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Ju87
Aviation Art Prints  Aviation Artists Stan Stokes German Aviation  Ju87 |
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| Ju87 Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings |
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| Text for the above items : |
Sirens of Death by Stan Stokes. Ernst Udet, the German WW I ace who visited America in the late twenties, was so impressed with the U.S. Navys Curtis Hawk divebombers that he ordered one for evaluation and study by German aircraft manufacturers. This led to the development of Germanys first divebomber the Henchel 123. By 1935 the German Luftwaffe was developing its first monoplane divebomber which entered production in 1936 as the Ju87 Stuka. The Stuka was to evolve into arguably the most successful single engine Axis divebomber of WW II. Utilizing a nearly vertical dive position the Stuka was stunningly accurate in the days when horizontal bombing was a relatively inaccurate science. The Ju87 was built for functionality and ruggedness. A fixed landing gear and exceptionally strong wing design were incorporated and no attempt was made to minimize protrusions. The Stuka was not designed for speed; it was an aerodynamic nightmare. The Stuka also incorporated a siren which when activated during a dive was designed to inflict psychological damage on the enemy below. The Ju87 was used with tremendous success in the Blitzkrieg attacks on Norway, Poland, Belgium, France, Holland, Yugoslavia, and Greece. Virtually unchallenged in the air during these Blitzkriegs the Stukas took a devastating toll on Allied ground and mechanized forces. Shipping was also vulnerable to the pinpoint attacks of the Stuka, and the Ju87 destroyed more Allied shipping than all other German aircraft put together during WW II. During Hitlers air attacks on Britain the Stukas reputation for invulnerability was shattered. Facing British Hurricanes and Spitfires the slower and less maneuverable Ju87s were destroyed in large numbers, eventually forcing their withdrawal from that conflict. Germanys attempt to develop an improved twin engine divebomber resulted in the introduction of the Messerschmitt 210 which was an unmitigated disaster. As a result, the Stuka remained in production longer than expected and the aircraft played a major role in Germanys surprise attack on Russia. In the first day of combat alone Stukas were credited with the destruction of over 700 Russian aircraft with minimal losses. One of Germanys top aces of WW II was Hans-Ulrich Rudel. Rudel flew over 2,500 combat missions in Ju87s, and was shot down on twelve occasions. Rudel was credited with destroying 519 tanks, 800 vehicles, 150 artillery pieces, one Russian battleship, one cruiser and one destroyer. Rudel was also credited with shooting down nine Russian aircraft in air-to-air combat. In his painting, Stan Stokes captures the German ace in action on the Russian front in 1941. |
Yellow 14 by Stan Stokes. Hans-Joachim Marseille - Germanys Eagle of the Desert, had a less than auspicious start as a fighter pilot. Having completed his training in the autumn of 1940 he participated in the Battle of Britain while based in western France. Although Marseille was credited with downing eight RAF aircraft, he had a reputation for losing lots of aircraft. In fact he had bailed out of six Bf-109s and during his units transfer to North Africa, the young ace lost another 109. The Bf-109 was one of the most successful fighters of WW II, and was produced in large quantities for a very long production run. Marseilles debonair manner harkened back to the earlier era of WW I when knights of the sky faced death every day on their canvas-covered wings. He was very aggressive, and very often would dive his aircraft into enemy formations without regard for the consequences. Marseilless commanding officer was Capt. Eduard Neumann, and he deserves credit for the maturation of the young pilot. He convinced Marseille that it would take more than luck to become a truly outstanding fighter pilot. Marseille took these observations to heart and began to devote much of his free time to improving his tactics. He practiced shooting from all angles and his flying and shooting skills began to improve. By the summer of 1941 the young ace had attained 18 victories, and by September he had reached 24 by bagging five on one mission. By late in 1941 his score was approaching fifty, and he was awarded the Knights Cross. With it came certain privileges, including his own personal aircraft, Yellow 14. As his victory tally rose his reputation grew on both sides. In Stan Stokes painting Marseille is depicted on a mission on June 3, 1942. Escorting Stukkas against Ben Hacheim. The force was intercepted by RAF fighters and the No. 5 Squadron of the South African Air Force, flying American-made P-40s. Marseille and his wingman, Sgt. Rainer Pöttgen swept into the melee. The South Africans formed a defensive circle, but Marseille got inside it flying incredible slowly and still managing to turn inside the South Africans. He decimated the formation - downing six of the P-40s while utilizing only a small percentage of his ammunition. Marseille was a master of low-speed combat. By June of 42 the aces total had exceeded 100. Recognizing the signs of combat fatigue, Neumann sent Marseille on leave for several months. Back in Germany the dashing and flamboyant Marseille made the party rounds, and attracted more than his share of young women. On September 1, following his return to fighting, Marseille had an unbelievable day when he downed seventeen aircraft, and two days later he was awarded the Diamonds to the Knights Cross. Marseilles victory total reached 158 before he flew his final mission in September of 1942. Bailing out of his smoking inverted 109; he appeared to strike the tail plane. No parachute opened and the Eagle of the Desert fell to his death. He was buried where he fell. |
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