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BUILT
P-51B-10-NA, s/n 43-6934, Capt. Henry White, 328th 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.
INFO Eduard
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