Strana 38
P-51D-10, 44-14309, Lt Col John A. Brooks III, 2
nd
Scouting Force, 355
th
FG, 8
th
AF,
Steeple Morden, United Kingdom, January 1945
P-51K-5, 44-11568, Lt. Col. Wallace E. Hopkins, 374
th
FS, 361
st
FG, 8
th
AF,
ALG A-84 Chievres, Belgium, February 1945
The Scouting Force was set up by Colonel Bud
Peaslee, commander of the 384
th
Bombardment
Group in 1944, as a way to obtain real-time
intelligence prior to bombing missions by the
Eighth Air Force over occupied Europe and Nazi
Germany. The 2
nd
Scouting Force was established
and activated on September 26, 1944, as the
fourth squadron of the 355
th
Fighter Group. The
approach to creating the new squadron was
for each existing squadron (354
th
, 357
th
, and
358
th
FS) to form an “E” squadron consisting of
six Mustangs. The unit’s pilots were assigned
from several different fighter and bomber units.
The commander of the 2
nd
Scouting Force was
Lieutenant Colonel John A. Brooks III. Brooks
brought a wealth of experience from bomber
operations, including leading the 389
th
BG in
the attack on Ploesti on August 1, 1943, for
which he was awarded the Silver Star. Although
air combat was not the primary mission of
the 2
nd
Scouting Force, on February 9, 1945,
John and his wingman attacked more than
100 German fighters. Brooks shot down two
Bf 109s, completely stopping the German attack
on the bomber formation and saving the lives
of hundreds of bomber crew members. For his
leadership skills and heroic actions, he was
awarded the second highest military medal, the
Distinguished Service Cross. The white-painted
nose of the Mustangs was the main identifying
feature of the 2
nd
Scouting Force within the
355
th
Fighter Group.
Wallace Hopkins flew several Mustangs, which
he named in honor of his wife, “Ferocious
Frankie”. The last of them was one of the few
P-51Ks assigned to the 361
st
Fighter Group.
It already had a yellow nose, introduced in
August 1944 in accordance with the style of the
blue-nosed Mustangs of the 352
nd
FG. Distinctive
coloring on the rudders was added in November
1944. Red was designated for the 374
th
FS, blue
for the 375
th
FS, and yellow for the 376
th
FS.
Previously, some 361
st
FG aircraft used colored
trims or rudder tips. With eight confirmed
kills evenly divided between air and ground
victories, Wallace Hopkins eventually rose to
the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became
deputy commander of the group. For his combat
achievements, he received four DFCs and 17 air
medals, including the French Croix de Guerre.
KITS 04/2026
INFO Eduard38
April 2026