High Ground at Easy Red James Dietz Print Omaha Beach, D-Day 1944

WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND COUNTRY. THE ARTIST - JAMES DIETZ. The growing popularity of aviation art has brought before the public eye the works of a number of professional aviation artists. Among these one artist stands out for his unique approach to this genre. The people, settings, and costumes are what make aviation history exciting and romantic to me.

It is this feeling that makes James Dietz, and his artwork, so different from that of his contemporaries. Rather than simply illustrate aviation hardware, Dietz prefers to portray human involvement. After graduation from Art Center College of Design in 1969, Jim began a successful career as a commercial illustrator in Los Angeles. The subject matter varied from automobiles to action scenes to romantic book covers.

A steady flow of work from New York enabled the Dietz' to move to Seattle in 1978. It was at this time that he took his first concrete steps toward fulfilling his dream to specialize in aviation art, at that time an almost unheard of genre. Since then, aviation art has played an increasingly large part in his career. Jim Dietz's clients include Boeing, Bell Helicopter, Allison, and Flying Tigers, to name just a few. Jim has also branched out into the fine arts field with his aviation art. A strong following has developed for his originals and a growing number of limited edition prints have introduced Jim's name to print collectors worldwide. Four of Jim's originals were put on display in the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Naval Aviation; one of the paintings was presented by the Navy League to then Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman.

A regular contributor to the Air Force Art Program, Jim's work has been featured on the cover of AIR FORCE magazine. Jim Dietz has been honored with several gold medals from the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators and has won Best in Show in three successive years in the EAA Aviation Art Show. In 1988, at the second American Society of Aviation Artists forum, Jim was awarded the "People's Choice Award" for his painting selected by forum attendees. Major showings of Dietz's originals have recently been held at the EAA Museum and the San Diego Air Museum.

His work is found in a number of private and corporate collections. "High Ground at Easy Red" James Dietz Signed & Numbered Limited Edition Print. Commemorating the Sixtieth Anniversary of D-Day 6 June 1944. Omaha beach is four miles long and bordered on each end by two cliffs over 100 feet high. At low tide, wide, hard-packed tidal flats lead upwards from the beach towards commanding bluffs.

It was at these bluffs that the men of the US 1st Army would consolidate prior to moving inland into France. But first, the beaches had to be traversed. This scene, commemorating the 60th Anniversary of D-Day, depicts the 743rd Tank Battalion leaving the beaches the evening of June 6th. Their ordeal began over 12 hours earlier. At H-50, the 741st Tank Battalion, scheduled to land in the 16th Infantrys sector suffered a terrible disaster.

Of the thirty-two Sherman tanks that debarked 6,000 yards off the eastern half of Omaha beach only six tanks made it to shore. The remainder sank to the bottom of the English Channel due to heavy seas. Someone in the 741st used a tank radio to contact the 743rd Tank Battalion to inform them of their fate, saving the lives and tanks of the 743rd and allowing them to get to shore to protect the infantry. The 743rd Tank Battalion was able to successfully land most of their Shermans in the initial wave on Omahas western beaches. They provided invaluable support to both the 116th Infantry and the 16th Infantry on the eastern beaches.

The 743rd Tank Battalion left Omaha Beach through both the D-3 exit road and E-1 exit road at St. As one soldier observed, Standing out there on the water beyond all this wreckage was the greatest armada man has ever seen.

You simply could not believe the gigantic collection of ships that lay out there waiting to unload. Looking from the bluff, it lay thick and clear to the far horizon of the sea and on beyond, and it spread out to the sides and was miles wide. Its utter enormity would move the hardest man. The landings at Omaha Beach had incurred significant casualties and in fact, the enemy defenses were stronger than expected.

Very little progress had been made in the push to the interior and this caused significant backups on the beach. Of the 2,400 tons that were planned to arrive on the beach on D-Day, only 100 tons were delivered. Operations on the 7th and 8th of June would be spent deepening the bridgehead.

As the Tankers entered combat to expand the beachhead, few would forecast the hardships that lay ahead in the Norman hedgerows of the Bocage. Though thousands of Americans were spilled onto Omaha beach, the high ground was won by a handful of men who on that day burned with a flame bright beyond common understanding. For its action on June 6th, the 743rd Tank Battalion, commanded by Colonel John Upham, was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation, French Croix de Guerre and a Bronze Arrowhead in recognition of their participation in the Assault Landing.

This 26" by 14-3/4" image size print, 32" by 21-1/4" overall, limited to 250, is signed by the artist. This print is also available in the following formats. All Limited Edition prints are signed and numbered (S/N) by the artist.

Limited Edition prints are restricted to a certain number. For example, if 400 prints are made from an original painting, once theyre gone, thats it.

There is no limit to the number of open edition prints of a particular painting. Thats why Limited Edition prints are more expensive and more valuable to collectors than "open" edition. Rare objects are more valuable. An Artists Proof (AP), generally, is the first 5% - 10% of the Limited Edition prints that come off the press. If the Limited Edition is 400 s/n, there would be 20 - 40 APs.

This status is noted on the print. Collectors prefer APs because their value increases even more than a Limited Edition as time goes by. All Limited Edition artwork is subject to availability at time of order. The item "High Ground at Easy Red James Dietz Print Omaha Beach, D-Day 1944" is in sale since Monday, March 20, 2006.

This item is in the category "Art\Art Prints". The seller is "airplanesandmore" and is located in Saint Johns, Florida. This item can be shipped worldwide.

Original/Reproduction: Original Print
Listed By: Dealer or Reseller
Edition Type: Limited Edition
Edition Size: 250
Print Type: Lithograph
Subject: Military, Political
Style: Realism
Signed?: Signed
Size Type/ Largest Dimension: Large (Greater than 30'')