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One of the most successful of the Luftwaffe fighter units, JG54 ‘Green Heart Warriors’, first came to prominence during the Battle of Britain over south-east England. In early 1941 the unit moved to the Eastern Front in preparation for the invasion of Russia, and it was in this theatre that they became synonymous both with the relentless struggle against the military might of the Soviets and also, during successive winters, the battle simply to survive the severe weather conditions.
To commemorate the ‘Green Heart Warriors’ Nicolas Trudgian has painted JG54 Fw190s in February 1943 taxiing out on to their unit’s snow-blanketed airfield in Krasnogvardeisk, Russia to begin another fighter sweep of the front lines. For the long winter months the aircraft were camouflaged in the livery considered to be one of the most attractive of all Luftwaffe paint schemes; overall white with the distinctive yellow theatre markings. Later, with the Spring thaw, the white was replaced by the unit’s more familiar green paint as they constantly adapted themselves to the ever-changing battlefront conditions.
By the end of the war the Geschwader had claimed over 9500 victories and produced over 100 aces, including Major Erich Rudorffer, who has signed this edition.
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