p-51 mustang poster

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The paint scheme on the P-51D model shown below is similar to that of the 380th Fighter Squadron based in France duringAug. 1944.(Identificat ionnumbers and letters are fictitious) The model also features the dorsal fillet added to late model P-51Ds to increase lateral stability. Sources: NationalAviationHall ofFame; P-51 Mustang In  Detail  &  Scale byBert Kinzey(Squadron/Signal Publications,1997); P-51 Mustang byLarry Davis (Squadron/ SignalPublicati ons,1995); 354thFighter Group byWilliam N. Hess (O spreyPublishing, 2002);To  Flyand  Fight byCol.ClarenceE.Anderson (St. Martin’s Press, 1990); “Big Jim” Howard and the 354th Fighter Group CENTURY OF FLIGHT 1903~2003 Continued improvements to P-51s throughout the war included moving the carburetor scoop from the top of the nose to a point under the spinner and increasing the size of the leading edge of both wings at the root. Mustangs featured either 75-gallon teardrop-shapedexternal fuel tanks or 110-galllon tanks made partially of compressed paper (shown here) to add to the planes’ range. Pilots’ favorite improvement to the P-51D: the bubble canopy that allowed a 360- degree view. Compared to the four guns in earlier versions, th e P-51D featured a total of six .50-caliber machine guns (three in each wing). They could also be equipped with up to two 1,000-pound bombs and ten 5-inch rockets. Web sites: www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/air_ power/ap9.htm(specs-info); Redtail Angels, The Tuskegee Airmen, www.world-wide-net.com/tuskegeeairmen/; ATribute tomy Father, www.geocities.com/P entagon/Quarters/1350/; LonelyEagles, http://www.af.mil/news/airman/0299/ tusk.htm; www.mustangsmustangs.com;www.352ndFG.com;www.354th.com. Manufacturer: North American Number Produced: 7,956 Span: 37 ft. 0 in. Length: 32 ft. 3 in. Height: 13 ft. 8 in. Weight: 12,100 lbs. max. Armament: Six .50-caliber machine guns and ten 5-inch rockets or 2,000 pounds of bombs. Engine: Packard-built Rolls-Royce "Merlin" V- 1650 of 1,695 hp. Cost: $54,000 PERFORMANCE: Maximum speed: 437 mph. Cruising speed: 275 mph. Range: Normal:1,000 miles, with drop tanks: 1,850 miles. Service Ceiling: 41,900 ft. P-51D Specs & Stats Maj. George Preddy, the top Mustang ace of WWII, on Aug. 6, 1944, after he downed six German Me-109s.     T     h     i    s    p    a    g    e     d    e    s     i    g    n    e     d    a    n     d    w    r     i     t     t    e    n     b    y     T     E     D     P     I     T     T     S     /     D     A     Y     T     O     N     D     A     I     L     Y     N     E     W     S  .     F    o    r    m    o    r    e     i    n     f    o    r    m    a     t     i    o    n    c    o    n     t    a    c     t     t    p     i     t     t    s     @    c    o    x    o     h     i    o  .    c    o    m William H. Allen 55 09-05-44 5 Heinkel 111 Ernest E. Bankey 364 12-27-44 4 FW190, 1.5 Me109 William R. Beyer 361 09-27-44 5 FW190 Wayne K. Blickenstaff 353 03-24-45 3 FW190, 2 Me109 Donald S. Bryan 352 01-02-44 5 FW190 Bruce W. Carr 354 04-02-45 3 FW190, 2 Me109 Leonard K. Carson 357 11-27-44 5 FW190 J.S. Daniel 339 11-26-44 5 FW190 Robert A. Elder 353 03-24-45 4 FW190, 1 Me109 William J. Hovde 355 12-05-44 4.5 FW190, 1 Me109 William H. Lewis 55 09-05-44 5 trainers Carl J. Luksic 352 05-08-44 4 FW190, 1 Me109 Edward O. McComas 23 12-23-44 5 Oscar Gordon H. McDaniel 325 04-14-44 5 FW190 George E. Preddy 352 08-06-44 6 Me109 William A. Shomo 82 TRS 01-11-45 6 Tony, 1 Betty William T. Whisner 352 11-21-44 5 FW190 Sidney S. Woods 4 03-22-45 5 FW190 Charles E. Yeager 357 10-22-44 5 Me109 WWII P-51 “ACES-IN-A-DAY”  Name Unit Date Shot down On Jul. 19, 1941, after pressure from the courts, national civil rights leaders and some members of Congress, the United States Army Air Force began a program in Alabama to train black Americans as military pilots at the Tuskegee Institute, the famed school founded by Booker T. Washington. The first class of Tuskegee fighter pilots formed the 99th Fighter Squadron and began combat duty in North Africa. Under the comand of Col. Benjamin O. Davis, the 99th then joined with Tuskegee pilots of the 100th, 301st and 302nd Fighter Squadrons to form the 322d Fighter Group and flew combat missions from bases in Italy. Originally equipped with P-40 Warhawks and P-47 Thunderbolts, the group eventually wound up flying P-51s. Davis later said of the Mustang: "You ask anyone who has flown one . . . and you realize that it was THE superior fighter built in our country." The "Red Tails" of the 332nd Fighter Group (so-named because of the distinctively painted vertical stabilizers on their aircraft) soon became “Red Tail Angels” to the bomber crews they escorted into combat over Europe. As one bomber pilot noted, "The P-38s always stayed too far out. Some of the Mustang groups stayed in too close. . . Other groups, we got the feeling that they  just wanted to go and shoot down 109s. . . The Red Tails were always out there where we wanted them to be. . . We had no idea they were black; it was the Army's best kept secret." The 332nd ended World War II as the only fighter group never tp lose a bomber to enemy fighters. By the end of the war, the Tuskegee Airmen had downed 111 enemy fighters, including three of eight Messerschmitt ME- 262 jets shot down by the Allies during the war, in addition to destroying numerous targets on ground attack missions. Collectively, the Tuskegee Airmen earned 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, nine Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze Stars, 744 Air Medals and clusters, three distinguished unit citations, Legions of Merit and the Red Star of Yugoslavia. Sixty-six Tuskegee Airmen gave their lives in combat. Maj. Dominic S. Gentile of Piqua was a decorated pilot with the legendary Royal Air Force Eagle Squadron No. 133 until1942, when he transferred to the United States Army Air Force 336th Fighter Squadron, Fourth Fighter Group of the Eighth Air Force. Flying “Shangri-La,” a P- 51B Mustang, he became one of the war's most famous fighter aces. On April 5, 1944, at age 23, Gentile broke World War I ace Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker’s record of 26 enemy aircraft downed in combat. He finished his tour with more than 30 air and ground victories. His decorations included the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, and the Distinguished Flying Cross, among numerous others. From 1944 through 1946, Gentile worked as a test pilot at Wright Field in Dayton. Gentile died in a jet trainer crash in 1951 and was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1995. North American P-51 Mustang “We sensed it was special, even before we measured it against what the enemy pilots were flying.” ~from “To Fly and Fight, Memoirs of a Triple Ace,”by Clarence 'Bud' Anderson (1990). Originally developed by request of the Royal Air Force to replenish losses suffered in the Battle of Britain, then embraced by the United States Army Air Force, the first P-51s debuted in combat in May, 1942. Constant retooling resulted in the P-51A (Mustang II), with a top speed of 409 mph at 10,000 feet. Efforts to improve the performance of the P-51s led to the installation of the Rolls-Royce V-1650 Merlin engine, which in turn led to much improved speed and altitude numbers (430 mph at 25,000 feet). In December,1943, these Merlin- powered P-51Bs first entered combat over Europe as excellent high- altitude escorts to B-17 and B-24 bombers The P- 51D remedied two nagging problems of the early versions. In P-51Bs the 4, .50- caliber guns in the wings did not provide enough firepower and often jammed. The D version added another gun to each wing and positioned the guns parallel to the plane of the wings rather than parallel to the ground as in earlier versions. in the early P51s were addressed with theintroductionofthe distinctivebubble canopy of the P-51D, giving pilots a full 360-degreeview. By war's end, P-51s had destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft in the air, more than any other fighter in Europe. Between 1941-5, the USAAF ordered 14,855 Mustangs, of which 7,956 were P-51Ds. From North Africa to Europe to the Pacific, where they escorted B-29s to Japan from Iwo Jima, Mustangs served in nearly every combat zone. P-51s contin- ued to serve long after many of their WWII-erapeers, performing admirably in the Korean War as the leading fighter- bombers in the “jet war” until withdrawn from combat in 1953. Whether or not the Mustang was the “best” fighter ever built, most aviation historians agree that its range, maneuverabilty and endurance at the very least helped turn the tide of the air war in Europe in WWII. The Allison engines in the first Mustangs hadlimited high-altitu deperformance. In 1943, the Allison was replaced with the supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin (above) and the P-51 became the dominant Allied long-range bomber escort and fighter. The Right Stuff THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN The cockpit of a WWII-era P-51. Two .50-caliber guns in each wing of early P-51s were mounted parallel to the ground and tended to jam when maneuvering. The P-51D featured three guns in each wing mounted parallel to the plane of the wing to solve the jamming problem and add firepower. Don Gentile of Piqua One of the best fighter designs of World War II North American P-51A in flight. A series of special pages focusing on the significant machines, events and people of powered flight’s first 100 years Dayton Daily News T H E GR E A T P LA N E S The 354th Fighter Group, (356th, 355th and 353rd Fighter Squadrons) was known as the “Pioneer Mustang Group” because it was the first to fly the improved Rolls Royce Merlin engine-equipped P-51B fighters as long-range bomber escort. The new planes had the range and altitude capabilities to effectively engage German fighters deep in enemy territory. By war’s end the 354th’s accomplishments included: the top scoring fighter unit (the 353rd FS had more aerial victories than any other fighter squadron in any theater during the war), a total of 44 aces, including the only fighter pilot, Maj. James H. Howard, to be awarded the Medal of Honor in Northern Europe. Howard, the 356th’s CO, had seen ex- tensive combat with the American Volunteer Group against the Japanese over Burma and China. On Jan. 11, 1944, he found himself the only fighter between a group of B-17s of the 401st Bomber Group and a large formation of enemy fighters. Howard dove again and again into the enemy ranks, scattering planes and, according to observers, shooting down at least six fighters. The CO of the 401st described Howard’s heroism: “Your unprecedented action in flying your P-51 alone and unaided into a swarm of (fighters) estimated between 30 and 40. . . is a feat deserving of the highest commendation and praise. The fact that the odds were overwhelmimgly against you and that you had no hope of receiving assistance. . . did not deter you in your determination to engage the enemy.” By World War II's end, P-51s had destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft in the air, more than any other fighter in Europe. The plane has been called everything from one of the best fighters ever developed to “the plane that won the war.” But as noted military airpower expert Bert Kinzey has written, “ The war was won by people.” Pilots like Bud Anderson Jr. and Chuck Yeager of the 357th Fighter Group epitomized the aptitude and attitude that the air war demanded. In his book To Fly and Fight , Anderson wrote, “I didn't wonder if I'd just made a new bride a widow, or if he might have had kids. . . I may have given some thought to how many of my friends he had killed, or might have killed in the future, or how many bombers he might have shot down had he lived. . . From what I could tell, he hadn't been overly concerned about me.” Yeager, after being shot down behind enemy lines, eluding capture and returning to England with the aid of the French resistance – thus earning an automatic ticket home – protested all the way to Gen. Eisenhower that he didn’t want to leave a job unfinished. Yeager’s persistence convinced the Allied commander that he should be allowed to return to combat, where he later shot down five German fighters in a single day. George E. Preddy, Jr. 352 23.83 26.83 John C. Meyer 352 21 24 Don S. Gentile 4 16.5 21.8 Ray S. Wetmore 359 17 21.25 John J. Voll 31 21 21 Leonard K. Carson 357 18.5 18.5 Glenn T. Eagleston 354 18.5 18.5 John C. Herbst 23 14 18 John B. England 357 17.5 17.5 John F. Thornell, Jr. 352 11 17.25 James S. Varnell, Jr. 52 17 17 John T. Godfrey 4 13.83 16.33 Clar en ce E. And er so n ,J r . 35 7 16 .25 16. 25 Richard A. Peterson 357 15.5 15.5 William T. Whisner 352 14.5 15.5 Samuel J. Brown 31 15.5 15.5 Jack T. Bradley 354 15 15 Ralph K. Hofer 4 13 15 Bruce W. Carr 363, 354 15 15 WWII P-51 TRIPLE ACES (15 victories) Name Group P-51 air Total air vic tor ies vic tor ies Maj. George Preddy, the top Mustang ace of WWII, on Aug. 6, 1944, after he downed six German Me-109s.

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Page 1: P-51 Mustang Poster

8/7/2019 P-51 Mustang Poster

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The paint scheme on the P-51D model shown below is similarto that of the 380th Fighter Squadron based in France

during Aug. 1944. (Identification numbersand letters are fictitious) The model also

features the dorsal fillet added to latemodel P-51Ds to increase lateral stability.

“Big Jim” Howard and the 354th Fighter Group

Continuedimprovementsto P-51s throughout thewar included moving thecarburetor scoop from the topof the nose to a point under thespinner and increasing the sizeof the leading edge of bothwings at the root.

Mustangs featured either 75-gallonteardrop-shapedexternal fuel tanksor 110-galllon tanks made partially ofcompressed paper (shown here) to addto the planes’ range.

Pilots’ favorite improvementto the P-51D: the bubblecanopy that allowed a 360-degree view.

Compared to the four guns in earlier versions, the P-51Dfeatured a total of six .50-caliber machine guns (threein each wing). They could also be equipped with up totwo 1,000-pound bombs and ten 5-inch rockets.

Maj. George Preddy, the top Mustang ace of WWII, on Aug. 6,1944, after he downed six German Me-109s.

William H. Allen 55 09-05-44 5 Heinkel 111Ernest E. Bankey 364 12-27-44 4 FW190, 1.5 Me109William R. Beyer 361 09-27-44 5 FW190Wayne K. Blickenstaff 353 03-24-45 3 FW190, 2 Me109Donald S. Bryan 352 01-02-44 5 FW190Bruce W. Carr 354 04-02-45 3 FW190, 2 Me109Leonard K. Carson 357 11-27-44 5 FW190J.S. Daniel 339 11-26-44 5 FW190Robert A. Elder 353 03-24-45 4 FW190, 1 Me109William J. Hovde 355 12-05-44 4.5 FW190, 1 Me109William H. Lewis 55 09-05-44 5 trainersCarl J. Luksic 352 05-08-44 4 FW190, 1 Me109Edward O. McComas 23 12-23-44 5 OscarGordon H. McDaniel 325 04-14-44 5 FW190George E. Preddy 352 08-06-44 6 Me109William A. Shomo 82 TRS 01-11-45 6 Tony, 1 BettyWilliam T. Whisner 352 11-21-44 5 FW190Sidney S. Woods 4 03-22-45 5 FW190Charles E. Yeager 357 10-22-44 5 Me109

WWII P-51 “ACES-IN-A-DAY”

  Name Unit Date Shot down

Maj. Dominic S. Gentile of Piqua was adecorated pilot with the legendary Royal

Air Force Eagle Squadron No. 133until1942, when he transferred to theUnited States Army Air Force 336th FighterSquadron, Fourth Fighter Group of theEighth Air Force. Flying “Shangri-La,” a P-51B Mustang, he became one of the war'smost famous fighter aces. On April 5, 1944,at age 23, Gentile broke World War I aceCapt. Eddie Rickenbacker’s record of 26enemy aircraft downed in combat. Hefinished his tour with more than 30 airand ground victories. His decorationsincluded the Distinguished Service Cross,the Silver Star, and the Distinguished FlyingCross, among numerous others. From1944 through 1946, Gentile worked as atest pilot at Wright Field in Dayton. Gentile

died in a jet trainercrash in 1951 and

was inductedinto theNationalAviation Hallof Fame in1995.

North American P-

“We sensed it was special, even before we measured it against what the enemy pilots were flying.” 

~from “To Fly and Fight, Memoirs of a TripleAce,”by Clarence 'Bud' Anderson (1990).

Originally developed by request of theRoyal Air Force to replenish losses sufferedin the Battle of Britain, then embraced bythe United States Army Air Force, the firstP-51s debuted in combat in May, 1942.Constant retooling resulted in the P-51A(Mustang II), with a top speed of 409 mphat 10,000 feet.

Efforts to improve the performance ofthe P-51s led to the installation of theRolls-Royce V-1650 Merlin engine, whichin turn led to muchimproved speedand altitudenumbers (430 mphat 25,000 feet). InDecember, 1943,these Merlin-powered P-51Bsfirst enteredcombat overEurope asexcellent high-altitude escorts toB-17 and B-24bombers The P-51D remedied twonagging problems ofthe early versions.In P-51Bs the 4, .50-caliber guns in thewings did notprovide enough firepower and oftenjammed. The D version added anothergun to each wing and positioned the gunsparallel to the plane of the wings ratherthan parallel to the ground as in earlierversions.in the early P51s were addressed withthe introduction of the distinctive bubblecanopy of the P-51D, giving pilots a full360-degree view.

By war's end, P-51s had destroyed4,950 enemy aircraft in the air, more

than any other fighter in Europe. Between1941-5, the USAAF ordered 14,855Mustangs, of which 7,956 were P-51Ds.From North Africa to Europe to the Pacific,

where they escorted B-29s to Japanfrom Iwo Jima, Mustangs served innearly every combat zone.

P-51s contin-ued to serve longafter many of theirWWII-era peers,performingadmirably in theKorean War as the

leading fighter-bombers in the“jet war” untilwithdrawn fromcombat in 1953.

Whether or notthe Mustang wasthe “best” fighterever built, mostaviation historiansagree that its range,maneuverabilty andendurance at the veryleast helped turn the tide

of the air war in Europe in WWII.

The Allison engines in the first Mustangshad limited high-altitude performance.In 1943, the Allison was replaced withthe supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin(above) and the P-51 became thedominant Allied long-range bomberescort and fighter.

The Right Stuff

The cockpit of a WWII-era P-51.

Two .50-caliber guns in eachwing of early P-51s weremounted parallel to the groundand tended to jam whenmaneuvering. The P-51Dfeatured three guns in each wingmounted parallel to the plane ofthe wing to solve the jammingproblem and add firepower.

Don Gentile of Piqua

One of the best fighter

designs of World War II

North American P-51A in flight.

A series of special pages focusing on the significant machines, events

DaytonDaily News THE GREAT PLANES

The 354th Fighter Group, (356th, 355thand 353rd Fighter Squadrons) was knownas the “Pioneer Mustang Group” because itwas the first to fly the improved Rolls RoyceMerlin engine-equipped P-51B fighters aslong-range bomber escort. The new planeshad the range and altitude capabilities toeffectively engage German fighters deep inenemy territory. By war’s end the 354th’saccomplishments included: the top scoringfighter unit (the 353rd FS had more aerialvictories than any other fighter squadron inany theater during the war), a total of 44aces, including the only fighter pilot, Maj.James H. Howard, to be awarded the Medalof Honor in Northern Europe.

Howard, the 356th’s CO, had seen ex-tensive combat with the American VolunteerGroup against the Japanese over Burma and

China. On Jan. 11, 1944, he found himselfthe only fighter between a group of B-17sof the 401st Bomber Group and a largeformation of enemy fighters. Howard doveagain and again into the enemy ranks,scattering planes and, according toobservers, shooting down at least sixfighters. The CO of the 401st describedHoward’s heroism: “Your unprecedentedaction in flying your P-51 alone andunaided into a swarm of (fighters)estimated between 30 and 40. . . is afeat deserving of the highestcommendation and praise. The factthat the odds were overwhelmimglyagainst you and that you had no hopeof receiving assistance. . . did not deteryou in your determination to engage theenemy.”

By World War II's end, P-51s had destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraftin the air, more than any other fighter in Europe. The plane hasbeen called everything from one of the best fighters ever developedto “the plane that won the war.” But as noted military airpowerexpert Bert Kinzey has written, “ The war was won by people.” Pilotslike Bud Anderson Jr. and Chuck Yeager of the 357th Fighter Group

epitomized the aptitude and attitude that the air war demanded.In his book To Fly and Fight , Anderson wrote, “I didn't wonder ifI'd just made a new bride a widow, or if he might have had kids. . .I may have given some thought to how many of my friends he hadkilled, or might have killed in the future, or how many bombers hemight have shot down had he lived. . . From what I could tell, hehadn't been overly concerned about me.”

Yeager, after being shot down behind enemy lines, eludingcapture and returning to England with the aid of the French resistance– thus earning an automatic ticket home – protested all the way toGen. Eisenhower that he didn’t want to leave a job unfinished.Yeager’s persistence convinced the Allied commander that he shouldbe allowed to return to combat, where he later shot down fiveGerman fighters in a single day.

George E. Preddy, Jr. 352 23.83 26.83John C. Meyer 352 21 24Don S. Gentile 4 16.5 21.8Ray S. Wetmore 359 17 21.25John J. Voll 31 21 21Leonard K. Carson 357 18.5 18.5Glenn T. Eagleston 354 18.5 18.5John C. Herbst 23 14 18John B. England 357 17.5 17.5John F. Thornell, Jr. 352 11 17.25James S. Varnell, Jr. 52 17 17John T. Godfrey 4 13.83 16.33C la re nce E. An de rs on , J r. 3 57 1 6.2 5 16 .25Richard A. Peterson 357 15.5 15.5William T. Whisner 352 14.5 15.5Samuel J. Brown 31 15.5 15.5Jack T. Bradley 354 15 15Ralph K. Hofer 4 13 15Bruce W. Carr 363, 354 15 15

WWII P-51 TRIPLE ACES (15 victories)Name Group P-51 air Total air

victories victories

Maj. George Preddy, the top Mustang ace of WWII, on Aug. 6,1944, after he downed six German Me-109s.