Don't Miss Any Special Deals - Sign Up To Our Newsletter! Product Search

Cranston Fine Arts Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures Germany D to G Galland, Adolf

General Adolf Galland

Adolf Galland fought in the great Battles of Poland, France and Britain, leading the famous JG26 Abbeville Boys. He flew in combat against the RAFs best including Douglas Bader, Bob Stanford Tuck and Johnnie Johnson. In 1941, at the age of 29, he was promoted to Inspector of the Fighter Arm. In 1942 Hitler personally selected Galland to organise the fighter escort for the Channel Dash. He became the youngest General in the German High Command but open disagreements with Goering led to his dismissal at the end of 1944. He reverted to combat flying, forming the famous JV44 wing flying the Me262 jet fighter, and was the only General in history to lead a squadron into battle. With 104 victories, all in the West, Adolf Galland received the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. Born 19th March 1912, died 9th February 1996. Born in 1911, Adolf Galland learned to fly at a state-sponsored flying club in the early 1930s. In 1933 he was selected to go to Italy for secret pilot training. Galland flew for a brief time as a commercial airline pilot prior to joining the clandestine Luftwaffe as a Second Lieutenant. In April of 1935 he was assigned to JG-2, the Richtofen Fighter Wing, and in 1937 he joined the ranks of the Condor Legion flying the He-51 biplane fighter in support of General Franco during the Spanish Civil War. Despite flying 280 missions, Galland attained no aerial victories, a rather inauspicious start for a pilot would go on to attain more than 100 aerial victories - the highest for any pilot who flew on the Western Front. During Germanys invasion of Poland, Galland was assigned to an attack squadron and he flew over fifty ground sorties. He was promoted to Captain for his efforts, but Galland was anxious to return to a fighter squadron, and he got his wish in October of 1939 when he was transferred to JG-27. It was with JG-27 that Galland first learned to fly the Bf-109. In May of 1940 JG-27 flew in support of the invasion of Belgium, and Galland achieved his first combat victory on May 12. Two months later his score had risen to more than a dozen, and at this time he was once again transferred to JG-26 situated on the Channel Coast. Engaging the RAF on a daily basis during the Battle of Britain, Gallands score rose steadily until it exceeded 40 victories by September. After a short leave Galland rejoined JG-26 in Brittany, where the squadron played a defensive role. Following Germanys invasion of Russia in June of 1941, JG-26 became one of only two German fighter squadrons left on the Channel Coast. This resulted in plenty of flying, and by late in 1941 Gallands victory totals had reached 70. Following a near brush with death when the fuel tank of his 109 exploded, Galland was grounded for a time, and sent to Berlin where he was made the General of the Fighter Arm, reporting directly to Goring and Hitler. Galland spent most of the next few years carrying out inspection tours, and was at odds with his superiors about the need for an adequate fighter defense to negate ever-increasing Allied bombing of Germanys cities. He continued to fly combat missions when the opportunity presented itself, despite Gorings orders to the contrary. In January of 1945 almost 300 fighters were lost in an all-out attack on Allied airfields in France, a mission Galland did not support. He was dismissed as General of the Fighter Arm for his insubordination, but reflecting his flying abilities Hitler ordered Galland to organize JV-44, Germanys first jet-equipped fighter squadron. By March of 1945 Galland had recruited 45 of Germanys best surviving fighter pilots, and this new squadron was given the difficult task of trying to counter the daily onslaught of 15th Air Force bombers coming at Germany from the South. Gallands final mission of the War occurred on April 26 when he attained his 102nd and 103rd confirmed aerial victories prior to crash landing his damaged Me262. Several days later the War was over for both Galland and Germany. General Galland died in 1996.

Knights Cross	Oak Leaves	Swords	Diamonds

Navigation
Page 1 of 3	Page 1 .. Next

General Adolf Galland - Signed Aviation Art

High Pursuit by Ivan Berryman. 17 of 18 editions available. All 10 editions featuring up to 3 additional signatures are available. £2.90 - £500.00

Lost Over Dunkirk by Ivan Berryman. 3 of 4 editions available. All 4 editions feature up to 5 additional signatures. £85.00 - £430.00

The Last Eagle, Innsbruck, Austria, May 1945 by David Pentland. 7 editions. 3 of the 7 editions feature up to 5 additional signatures. £2.90 - £600.00

Gunther Rall - Me109 Ace by Ivan Berryman. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 6 additional signature(s). £100.00 - £690.00

Adversaries by Ivan Berryman. 11 of 12 editions available. 5 of 6 editions featuring up to 4 additional signatures are available. £2.90 - £4000.00

Foes Now Friends by Alan S Holt 3 editions. All 3 editions feature up to 2 additional signature(s). £88.00 - £330.00

Clipped Signature - Adolf Galland. One edition. £60.00

Stabsschwarm by David Pentland. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signature(s). £70.00 - £490.00

Hand of Fate by David Pentland. 4 editions. 2 of the 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signatures. £50.00 - £380.00

Bf109E of III./JG2 - Summer 1940 by Ivan Berryman. 3 of 4 editions available. All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signatures. £60.00 - £440.00

Morning Maintenance by Ivan Berryman. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signature(s). £60.00 - £480.00

Defiant but Doomed by Stan Stokes. 3 editions. 2 of the 3 editions feature an additional signature. £35.00 - £195.00

Kannonenboot by David Pentland. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 5 additional signature(s). £75.00 - £400.00

Gunther Rall - Black 13 by Ivan Berryman. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 5 additional signature(s). £60.00 - £700.00

Tribute to the Blenheim Crews by Ivan Berryman. 3 of 4 editions available. All 4 editions feature up to 3 additional signatures. £60.00 - £400.00

The Last Patrol by David Pentland. 16 editions. 11 of the 16 editions feature up to 3 additional signatures. £2.50 - £500.00

Most Memorable Day by Robert Taylor. One of 2 editions available. Both editions feature 4 additional signatures. £495.00

Messerschmitt Me262B-1a/U1 by Ivan Berryman. 6 of 7 editions available. All 2 editions featuring up to 4 additional signatures are available. £2.90 - £310.00

Adolf Galland by Ivan Berryman. 5 of 6 editions available. All 3 editions featuring up to 4 additional signatures are available. £2.90 - £480.00

Adolf Galland by Graeme Lothian. 8 editions. 3 of the 8 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures. £80.00 - £2200.00

Fighter Legend - Adolf Galland by Nicolas Trudgian. 3 editions. 2 of the 3 editions feature an additional signature. £2.00 - £125.00

Navigation
Page 1 of 3	Page 1 .. Next

Text for the above items :

High Pursuit by Ivan Berryman. Squadron Leader H C Sawyer is depicted here flying his 65 Sqn Spitfire Mk.1a R6799 (YT-D) in the skies above Kent on 31st July 1940 at the height of the Battle of Britain. Chasing him is Major Hans Trubenbach of 1 Gruppe, Lehrgeschwader 2 in his Messerschmitt Vf109E-3 (Red 12) . The encounter lasted eight minutes with both pilots surviving.

Lost Over Dunkirk by Ivan Berryman. Spitfire N3289 of F/O John Wilson was shot down over Dunkirk on 29th May 1940 by a Messerschmitt Bf109.

The Last Eagle, Innsbruck, Austria, May 1945 by David Pentland. Abandoned Me 109G-10, 3rd Staffel JG4.

Gunther Rall - Me109 Ace by Ivan Berryman. With 275 victories, Gunther Rall was one of the top Luftwaffe Aces of the second world war. Here, he is depicted in his Me109 Black 13 of JG52.

Adversaries by Ivan Berryman. No one knows for certain whether the two great fighter aces Douglas Bader and Adolf Galland actually fought each other in a one-on-one combat, but it is thought highly likely that they did as the famous Tangmere Wing led by Bader regularly found itself dueling with the Bf.109s of JG.26 led by Galland. Their great rivalry came to an end in August 1941 when Bader was shot down over St Omer, but these two heroes were to become close friends after the war, each having the utmost respect for the other.

Foes Now Friends by Alan S Holt Symbolically Johnnie Johnsons Spitfire Mk9 flies with Adolf Gallands ME109E on the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The two top scoring fighter aces represent all the pilots of the Allies and the Luftwaffe who fought against each other in WW2.

Clipped Signature - Adolf Galland. Perhaps the most famous of German pilots, he flew in the Spanish Civil War and on the Western Front throughout WW2. He flew the Me109 with JG26 and JG27, before commanding JV44 flying the Me262 with the rank of General. He scored over 100 victories, all in the West. He died in 1996.

Stabsschwarm by David Pentland. Etaples, Northern France, 13th October 1941. Me109F-4s of Stabsschwarm JG2, flown by Geschwaderkommodore Major Walter Oesau, Oberleutnant Erich Leie, Oberleutnant Rudolf Rudi Pflanz, and Gefreiter Gunther Hupatz Seeger. Each was a notable ace in his own right but together they were a formidable combination. On this sortie alone they accounted for 5 RAF Spitfires.

Hand of Fate by David Pentland. South of Alexandria, Egypt, 7th August 1942. When a pair of Me109Fs from JG27 unexpectedly encountered a lumbering Bristol Bombay and downed it, they were unaware of the full significance of their action. It was only on their return to base that Emil Clade and Bernd Schneider heard that Lt. General Strafer Gott the formidable new commander of the 8th Army had perished on the fallen transport. His death opened the way for his replacement, General Montgomery.

Bf109E of III./JG2 - Summer 1940 by Ivan Berryman. A Bf109E fighter is prepared to fight over southern England during the Battle of Britain.

Morning Maintenance by Ivan Berryman. Me262 of I./JG7 is prepared for an early morning sortie.

Defiant but Doomed by Stan Stokes. Jagdeschwader 26, or JG 26, was one of the Lufwaffes elite fighter forces. Nicknamed the Abbeville Boys, or the Abbeville Kids,JG 26 gained tremendous notoriety early in the War while operating out of Abbeville in Northern France. Although JG 26 never operated with more than 124 fighter aircraft, the unit dominated its airspace over Northern France and Belgium for more than a two year period. Adolf Galland was one of Germanys top fighter aces of the War, with more than 100 confirmed victories. For most of his flying career Galland was associated with JG 26. By year-end 1940 he had attained 57 victories, and was awarded the Oak Leaves, the highest award of the time. Galland took over command of JG 26 in August 1940 during the Battle of Britain. In Stan Stokes painting, entitled Defiant, But Doomed, Galland is depicted during a mission with the Abbeville Kids on August 28, 1940. Flying low cover for a formation of Heinkel bombers Galland was shocked to see a squadron of 12 Royal Air Force Defiants flying directly below the bombers. The Defiant was a unique British aircraft which was utilized as a daylight fighter incorporating four machine guns enclosed in a top mounted hydraulic turret operated by a gunnery officer. Despite serving admirably during the Dunkirk evacuation, the Luftwaffe had devised tactics which made the Defiant only marginally successful. By utilizing its turret guns RAF 264 Squadron was preparing to decimate the Heinkels with an attack on their vulnerable underbellies. Climbing straight up into the formation Galland broke up the attack. Minutes later he was engaged with the Defiant piloted by 264 Squadron Commander Garvin. Although struck four times by the Defiants machine guns, Galland was ultimately victorious. Gallands JG 26 flew the Messerschmitt Bf-109 (also often referred to as the ME-109) of which over 30,000 were produced. The first large scale production model of the 109 was the E series. Powered by a 12 cylinder water cooled engine the 109e was capable of 360 MPH, and had a ceiling of 33,000 feet. The 109 was very maneuverable and had a very strong airframe capable of sustaining high G maneuvers. Utilizing a low-wing cantilever design, the 109 had retractable landing gear and initially was produced with fuselage mounted machine guns. Galland complained about this configuration and actually modified several of his aircraft to incorporate wing mounted machine guns, which would provide a wider field of fire. A few of these aircraft were utilized during the Spanish Civil War in 1939, and proved vastly superior to anything they faced. The 109, unlike many other fighters which were in service at the start of the War, remained effective for the entire War, and in fact became a de facto standard by which many other aircraft would be judged. Adolf Galland was promoted to General of the Fighter Arm in late 1941, and became preoccupied with fighter tactics for the duration of the War.

Kannonenboot by David Pentland. Adriatic coast, Greece, 20th Dece,ber 1943. 20mm cannon armed Messerschmitt 109G-6/R6 trop, flown by Oberleutnant Josef-Emil Clade, Staffelkapitan 7/JG27 White 9 and his wingman White 7.

Gunther Rall - Black 13 by Ivan Berryman. Bf 109G-2s of III/JG 52 leave their dispersal on the Eastern Front in 1943. Nearest aircraft is Black 13 of Gruppenkommandeur Gunther Rall, then fast approaching his 150th victory.

Tribute to the Blenheim Crews by Ivan Berryman. Blenheim IVs of No 21 Squadron, here being attacked by Adolf Gallands Bf 109 on 21st June 1940. Galland claimed two Blenheims and a Spitfire that day before he, too, was shot down by the defending Spitfires of 303 Sqn.

The Last Patrol by David Pentland. A pair of ME109 G-14s of 9th Staffel, Jagdgeswader 54 (Greenheart Wing) make a final sortie during the last days of March 1945.

Most Memorable Day by Robert Taylor. Adolf Galland and his wingman Bruno Hegenauer break through the fighter escort of No. 303 Squadrons Spitfires to attack Blenheim bombers of No. 21 Squadron over northern France, 21 June 1941. In two missions that day Galland claimed two Blenheims and one Spitfire, survived a forced crash-landing, and later a parachute escape from his blazing Me109. That evening he learned he was to become the first recipient of the Knights Cross with oak leaves and swords - Germanys highest award for heroism.

Messerschmitt Me262B-1a/U1 by Ivan Berryman. Messerschmitt Me262B-1a/U1 of 10 Staffel, Natchjagdgeschwader 11.

Adolf Galland by Ivan Berryman. Adolf Galland hunts down another victim on a raid over the English Channel during the Battle of Britain.

Adolf Galland by Graeme Lothian. Adolf Galland fought in the great Battles of Poland, France and Britain, leading the famous JG26 Abbeville Boys. He flew in combat against the RAFs best including Douglas Bader, Bob Stanford Tuck and Johnnie Johnson. In 1941, at the age of 29, he was promoted to Inspector of the Fighter Arm. In 1942 Hitler personally selected Galland to organise the fighter escort for the Channel Dash mission. He became the youngest General in the German High Command but open disagreements with Hermann Goering led to his dismissal at the end of 1944. He reverted to combat flying, forming the famous JV44 wing flying the Me262 jet fighter, and was the only General in history to lead a squadron into battle. With 104 victories, all in the West, Adolf Galland received the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.

Fighter Legend - Adolf Galland by Nicolas Trudgian. Published 1991. This is a great value item for the collector of great signatures.

Adolf Galland signing the print - Eagles Over the Steppes - by Graeme Lothian.

He51 Manufacturer : Heinkel Built : 746

He51 The Heinkel He51 was a development from the He49 whicc was designed by Walter and Siegfried Gunter for Heinkel. This was their first aircraft designed for Heinkel and the first prototype flew in November 1932. The He49 although designed as an advanced trainer soon became a fighter. The Fist He51 was produced in secret for the Luftwaffe and the first prototype flew in May 1933 with the aircraft reaching the Luftwaffe in July. The He 51 was a conventional single-bay biplane, with all-metal construction and fabric covering. The He51 was powered by a BMW VI engine, with an armament of two 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine guns mounted above the engine. On 6 August 1936, six of the He51s were sent to Spain and fought during the Spanish Civil War The He51 gained some initial success when faced against the older biplanes of the opposition. The successes were two Nieuport Ni-52, a Potez 54 and a Breguet 19. All of these successes came on the first day of operations for the He51 on 18 August 1936. But soon the arrival of modern Russian aircraft made it impossible for the He51 to be effective so they were used for night duties and even in this role they did not do well. The He51 was therefore withdrawn from fighter duty and relegated to the ground-attack role by both the Legion Kondor and the Spanish Nationalists. When the He51 came into servcie it was soon evident that it was going be be obsolete very quickly. A total of 150 He51 were built, followed by 450 of the modified He51B and 46 of the floatplane version, the He51B-2, and a ground attack version He51C, of which a total of 100 were built.

---

Me109 Manufacturer : Messerschmitt Built : 33984

Me109 Willy Messerschmitt designed the BF109 during the early 1930s. The Bf109 was one of the first all metal monocoque construction fighters with a closed canopy and retractable undercarriage. The engine of the Me109 was a V12 aero engine which was liquid-cooled. The Bf109 first saw operational service during the Spanish Civil War and flew to the end of World War II, during which time it was the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter squadrons. During the Battle of Britian the Bf109 was used in the role of an escort fighter, a role for which it was not designed for, and it was also used as a fighter bomber. During the last days of May 1940 Robert Stanford-Tuck, the RAF ace, got the chance to fly an Me109 which they had rebuilt after it had crash landed. Stanford-Tuck found out that the Me109 was a wonderful little plane, it was slightly faster than the Spitfire, but lacked the Spitfire manoeuvrability. By testing the Me109, Tuck could put himself inside the Me109 when fighting them, knowing its weak and strong points. With the introduction of the improved Bf109F in the spring of 1941, the type again proved to be an effective fighter during the invasion of Yugoslavia and during the Battle of Crete and the invasion of Russia and it was used during the Siege of the Mediteranean island of Malta. The Bf109 was the main fighter for the Luftwaffe until 1942 when the Fw190 entered service and shared this position, and was partially replaced in Western Europe, but the Me109 continued to serve on the Eastern Front and during the defence of the Reich against the allied bombers. It was also used to good effect in the Mediterranean and North Africa in support of The Africa Korps. The Me109 was also supplied to several German allies, including Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia. The Bf109 scored more kills than any other fighter of any country during the war and was built in greater numbers with a total of over 31,000 aircraft being built. The Bf109 was flown by the three top German aces of the war war. Erich Hartmann with 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories and Gunther Rall with 275 kills. Bf109 pilots were credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft. Thirteen Luftwaffe Aces scored more than 200 kills. Altogether this group of pilots were credited with a total of nearly 15,000 kills, of which the Messerschmitt Bf109 was credited with over 10,000 of these victories. The Bf109 was the most produced warplane during World War II, with 30,573 examples built during the war, and the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 units produced up to April 1945. Bf109s remained in foreign service for many years after World War II. The Swiss used their Bf109Gs well into the 1950s. The Finnish Air Force did not retire their Bf109Gs until March 1954. Romania used its Bf109s until 1955. The Spanish Hispanos flew even longer. Some were still in service in the late 1960s.

---

Me262 Manufacturer : Messerschmitt Built : 1400

Me262 The Messerschmitt Me-262 Swallow, a masterpiece of engineering, was the first operational mass-produced jet to see service. Prototype testing of the airframe commenced in 1941 utilizing a piston engine. General Adolf Galland, who was in charge of the German Fighter Forces at that time, pressured both Goring and Hitler to accelerate the Me-262, and stress its use as a fighter to defend Germany from Allied bombers. Hitler, however, envisioned the 262 as the aircraft which might allow him to inflict punishment on Britain. About 1400 Swallows were produced, but fortunately for the Allies, only about 300 saw combat duty. While the original plans for the 262 presumed the use of BMW jet engines, production Swallows were ultimately equipped with Jumo 004B turbojet engines. The wing design of the 262 necessitated the unique triangular hull section of the fuselage, giving the aircraft a shark-like appearance. With an 18 degree swept wing, the 262 was capable of Mach .86. The 262 was totally ineffective in a turning duel with Allied fighters, and was also vulnerable to attack during take off and landings. The landing gear was also suspect, and many 262s were destroyed or damaged due to landing gear failure. Despite its sleek jet-age appearance, the 262 was roughly manufactured, because Germany had lost access to its normal aircraft assembly plants. In spite of these drawbacks the 262 was effective. For example, on April 7, 1945 a force of sixty 262s took on a large force of Allied bombers with escort fighters. Armed with their four nose-mounted cannons, and underwing rockets the Swallows succeeded in downing or damaging 25 Allied B-17s on that single mission. While it is unlikely that the outcome of the War could have been altered by an earlier introduction or greater production totals for this aircraft, it is clear to many historians that the duration of the War might have been drastically lengthened if the Me-262 had not been too little too late.

---

---

General Adolf Galland Squadron details

---