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P-51D-10, 44-14733, Capt. Ray S. Wetmore, 370th FS, 359th FG, East Wretham, United Kingdom, March 1944
P-51D-20, 44-72218, Lt Col. John D. Landers, CO of 78th FG, Duxford, United Kingdom, March 1945
Ray Shuey Wetmore became one of the most
successful Mustang fighter pilots, as he scored
21,25 aerial victories. He was born on September
30, 1923, and upon commissioning in March 1943,
he joined the newly formed 359th Fighter Group
which was sent to England in October that year.
As a member of the 370th FS he scored his first
4.25 victories during February and March 1944.
All of them were achieved on the P-47. After
retraining to P-51 Wetmore achieved status of
ace after he shot down two Bf 109s on May 19,
1944, and by the end of May 1944, the number
of Wetmore’s victories raised to 8.25. In a little
over a year, he shot down 15 enemy aircraft
and was promoted to the rank of Captain.
He added more during his second tour of duty,
his last victory came on March 15, 1945, near
Wittenberg. His victim was a very rare bird, the
Me 163 Comet. When chasing this rocket plane,
speed of Wetmore’s P-51D reached 600 MPH (965
km/h)! During both operational tours he flew
142 combat missions. His final score was 21.25
aerial victories, one damaged aircraft and 2.33
destroyed on the ground. This made Wetmore
the highest scorer within 359th FG and eighth
best of all American flying aces in Europe.
All of Wetmore’s aircraft sported the “Daddy’ s Girl”
name on the nose. He continued to serve with US
Air Force after the war. His last appointment was
CO of the 59th FIS at Otis AB. On February 14, 1951,
Maj. Wetmore took off from Los Angeles in F-86
Sabre to fly it to Otis AB. When he was on his final
approach, the plane violently raised nose, then
turned towards the ground and crashed. He was
reporting handling problems prior to the crash.
John Dave Landers was born on August 23rd, 1920,
in Joshua, Texas. He joined the Army Air Force in
April 1941. After undergoing pilot training, he was
assigned to the 9th FS in Australia in January
1942, a unit that flew P-40s. In the Pacific theatre,
he gained six aerial victories and in January 1943,
he was called back to the United States. There,
he served as a flight instructor, but by his own
request, he was reassigned to a combat unit
in April 1944. That combat unit was the 38th FS
based at Wormingford, which flew the P-38s and
re-equipped with the P-51s from July 1944. After
being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel rank, he
took over command duties of the 357th FG, which
he led from October to December 1944. After
some downtime in the United States, he returned
to Great Britain and was named CO of 78th FG,
holding this post until the end of the Second
World War. In December 1945, he left the military
and worked in construction. John Landers passed
away on September 12, 1989.
KITS 08/2024
INFO Eduard36
August 2024