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Cranston Fine Arts Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures Germany L to P Nowotny, Walter

Major Walter Nowotny

Walter Nowotny was one of the most popular Luftwaffe leaders. Joining 9./JG54 in 1941, he achieved his first victories in July, but was forced to ditch in the Baltic, spending three days adrift. In 1942 he took command of 9./JG54, and in June 1943 he downed 41 enemy aircraft in one month, another 49 in August, and 45 in September. By 4th September his tally was past 200, and on 14th October he reached 250, at the time the leading Luftwaffe fighter pilot. In August 1943 he was appointed Kommandeur of I./JG54, in February 1944 he became Kommodore of the Schulgeshwader 101 in France, and early in July commanded the unit testing the Me262 as a fighter. Walter Nowotny was killed on 8th November when he crashed on landing, his victories stood at 258. He had been awarded the Knights Cross, Oak Leaves with Swords, and Diamonds.

Knights Cross	Oak Leaves	Swords	Diamonds

Horrido! by Robert Taylor. All 4 editions sold out. All editions feature up to 18 additional signatures.

Jet Hunters by Robert Taylor. 4 of 6 editions available. All 6 editions feature up to 41 additional signatures. £215.00 - £465.00

Me262 Manufacturer : Messerschmitt Built : 1400

Me262 The Messerschmitt Me-262 Swallow, a masterpiece of engineering, was the first operational mass-produced jet to see service. Prototype testing of the airframe commenced in 1941 utilizing a piston engine. General Adolf Galland, who was in charge of the German Fighter Forces at that time, pressured both Goring and Hitler to accelerate the Me-262, and stress its use as a fighter to defend Germany from Allied bombers. Hitler, however, envisioned the 262 as the aircraft which might allow him to inflict punishment on Britain. About 1400 Swallows were produced, but fortunately for the Allies, only about 300 saw combat duty. While the original plans for the 262 presumed the use of BMW jet engines, production Swallows were ultimately equipped with Jumo 004B turbojet engines. The wing design of the 262 necessitated the unique triangular hull section of the fuselage, giving the aircraft a shark-like appearance. With an 18 degree swept wing, the 262 was capable of Mach .86. The 262 was totally ineffective in a turning duel with Allied fighters, and was also vulnerable to attack during take off and landings. The landing gear was also suspect, and many 262s were destroyed or damaged due to landing gear failure. Despite its sleek jet-age appearance, the 262 was roughly manufactured, because Germany had lost access to its normal aircraft assembly plants. In spite of these drawbacks the 262 was effective. For example, on April 7, 1945 a force of sixty 262s took on a large force of Allied bombers with escort fighters. Armed with their four nose-mounted cannons, and underwing rockets the Swallows succeeded in downing or damaging 25 Allied B-17s on that single mission. While it is unlikely that the outcome of the War could have been altered by an earlier introduction or greater production totals for this aircraft, it is clear to many historians that the duration of the War might have been drastically lengthened if the Me-262 had not been too little too late.

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Major Walter Nowotny Squadron details

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