Original Artwork Print: “The Homecoming” Painting of German Luftwaffe Fw190s of JG2 Flying By U-boats; Signed by Artist, 3 German Submariners & 3 German Pilots – 39″ x 28″, in Museum Grade Frame Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely framed print of Robert Taylor’s painting THE HOMECOMING, matted and put into a museum grade frame measuring 39″ x 28″. This is number 305/600 of a run of these prints made for collectors, and will make a fantastic display piece on any wall. The painting is set in 1942 off the coast of Brittany in occupied Northwest France, by the Roadstead of Brest, a natural harbor where German forces built the largest U-Boat Bunker / Pen they ever made, U-boat Base Brest. It shows Fw190 Aircraft of Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) “Richthofen” giving a “welcome” to U-boats of the 9th U-boat flotilla.

This is described in the paragraph below the framed print, which reads:

HOMECOMING
by
Robert Taylor

Focke Wulf Fw190s of JG2 returning from an evening coastal sweep, fly a
low-level welcome home salute to U-boats of the 9th Unterseeboots Flotilla as
they sail into the Brest Roads, following an arduous period of action in the
North Atlantic, 1942.

Additionally, the print is signed by artist Robert Taylor on the far left, along with three U-boat captains, all of whom received the Knights Cross:

– Kapitänleutnant Siegfried Koitschka – Knights Cross – first served under the legendary Erich Topp on U-552 before taking command himself. As Captain of U-616 from 1942 to 1944 he undertook nine patrols that lasted 204 days.

– Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Schroeteler – Knights Cross – commanded U-667 on four patrols into the North Atlantic and, at the end of the war, was captain of U-1023

– Korvettenkapitän Helmut Witte – Knights Cross – commander of U-159 who, on four patrols from 1941 to 1943, sank nearly 120,000 tons of Allied shipping.

Acquiring the original signatures of U-boat captains is extremely difficult, especially those who were awarded the Knight’s Cross, With the average life expectancy of a U-boat crew member just a few weeks, U-boat commanders who survived the war were a rarity, especially in 1999 when this print was made.

The fact that three such men signed this edition is just one of the reasons why the piece met with such great critical acclaim. It is also why copies are in so much great demand today. If these three legendary U-boat commanders were not enough, the prints are also signed by three iconic Fw190 Pilots who few with JG2, all of whom received at least the Knight’s Cross:

– Oberleutnant Erhard Nippa – Knights Cross – JG2 / flew over 300 missions

– Oberst Adolf Dickfeld – Knights Cross – JG52 & JG2 / 136 victories

– Major Erich Rudorffer – Knights Cross with Oak Leaves & Swords – JG2 & JG54 / 222 victories

A great display item ready for further research and display!