Slowing The Red Tide

'SLOWING THE RED TIDE'

No 4 'Knights Cross Collection'

In January 1945 the Soviet advance to Berlin first reached German soil in East Prussia. Many thousands of desparate German civilians braved bitter weather in an attempt to flee. The Red Army seemed unstoppable and yet, against all odds, a few tired and battered German forces decided to counter attack. Hoping to rescue the civilians trapped in and around Konigsberg, the Tigers and King Tigers of Heavy Tank Battalion 505 punched through the Soviet positions and helped hold a corridor open long enough for thousands of families to escape to the West and for supplies to be moved into the besieged city.

Air support, including the Fw190's of Stab. JG51 portrayed in this picture, helped to subdue the six Russian Divisions present in what became one of the last significant German tactical victories on the Eastern Front. Russian aircraft including the Yak 3's of the famed 'Normandie-Neimen' group, flown by French pilots, and are here seen making a brave head-on attack.

The Main "JG51 Edition" of this print carries the signatures of no less than 26 Knights Cross Holders that served on the lethal 'Russian Front' during World War Two and is the largest number of KC holders to sign a print Edition - they are:-

Georg BOSE - Knights Cross OL and Swords (Panzerwaffe)

Hugo BROCH - Knights Cross (JG54 Luftwaffe)

Gerhard FISCHER - Knights Cross (Panzerwaffe)

Albert KERSCHER - Knights Cross with Oak Leaves (Panzerwaffe - Tigers)

Heinrich KOHLER - Knights Cross (Panzerwaffe)

Gunther RALL - Knights Cross, Oak leaves & Swords (JG52 Luftwaffe)

Erich RUDORFFER - Knights Cross, Oak Leaves & Swords (JG54 Luftwaffe)

Otto SCHULZ - Knights Cross (JG77 Luftwaffe)

Walter WOLFRUM - Knights Cross (JG52 Luftwaffe)

Hans-Ekkehard BOB - Knights Cross (JG54 Luftwaffe)

Franz-Joseph BEERENBROCK - Knights Cross with Oak Leaves (JG51 Luftwaffe)

Hugo DAHMER - Knights Cross - (JG26 Luftwaffe)

Kurt DAHLMANN - Knights Cross with Oak Leaves (NSG20 Schlact Luftwaffe)

Adolf DICKFELD - Knights Cross with Oak Leaves (JG52 Luftwaffe)

Hajo HERRMANN - Knights Cross with Oak Leaves & Swords (KG30 Luftwaffe)

Wolfdieter HUY - Knights Cross with Oak Leaves (JG77 Luftwaffe)

Franz KIESLICH - Knights Cross with Oak Leaves (St.G 77 Luftwaffe)

Erwin KRESSMANN - Knights Cross (Panzerwaffe)

Norbert KUJACINSKI -Knights Cross (Panzerwaffe)

Heinz LANGE - Knights Cross (JG51 Luftwaffe)

Heinz MARQUARDT - Knights Cross (JG51 Luftwaffe)

Hermann NEUHOFF - Knights Cross (JG53 Luftwaffe)

Wilhelm NOLLER - Knights Cross (St.G 2 Luftwaffe)

Edmund ROSSMANN - Knights Cross (JG52 Luftwaffe)

Walter SCHUCK - Knights Cross with Oak Leaves (JG5 Luftwaffe)

Franz WOIDICH - Knights Cross (JG52 Luftwaffe)

 
Limited Edition of only 85 Prints - Contact for availability via maue12@virginmedia.com

There was also a very small Remarque Edition of 15 by the Artist Nicolas Trudgian