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Stalingrad
by Nicolas Trudgian
| The battle for Stalingrad started in the summer of 1942 and, by the bitterly cold early months of 1943, the city on the Volga, once the pride of the Soviets, had become the grimmest theatre of the whole war. The German 6th Army, originally the aggressors, had become almost encircled by superior Russian forces. The German soldiers‘ only hope of salvation lay with the Luftwaffe which was now given the task of dropping supplies for their army instead of bombs on the enemy. During one of those desperate supply missions Me 109Gs of JG3 are here portrayed tenaciously protecting He111s of KG55 and Ju52s of KGrzbV 9 from the attacking Soviet Yak 1Bs. The Luftwaffe‘s efforts to maintain contact with their ground forces enabled 24,000 wounded men to escape the trap. Ultimately, however, the Germans were defeated and their failure to capture Stalingrad was subsequently seen as the most significant turning point of the war on the Eastern Front. |
| Overall size approx: 25" x 36" | Available in the following editions |
| 360 | Volga edition | Signed by six Luftwaffe airmen. Includes signed companion print. | $325 |
| 180 | Kesselschlacht edition | Signed by fifteen Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht veterans. Includes signed companion print. | $675 |
| Reserve this piece for future delivery (wait times vary depending on demand - no obligation or prepayment with reservation) |
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Those pieces accompanying the Volga edition and the Kesselschlacht edition are additionally signed by armoured vehicle Flak officer Erich Klein (German Cross in gold) |
| Volga edition signatures | ||
| Hugo Broch - Knights Cross - dayfighter | Kurt Dahlmann - KC with Oakleaves - bomber | |
| Franz Gapp - Knights Cross - bomber (flew in Stanlingrad) | Max Lagoda - German Cross - ‘Fernaufklärer’ (flew in Stalingrad) | |
| Willi Reschke - Knights Cross - dayfighter | Erich Rudorffer - KC Swords - dayfighter | |
| Kesselschlacht edition signatures | ||
| Hugo Broch - Knights Cross - dayfighter | Kurt Dahlmann - KC with Oakleaves - bomber | |
| Erich Rudorffer - KC with Swords - dayfighter | Hans-Ekkehard Bob - Knights Cross - dayfighter | |
| Hansgeorg Bätcher - KC with Oakleaves - bomber | Udo Cordes - Knights Cross - bomber | |
| Johann Boos - Knights Cross - bomber | Otto Engel - Knights Cross - bomber | |
| Willi Dippberger - Knights Cross - bomber | Erich Klein - German Cross in gold - artillery (Stalingrad) | |
| Hajo Herrmann - KC with Swords - bomber | Dieter Lukesch - KC with Oakleaves - bomber | |
| Gerhard Krems - Knights Cross - bomber | Wolfgang Schenck - KC with Oakleaves - dayfighter | |
| Heinrich Südel - Knights Cross - bomber | Horst Zank - Iron Cross 1st class - ground troop Stalingrad | |