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P-47 Thunderbolt Artist Proof Edition Prints by Richard Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian. - Direct Art
DHM2613AP. Days of Thunder by Richard Taylor. <p> Duxford became home to the 78th Fighter Group when they arrived in England with their P-47B Thunderbolts in 1943. The objective of the American fighter units was to gain air superiority over the Luftwaffe in support of their daylight bombing campaign. By 1944 they achieved their objective. Richard Taylor commemorates the valiant contribution of the 78th Fighter Group with a fine new rendition showing P-47D Thunderbolts departing Duxford en route for the north coast of France, and a low-level strafing mission. It is the spring of 1944, and with the Normandy invasion just days away, the Thunderbolts are already painted with invasion markings. <b><p> Signatories: Colonel Robert J Shorty Rankin (deceased), <br>Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin (deceased), <br>Colonel Steve The Greek Pisanos<br>and<br>First Lieutenant Samuel Buzzard Lutz. <p> Limited edition of 25 artist proofs, with 4 signatures.  <p>Print paper size 30.5 inches x 22 inches (77cm x 56cm)
DHM2595B. Thunderbolts and Lightnings by Nicolas Trudgian. <p> The relief of Bastogne turned the tide in the Battle of the Bulge and Hitlers final great offensive of World War II lay in ruins. P47 Thunderbolts of the 406th Fighter Group, in company with P38 Lightnings, support the advancing armor of General George Pattons US Third Army as they prepare to relieve the battered 101st Airborne Division from their heroic defence of Bastogne during the final climax to the Battle of the Bulge, 24 December 1944. The Battle of the Bulge was one of the largest land battles of WWII with more than a million American, British and German troops involved, incurring huge casualties on all sides and this release pays tribute to the sacrifice of Allied Forces, during this important milestone in World War II. <p><b>Less than 50 prints of the edition remain.</b><br><br><b>Published 2005.</b><b><p> Signatories: Ft Lt Howard M Park; Sgt William True; Pvt Frank Denison; Cpl Gordon Hearne; Cpl Peter Howenstein; Sgt John Mosley; Stf Sgt Murray Shapiro; Sgt Egbert Duke Buniff. <p> Veterans Edition :   Signed  limited edition of 250 prints. <p> Print paper size 30.5 inches x 23.5 inches (77cm x 59cm)

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  Website Price: £ 300.00  

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P-47 Thunderbolt Artist Proof Edition Prints by Richard Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian.

PCK2217. P-47 Thunderbolt Artist Proof Edition Prints by Richard Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian.

Aviation Print Pack.

Items in this pack :

Item #1 - Click to view individual item

DHM2613AP. Days of Thunder by Richard Taylor.

Duxford became home to the 78th Fighter Group when they arrived in England with their P-47B Thunderbolts in 1943. The objective of the American fighter units was to gain air superiority over the Luftwaffe in support of their daylight bombing campaign. By 1944 they achieved their objective. Richard Taylor commemorates the valiant contribution of the 78th Fighter Group with a fine new rendition showing P-47D Thunderbolts departing Duxford en route for the north coast of France, and a low-level strafing mission. It is the spring of 1944, and with the Normandy invasion just days away, the Thunderbolts are already painted with invasion markings.

Signatories: Colonel Robert J Shorty Rankin (deceased),
Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin (deceased),
Colonel Steve The Greek Pisanos
and
First Lieutenant Samuel Buzzard Lutz.

Limited edition of 25 artist proofs, with 4 signatures.

Print paper size 30.5 inches x 22 inches (77cm x 56cm)


Item #2 - Click to view individual item

DHM2595B. Thunderbolts and Lightnings by Nicolas Trudgian.

The relief of Bastogne turned the tide in the Battle of the Bulge and Hitlers final great offensive of World War II lay in ruins. P47 Thunderbolts of the 406th Fighter Group, in company with P38 Lightnings, support the advancing armor of General George Pattons US Third Army as they prepare to relieve the battered 101st Airborne Division from their heroic defence of Bastogne during the final climax to the Battle of the Bulge, 24 December 1944. The Battle of the Bulge was one of the largest land battles of WWII with more than a million American, British and German troops involved, incurring huge casualties on all sides and this release pays tribute to the sacrifice of Allied Forces, during this important milestone in World War II.

Less than 50 prints of the edition remain.

Published 2005.

Signatories: Ft Lt Howard M Park; Sgt William True; Pvt Frank Denison; Cpl Gordon Hearne; Cpl Peter Howenstein; Sgt John Mosley; Stf Sgt Murray Shapiro; Sgt Egbert Duke Buniff.

Veterans Edition : Signed limited edition of 250 prints.

Print paper size 30.5 inches x 23.5 inches (77cm x 59cm)


Website Price: £ 300.00  

To purchase these prints individually at their normal retail price would cost £410.00 . By buying them together in this special pack, you save £110




All prices are displayed in British Pounds Sterling

 

Signatures on this item
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare.
NameInfo


Colonel Robert J Shorty Rankin (deceased)
*Signature Value : £30 (matted)

Robert James Rankin was born on 23rd October 1918 in Washington, D.C. Joining the Army Air Corps on 6th March 1941, he served in the enlisted ranks until he became an aviation cadet on 15th July 1942. He graduated from pilot training at Luke Field, Arizona on 11 April 1943. Posted to join the 56th Fighter Group, he arrived in based at Halesworth, England in April 1943 and was allocated to the 61st Fighter Squadron. His victories steadily mounted and by the end of the war his tally stood at 10 aerial victories. Rankin's record day came on 12th May 1944, flying in bomber formation to deceive the enemy into mistaking them for the bomber force, at a predetermined point the 56th fanned out into flights of four to encounter enemy fighters forming up to intercept the 'bombers'. Rankin led his flight to an attack on 25 plus Me-109s, claiming two kills. A short time later, he and his wingman joined with the Group Commander who was circling with 50 plus enemy fighters. Providing cover for the Group Commander, Rankin destroyed three Me-109s. He became the European Theater of Operations first P-47 pilot to score five victories on one mission. Rankin served in the Korean War, serving as director of operations for the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing. During the next 11 years, he commanded six fighter-Interceptor squadrons. On the 9th November 1963 Rankin was promoted to Colonel , he retired as Vice-Commander of the 20th Air Division on 1 April 1973. Shorty Rankin passed away on 14th March 2013.


The signature of Colonel Steve Pisanos (deceased)

Colonel Steve Pisanos (deceased)
*Signature Value : £40 (matted)

Born Nov. 10, 1919, in the Athens suburb of Kolonos, Spiros Nicholas 'Steve' Pisanos, the son of a subway motorman, arrived in America in April 1938 as a crew member on a Greek merchant tramp steamer. Arriving in Baltimore speaking no English, he worked in a bakery and hotels to earn money for flying lessons at Floyd Bennett Field. In August 1940, he settled in Plainfield, New Jersey, and continued flying lessons at Westfield Airport. He earned a private pilot's license and, though still a Greek national, in October 1941 he joined the British Royal Air Force sponsored by the Clayton Knight Committee in New York City. Pisanos began his military flight training at Polaris Flight Academy in Glendale. Upon graduation, Pilot Officer Pisanos was transferred to England where he completed RAF Officers Training School at Cosford, England, and OTU (Operational Training Unit) at Old Sarum Aerodrome in Salisbury. Pisanos was posted to the 268 Fighter Squadron at Snailwell Aerodrome in Newmarket flying P-51A's. He later transferred to the 71 Eagle Squadron, one of three Eagle squadrons in the RAF, comprised of just 244 American volunteers flying Spitfires at Debden RAF Aerodrome. When the USAAF 4th Fighter Group absorbed the American members of the Eagle Squadrons in September and October 1942, Pisanos was commissioned a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces. Flying his first mission in his P-47 'Miss Plainfield' out of Debden Aerodrome with the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, Lt. Pisanos, 'The Flying Greek,' scored his first shootdown on May 21, 1943, when he targeted a German FW-190 over Ghent, Belgium. By Jan. 1, 1944, he had become an ace with five confirmed downings. On March 5, 1944, he obtained his 10th shootdown and while returning from that B-17 escort mission to Limoges and Bordeaux, France, Pisanos experienced engine failure in his P-51B and crash-landed south of Le Havre. For six months he evaded the Germans and fought with the French Resistance and the American OSS, sabotaging the German war machine in occupied France. Lt. Pisanos returned to England on Sept. 2, 1944, following the liberation of Paris. Because of his exposure and knowledge of the French Resistance operations, Pisanos was prohibited from flying additional combat missions because the Air Force could not risk him being captured. Upon returning to the United States, Capt. Pisanos was assigned to the Flight Test Division at Wright Field, Ohio. He attended the USAF Test Pilot School and served as a test pilot at Wright Field and Muroc Lake, California, testing the YP-80 jet aircraft, America's first operational jet. During his Air Force career, Pisanos graduated from the University of Maryland, attended the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College. Pisanos also served tours of duty in Vietnam (1967-68) and with NORAD before retiring from the USAF with the rank of colonel in in December 1973. Colonel Steve Pisanos died on 6th June 2016.


The signature of Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin (deceased)

Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin (deceased)
*Signature Value : £60 (matted)

Walker Melville 'Bud' Mahurin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on 5th December 1918. He joined the Army reserves on 29th September 1941 and entered flight training, being commissioned as a pilot on the 29th of April 1942 at Ellington Field Texas. 'Bud' Mahurin gained a reputation as one of the USAAF's most colourful fighter Aces. Arriving in the European theatre, flying with the 56th Fighter Group at Boxted, England, on the 17th of August the 56th Fighter group flew escort for the Eighth Air Force Bombers whose mission was to bomb Schweinfurt and Regensburg. They encountered a large force of German fighters and Bud Mahurin shot down two Fw190s. He went on to become an Ace on the 4th of October, and by the end of November he had achieved 10 kills. Bud Mahurin was promoted to Major on the 21st of March 1944. On the 27th of March he shared a victory of a Do217 but was hit by the bomber and was forced to bail out of his Thunderbolt, when his aircraft was set ablaze by the gunfire. Mahurin evaded the Germans with help of the French resistance and returned to Britian. He had by this time shot down 20 German aircraft. He then transferred to the south west Pacific Commanding the 3rd Air Commando Squadron where he added a Japanese aircraft to his score, shooting down a KI-46 Dinah, making hinm one of very few American pilots to shoot down German and Japanese aircraft. Mahurin saw combat from New Guinea to Okinawa. After this tour he returned to the US and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. After the war he spent two tours at the Pentagon and went on to obtain an aeronautical engineering degree. During the Korean War 'Bud' Mahurin commanded the 4th Fighter Interceptor Group in Korea where he added 3.5 MiG-15s to his tally before being shot down in his Sabre. He was shot down by ground fire on the 13th of May 1952, and bailed out for the last time, to spend a gruelling sixteen months as a POW in North Korea undergoing extensive torture. Mahurin returned to the US and stayed in the USAF until 1956 when he worked for the aerospace industry. Sadly, Bud Mahurin passed away on 11th May 2010.
First Lieutenant Samuel Buzzard Lutz
*Signature Value : £20 (matted)

Joining the service in December 1942, Samuel Lutz flew his first combat mission with the 365th Fighter Group in October 1944, strafing targets in the Rhineland. A few days later he almost forced to ditch after an ammunition dump he was strafing exploded. Later that year he was involved in heavy combat throughout the Battle of the Bulge. When he left the Air Force at the end of the war, he had flown 73 combat missions, all in the P-47.
Signatures on item 2
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare.
NameInfo
The signature of 1st Sergeant Egbert Duke Buniff

1st Sergeant Egbert Duke Buniff
*Signature Value : £30 (matted)

Already a member of the National Guard, Duke transferred to the regular US First Army in 1941. Posted to Europe he arrived in England before D-Day, took part in the invasion and fought his way through France and Belgium, and on to Cologne. He then fought in the Ardennes at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and on to the Rhine Crossing and the capture of Cologne.
The signature of Corporal Gordon Hearne

Corporal Gordon Hearne
*Signature Value : £30 (matted)

Gordon joined the Army in February 1943, nd was posted to the 447th AAA (anti-aircraft) Battalion. As part of the 28th Artillery Division, 109th Field artillery Battalion, he landed in Normandy on 7th June during the D-Day invasion force, and advanced through the constant fighting in France. He took part in the hectic fighting in the dreadful winter conditions during the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes, and advanced with the Division into Germany until the final day of the war.
The signature of Corporal Peter Howenstein (deceased)

Corporal Peter Howenstein (deceased)
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)

As soon as he was able to enlist, Peter Howenstein joined the Army in March 1943, and following basic training found himself en-route to Europe, landing in England as part of the 319th Infantry Regiment, 80th Division. As part of the US 3rd Army under General Patton, he landed at Utah Beach during the Normandy landings, and fought his way with the unit through France and Belgium, having the Bronze Star pinned on him by General Patton personally on 11th November 1944. Peter served throughout the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes, and on into Germany. He died on 25th May 2017.


The signature of Flt Lt Howard M Park

Flt Lt Howard M Park
*Signature Value : £40 (matted)

Having joined the service in 1942, Howard Park trained as a fighter pilot. Posted to Europe to join the 406th Fighter Group in April 1944, he flew over 140 combat missions with the 513th Fighter Squadron on rocket firing ground attack P47 Thunderbolts, Howard flew the P47 'Big Ass Bird'. On D-Day the 406th were the first Fighter Group in action over Utah Beach. Engaged heavily on attacking ground targets, Howard sank a German naval vessel in Brest harbour using air-to-ground rockets, but still managed to notch up victories over three Me109s in only five aerial encounters with the enemy. During the Battle of the Bulge, the 406th FG were the only 9th Air Force unit exclusively assigned to the defence of the beleaguered town of Bastogne, attacking the besieging German forces with devastating success. Howard flew P47s in combat through until the final days of the war in May 1945.


Private Frank Denison (deceased)
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)

Joining up in 1943, Frank Denison was posted to the ETO after training, arriving in England for training in the long months prior to D-Day. Serving with C Company, 326 Parachute (Engineer) Battalion, part of the 101st Airborne he took part in the 6th June D-Day landings in Normandy, and fought his way with the unit through Holland, before swinging into action during the violent fighting around Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. During the crossing of the Rhine, at Hagenaw, he was hit by enemy fire and wounded. He died on 24th November 2014 aged 90.


The signature of Sergeant William True (deceased)

Sergeant William True (deceased)
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)

Bill True served with the 506th Parachute Regiment which was attached to the 101st Airborne. He took part in the initial parachute drop into France with the 101st on D-Day, and by the end of the day they were in control of the high ground overlooking the invasion beach. Bill made his second combat drop with the 101st near Eindhoven during Operation Market Garden, before, in December 1944, finding himself in the thick of the action defending the town of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, where the 506th defended the eastern perimeter section of the town. Advancing into Germany, the 506th's final mission of the war was the capture of Hitler's Eagle Nest at Berchtesgaden on 4th - 5th May 1945. He died on 20th March 2017.
The signature of Staff Sergeant Murray Shapiro (deceased)

Staff Sergeant Murray Shapiro (deceased)
*Signature Value : £35 (matted)

Murray Shapiro joined the army in September 1941, and after training went on active service with the 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division, moving to Europe in October 1943 for further training in England and Wales prior to the Normandy Invasion. Going into combat a few weeks after D-Day, Murray advanced through France with his unit and was in the thick of the fighting when Von Rundstedt launched his crack divisions at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. He died on 26th September 2020 aged 97.
The signature of Technical Sergeant John Moseley

Technical Sergeant John Moseley
*Signature Value : £30 (matted)

Technician John Moseley went to Europe with A Company, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division, landing with the unit in Normandy and seeing his first action just outside St Lo before the 28th began its drive towards Paris, taking part in the liberation of the city. He took part in the heavy fighting in the Hurtgen forest, followed by the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne. The 28th were the first US Division into Germany. John returned to the US in September 1945 with the same Tech unit he had arrived with.

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