Kings of the Castle

In "Kings of the Castle" aviation artist Heinz Krebs captures a surreal moment of breathtaking beauty and tranquility which strangely occurs in even the most brutal of wars. In the spring of 1945 Allied bomber units flying into Germany were protected by fighter escorts, whose job was tiring and dangerous. Small wonder that the fighter pilots therefore cherished each moment of relatively low threat. Moments when they could actually chance to marvel at the beauty of the countryside over which they were fighting. For many of the U.S. boys this was their first trip to the Old World that many of their ancestors had left in the not too distant past. And miraculous it must have seemed to many of them, flying over a land of medieval castles tucked away in the mountainous terrain of the Alps, looking at scenes so completely different from home. The actual scene shown is not part of the Mighty Eighth´s war diary. The artist has made it representative of all such missions. This scene could have and indeed has actually happened many times during flights of 8th AF fighters into Southern Germany. In the artist´s imagination it is a flight of four P-51 Mustangs of the 352nd FG, led by ace fighter pilot Capt. William T. Whisner making a low sweep over the picturesque Neuschwanstein castle after a deep penetration mission into the German Alps in the spring of 1945. What distinguishes Heinz Krebs’ painting is the contrast between the well-known ancient castle and the modern flying machines piloted by young men from a land so far away.

 

Printed on heavy stock acid-free paper and issued with a certificate of authenticity.

Limited Edition

• 750 prints signed by the artist only
• 500 Standard Edition prints (sold out) signed by Heinz Krebs plus Capt. Al White (355th FG), Lt.Francis Eshelman (355th FG), and Lt.Col. Jim Empey (52nd FG).