Back from Normandy by Nicolas Trudgian features Spitfire of 126 Squadron during the D-Day landings.

Mk IX Spitfires of 126 Squadron, led by Wing Commander Pete Brothers, race back to RAF Culmhead after a low-level attack on enemy transport in Normandy, June 1944. 

Like the Messerschmitt Me109, its great adversary throughout almost six years of aerial combat, the Spitfire was a fighter par excellence. Good as many other types may have been, these two aircraft became symbols of the two opposing air forces they represented. Their confrontation, which began in 1940 during the Battle of Britain, continued without interruption until the last days of World War Two. From an air force teetering on extinction in the dark days of 1940, by the summer of 1944 the pilots of RAF Fighter Command had fought their way back to become top dogs. And when the invasion of northern France came, they swept over the beaches in force, cutting deep into enemy occupied territory, hammering the enemy in the air and on the ground. Key to this air superiority was the supreme performance of the Spitfire, its ability to out-fly the Luftwaffe's best, and the leadership of the pilots who had survived the early air battles of the war. Among the best was 26 year old Pete Brothers, by 1944 a highly successful and experienced fighter pilot commanding his own Wing.

Having fought through the battles of France and Britain, now with a clutch of air victories to his credit, in 1944 he took command of first the Exeter Wing, and then the Culmhead Wing, ideally placed to support the coming invasion of Normandy. Nick Trudgian's striking painting recreates a typical scene as Mk IX Spitfires of 126 Squadron, led by Wing Commander Pete Brothers flying his Mk VII Spitfire, race back to RAF Culmhead after a low-level attack on enemy transport in Normandy. The Culmhead Spitfire Wing flew constant armed 'Rhubarb' attacks in support of the invasion from D-Day June 6 1944 till the first improvised strips were established in France a few weeks following the invasion. This beautiful aviation print, contrasting the frenetic pace of war with a restful English coastal landscape, evokes the memory of a legendary fighter aircraft that, flown by gallant pilots, helped change the course of history.

Back from Normandy by Nicolas Trudgian is signed by the legendary PETE BROTHERS plus two other pilots who flew Spitfires in combat during World War II, Lieutenant General Baron MIKE DONNET and Squadron Leader ARTHUR 'JOE' LEIGH.

This print sold out some time ago and is becoming increasingly difficult to find. This copy is in mint condition and comes with the original Certificate of Authenticity.

Note: the 'Nicolas Trudgian' logo on the bottom right of the image does not appear on the actual print itself.