HISTORY

oting range. The unit markings were tail surfaces,

wingtips and propeller spinners painted in red. 99th

FS featured blue painted noses, 100th FS red with

the triangle pointing back, 301st red noses and

302nd FS light blue noses. The 100th, 301st and

302nd FS used numerals for their fuselage codes,

the same as 325th FS. 99th FS used the combination of the letter A and numerals.

15TH AIR FORCE IN EDUARD MODEL KITS

Besides this boxing there are markings of the four

15th AF fighter groups flying P-51D Mustang included in other Eduard kits. In addition to several

boxings dedicated to various P-51D Mustang versions the Limited Eagle’s Call issue for example covers the history of the 31st and 52nd FG. The boxart

of the 1/72 Profipack Fw 190A-8/R2 issue depicts

the attack of the Focke-Wulf heavy fighters from

Luftwaffe’s IV.(Sturm)/JG 3 on the formation of the

B-17Gs from 463rd BG bombing Memmingen on July

18, 1944.

A line of 310st FS, 332nd FG

Mustangs, Ramitelli airbase, Italy,

March 1945. The P-51D sporting

the tactical number 42 was flown

by Lt. Charles White who in April

1945 shot down two enemy aircraft.

photo: Library of Congress

it was converted to P-51B/C Mustang. The other

15th AF units were ahead with their air victories

and combat experience therefore the 332nd FG

scored less kills in comparison to the remaining

15th AF fighter groups flying Mustangs. From June

1944 till the end of war the 332nd FG scored 94

kills. In comparison the 31st, 52nd and 325th FG

each scored over 200 enemy aircraft shot down.

This difference was also caused by the way the individual Fighter Groups were deployed. “Red Tails”

usually flew close bomber escorts whose mission

was to intercept and strike back at the enemy fighter who had broken through the outer circle of the

fighter defense. The mission of this defense was

to clear the bomber formation’s operational space

of the enemy fighters before they reach their sho-

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INFO Eduard

July 2022