STING OF THE BLACK TULIP - Framed Collector's Piece

Led by the Staffelkapitän Erich Hartmann flying his black tulip-decorated Me109-G6, pilots of 7/JG-52 make use of billowing clouds to ambush Russian fighters high over the Eastern Front, August 1943.

Legend has it that the moment a Russian pilot saw the Bf109 with the distinctive Black Tulip painted on the nose, he would know who the pilot was and radio his colleagues with a warning that the world’s most-feared fighter Ace was on the warpath and their best chance of survival was to depart the scene quickly and without contest. That Ace was, of course, Erich Hartmann. In just over 2½ years, Hartmann scored 352 aerial victories to become the top-scoring Ace in history. It is a feat unlikely to be replicated.

Originally published in 1997, the edition sold out on the day of release and remains in constant demand on the Secondary Market.

This special copy is not only signed by Hartmann but has been additionally autographed over the years and now carries a total of FIFTEEN original signatures of highly regarded fighter pilots – all of whom served with JG-52 during World War II, all having been awarded the Knight’s Cross and all achieving Ace status.

Between them these signatories amassed an incredible 2,154 victories! The full list reads: