WHERE EAGLES SOAR
by Richard Taylor
Flying with 6./JG52 during the latter stages of the Battle of Britain, Leutnant Gerhard Barkhorn and his colleagues provide escort cover to a large force of Luftwaffe bombers heading for London during the final stages of the Battle of Britain.
Many great flying Aces were talented pilots but took time to master the art of combat – and Gerd Barkhorn was no different. During training, his gunnery skills had been rated as poor and despite being posted to the elite JG52 where his combat encounters mounted during the latter stages of the Battle of Britain, his list of victories remained stuck on nil. On 27 September, a Spitfire had shot him down over the Channel. He survived, but how the Russians must have wished that he hadn’t, because it was only after JG52 transferred to the Eastern Front that Barkhorn flourished so much that he was to become the second-highest scoring Ace in history, with 300 victories against the Russians, a score surpassed only by his friend in JG52, Erich Hartmann.
It is Barkhorn’s early days in JG52, however, that talented draughtsman Richard Taylor has chosen to depict in his new colour-enhanced drawing, Where Eagles Soar. With a huge force of Luftwaffe bombers assembled and heading away from the Pas-de-Calais towards London, Barkhorn and his colleagues in JG52 prepare to provide top cover ready for the sure-to-come onslaught of Spitfires and Hurricanes from Fighter Command.
Just TWELVE copies of this stunning print are available worldwide, each containing an ORIGIANL Barkhorn signature!
It’s easy to see why the precise quality of Richard’s drawings elevates him to one of the most gifted exponents of pencil work in the industry. Completed in a combination of graphite, wash and coloured highlights on antique buff paper in a style that has gained him recognition around the globe, the original drawing has now been faithfully reproduced as a high quality giclée fine art print on archival paper and is issued hand signed by the artist.
Each print is then mounted to full conservation standards to display a museum-quality reproduction Luftwaffe Breast Eagle and total of TEN original autographs of highly acclaimed Luftwaffe pilots who flew Bf109s in combat during the Second World War. These include the RARE autograph of the highly-regarded Ace depicted, Gerhard Barkhorn (second-highest scorer in history), along with names such as Günther Rall (third-highest scorer), Erich Rudorffer (seventh-highest scorer) and Adolf Galland (the youngest General in the German Armed Forces).
Adding great historical importance, each of the ten famous names finished the war having achieved Ace status, with a total of over 1,200 combined victories amassed between them.
The fill list of original signatures reads:
- Major Gerhard Barkhorn KC with Oak Leaves and Swords
- Major Hans-Ekkehard Bob KC
- Generalleutnant Adolf Galland KC with Oak Leaves Swords and Diamonds
- Generalleutnant Günther Rall KC with Oak Leaves and Swords
- Major Erich Rudorffer KC with Oak Leaves and Swords
- Oberleutnant Günther Seeger KC
- Major Julius Meimberg
- Leutnant Hugo Broch KC
- Ambassador Franz Elles IC
- Major Heinz Lange KC
- Media:
- Lithograph
- Size:
- 24.5 x 17.25 inches
- Release Date:
- 6/2025
Framing Service available on this item
Interested in having this item framed? Our expert team are on hand to review your bespoke requirements. Simply tick the framing box at the checkout and we’ll contact you to discuss the best framing choices for your piece plus delivery options. For further information about our framing service click here.
Other Works by Richard Taylor
