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Cranston Fine Arts Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures Germany R to S Schade, Kurt

Kurt Schade

One of the early JG52 Aces. Kurt Schade led 0/JG52 from November 1941 until 23 March 1942. A moment after his 27th victory - the fourth in a day, the engine of Kurts Me109 was completely destroyed by Russian gunfire, and burst into flames. Kurt was forced to bail out behind enemy lines. Captured by the Russians, he spent almost 8 years in Russian captivity. In September 1943 Erich Hartmann took over command of the 9th Staffel.

Kurt Schade - Signed Aviation Art

Three Hundred Club by Nicolas Trudgian One of 2 editions available. The edition featuring 3 additional signatures is sold out. £2.00

Text for the above items :

Three Hundred Club by Nicolas Trudgian Although the true qualities of a fighter pilot cannot be measured simply by tallying his number of air victories - some of the greatest fighter leaders do not feature in the top score sheets -there can be no question that any fighter pilot whose victory tally is counted in 100s has got to be exceptional. That two of them achieved more than 300 air-to-air victories is pure phenomena. In paying tribute to Erich Hartmann and Gerhard Barkhorn, the only two fighter pilots ever to top the 300 victory mark, Nicolas Trudgian has painted a gripping combat scene being played out in the typically harsh environment where these two remarkable fighter aces achieved immortality. Both 300 Club members flew the majority of their combat missions with JG-52, the most successful fighter wing of WWII, where, on the Eastern Front they encountered and conquered every type of fighter including British built Spitfires and Hurricanes, the American Airacobra, and all the best Russian built fighters, including the Yak-9. Nicolas Trudgians quite stunning rendition brings to life the harsh reality of the air war on the Eastern Front in a scene from November 1944. Heading back from the Front, a German armoured column has come under attack from Russian LA7s as it files past a frozen Lake Balaton, in Hungary. Luftwaffe fighters from JG-52 have been called in, and the Me109s of Erich Hartman and Gerhard Barkhorn are seen engaging the attacking aircraft. Typical of this popular artists style, the picture is filled with detail authentic to the period, and with prints signed by leading fighter aces, all of whom fought alongside Hartmann and Barkhorn in JG-52, this new limited edition print provides a fitting tribute to historys two highest scoring fighter aces for enthusiasts of the era to add to their collections.

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.

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Kurt Schade Squadron details

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