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P-51D-5, Mustang, HO*P, “Cripes A’Mighty 3rd “252 viewsThis P-51D-5, SN 413321, was assigned to pilot Major George E. Preddy, Jr. of the 328th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, June 14, 1944, Bodney, England.
Major Preddy was credited with destroying 26.83 enemy aircraft; five were destroyed on the ground. He was the top scoring P-51 Mustang Ace of the Second World War.
This model represents the first P-51D Mustang flown by Major Preddy. A new aircraft, it has 13 aircraft destroyed white crosses on the blue engine cowling which reflects his current number of kills when he started flying this aircraft.
Major Preddy was mistakenly KIA on December 25, 1944 by a U.S. anti-aircraft unit of “A” Battery of the 430th AA near Aachen, Germany.
(1 votes)
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P-51-15-NA, serial number 415271, OC-E, Starduster724 viewsP-51D-15, OC-E, serial number 44-15271 was assigned to pilot Lt. Col. William Kennedy of the 359th Fighter Squadron, 356th Fighter Group. It was lost on February 25, 1945 with Maj. Richard A. Rann the pilot. He became a POW.
The aircraft was named Starduster. It was one of the most colorful of all the ETO Mustangs during 1944/45. It was unique as well as colorful because of the reverse set of "D-Day bands" which covered the lower fuselage.
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P-51K PE-L, Flying Ginny642 viewsP-51K, PE-L, serial number 412411, was assigned to Lt. Emery Taylor of the 352nd Fighter Group.
The P-51K was named Flying Ginny after his sweetheart and soon to be wife from Austin, TX.
Lt. Taylor had this aircraft assigned to him after returning from being shot down in another Mustang over France.
He had been on an escort mission to Germany when his aircraft developed engine trouble. As he was returning to England, he was attacked by two German ME-109 fighters. Taylor tried to hide from them in clouds, but they flushed him out. He dove his Mustang to the deck and tried to fly so low that the ME-109s could not get a clean shot at him. Unfortunately, Lt. Taylor hit a man on a bicycle while evading the enemy aircraft. This resulted in severe wing damage which forced Taylor to gain altitude so that he could bail out. The ME-109s then finished off his aircraft. Taylor rushed his exit from the stricken P-51K and was hit by the tail of the aircraft. His parachute opened barely in time for him to survive bailing out. The injured Taylor evaded capture and walked back to Allied lines. His Texas accent convinced Allied soldiers that he wasn't a spy as he passed into their lines. He now resides in Austin, TX.
(1 votes)
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P-51B QP-L566 viewsP-51B, serial number 2106924, QP-L was assigned to pilot Lt. Ralph "Kidd" Hofer, 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, Debden, England in February 1944. It was named "Salem Representative". Lt. Hofer was born in Salem, Missouri.
Lt. Hofer was credited with 15 aerial victories and 14 strafing which gave him 29 confirmed victories. He was KIA on July 2, 1944 on a bomber escort in Hungary.
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Nakajima Ki-43-I (Oscar)420 viewsThis Nakajima Ki-43-I Hayabusa (Oscar) was assigned to Imperial Japanese Army pilot Maj. Kinshiro Takeda, First Flight Regiment Commander, in October 1942 Burma.
Most of the the Model 1, Type I Oscars were used with great success by the IJA 59th Fighter Group against outdated Buffalos, Hurricanes, and P40s in the Singapore campaign.
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P-47D-28-RE Thunderbolt, serial number 229336, FT-O537 viewsP-47D-28-RE, FT-O was assigned to pilot Capt. Kenneth H. Dahlberg of the 353rd Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, 9th Airforce, Rosleres en Haye, France, February 1945.
Capt. Dahlberg destroyed 14 enemy aircraft.
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P-47D-27-RE Thunderbolt #605, "OH JOHNNIE".553 viewsThis P-47D was assigned to pilot Lt. Raymond Knight, 346th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter Group, 12th Air Force in April 1945. The aircraft was named after his wife. They were from Houston, TX.
This P-47D was originally with the Brazilian Air Force operating in Italy with the US 12th Air Force as were many of these aircraft flown by the 350th Fighter Group. The Brazilian Air Force usually assigned letters and numbers on their cowlings. The USAAF added a number just aft of the cowling. Often, our numbers were converted Brazilian style letters. Hence, our zeros looked like the letter D, eights looked like the letter B and so on. The irregular placement and style of these numbers was typical fo the 350th Fighter Group.
In April of 1945, Lt. Knight led several low level strafing attacks against airfields in northern Italy. During the attack on Ghedi airfield, he went in alone to find the location of the enemy aircraft, drawing heavy fire in the process. He then led his flight in the attack, destroying five aircraft. He returned to base to lead another attack against Bergamo airfield. As before, he went in alone to locate the enemy aircraft, drawing heavy fire. He then led his flight destroying eight aircraft. During this attack, his aircraft was heavily damaged. The next day, he led another attack against Bergamo to destroy the remaining aircraft and again his aircraft was severly damaged. Lt. Knight was killed trying to bring his damaged aircraft home when it crashed in the mountains. For these actions he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Lt. Knight flew 84 missions destroying 24 enemy aircraft before his death.
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P-51D Mustang E2-Y490 viewsP51D, serial number 414460, E2-Y was assigned to pilot John W. Johnston of the 375th Fighter Squadron, 361st Fighter Group, Little Walden, England, 1945.
John W. Johnston is the father of Austin Scale Modelers Society member Jack Johnston.
The notch out of the fuselage national insignia is on both sides of the aircraft. This aircraft also had the rearward facing radar installed on the vertical stabilizer.
Special thanks to Jack Johnston for excellent photo references.
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P-47M Thunderbolt571 viewsP-47M, serial number 4-21116, HV-J was in the 61st Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Group, Boxted England 1945.
It was assigned to pilot Lt. Russell S. Kyler, and it was named 'Lorene' after the pilot's sweetheart.
Russell Kyler currently lives south of Austin, Tx. He has been to King's Hobby and visited with their staff.
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USAAF Spitfire Mk. IX c.682 viewsThis Spitfire was assigned to Lt. Col. E. P. Allen, 9th Tactical Air Command in England in 1944.
Allen traded in his P-51D Mustang to the British in France during 1944 for this Spitfire Mk. IXc.
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P-47D-25-RE591 viewsThis P-47D-25-RE was assigned to pilot Major Hal G. Shook of the 506th Fighter Squadron, 404th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force in October 1944.
The invasion stripes on this aircraft have been overpainted with olive drab on the upper surfaces. Also of note, this is the only armed and operational P-47D seen without landing gear covers on the main wheels.
(1 votes)
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