DESERT VICTORY
By Nicolas Trudgian
600 Signed and Numbered

Many of the top fighter Aces on both sides fought in the desert and this brought about some of the fiercest aerial dog-fighting on WWII.  Below the air-fighting, the relentless ebb and flow of armored warfare roamed across the wastes of the North African desert, and early 1942 saw the beginning of the most crucial part of the Desert Campaign.  Under the command of  mercurial Field Marshal Rommel, the German armored divisions advanced eastwards from Benghazi towards the Gazala line, forcing the RAF pilots to constantly move from airstrip to airstrip.  In the air, German Aces such as Marseille, Homuth and Neumann clashed daily with the likes  of RAF's top Aces Caldwell, Duke and Drake, as the two sides jousted for aerial supremacy above the raging tank battles being fought across the desert below.  Nicolas Trudgian's superb painting recreates all the atmosphere of the North African desert war with a stunning portrayal of the Me109s of 3./JG27.  Based at Martuba the wing is depicted being led by Staffelkapitan Gerhard Homuth as they escort Afrikakorps armor heading for the front line at Gazala, Lybia, on 21 February 1942.   Flying alongside Homuth, the great Luftwaffe Ace Joachim Marseille scored his 49th and 50th victories on this day, earning his Knight's Cross.  Below the speeding Me109s, the crew of an SdKfz 10 light half-track stop to investigate a crashed P-40 Kittyhawk belonging to No. 112 Squadron, RAF, brought down during an earlier contest.  The Al Jabal al Akhdar mountain range form a majestic backdrop to this most impressive aviation painting.  With the signatures of three highly decorated veterans of the North African desert campaign, DESERT VICTORY will be welcomed by WWII aviation art connoisseurs as a true collectors piece.The print is signed by two top scoring Luftwaffe Aces: Oberst Eduard Neumann and Generalmajor Friedrich Korner and Leutnant Gerhard Halm posted with anti-tank platoon (104 Regt.) in the 21st Panzer Division, part of Rommel's famed Afrikakorps.  The print is also signed and numbered by the artist.  It is in mint condition and comes with certificate of Authenticity.

Size: 34 1/2"  x  23 1/2"
$195.00