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Trudgian, Nicolas
Battle For New Year`s Day, The
In this spectacular painting the P51 Mustang ‘Moonbeam McSwine’ of Captain ‘Whiz’ Whisner leads Red Section of the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, into the defence of their airfield at Asch in Belgium. At the dawn of that New Year’s Day 1945, in the teeth of fierce strafing by German fighters of JG11, Whisner was to be responsible for four of the twenty three Luftwaffe planes shot down during the battle by the 352nd ‘Bluenosers’.
To commemorate one of the greatest aerial victories of the war in Europe, Nicolas Trudgian has painted the 352nd Fighter Group’s ‘Bluenosers’ earning a place in history for their lightning response to the surprise attack on their airfield at Asch, Belgium by the Luftwaffe at dawn on New Year’s Day 1945.
Asch was one of the targets of a German assault, codenamed ‘Operation Bodenplatte’, on many Allied airfields in the Low Countries that morning. The element of surprise served the Luftwaffe well, except at Asch where the 352nd’s commanding officer, Lt. Col. J. C. Meyer, had the foresight to keep the American pilots at readiness for just such an eventuality. So rapid and courageous was the American response that the German attack was repelled, and the 352nd Fighter Group’s 487th Fighter Squadron was subsequently awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation.
Each print of this Limited Edition has been signed by no fewer than SIX pilots of the 352nd Fighter Group ‘Bluenosers’.*
They are:
Lt Col DONALD S. BRYAN DSC, DFC (2 OLC), Air Medal (14 OLC), DUC
Major ALDEN P. RIGBY Silver Star, Air Medal (7 OLC), DUC
Capt. ROBERT ‘PUNCHY’ POWELL DFC (2 OLC), Air Medal (3 OLC), DUC
Col WALTER E. STARCK DFC (2 OLC), Air Medal (OLC), Purple Heart, DUC, AFCM
Lt Col CHESTER V. HARKER DFC (1 OLC), Air Medal (10 OLC), DUC
Lt Col RAYMOND R. MITCHELL DFC, Air Medal (5 OLC), DUC
Edition size: 352 signed and numbered
Print size: 28.5" w x 20" h
