History of German
tanks. Military art prints of German Tiger and King Tiger tanks of
Albert Kerscher, Michael Wittman and Jochim Peiper in limited edition
German tank art prints by David Pentland, published by Cranston Fine Arts.
The Tiger I (PZKPFW VI AUSF E ) was
built by Henschel. and a total of 1354 tanks were built in its two year
production period. August 1942 until August 1944. This very large and
heavy tank (57 tonnes) took 300,000 man hours to build which was twice the
man hours it took to build a Panther.
First used n the Russian front with
502nd Schwere Panzerabteilung and was moved to Mga which
was close to Leningrad on the 29th August 1942
The Tiger first saw service in North Africa
with the 501st Schwere panzer Abteilung at the end of 1942 , in time
to take part in the Battle for Tunisia.
Weight 57 Tonnes, Crew %,
Max speed 38 KM / hour, Range 140 KM, Dimensions
Length 8.45 metres, Height 2.93 metres, Width 3.7 metres.
Armament: One 8.8cm KwK 36 L/56 Gun with 92 rounds, Secondary armament:
Two 7.92 mm Machine Guns. Armour thickness Man 100mm and
minimum 25mm.
The
Tigers Roar, Malinava, Latvia, July 22nd 1944 by David Pentland.
1st Lieutenant Otto Carius commanding 2nd Company of the
502nd heavy tank Battalion, with eight Tigers, advanced towards the
village of Malinava (a northern suburb of Dunaburg), to halt the Russian
advance. Following a reconnaissance Lieutenant Otto Carius explained his
plan to take the village. He decided to attack using only two tanks
because there was only one narrow road leading to the village. Six
Tigers therefore remained in the reserve while Lt Carius and Lt. Albert
Kerschers (one of the most decorated commanders of sPzAbt 502) tanks
moved towards the village. Speed was the essence and afterwards, Otto
Carius recalls that the entire battle did not last more than 20 minutes.
in this short time, Carius and Kerscher knocked out 17 of the new JS-1
Stalin and 5 T-34 tanks. Following this he deployed 6 of his tanks in an
ambush against the remainder of the Soviet tank battalion advancing toward
him, unaware of their lead companies demise. Surprise was complete and a
further 28 tanks were destroyed along with their supporting trucks and
vehicles, the complete battalion had been wiped out for no loss.
Tiger at the Gate, Berlin 30th April 1945 by David
Pentland A Tiger I and PAK 40 anti tank gun of the "Müncheberg"
Division, field a final defence of the capital in front of the
Brandenburg Gate under the shattered remains of the famous Linden trees.
The under-strength division had just been formed the previous month from
a mixture of ad hoc units and various marks of tank. Despite this it put
up a spirited fight until its final destruction in early May.
Kerscher's Defence of Neuhauser Forest by David Pentland
Albert Kerscher's (511 Heavy Tank Battalion) scored his 100th kill
holding off the Russian Army during the German evacuation of wounded
from the Baltic Ports. 15th April 1945. (Tiger I and Panzer IV shown)
Counter Attack at Villers Bocage by David Pentland
Depicting Hauptsturmfuhrer Michael
Wittman, the top German Tank
Commander, whose solitary tank knocked out most of the 4th county of
London Yeomanry's regimental Stuart and Cromwell tanks.
"Strike for Gela" Sicily 11th June 1943 by David
Pentland Tiger I tanks of 2
Kompanie/ Schwere Panzer Abteilung 504, attached
to Panzer Division Herman Goring, launch their attack on the main US 7th
Army landing beach at Gela, on the first day of "Operation
Husky". Despite the fact that the Herman Goring troops were untried
in battle it was only the devastating effect of allied naval gunfire
that stopped them reaching and probably destroying the beach head.
"Clash of Steel", Prokhorovka, Kursk, 12th
July 1943 by David Pentland The battle for Prokhorovka marked the high water mark of the
German southern drive for Kursk. At the apex of the thrust were the 14
tiger tanks of the 13 Heavy Tank Company, 1st SS Panzer Division "Liebstandarte",
led by Michael Wittman. Their advance was eventually thwarted, however,
by the epic charge of the Soviet 29th Guards Tank Corps, as part of 5th
Guards Tank Army's furious counter attack against the SS Tank Corps.
Anthony Gibbs was born in 1951 in Birmingham. He went to Bourneville School of Art for one year, but is mostly self-taught. His first one man show was in 1976 at the Colmore Galleries, with further one man exhibitions at this venue following, in 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1988 and 1991. Anthony Gibbs had a one man exhibition Nature In Art at Wallsworth Hall, Gloucestershire in 2000. His first limited edition print released February 1988 - White Tigers Ever Watchful – was an edition of 1550, the largest edition of a limited print by Solomon and Whitehead at the time, and the largest order from the from the USA (650) they have ever had. He went to Kenya for the first time in February 1989, and is a member of the Society of Animal Artists in New York, The Woodland Trust. He won the Peoples Choice Award on a national tour exhibition of the USA in 1992 and 1993, with the Society of Animal Artists. Anthony Gibbs was awarded the Award of Excellence Medal from the Society in 1997 and 2001. He has exhibited at numerous venues across the USA with the Society of Animal Artists and also across Britain – exhibitions including the Mall Galleries, Nature In Art, Wildfowl And Wetlands Trust, London. He has sold work through both Christies and Sotherbys. Anthony Gibbs went to the Yellowstone National Park and Tetons National Park to study the wildlife and habitat in the U.S.A. in 2003.
Spotlight on Wildlife Artists
A newly available selection of superb wildlife art from some of the best known wildlife artists around.
A large variety of wildlife prints are now available from artists including Jonathon Truss, Anthony Gibbs and Lyndsey Selley. These prints are available at a discount price for a short time only, and some are on the verge of selling out. See the best of the prints by clicking the links or see more wildlife art at our website devoted to the subject : ArtAndPrints.co.uk
