Original Artwork Print: “Hellfire Corner” by William S. Phillips, Signed By American, British, German and Canadian Flying Aces – Framed 38” x 34” Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. “The evening sun and towering cumulus mask a fierce air struggle with deceptive serenity. So frequent were clashes over a coastal, promontory south of London that the area earned the title Hellfire Corner.”

The image is phenomenal and perfectly captures what the skies were like above Hellfire Corner during WWII. The image features a lone German aircraft maneuvering on a small pocket of Allied aircraft in the clouds. At the bottom it features the above mentioned quote as well as 10 Signatures from Allied and German flying aces during the war. A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually considered to be five or more.

The condition of the frame and image is excellent and would display wonderfully in any WWII collection!

The Aces Featured:

– American:

– Francis Stanley “Gabby” Gabreski: Polish-American career pilot in the United States Air Force who retired as a colonel after 26 years of military service. He was the top American and United States Army Air Forces fighter ace over Europe during World War II and a jet fighter ace with the Air Force in the Korean War.

Although best known for his credited destruction of 34½ aircraft in aerial combat and being one of only seven U.S. combat pilots to become an ace in two wars, Gabreski was also one of the Air Force’s most accomplished leaders. In addition to commanding two fighter squadrons, he had six command tours at group or wing level, including one in combat in Korea, totaling over 11 years of command and 15 overall in operational fighter assignments.

After his Air Force career, Gabreski headed the Long Island Rail Road, a commuter railroad owned by the State of New York, and struggled in his attempts to improve its service and financial condition. After two and a half years, he resigned under pressure and went into full retirement.

– Canadian:

– Hugh Constant Godefroy: Hugh Godefroy was born in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) on 28 October 1919. His father was a Dutch mining engineer and married to Permilla Maude McLachlin, a Canadian. In 1925 the Godefroys moved to Canada and at the start of WWII Hugh was a student at university. A turning point came when he learned of the death of his girlfriend. The ship she was traveling on was torpedoed by a German submarine, which made Hugh decide to join the RCAF to fight the Germans.

After completing flight training in Canada, Godefroy was shipped to the UK where he joined No. 56 OTU at Sutton Bridge, together with Poles, Czechs, Free French and Americans. In the spring of 1941 Godefroy arrived to start operational duty in 11 Group, No. 401 Squadron RCAF at Digby. This squadron, equipped with the Hawker Hurricane, was tasked with defense of the UK, with occasional offensive actions over France. In September 1941 the Squadron received the Spitfire Mk V and shortly afterwards the squadron was moved to Biggin Hill. Although Hugh had flown a number of operational sorties he was still considered a ‘sprog’ (greenhorn) by the veterans, having claimed no aerial victories. It seemed as if all his skills were needed just to stay out of the sights of Bf 109s and Fw 190s.

In 1942 Hugh was transferred to the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU) at Duxford. Initially he regarded his transition to a test unit as a demotion. But he learned to appreciate his new posting when he had the time to improve his deflection shooting and experiment with new escort tactics.

Near the end of 1942 Godefroy asked for and got a posting at No. 403 Squadron RCAF. Shortly thereafter, he made his first kill: a Fw 190. In June of 1943 he was promoted to Squadron Leader. After some more kills he was promoted to Commander of 127 Wing.
In April 1944 Godefroy’s second tour of duty ended. He received the DSO and became a staff officer to the Headquarters of Air Vice Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst, advising in tactical and personal affairs. He still flew frequently, but not in combat operations. On one of his flights during this period, the engine of his Spitfire stopped and he bailed out over the English Channel. He was rescued, and he spent some time recuperating in a hospital. He resigned and went back to Canada. By the summer of 1944 his war was over. He finished his studies, became a physician and lived in Hudson, Quebec.
Hugh Godefroy, the only Dutch ace with seven confirmed victories, published his memoirs in 1983, called “Lucky Thirteen”.

– British

– Johnnie Johnson: Air Vice Marshal James Edgar Johnson, CB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, DFC & Bar, DL, nicknamed “Johnnie”, was an English Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot and flying ace who flew and fought during the Second World War.

Johnson was involved in heavy aerial fighting during this period. His combat tour included participation in the Dieppe Raid, Combined Bomber Offensive, Battle of Normandy, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and the Western Allied invasion of Germany. Johnson progressed to the rank of group captain by the end of the war.

Johnson was credited with 34 individual victories over enemy aircraft, as well as seven shared victories, three shared probable, ten damaged, three shared damaged and one destroyed on the ground. Johnson flew 700 operational sorties and engaged enemy aircraft on 57 occasions. Included in his list of individual victories were 14 Messerschmitt Bf 109s and 20 Focke-Wulf Fw 190s destroyed making him the most successful RAF ace against the Fw 190. This score made him the highest scoring Western Allied fighter ace against the German Luftwaffe. Johnson continued his career in the RAF after the war, and served in the Korean War before retiring in 1966 with the rank of air vice marshal.

– Brian Kingcome: Group Captain Charles Brian Fabris Kingcome DSO, DFC* was a British flying ace of the Second World War, most notable for serving with No. 92 Squadron in 1940 during the Battle of Britain. He frequently led the squadron on a temporary basis before receiving full command early in 1941.

Kingcome later served in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and over Yugoslavia with the RAF, Royal Canadian Air Force and South African Air Force Supermarine Spitfire and heavy bomber units. His total personal score stood at eight enemy aircraft destroyed, three shared, five probable and 13 damaged. Kingcome was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in 1940, a Bar to the DFC in 1941, and the Distinguished Service Order in 1942.

– Geoffrey Page: Alan Geoffrey Page, DSO, OBE, DFC & Bar, known as Geoffrey Page, was an officer in the Royal Air Force who served during the Second World War. He participated in the Battle of Britain, and was shot down. He was badly burned when his aircraft was destroyed, and was lucky to survive. He underwent many surgeries on his way to recovery, and was a founding member of the Guinea Pig Club. He eventually passed a medical exam and returned to active service, becoming one of England’s most successful fighter pilots. Page had reached his goal of 15 “kills” (10 solo, 5 shared, and 3 damaged).

– Robert Stanford Tuck: Wing Commander Robert Roland Stanford Tuck, DSO, DFC & Two Bars, AFC was a British fighter pilot, flying ace and test pilot. Tuck joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1935 and first engaged in combat during the Battle of France, over Dunkirk, claiming his first victories. In September 1940 he was promoted to squadron leader and commanded a Hawker Hurricane squadron. In 1941–1942, Tuck participated in fighter sweeps over northern France. On 28 January 1942, he was hit by anti-aircraft fire, was forced to land in France, and was taken prisoner. At the time of his capture, Tuck had claimed 29 enemy aircraft destroyed, two shared destroyed, six probably destroyed, six damaged and one shared damaged.

– German:

– Adolf Galland: Adolf Josef Ferdinand Galland was a German Luftwaffe general and flying ace who served throughout the Second World War in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western Front and in the Defence of the Reich. On four occasions, he survived being shot down, and he was credited with 104 aerial victories, all of them against the Western Allies.

– Johannes “Macky” Steinhoff: Johannes “Macky” Steinhoff was a Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II, German general, and NATO official. He was one of very few Luftwaffe pilots who survived to fly operationally through the whole of the war period 1939–45. Steinhoff was also one of the highest-scoring pilots with 176 victories, and one of the first to fly the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter in combat as a member of the Jagdverband 44 squadron led by Adolf Galland. Steinhoff was decorated with the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, and later received the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and several foreign awards including the American Legion of Merit and the French Legion of Honour. He played a role in the so-called Fighter Pilots’ Revolt late in the war, when several senior air force officers confronted Hermann Göring.

Steinhoff joined the West German government’s Rearmament Office as a consultant on military aviation in 1952 and became one of the principal officials tasked with rebuilding the German Air Force through the Cold War. In retirement, Steinhoff became a widely read author of books on German military aviation during the Second World War and the experiences of the German people at that time.

– Walter Krupinski: Walter Krupinski was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace in World War II and a senior West German Air Force officer during the Cold War. He was one of the highest-scoring pilots in the war, credited with 197 victories in 1,100 sorties. He was called by his fellow pilots Graf Punski (Count Punski) due to his Prussian origins. Krupinski was one of the first to fly the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter in combat as a member of Jagdverband 44 (JV 44—44th Fighter Detachment) led by Adolf Galland.

– Günther Rall: Günther Rall was a highly decorated German military aviator, officer and General, whose military career spanned nearly forty years. Rall was the third most successful fighter pilot in aviation history, behind Gerhard Barkhorn, who was second, and Erich Hartmann, who was first.

Rall was born in Gaggenau, the German Empire, in March 1918. Rall grew up in the Weimar Republic. In 1933 the NSDAP Party seized power and Rall, deciding upon a military career, joined the Army in 1936 to train as an infantry soldier. Rall transferred to the Luftwaffe soon after and he qualified as a fighter pilot in 1938.

In September 1939 World War II began with the German invasion of Poland. Rall was assigned to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) and flew combat patrols in the Phoney War period on the Western Front. Rall flew combat missions in the Battle of France and Battle of Britain, claiming one enemy aircraft destroyed in May 1940. Rall’s wing sustained heavy casualties and the then-22 year old was appointed to Staffelkapitän (squadron leader). He then served in the Balkans Campaign in April and May 1941 without success.

In June 1941, JG 52 moved to the Eastern Front, where it remained from Operation Barbarossa until the end of the war. Rall claimed his first successes in the air defense of Romania. In November 1941, he was shot down, wounded and invalidated from flying for a year. At this time Rall had claimed 36 aerial victories. His achievements earned him the German Cross in Gold in December 1941.

Rall returned in August 1942 and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross on 3 September 1942 for 65 enemy aircraft shot down. By 22 October Rall had claimed 100 and received the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves. He reached 200 in late August 1943. On 12 September 1943 he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, the second highest military award in NSDAP Germany at the time of the presentation. By the end of 1943 Rall had achieved over 250, the second flier to do so after Walter Nowotny did in October 1943.

In April 1944 Rall left JG 52 and the Eastern Front. He was given command of II. Gruppe (2nd group) of Jagdgeschwader 11 and served in the Defense of the Reich where he was wounded for a third time. In November 1944 Rall was appointed as an instructor and flew captured Allied fighter aircraft in order to prepare instruction notes on their performance to German fighter pilots. Rall ended the war with an unsuccessful stint commanding Jagdgeschwader 300 (JG 300—300th Fighter Wing) near Salzburg, Austria, where he surrendered in May 1945.

During World War II Rall was credited with the destruction of 275 enemy aircraft in 621 combat missions. He was shot down five times and wounded on three occasions. Rall claimed all of his victories in a Messerschmitt Bf 109, though he also flew the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 operationally. All but three of his claims were against Soviet opposition.

Rall joined the West German Air Force in 1956, served as Inspector of the Air Force from 1971 to 1974, and as the German representative to the NATO Military Committee until 1975. After his retirement Rall became a consultant. Among his post-war achievements was the presentation of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was awarded to him for his post-1945 service.