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| Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes | Aviation History Archive |
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Me109
Aviation Art Prints  Aviation Artists Stan Stokes German Aviation  Me109 |
[UP] - Albatros - Bv238 - Do17 - Fokker D.VII - Fokker Dr.I - Fokker M.5 - Fw190 - Gotha G.IV - Hannover CL.IIIa - He111 - He115 - Ju87 - Ju88 - Me109 - Me110 - Me163 - Me262 - Mistel |
| Me109 Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings |
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| Text for the above items : |
Canadian Heroes by Stan Stokes. James Edgar (Johnnie) Johnson was the Royal Air Forces top fighter ace in Europe with 38 confirmed victories during the War. Johnson was called up in 1939 following his training with the RAF Volunteer Reserve. Having been hospitalized for much of the Battle of Britain, Johnsons first serious action was in mid-1941 when he often flew with Douglas Baders section. Johnson was promoted quickly and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross following his fifth victory in 1941. In early 1943 Johnson was put in command of a wing of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Flying the high-performance Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX, Johnson achieved 18 victories in seven months of flying. Many of Johnsons victories were achieved against the Messersmitt Bf-109. Promoted to Group Captain in early 1945, Johnson was put in command of the 125 Wing for the duration of the War. The Supermarine Spitfire is the only Allied fighter to have been continuously produced from before 1939 to after 1945. In total more than 22,000 of these splendid aircraft were built. The chief designer of the Spitfire was R.J. Mitchell, a brilliant engineer who joined the Supermarine company in 1916, and by 1920 was its chief engineer. Mitchell fashioned a number of high performance maritime aircraft, culminating with the sleek S series of float planes. This is the float plane which ultimately won permanent possession of the coveted Schneider Trophy for Britain, and established a new world speed record in excess of 400 MPH in 1931. In that same year the Air Ministry issued a specification for a new high-performance day/night fighter. Mitchells design, the Type 224, lost out in the competition to the Gloster Gladiator biplane. In 1936 the new Rolls Royce Merlin engine was fitted to a prototype 224, and the Spitfire was born. Achieving a speed of 396 MPH, the RAF was impressed, and initial orders for the first Spitfires were placed. Sadly, R.J. Mitchell succumbed to cancer in 1937 at the age of only 42. With the onset of the War, Spitfire production soared, and the aircraft was steadily improved. The Mark IX, as depicted in Stan Stokes painting entitled Canadian Heroes, first entered service in July 1942. The Mark IX was identifiable because of its four-bladed prop and its twin radiators. Introduced partially in response to Germanys introduction of the Focke Wolfe FW 190, the Mark IX was produced in greater numbers (5,665) than any other particular Spitfire model. As depicted in Stokes painting Johnnie Johnson has just attained another victory over a Bf-109 while flying with the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1944. The painting is dedicated to the many Canadians which served with the RAF during the War. |
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. |
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. |
A Costly Victory by Stan Stokes. Gunther Rall, who attained 275 confirmed aerial victories, was the third highest scoring ace of all time. In Stans dramatic painting Rall is about to have a mid-air collision with a Lagg-5 during the Battle of Kursk on the Eastern Front. Rall would survive this collision and continue to chalk-up victories until the end of the war. Rall flew about 800 combat missions and missed nearly a year of flying when he suffered a broken back. |
Black Devil of the Ukraine by Stan Stokes. Erich Hartmann, with an amazing 352 confirmed victories, is the all time ace of aces. Born in Weissach, Germany in 1922, Hartmann was the son of a doctor, and the Hartmann family had lived in Shangai, China for several years. In 1929 the Hartmann family returned to Germany. Mrs. Hartmann learned to fly, and took her two young sons flying on many occasions. In 1933, when Hitler came to power, many flying clubs were organized throughout Germany, and Erich learned to fly gliders. When Hartmann had graduated from high school in 1940, he immediately applied to join the Luftwaffe. During his training Hartmann was arrested for an unauthorized aerobatic display. After earning his wings, he was posted to JG 52 on the Russian front. Hartmann reported to a Luftwaffe supply depot in Poland hoping to pick-up a new Bf-109 for his flight to the front. When no 109s were available, he offered to fly a Stuka Ju-87 to the front. Inexperienced with the 87, Harmanns debut was not very impressive as he managed to crash the aircraft into a wooden building prior to taking off. Hartmann did not attain his first victory until November 5, 1942. He missed the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa, when many Luftwaffe pilots ran up amazing victory totals against an ill-equipped and relatively inexperienced Red Air Force. In the month of August 1943 Hartmann shot down 49 aircraft. After scoring his 148th victory, he was awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross on October 29, 1943. Four months later when his tally had reached 200, he was awarded the coveted Oak Leaves. In August of 1944 upon attainment of his 301st victory, Hartmann was awarded Germanys highest decoration, the Diamonds to his Knights Cross. Only ten Luftwaffe pilots received this decoration. Hartmann was shot down twice, and on fourteen occasions had to crash land his aircraft. Erich flew the Bf-109, which was very recognizable with its distinctively painted black tulip design on its nose. The Soviets nicknamed Hartmann, The Black Devil of the Ukraine. A price of 10,000 Rubles was placed on his head. At Wars end Hartmann was captured by the Soviets, who imprisoned him for ten years. He was released in 1956, and rejoined the Luftwaffe with his former rank of Major. He learned to fly jet aircraft at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. Hartmann served in the Luftwaffe until his retirement. He passed away in 1994 at the age of seventy-two. It is highly unlikely, modern warfare being what it is, that any pilot will ever match the score of Erich Hartmann, the ace of all aces. |
A Pistol Whipping by Stan Stokes. There were tens of thousands of aerial combat encounters during World War II. One of the most unusual was a dogfight that took place between Captain Arthur C. Fiedler, Jr. and an unidentified German Bf-109 pilot on June 28, 1944. Fiedler was an Illinois native who received his wings in July 1943. He was assigned as a flight instructor in Dover, Delaware, but in May 1944 he was assigned to the 317th Fighter Squadron of the 325th Fighter Group. Flying P-51B Mustangs the 317th was based in Lesina, Italy. Fiedler named his Mustang after his wife Helen. On a combat mission on June 24th Fiedler claimed a probable. Four days later the eventual ace was flying near Polesti, Rumania when a Bf-109 crossed directly in front of his aircraft. Slamming his P-51 into a near vertical bank he trailed the 109 for a few seconds attaining several hits before his guns jammed. As Fiedler rolled out of his bank he found himself flying in formation parallel to the 109, and headed towards Russia. Fiedler was not willing to make himself a target for the 109, and with his Mustang low on fuel and with jammed guns, Fiedler reactively drew his service revolver. As he drew his .45 pistol, the German pilot unexpectedly jettisoned his canopy and bailed out. Fiedler was given the nickname Svengali for this incident. Fiedler continued his combat tour into 1945, and by January he had attained 8 confirmed aerial victories. Fiedler remained in the Air Force following the War. Flying in both Korea and Vietnam, he was promoted to Colonel in 1969, and retired from the Air Force in 1975. The P-51 Mustang and the Messerschmitt Bf-109 were two of the most important aircraft of WW II. More than 15,000 P-51s were produced, the most of any American-built fighter, while the Bf-109 was the most produced fighter aircraft of the war with 35,000 produced. The P-51 was designed by Raymond Rice and Edgar Schmued of North American Aviation, because the President of the company thought he could do better than merely produce Curtiss P-40s under license for the RAF. Initially introduced with an Allison liquid-cooled V-12, the P-51 performed poorly despite its superior airframe. As early Mustangs arrived the British were anxious to see how this aircraft would perform with the powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engine. The aircraft was about 13 percent faster and could climb to combat altitude in 45 percent less time than the Allison-equipped aircraft. Going into production as the P-51B the Brits received about 1000 aircraft while the USAAF took an additional 1000. The first P-51B models were in service with the Eighth Air Force in December 1943. The excellent performance of these aircraft and their excellent range when equipped with external wing tanks, made the P-51 a tremendous asset when accompanying American daylight bombers on their raids into Germany. The 109 was arguably the most advanced fighter aircraft from 1935 until 1940. The 109 was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Walter Rethel with the goal of packing the most powerful engine available into the smallest possible aircraft structure. During the Spanish Civil War the 109 proved its superiority. Despite numerous technical enhancements as the war progressed, by the end of the War the 109 was both outclassed and outnumbered by its rivals. |
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