Birth of a Fighter Legend

This aviation art print by Heinz Krebs depicts a szene during the evening of Saturday, May 18th 1940. A young Luftwaffe fighter pilot was part of a force tasked to find, and safely escort back to its base, a German Heinkel reconnaissance aircraft over French territory. His name was Guenther Rall, who would later become the third-highest ranking fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare, with a total score of 275 confirmed victories. Rall and his fellow pilots quickly found the recce plane which was desperately trying to get back behind the lines, with a whole pack of French US-built Curtiss Hawk fighter aircraft in hot pursuit. Rall’s unit immediately engaged, and a short but ferocious battle between the Germans and the French flared up. Rall soon got a chance to align his sight on one of the French fighters, which later turned out to be flown by the exiled Czech pilot Otto Hanzlicek. The rounds fired from Rall’s Messerschmitt Me109E almost immediately sent the Curtiss down in flames. So intensely focused on his first gunfight was this young fighter pilot, that he had failed to notice Hanzlicek’s wingman who had moved in from behind and was firing at him. Now it was Rall’s turn to take the punches. His 109 was hit several times and spun out of control, Rall had to use all of his exceptional skills as an aviator to recover from the stall. He managed to survive and land at a German airfield that night. By turning a near tragedy into triumph, Günther Rall had showed the world a first glimpse of his outstanding qualities as a fighter and a leader. Thus began the career of one of the world’s most exceptional military aviators.

Printed on heavy stock acid-free paper.

Limited Edition

• 500 numbered copies, individually numbered and signed by the artist. Countersigned by Günther Rall, the third-highest ranking fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare.