KITS 07/2022
P-51D, Flt. Off. Charles A. Lane, 99th FS, 332nd FG, 15th AF, Ramitelli, Italy, March 1945
Charles Lane, St. Louis, Missouri native started his
pilot training in 1943 in Tuskegee, Alabama. After its
completion he was ordered to 99th FS where, until
the end of war he completed 26 missions on P-47 and
P-51. He continued in the military career after the
war and spent altogether 27 years flying fighters,
transports and even B-52 bombers. In 1970 he retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He passed
away in 2016. Same as the other sister squadrons
of the 332nd Fighter Group, the 99th Fighter Squad-
ron aircraft’ marking was the rear fuselage and tail
surfaces painted in eye-catching overall red which
helped the crews of the escorted bombers to recognize their own fighters. The marking gave the unit
the nickname Red Tails.
P-51D-15, 44-15569, Capt. Roscoe C. Brown, CO of 100th FS, 332nd FG,
15th AF, Ramitelli, Italy, 1945
Roscoe Conkling Brown was born on March 9, 1922, in
Washington, DC. In 1943 he completed his bachelor’s
studies at the university in Springfield. The same
year he enlisted in the USAAF, completed the training
at the aviation school in Tuskegee after which he was
ordered to the 100th FS where he flew combat missions until August 1944. During WWII he flew 68 mi-
ssions and in June 1945 he was given the command
of the 100th FS. In 1945 he retired from the army air
force with the rank of Captain. Later he obtained his
PhD at the New York university and set on the academic career path. For more than 25 years he was
a university of New York professor. He remained
active in the field of education even after his reti-
rement. He passed away on July 2, 2016. Brown’s
Mustang carried a numeral 7 on the fuselage nose,
the inscription Bunnie of the port and Miss Kentucky
State on the starboard. The last three digits of the
serial number were painted above the fuselage national marking.
P-51D, Lt. Frederick E. Hutchins, 302nd FS, 332nd FG, 15th AF,
Ramitelli, Italy, October 1944
Frederick Emmanuel Hutchins was born on September 16, 1920, in Donaldsonville, Georgia. On April
29, 1943, he completed his pilot’s training in Tuskegee and from December was deployed in Italy with
the 302nd Fighter Squadron. On February 5, 1944,
Hutchins flew his first combat mission. On October
6, 1944, his unit participated in strafing the targets
50
INFO Eduard
in Greece. During the attack on the airport Megara
Hutchins’ Mustang was shot down and its pilot crash
landed on the Greek territory where he was saved by
the local population. He returned to his home base in
Ramitelli on October 23. His final score in WWII was
four kills. He continued in the service including the
Korean and Vietnam wars. All Mustangs flown by
Hutchins were christened Little Freddie and same
as all 332nd Fighter Group Mustangs sported the tail
surfaces painted red. The 302nd Fighter Squadron
marking within the group was yellow nose and two
digits numeral on the fuselage.
July 2022