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P-51B-10-NA, s/n 43-6934, Capt. Henry White, 328th FS, 352nd FG, 8th AF,
Bodney, Great Britain, June 1944
P-51B-10-NA, s/n 42-106472, Lt. Carlton Fuhrman, 486th FS, 352nd FG,
8th AF, Bodney, Great Britain, June 1944
The 352nd Fighter Group was formed on
September 29, 1942 and activated three days
later on October 1. Its first commander was
Lt. Col. Edwin M. Ramage. The 328th, 486th, and
487th Fighter Squadrons, all initially flying P-47s
before rearming to P-51B, were part of the group.
During June and July, the group moved from the
USA to the UK. The first commander of the 328th
Fighter Squadron was Capt. J. H. Posten, the most
famous of the commanders was Maj. G. E. Preddy,
the most successful American P-51 fighter pilot
with 26.83 confirmed kills. Capt. Henry White flew
a total of 89 operational sorties with the unit,
recording two kills. He achieved the first on May
28, 1944, and the second on July 18. The entire
squadron scored 143 kills, 14 were destroyed
probably and 35 damaged by its pilots on the
ground during the war. Captain White’s P-51B bore
the distinctive livery of “Blue-nosed Bastards of
Bodney”, as the 352nd FG was nicknamed after
the blue noses of its aircraft. On the left side
forward of the cockpit, a painting of a girl in
a red bikini and the name “Dallas Darling” adorned
the nose. Full invasion stripes are portrayed here.
The aircraft, named The Flying Scot II / Vicious
Virgie J. G., was first assigned to Lt. Murdoch
R. Cunningham, Lt. Carlton Fuhrman subsequently
took it over and on September 12, 1944, it was
written off on landing when it crashed into
Lt. Glennn Wensch. The entire 486th FS shot
down 114 enemy aircraft confirmed, five probably
and 21 were damaged. Lt. Fuhrman, however, was
not among the winners of any of the air combats.
KITS 05/2024
INFO Eduard
47
May 2024