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World War Two American Art
America-Art-Prints  World War Two |
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American forces during World War Two from the Philippines to Tarawa and from Normandy Landings to crossing the Rhine. US Air borne forces, 501 parachute infantry regiment, 101st Air Borne Regiment and Royal Marines are all shown in these historical military art prints. |
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| Text for the above items : |
Dead Man's Corner by Simon Smith. Men of the US 101st Airborne launch a lighting patrol across the bitterly contested road junction just outside the village of St Come-du-Mont on 8th June 1944. |
Jungleers by James Dietz. The 41st Infantry Division, composed of National Guard units from Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho, was ordered into federal service 16 September 1940. Originally assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington, it trained there until ordered overseas in early 1942. It was one of the first divisions to go overseas. Sailing from San Francisco, California in March 1942, it arrived in Australia in April. Training took place 60 miles north of Melbourne and after July, in the tropical Rockhampton, Queensland. The first unit to be ordered north, the 163rd Infantry Regiment arrived in New Guinea at Port Moresby on 26 December 1942. The regiment was attached to the Australian 7th Division, helping to destroy the Japanese Forces along the Sananada Trail then moving into the Bunz-Gona area to close the Papuan Campaign. It was there that the 41st Division became known as the Jungleers. By the early part of February 1943, the Division was in New Guinea to stay for a long time. The New Guinea Campaign took the Division through Salamaua, Aitape, Hollandia, Nassua Bay, Wadke-Arare-Toem to the Biak. In late 1944, the Philippine Islands were attacked. In February 1945, the 41st Division, now part of the 6th Army, invaded Palawan. The Division was active in the southern Philippines Campaign with participation in the battles of Basilan, Jolo and Mindinao. In September, the Division left Zamboango to take up occupation duties in Japan. In October, they moved into southern Honshu, as the occupational force. The 41st Division was deactivated in Japan on 31 December 1945. Fourth in the National Guard Division Series Commemorating the 41st Divisions Service in World War II. |
Stopped Dead in Their Tracks by James Dietz. (AP) The 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment Seizes Goronne, Belgium, Battle of the Bulge 7 January 1945. Few men in the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) paid much attention to the distant artillery fire on December 16, 1944. Things had been relatively quiet along the front for the last four weeks while the Regiment rested and refitted at Camp Suippes, France, but their rapidly crumbling Allied front. Unbeknownst to the Allies, Adolph Hitler had deployed four German Armies for a bold counteroffensive through the Ardennes Forest. This German attack had to be stopped before it gained momentum. The 82nd and the 101st Airborne Divisions, the only reserves available to the Allies, were immediately committed to blunt this German penetration. The 82nd Airborne Division was initially deployed to the northern flank on the German attack, to counter the German main effort. The 505th PIR was assigned and occupied a 4.5 mile defensive line along the Salm River stretching from the Belgian towns of Trois-Ponts to Rencheux on 19 December 1944 and engaged in heavy fighting with elements of two German Panzer Divisions over the next four days. 2/505 occupied the Belgian town of Trois-Ponts on December 19, 1944. They immediately blew all remaining bridges, established defensive positions, and waited for a German attack that finally came on 21 December 1944. Using mortars, machine guns, bazookas and captured German Panzerfausts, the Panthers inflicted heavy casualties on the Germans, stopping repeated frontal attacks by the 1st SS Panzer Division. 3/505 fought a similar action at Grand Halleux when elements of the 9th Panzer Division attempted to cross the River Salm on December 22. Although 3/505 suffered heavy casualties, they stopped the German attack. During both battles not a single German soldier penetrated the Panther's defense. Their defense of the Salm River Line delayed the German advance and decisively disrupted their timetable, two factors which led to their eventual defeat. Most significantly, the Panther's defense of the Salm River Line sealed the fate of Battlegroup Peiper, the most powerful element of the 1st Panzer Division. The Germans were trying to breakthrough the Panther defense to rescue Peiper and his trapped Battlegroup. This rescue attempt, however, was stopped dead in its tracks by the 505th PIR and led to the destruction of Battlegroup Peiper two days later. On December 24th the 82nd Airborne Division withdrew from the Salm River and established a new defensive position several thousand meters to the rear. The new Division front was relatively quiet until January 2, 1945 when it was pulled off the line to participate in an allied offensive scheduled for January 3, 1945. The Division mission was to advance to the Salm River and reoccupy the positions vacated one week earlier. During this attack the Panthers would face two determined foes, weather and the 62nd Volksgrenadier (VG) Division. The weather was extraordinarily cold with snow piled two feet deep throughout the Ardennes; and the 62nd VG Division was a good unit well supported by a significant amount of artillery and armor. On January 3, 1945, the Panthers attacked and sustained more casualties than on any other day in its history. German artillery inflicted significant casualties in both 1/505 and 3/505 during their successful attacks on Reharmont and Fosse respectively. The Panters resumed their attack on January 4th seizing the high ground above Abrefontaine where they dug for a miserable night without overcoats or sleeping bags. Abrefontaine was occupied on January 5 and the men's overcoats, packs an sleeping bags finally caught up with them, enabling the Panthers to get their first real sleep in over 60 hours. The Panthers attack resumed on January 7, 1954. 2/505, supported by elements of the 628th Tank Destroyer Battalion, attacked across open ground to seize Goronne, Belgium from a company of the 62nd VG Division and four King Tiger tanks of the 501st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion. 2/505 suffered heavy casualties losing two tanks and two destroyers, but the remaining tank destroyers managed to knock out two German tanks with flank shots. The two remaining German tanks withdrew and the Panthers overran the town, capturing 100 prisoners. The day was a disaster for the battalion however, as their Battalion Commander, LTC Vandervoort, was seriously wounded and evacuated. His loss stunned the Regiment, as he was the longest serving Battalion Commander and the men considered him invincible. The fight for Goronne marked the end of the Battle of the Bulge for the Panters. During the night of the 10-11 January 1945 they were relieved by the 75th Infantry Division, boarded trucks and redeployed to Theux, Belgium where they were placed in XVIII Airborne Corps reserve. Although not as glamorous as the 101st Airborne Division's defense of Bastogme and largely ignored by historians, the battles fought over the last three weeks had cost the Panters dearly. The Regiment that boarded the trucks on 11 January 1945 was a mere shadow of the unit that left Camp Suippes on 18 December. Approximately 50% of the Panters were casualties; the enemy caused half of these casualties and the other half were non-battle losses. The past had finally caught up wit many of the old veterans. Exposure caused old wounds to flare up and triggered many relapses of malaria that had been contracted during the regiment's service in the Mediterranean theater. Some of the veterans were able to return after short stays in the hospital but most were gone for good with frozen limbs and wounds. The 505th continued to serve until the end of the war but the unit was never the same after the loss of so any of its' veterans during the Battle of the Bulge. This limited edition print is dedicated to the World War II veterans of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. We will never forget your valor and sacrifice made under the most trying of conditions. |
Souvenirs by James Dietz. American Paratroopers. |
Overlord, Utah Beach 6th June 1944 by James Dietz. No text for this item |
The 28th Division in the Defence of Hosingen, Luxemburg by James Dietz. No text for this item |
Huertgen Forest Patrol by James Dietz. SOLD OUT |
Rangers Lead The Way by James Dietz. SOLD OUT |
Making it Happen by James Dietz. Gavins paratroopers capture the grave bridge - Operation Market garden 17th Sept 1944. |
We Have Returned by James Dietz. 37th Divisions liberation of Manila March 3rd 1945. This remarkable print is taken from an original oil painting which was unveiled during the 117th General Conference of the National Guard Association of the United States which convened in Cleveland, Ohio, in September of 1995. The painting was commissioned by the Ohio National Guard to commemorate the role of the 37th Infantry Division in the liberation of Manila in March of 1945. The 37th Buckeye Division was organized during World War I and fought in the Meuse-Argonne offensive as well as in Flanders, earning three campaign streamers (Meuse-Argonne, Lorraine 1918, and Ypres-Lys). During the postwar years, this National Guard Division remained a pure Ohio unit. On 15 October 1940, the 37th was mobilized by President Roosevelt to train during the period of emergency brought on by the war in Europe. Within weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Division was alerted for possible deployment to Europe, but the orders were changed, and the Ohioans found themselves moving by train to San Francisco where they sailed in May of 1942 for the Fiji Islands. Their training continued until they were transported to Guadalcanal in April of 1943. In July, 1943, the 129th Infantry Regiment from Illinois joined the Division as they began offensive operations in New Georgia, followed by Bougainville Island in November. On 9 January, the Division arrived at its moment in history, going ashore at Lingayen Gulf on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. They moved to the outskirts of Manila, and for the next month fought house-to-house to liberate the city. In freeing Bilibid Prison, they found members of the Battling Bastards of Bataan, from the 200th Coast Artillery of the New Mexico National Guard, who earned the reputation as the first unit to fight in World War II. On 3 March 1945, the 37th had liberated Manila and fulfilled the words of General Douglas MacArthur. The fighting had taken its toll on the city and one official stated, Manila is dead! The Buckeye Division continued its offensive into the Cagayan Valley of northern Luzon and rested only briefly before beginning preparations for the invasion of Japan. It was many a relieved Buckeye when the news of the Japanese surrender reached the Division and their families anxiously waiting at home. |
Against All Odds by James Dietz. Ridgeays Troopers save the La Fiere Causeway Normandy June 9th 1944. |
Decisive Point by James Dietz. (AP) Tuckers Paratroopers Capture Nijmegen Bridge, Operation market Garden, Holland 20th Sept. 1944. |
Guns from Heaven By James Dietz. (AP) Operation Market Garden, Airborne Gunners arrive by Glider 17th - 18th Sept. 1944. The title Guns From Heaven was chosen by the 319th AFAR Association as the official Print title after soliciting suggestions from the troopers of the Regiment. LTC Robert A. Dow Jr. submitted the winning title. Guns From Heaven depicts the actions of the 319th and 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalions, and the 376th and 456th Parachute Field Artillery Battalions at LZs N and T in Holland. According to the historical data available, gliders with the men from these battalions delivered 51 howitzers, 117 jeeps, and 106 trailers despite the intense barrage of German artillery fire, flak, and small arms fire over the LZs. While the landings were taking place, the Luftwaffe also managed to strafe the LZs. The 376th FA, which landed by parachute assault, provided counterbattery fires against German positions. |
Advance from Utah by Simon Smith. It had been a rough ride for the men of 101st Airborne's Easy Company. With heavy flak tearing into the C-47s carrying the paratroopers inland, the original drop plans had gone horribly awry and the men found themselves scattered, many lost without weapons or supplies. They knew that the largest amphibious force in history would be landing on Utah Beach in only a few hours, and was counting on them to secure the area behind the beach. As the Allied landing approached, First Lieutenant Dick Winters and the small force of the dozen men he had managed to gather were ordered to take a battery of four German 105mm Howitzers at Brecourt Manor, which were zeroed in on Utah Beach. In a remarkable feat of tactics that would be studied and emulated for decades to come, Dick Winters and his tiny force destroyed not only the battery, but also the deadly machine-gun positions nearby. The latest composition from celebrated military artist Simon Smith, Advance from Utah, captures both the triumph and foreboding of the moment following this brilliant move: With the German positions smoldering behind them, Winters and his men gaze thoughtfully into the horizon and their next objective, realizing that for them the war is only beginning. |
The Road From Utah - Ste Marie du Mont, June 1944 by Simon Smith. Paratroopers of the 101st Airborne lead American armored units through the recently liberated village of Sainte Marie du Mont during the advance from Utah Beach, shortly after D-Day. |
Rescuing the Lipizzaners by Don Stivers. The 2nd U.S. Cavalry Group had been mechanized less than three years. The vivid smell of the stable and of leather tack were still in their nostrils, even in this war of gasoline fumes and dry logistics. World War II was ending. Colonel Charles Reed, commander of the 2nd, had heard about the German Remount Depot in occupied Czechoslovakia that stabled the legendary Royal Lipizzaner stallions, mares and foals. With the russians closing in on Prague, Reed knew that the famous horses would be confiscated for draft horses, or butchered for meat, or shot for revenge. He resolved to save the Lipizzaners. Captain Thomas M Stewart, acting as emissary, and accompanied by the German staff officer, rides a borrowed Lipizzaner stallion through the night to arrange the surrender of the horses. A breath away from being shot as a spy, he speaks with the German General commanding. The next day American troops skirmish their way into Hostau and Captain Nelson Cattlets A Troop secures the area around the horses. Colonel Reed arrives, and the horses are driven - wild west style - to the American lines. The magnificent breed - with bloodlines stretching back two thousand years - is saved from extinction. The Lipizzaners, trained for centuries to serve the warrior unselfishly are now saved by warriors. |
29 Lets Go by James Dietz. For over three years, since induction into active service on February 3, 1941, the National Guardsmen of the 29th Blue and Gray Division had been preparing for this moment. They were a long way from the families they had left behind in Maryland and Virginia, and about to take their place in history. It was 0630, June 6, 1944, shortly after low tide, when the first units of the Division landed on Omaha Beach on the Normandy Coast of France. Facing well prepared German positions and making their way through the extensive obstacles known as Rommels asparagus, four companies of the 116th Regional Combat Team (RCT) led the way, followed by wave after wave of determined Twenty-Niners. The going was slow and difficult, with heavy casualties in the early morning hours. The Division battle cry which had become popular during training exercises, 29 Let's Go, could be heard across the beach as leaders urged the Guardsmen forward. First a foothold, then penetration, break through, and move inland. The liberation of Europe had begun. The price was heavy though; more than 500 of the Guardsmen had lost their lives, with many times that number wounded. The 29th Division would continue to distinguish itself in the sweep across Europe, and after V-E Day, their motto became 29 Lets Go Home! Mission accomplished, the Guardsmen returned to inactive status on January 11, 1945. Today the 29th Infantry Division remains an integral part of our force structure, still a National Guard Division based in Maryland and Virginia, prepared if ever again America calls out, 29 Lets Go!. |
Come in Fighting by James Dietz. (AP) June 6-7, 1944 saw the execution of operation Neptune, the airborne assault of Hitler's Atlantic Wall. Arriving by glider and parachute, three allied airborne divisions, the U.S 82nd, 101st and British 2nd landed on the Cherbourg Peninsula to secure inland routes in preparation for the Allies' massive Normandy assault. Spearheading the assault, units of the 82nd Airborne Division were to land astride the Merdert River and seize the approach roads to Utah beach. The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment (GIR) arriving by sea and air, constituted the 82nd Division's reserve. Commanded by COL Harry L. Lewis, the 325th GIR was ordered to conduct their assault on the morning of D+1 and link up with parachute infantry elements that had arrived on D-Day. Initial intelligence reports given to COL Lewis prior to the invasion indicated enemy forces to be located to the South of the Regiment's landing zone, Landing Zone W (LZ Whiskey). The enemy situation changed however, as the 325th GIR prepared to leave their departure airfields in England. Elements of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) had met stiff resistance in their fight for Ste. Mere Eglise, and enemy forces still controlled the high ground to the South of the town. As such, German forces occupied dominating positions above the 325th's landing zones and posed a serious threat to their glider assault. Division Headquarters attempted to wire COL Lewis the message Come in Fighting, but the message was never received. Therefore, the first gliders that landed in Normandy were met by intense machine-gun and mortar fire from Ste. Mere Eglise to the north. Expecting gunfire from the South, COL Lewis pulled out his compass, and checked the direction of the enemy fire. He decided the compass must be broken, but as another member of the landing party checked his compass, it also pointed north. It was not until COL Lewis met up with scouts of the 4th Infantry Division that he confirmed that the enemy was indeed in the vicinity of Ste. Mere Eglise, North of their location. Although sustaining almost 10% casualties during their glider assault, the 325th GIR was able to assemble into an effective fighting force by 10:15 on the morning of 7 June. Their efforts, along with the daring parachute drops the day prior, disrupted German resistance and allowed elements of the 4th Infantry Division to move inland without significant opposition. The efforts of the 325th GIR and other airborne units played a crucial role in the success of the Allied Invasion and the destruction of Hitler's Atlantic Wall. The painting Come In Fighting captures the valiant glider assault by the 325th GIR during Operation Neptune. COL Harry L. Lewis is depicted leading the men of the 325th GIR through the enemy machine-gun and mortar fire towards the maze of hedgerows for cover and ultimately Chef du-Pont. The officers and soldiers of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment commemorate this painting to all members of the Regiment- past, present and future. The courage and determination displayed by the glidermen of the 325th GIR serve as a constant reminder of the sacrifices of the past and our continued service in the future. |
Hold to the Last Round by James Dietz The 28th Division in the Defense of Hosingen, Luxembourg. On December 16, 1944, began the Battle of the Bulge, considered by many, including Sir Winston Churchill, as the greatest battle ever fought by the American Army. The 28th Division was positioned in the very center of the German attack, just west of the Our River in a front of about 25 miles. Since this was supposed to be a quiet sector where no enemy action was expected, the three Regimental Combat Teams of the Division could only defend this wide area by establishing isolated strong points to block the main roads leading from East to West. The distances between positions prevented them from being mutually supporting and thus easily surrounded and cut off from reinforcement. In the unlikely event of an attack, the plan was to withdraw and delay. When the German offensive opened, however, the order was changed to Hold at All Cost, and thus each of the strong points had to fight its own battle. Rather than giving terrain for time as initially intended, it now became necessary to sacrifice lives for time until reinforcements from reserve units could be brought forward. The strong points of the Division, although surrounded, cut off, and facing increasing enemy forces as the fight went on, held for almost three full days, thus upsetting the German timetable. This gave the Allies time to move major reinforcements forward to Bastogne and St. Vith. This print was taken from the magnificent painting depicting one of the great strong point actions which occurred in the town of Hosingen, Luxembourg, where K Company of the 110th Infantry Regiment and B Company of the 103rd Engineer Battalion (Combat) fought for the better part of three days. Although surrounded and greatly outnumbered, the soldiers of these two units held their ground with only a reinforcement of five tanks from the 707th Tank Battalion reaching their position. In this defense, these brave men inflicted an estimated 2,000 casualties upon their attackers and totally upset the German timetable. The 28th Division soldiers fought to the last round and were then authorized to break into small groups and escape as best they could. The gallant defense of Hosingen, which is depicted in this painting, like the action at the other strong points of the 28th Division, sacrificed men for time. This effort clearly helped save Bastogne, only 18 miles to the west, and bought precious time for the Allies. The painting and the limited edition prints are dedicated to all the brave men of the 28th Division whose courage and sacrifice delayed the German advance and contributed greatly to the final outcome of the Battle of the Bulge. |
On the Rock by James Dietz. 503rd Infantry, Corregidor, Operation Topside. At 0825 on 16 February 1945, the 503d Parachute Regimental Combat Team, affectionately known as The Rock Force courageously parachuted into 22-knot winds onto the fortified Island of Corregidor (The Rock) initiating Operation Topside. Defying a defending Japanese force of up to 6,550 in strength, the 2,050 paratroopers from the 503d Parachute Regimental Combat Team valiantly leapt from fifty-one C-47 aircraft of the 317th Troop Carrier Group at a 1,150 foot altitude onto a Drop Zone barely suitable for airborne operations. Topside Drop Zone was a rubble-strewn patch of land no bigger than 325 yards long and 125 yards wide and previous used as a parade field located on the upper portion of the island. Reinforced by the 3d Battalion Combat Team of the 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Division, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions of the 503d Parachute Regimental Combat Team, portions the 462d Parachute Artillery Battalion, and C Company of the 161st Airborne Engineer Battalion surprised their Japanese foe in one of the most daring, well-planned, and superbly executed airborne operations in the annals of US Military history. Fighting valiantly and engaging thousands of Japanese soldiers hidden around the island that refused to surrender The Rock Force repatriated the island on 2 March 1945. Of the thousands of Japanese soldiers defending the island, only 50 survived. The 503rd, however, lost 169 men killed and many more wounded or injured. For its gallantry The Rock Force was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions on Corregidor. This print is dedicated to all American Paratroopers then and now. Their courage and sacrifice demonstrate their commitment to freedom and American resolve. |
Stopped Cold by James Dietz. 101st Airborne Division at the Battle of the Bulge. On 17 December 1944, the Artillery Battalions of the 101st Airborne Division were alerted and given 24-hour notice to move to positions in Belgium to assist in halting a massive German offensive through the rugged terrain of the Ardennes region. Hitler's last western Offensive, with the final objective being to seize the port facilities at Antwerpt, would become known as the Battle of the Bulge. The acting Division Commander of the 101st Airborne Division was the Division Artillery Commander, Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe. He would lead the division to Bastogne and earn the Screaming Eagles a place in American military lore. Depicted in the work of James Dietz is the 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion firing from their positions near the town of Savy, approximately one kilometer northwest of Bastogne, in direct support of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment who were heavily engaged northeast of the Bastogne perimeter. Not fully refitted from the Holland Campaign which occurred just weeks before, the 321st conducted the 107 mile road march from Mourmelon, France to the small village of Savy, Belgium and reported laid and ready to fire by 1330, 19 December. The battalion would occupy this position for 25 days providing intense fire support to all areas of the encircled Division perimeter. During the siege, the battalion endured constant enemy shellfire and was strafed and bombed by aircraft. Few casualties were sustained by the battle-hardened cannoneers due to excellent dispersal and well dug in howitzer positions. Fighting not only the Germans but severe cold, lack of protective clothing, food and constant ammunition shortages, the artillerymen waged a desperate struggle in providing a protective ring of steel around the besieged encirclement. Firing from the open field positions to gain 6400 mils capability the artillery battalions of the 101st fired countless thousands of rounds into the Nazi juggernaut. On Christmas Day, three German tanks broke through the Western line of defense and reached the woods 500 meters from the firing batteries of the 321st. Bursting through the wood line and into the open fields the tanks came spraying a hail of tracers. In just seconds the enemy armor was put out of action by a combined effort of American tank destroyers and artillery. In a Christmas greeting to the soldiers of his division, Brigadier General McAuliffe stated: ...We have stopped cold everything that has been thrown at us from the North, East, South and West. Enemy units, spearheading the last desperate German lunge, were headed straight west for key points when the Eagle Division was hurriedly ordered to stem the advance. How effectively this was done will be written in history, not alone in our Division's glorious history but in world history... The following day elements of the 4th Armored Division broke through from the South and broke the encirclement of Bastogne. This print commemorates the valiant actions of all the artillerymen of the 101st Airborne Division Artillery during the battle of the Bulge - the 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion, the 907th Glider Field Artillery Battalion and the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion. |
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