KITS 07/2023

P-51D-20, 44-63684, Lt. William B. Bailey, 352nd FS, 353rd FG, 8th AF, Raydon, United Kingdom, May 1945

Lt. William Bradford Bailey commanded the 352nd

FS since its formation in October 1942 until July 7,

1944 and in the end of the war he was one of the

most experienced pilots of the unit. After his long

tenure with 352nd FS, he was transferred to the

353rd FG Headquarters and until the end of the

conflict he flew in total 186 missions (454.05 flight

hours). On March 2, 1945, a the controls of his

Mustang named “Double Trouble Two“ he claimed

two Fw 190 destroyed south of Wittenberg. These

were last Bailey’s kills of the war. His final score

stood at three aerial and three ground victories.

P-51D-10, 44-14896, Maj. Leonard K. Carson, 362nd FS, 357th FG, 8th AF, Leiston, United Kingdom, September 1944

Captain Leonard “Kit” Carson was one of the most

successful pilots of the 357th FG. He finished the

war as a commander of the 363rd FS with 18.5

kills to which he added three airplanes destroyed

on the ground. He flew four P-51 Mustangs, all

of them carried his personal inscription “Nooky

54

INFO Eduard

Booky” on the engine cowling. The aircraft

s/n 44-14896 was his third. It sported seven

kill markings on the side of the fuselage which

Carson scored till the beginning of November

1944. The plane was marked with the standard

identification stripes including the invasion

bands on the fuselage. Carson’s Mustang was

camouflaged in the dark green paint on the upper

surfaces including the landing flaps’ interiors.

The paint was probably British RAF Dark Green.

The lower surfaces were painted in Medium Sea

Grey.

July 2023