Markings for P-51D-5 Mustang 1/48
44-13761, Capt. Jack M. Ilfrey, 79th FS, 20th FG, 8th AF, USAAF Station 367 Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, Great Britain, autumn 1944
Captain Jack Ilfrey became an ace in North Africa, where he claimed 5½ kills (plus two damaged enemy aircraft) while flying P-38F “Texas Terror”. He joined 20th FG, 79th FS at USAAF Station Kings Cliffe in England on April 20, 1944 and served as an Operations Officer from June 14, 1944. He claimed two more Bf 109Gs on May 24, flying P-38J “Happy Jack’s go Buggy”. He was shot down behind enemy lines in France on June 12, but he successfully evaded capture walking and cycling 150 miles to Allied lines in Normandy with a help of French civilians. He became 79th FS CO on September 7, leading the unit until December 9, 1944. He completed 142 combat missions over ETO and MTO. The 20th FG did not replace their P-38Js with P-51Cs until July 1944, changing them for P-51Ds shortly afterwards. The early Mustangs of the 20th FG are known to have upper surfaces overpainted with green color, probably with RAF Dark Green, with irregular splitting line between green upper surfaces and silver/natural metal bottom surfaces. The 20th FG was nicknamed “Loco Busters” because made significant number of attacks against railroad network.
44-13316, Leonard K. Carson, 362nd FS, 357th FG, 8th AF, USAAF Station 373 Leiston, Suffolk, Great Britain, June 1944
The second top scoring Fighter Group of the 8th USAAF and the top scoring FG equipped with P-51D Mustangs was 357nd FG, credited with 609 German aircraft destroyed in the air and 106 on the ground, with their own losses of 128 aircraft. With the unit served 35 aces, led by Major Leonard “Kit” Carson with 18½ aerial victories. He became 362nd FS CO on April 8, 1945. The key to the success of the unit was its fighting academy, called Clobber College, where the experienced pilots taught the newcomers the fighting tactics. The 362nd FS received their P-51Ds just a few days before D-day. Most of the unit’s early Mustangs had upper surfaces camouflaged Dark Green with Neutral Grey bottom surfaces, or Dark Green upper surfaces over the aluminum/natural metal bottom surfaces with border between green and NMF surfaces high on fuselage sides. The colors were probably RAF paints overtaken from RAF stock. The “Nooky Booky II” wore full D-day stripes, as the aircraft was delivered to the unit probably around June 6, 1944. The previous name of this plane was “Mildred”.
44-13317, Capt. Donald R. Emerson, 336th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF, USAAF Station 356 Debden, Essex, Great Britain, September 1944
The 4th FG was nicknamed Debden Eagles thanks to its home base and origins, as it was formed from RAF Eagle squadron (71st, 121st and 133rd squadrons). After the incorporation into 8th AF the squadrons were re-named to 334th FS, 335th FS and 336th FS. As of April 1, 1943, their Spitfires were replaced by P-47s and in February 1944 these were changed for P-51s. Donald Emerson joined the ranks of 4th Fighter Group on March 9, 1944 and during the following eight months of duty he flew 89 sorties during which he was credited with 4½ enemy aircraft shot down. On December 25, 1944, he perished returning from the bomber escort mission when he spotted six Bf 109s. During the ensuing combat he descended close to the terrain and was hit by the anti-aircraft fire over the front. Pilot was probably killed, and his aircraft crashed nearby the town of Sittard in The Netherlands. However, he had managed to shoot down two of his opponents. Capt. Emerson had the port side of his Mustang decorated with boxing Donald Duck in resemblance to his first name. There were seven kill markings painted under the windshield. From the beginning of September, the invasion stripes on the upper wings and fuselage sides surfaces of the allied aircraft were deleted and left on the lower surfaces only.
44-13597, Lt. William E. Fowler, 487th FS, 352nd FG, 8th AF, USAAF Station 141 Bodney, Norfolk, Great Britain, September 1944
Lt. Col. John C. Meyer, acting CO of the 487th FS and the ace credited with 37½ destroyed enemy aircraft, claimed four of his 24 aerial victories in cockpit of this aircraft on September 11, 1944. Stardust was originally a personal aircraft of Lt. William E. Fowler, nicknamed “Flaps”, who ended his combat tour just three days before Meyer’s four-victory raid. The Stardust was then assigned to Lt. Jack “Moose” Landrum, who renamed it “Moose”. He was shot down and killed on October 24, 1944, while strafing near to Hannover. The 352nd Fighter Group, based at USAAF Station Bodney, was fourth most successful FG of the 8th USAAF with 519 enemy planes destroyed in the air and 287 on the ground with 119 losses of their own. All three squadrons painted noses of their Mustangs with blue color. In September 1944, the paint of the noses was changed from Medium Blue to the Dark Blue, which remained the Group’s color until end of the War. Note the light area over the fuselage national insignia of the Stardust, which is clear natural metal surface after the invasion stripes on the upper surfaces were washed off.