected to command the Richthofen Wing in the new German Air Force, the first fighter wing to be rebuilt since the war. He filled that and other jobs in the new Luftwaffe with great distinction until his retirement.
He died 20th September 1993.
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Leutnant Heinz Ewald
Heinz 'Esau' Ewald joined 5./JG52 in Russia as a young Unteroffizier in the late summer of 1943 and flew with them for the entire duration of the war. Always regarded as one of the finest of the young pilotsof JG52, he flew as wingman to Major Gerhard Barkhorn, Kommandeur of II./JG52 and second highest scoring Ace in history. Heinz Ewald scored his 50th victory on December 29th 1944 when at Veszprem in Hungary. He flew a total of 396 missions and scored 84 victories. He was awarded the Knight's Cross in April 1945.
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 | Oberleutnant Gunther Seeger
In February 1940, Gunther Seeger was an Unteroffizier with 3./JG2, scoring his first victory in the early days of the Battle of Britain. he served on the Channel Front until December 1942, including several months with the Geschwaderstabsschwarm. He transferred to the Mediterranean theatre with II./JG2 before joining 6./JG53. In February 1943 he joined 7./JG53 becoming Staffelkapitan in September 1944. Awarded the Knight's Cross, Gunther Seeger scored 56 victories.
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 | Oberleutnant Franz Woidich (deceased)
Franz Woidich was posted to North Africa to join II./JG27 in July 1941. In April 1942 he transferred to 3./JG52 in Russia. In August 1944 he was selected as one of a group of elite fighter pilots for training on the Me163 Komet, and joined Erganzunstaffel 400 at Gutenfeld, near Breslau. A month later he joined II./JG400 as Staffelkapitan. Franz Woidich served with JG400 until the end of the war. He was awarded the Knight's Cross in June 1944, flew over 1000 combat missions and achieved 110 victories.Franz Woidich passed away on 5th July 2004.
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Unteroffizier Helmut Heckes
Helmut Heckes joined the Luftwaffe in August 1941, and in October 1943 was posted to I./JG52 based at Novo-Saporozhe in the southern Russian sector. He flew combat in most variants of the Me109. He joined 12./JG11 in 1944. Shortly afterwards, following 72 successful combat missions, he was shot down by a Lagg 5 on June 26th 1944. Spending six months in hospital his wounds were so severe that he was unable to fly again for the rest of the war. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class.
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 | Oberfeldwebel Werner Hohenberg (deceased)
Werner Hohenberg joined JG52 in July 1942, flying with 8th Staffel. On July 9th 1942 he was badly wounded when his aircraft was hit by Russian flak, causing him to be in hospital until November 1st, 1944. He was then posted to JG2 'Richtofen' on the Western Front. On January 1st, 1945 he took part in Operation Bodenplatte, and was again shot down, this time by US flak. Landing behind British lines he was taken POW. Werner Hohenberg flew over 200 combat missions, scoring 33 air victories. He was awarded the Iron Cross. He died in October 2001.
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Unteroffizier Friedrich Schelker
Joining the Luftwaffe in the autumn of 1940, Friedrich Schelker was posted to I./JG52 at Dnepropetrowsk a year later, flying the Me109F. Later when serving with 7./JG51 in the southern sector of Mariupol he was shot down and badly wounded. After hospitalisation, in 1943 he was transferred to fly the Fischler Fil56 Storch. Friedrich served throughout the Eastern Front, in Russia, Rumania and Hungary. He scored 22 victories and was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class.
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 | Oberstleutnant Helmut Bennemann (deceased)
Helmut Bennemann was born 16th March 1915. During the Battle of Britain Helmut Bennemann was Gruppenadjutant with I./JG52 on the Channel Front. In April 1942 he was Staffelkapitan of 3./JG52 in the east and was appointed Kommandeur of I./JG52 from June 1942 until October 1943. Posted to Italy in November 1943, he was promoted to Kommodore of JG53 (Ace of Spades) in this theatre and in the defence of Germany. He commanded JG53 on Operation Bodenplatte. Helmut Bennemann flew over 400 missions, scoring 92 victories and was awarded the Knight's Cross. He died 17th November 2007.
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