Now that the Great War Pilot Profiles thread has run its course, I wanted to start a thread to highlight some of the fantastic artistry focused on the aviation of the period. Due to the paint schemes and variations of aircraft, artist have long been fascinated with dogfight scenes, but more recently I have noticed a lot of different perspectives emerging. One of my favorite period artists is James Dietz, so I'll start the thread with one of his works. Hopefully others can post some favorites as well and we can collectively profile some of the better artists who focus on Great War aviation.

All works are assumed to be trademarked by their respective artists; feel free to support them by buying their prints and works.



If you have served in the military, this is a familiar scene; the pre-mission brief. Here Manfred von Richthofen briefs Jagstaffel 11 before their morning sortie. Love Dietz's details; pilots pulling their collars against the morning cold, crews attending to pilots and aircraft.

Another example of Dietz's work, "Between Heaven and Hell"



Furball over the trenches, note the Lewis guns on the Se5's in the foreground, capable of firing not only forward but up into the belly of an unsuspecting enemy, a favorite tactic of Albert Ball.

I found this one when the DF elite craze was going on. Lt Hans Bohning, Albatross. I use it as my screen saver on my laptop. Looks more like a computer gen. image but I liked the plane and the cold lonely scene.

One last one by Dietz, "Color Guard"



Love the color schemes and details. This also highlights war as moments of action and and terror that are sprinkled through monotony, routine and boredom.

All very beautiful can I have them all super sized and framed

Yes, everything shown so far is for sale as prints, you just need the man cave to put them in.

Another one of my favorites, Steve Anderson, in watercolor. This is a depiction of Frank Luke, the pilot who I started the Great War Pilot Profiles with.

One more from Steven Anderson, "Green Tail". Note the Lewis Gun without the forward firing Vickers. Does the insignia pattern look familiar?

Last one by Anderson, his "Hawker's Last Dance". Lanoe Hawker was in fact the first British ace of the war, credited with 7 kills, and had helped re-established Allied dominance after the Fokker Scourge. He was a Victoria Cross winner, and accomplished inventor, constantly modifying his own and his squadron's equipment to correct design shortfalls. Of interest to game, his squadron flew the Airco DH2, which he was piloting when he had the unfortunate occurance to meet the Albatros of Manfred von Richthofen. In a dizzying fight where Richhthofen fired 500 rounds and jammed his guns, Hawker took a bullet to the head in the last burst and went down behind German lines. Richthofen would claim his Lewis gun as a trophy from his 11th kill, and had it over the door to his quarters until his own death.

This is Mark Karvon's "Air War 1918". More prolific as a WWII artist, Karvon has several nice prints from the Great War era, and does great cloud work in oils. Would love to see the D.VIII in the game.

Here's Russell Smith, my next profile artist. Hostile Sky” is a depiction of the final flight of Victor Chapman, the first US airman to lose his life in combat. Chapman, a member of the famed Lafayette Escadrille was flying his Nieuport 16 on June 23, 1916, on a personal errand to deliver a crate of oranges to a hospitalized friend. While in the air he noticed a dogfight in which he recognized three of
his squadron mates. Chapman joined to the fight only to find that his squadron mates had vanished and that he was now alone against five German Fokker monoplanes. The fight ended quickly with Chapman plummeting to his death.



Again several aircraft featured in the game are noted (although this is not exactly the same model Nieuport depicted, it's close in the production series), with matched color schemes.

From the artist Russell Smith In SPA 124 Lafayette Escadrille Jon Gutman writes, "Another burst of creativity amid the squalor of Cachy occurred when Bill Thaw noticed the Seminole Indian head trademark on crates of ammunition from the Savage Arms Company and ordered one of the mechanics, Cpl Suchet, to apply it to the fuselage sides of N124's aircraft as a squadron insignia."

The Painting depicts William Thaw, a founding member of the famed Lafayette Escadrille, presenting the Indian Head logo to Capitaine Thenault for approval. Beside the Nieuport is Cpl Suchet and Whiskey, the famous lion cub mascot of the Lafayette Escadrille.

Another Russel Smith, with a great story, "A Lesson From The Master"



A Lesson From the Master is a depiction of the famous aerial encounter between Ernst Udet and Georges Guynemer. Both were out alone when they came across each other in the sky. A fight ensued which lasted for many minutes. After a long standoff, Udet finally drew a bead on Guynemer only to have his guns jam. Being defenseless at that point, Udet thought himself a sitting duck. He beat on his guns with his fists in an attempt to unstop them, all the while anticipating the lethal shot from Guynemer. To his surprise, however, the unexpected happens:

"For a moment I have let go of the stick and hammer the receiver with both fists. A primitive expedient, but sometimes it works. Guynemer has observed this from above, he must have seen it, and now he knows what gives with me. I’m helpless prey. Again he skims over me, almost on his back. Then it happens: He sticks out his hand and waves to me, waves lightly, and dives to the west in the direction of his lines.
I fly home. I’m numb."

Last one from Russell Smith, "Last Dance of the Hussar"



Featured in the Great War Pilot Profiles thread, Werner Voss was Germany’s fourth highest ranking ace of World War 1. With 48 kills to his credit he is still considered by many to be the greatest pilot of that war, having skills that even surpassed Manfred von Richthofen, the “Red Baron”. On September 23, 1917 he became involved in what is known to be one of the greatest dogfights of World War 1. While out on patrol he came across a flight of six British SE5’s from 56 Squadron, each flown by a famous ace. For over ten minutes Voss singlehandedly fought the aces without retreating. He inflicted considerable damage on all five aircraft before his own engine finally seized and he was sent plummeting to the ground by Lt. Arthur Rhys-Davids. Major James McCudden, who was also involved in the fight, said of him later, “His flying was wonderful, his courage magnificent and in my own opinion he is the bravest German airman whom it has been my privilege to see fight.”

Leutnant Werner Voss was just 20 years old. Note the 56 squadron logos, replicated in DF, with the level 5 allied SE5a bearing the markings of Major James McCudden.

Here's an awesome piece of artwork by artist Nicholas Trudgian: "Knights Of The Sky". It depicts an engagement between RFC S.E.5a aircraft and the Red Baron's Fokker Dr. I. Richthofen was downed three times during the war so I assume this is a depiction of one of those instances.