Limited Edition 12" by 18" Print Signed and numbered by the artist and co-signed by Luftwaffe Ace Horst Petzschler
ERNIE BOYETTE
Ernie was born to poor parents on a sweet potato farm in Green Cove Springs, Florida. The family raised chickens, rabbits and agriculural foods. The last of seven children, his father died when he was two years old. Growing up, Ernie always helped his mother and encouraged her in her self-taught wildlife painting. When she passed away in 1985, she left him her art supplies and some blank canvasses.
Bored with a job he disliked, he decided to figure out how to paint one night in 1986. He pulled out his mom's "art stuff" and started. Never having an art lesson in life other than what he was taught in public school, Ernie did about ten paintings over the next several years. Trained in marketing, in June 1991, he decided to try art as a business. Convinced he had talent, he swore he would be making his living from his artwork, writing and photography.
Not knowing what he wanted to paint, he liked airplanes and military so he tried that. He started painting one airplane after another. In the spring of 1993, he received his first commission from an F-18 Squadron stationed at Cecil Field, Jacksonville, Florida. Commander John "Lites" Leenhouts employed him to do a black and white Limited Edition of their squadron aircraft.
In 1994 he started his series "Famous American Aviators". His first prints were his heroes, George Gay and Robert "Bob" Scott. Between January 1991 and December 2000 he painted no less than 150 paintings. From March 1993 to September 2000 he published 42 Limited Edition prints along with 36 poster prints. In the fall of 2002 he was commissioned by Cook Cleland's family to paint all three of the F2G Corsair racers that he flew in the late 1940's at the Ohio Air Races. Cook won the Thompson Trophy in 1947 and 1949. Ernie had worked with Cook in 1997 with a print of the SBD dive-bomber he flew in WWII.
In March of 2003 Ernie was officially knighted as a “Knight of Vision” for his efforts in telling the stories of Great britain's famous aviators. Sir Ernie Hamilton Boyette now signs all his original paintings as Sir Hamilton.
His artwork is now marketed nationwide in aviation museum gift shops including the Smithsonian. In November of 2006 his artwork was selected by the new Pearl Harbor Museum, Hawaii, to be sold in their gift shop. Ernie's artwork has also appeared in the Aviation History magazine and his prints are marketed worldwide.
Ernie Boyette Signed and Numbered Print "Horst Petzschler"
Focke-Wulf Fw-190 Fighter
Horst Petzschler joined the Luftwaffe in April 1941 at he age of nineteen. His enlistment was for twelve years. The war with Poland had started in September of 1939 and had spread through Europe raging for a year and a half with the German Army and Luftwaffe being recognized world wide for its dramatic success in combat tactics. Horst was transferred to the Russia campaign in September 1943. The Russian assault was in full swing and all the German military was advancing onto its giant neighbor. Horst attacked Russian armor hitting the tanks with a 500-kilo bomb that would destroy or disable the tank and decimate any troops riding on the back of the tank and all that were close by.
Horst primarily flew the Focke Wulf 190 A-2 and A-4. With his first tour in Russia over Horst had flown 126 sorties, which were mostly ground attack missions. This was grueling on Horst and gave him little time to pursue shooting down enemy aircraft, which is what every fighter pilot dreams of. In the first tour Horst was able to shoot down only three confirmed aerial victories. But the primary mission of his Staffel (squadron) was to bust the Russian tank. They called it “Tank Busting”. Many times Petzschler and his fellow pilots were they last and only hope for the German infantry below them in the snow and frozen earth. Most of his missions were Leningrad to Kiev, Russia.
Defense of the Reich
Master Sergeant Petzschler left the Russian front and was transferred to JG3 “Udet” near Madeburg, Germany. While he was with JG 3 his rank was officially Feldwebel Horst Petzschler. From the first week in April 1944 through the last week in May Horst was flying and fighting against the American bomber formations. Horst flew fourteen missions during this time flying against the Eight Air Force. Horst shot down a B-17, a B-24 and two P-51 Mustangs, with himself being shot down once by a Mustang. In Europe Horst flew the Messerschmitt Bf-109G-6 fighter.
Russian Front, Again!
As the allies were invading France, Horst was again transferred back to Russia where he scored against nineteen more Russian aircraft, flying with Stabsstaffel JG Molders. Flying both the FW190 and the BF-109, Horst predominately flew the Bf-109G. Horst on his second tour would be concentrating on downing Russian aircraft. Several were observation aircraft and one was an American lend-lease A-20 Boston over a lake in Russia in September 1944. Now Horst was able to prove himself as a fighter pilot. On his second tour in Russia his aerial victories rose steadily.
From February through May 4, 1945, Horst served with the 10th Squadron JG51 in Danzig near Pillau Konigsberg. Here Horst and his squadron fought to the bitter end. In the spring of 1945, III./JG 51 lost 51 pilots. Many were to the French unit that was fighting for the Russians known as the Air Regiment “Normandie-Neimen” who were flying the Yak-9. It was during this period that Horst proved himself as a Luftwaffe Ace. Horst was one of the most successful pilots of his squadron of III./JG 3 as Feldwebel Petzschler shot down 22 aircraft in the last months of the war. Horst Petzschler ended the war flying 297 combat missions and with 26 confirmed aerial victories. He was shot down 13 times. Eleven were crash landings and two were bailouts. Only once did an enemy fighter shoot down Horst, which was by a Mustang that jumped him from behind on May 28, 1944 near Magdeburg. The rest were due to close encounters with Russian flak.
Horst Petzschler was awarded the Iron Cross first and second-class along with the Golden Fighter Clasp as he passed 150 frontline sorties of which 126 were fighter-bomber missions in the FW-190-A-4 against the Russians. He also received the Goblet of Honor for passing 250 missions. He was recommended for the Knights Cross as the war came to an end but he never received the award.
All artwork is subject to availability at time of order. Although seller strives to remain currrent as to inventory, seller reserves the right to cancel a sale if item is no longer available at time of purchase.
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