Markings for P-51D-5 1/72
s/n 44-13321, Lt. George E. Preddy, 487th FS, 352nd FG, 8th AF, Bodney, United Kingdom, July 1944
George Earl Preddy, the future fighter ace with the highest score achieved on Mustang, was born on February 5, 1919, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He had completed the pilot training before the War and tried three times to enlist in the US Navy in 1940 unsuccessfully. Fourth time he tried to enlist in the USAAC and was accepted in 1940. He was assigned to 49th PS and dispatched to Australia after training. Flying P-40Es in the defense of Darwin he was credited with two Japanese airplanes damaged. He was wounded in a mid-air collision in July 1942 and sent back to the United States. As of September 1943, his next combat assignment awaited him in Europe with 352nd FG, where he was flying P-47s. In April, the unit converted to P-51 Mustangs. This aircraft lacked any camouflage and sported the blue-painted nose, same as other 352nd FG aircraft. In the photography taken at the end of July, there are already 23 kill marks painted on Preddy’s aircraft nose. The plane was already missing invasion stripes on the upper side of the wing, they remained on the bottom of the wing and fuselage. In August 1944, Maj. Preddy was sent back to United States for a rest. After his return in October the same year he took command of 328th FS, part of 352nd FG. On December 25, in vee hours when chasing Fw 190 over the front line was Preddy’s Mustang hit by the American anti-aircraft fire. He attempted the emergency landing nearby the anti-aircraft battery, but he was fatally wounded and crashed.
s/n 44-13318, Lt. Col. Thomas L. Hayes Jr., CO of 364th FS, 357th FG, 8th AF, Leiston, United Kingdom, August 1944
Thomas Lloyd Hayes was born on March 31, 1917, in Portland, Oregon and after his studies at the Oregon State College he enlisted in the USAAF. After the training he was assigned to 35th PG where he was flying P-40s defending Java against Japanese forces. After being wounded in combat with Zeros of 3 Kōkūtai on February 20, 1942, he was dispatched to New Guinea. There, he was assigned to 41st PS flying Airacobras. In the fall of 1942, Thomas Hayes was sent back to the USA where, in May 1943, he was assigned to 357th FG with which he completed the advanced training. Already in command of 364th FS, he was sent to Great Britain where he flew combat missions until August 11, 1944, when he was sent back to the United States. During the World War II he was credited with 8.5 aerial kills. After the World War II he remained in the service with the USAF and retired in February 1970 in the rank of Brigadier General. Lt. Col. Hayes’ aircraft carried inscription Frenesi on the nose port side after the then popular song Free ’n Easy. Number of missions was depicted in form of 85 little bombs painted above the exhaust stacks. It remains unclear which camouflage paint were used on the 357th FG aircraft. Some veterans speak of the British colors Dark Green and Medium Sea Gray, surviving color photographs indicate American Olive Drab and Neutral Grey colors theory. Noses of the 357th FG aircraft were decorated with yellow-red checkerboard, propeller spinner was painted in the same colors.
s/n 44-13606, Capt. Claude J. Crenshaw, 369th FS, 359th FG, 8th AF, East Wretham, United Kingdom, September 1944
Twenty-four years old native of Monroe in Louisiana, Claude James Crenshaw, joined the ranks of the Army Air Corps in December 1942. After his training he was assigned to 359th FG based on East Wretham in Great Britain. He completed nine-months long tour of duty there, during which he shot down seven enemies. After that, he was ordered back to the United States where he was serving as flight instructor. He also flew combat in Korea and Vietnam, retiring in 1965 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The aircraft flew in its original factory finish. The green-painted nose was 359th FG marking the plane’s so-called invasion stripes on the fuselage and wings were already removed as well as the black stripe painted on the vertical tail surface and the rudder.
s/n 44-13859, Lt. Walter Mullins, 55th FS, 20th FG, 8th AF, Kings Cliffe, United Kingdom, September 1944
Besides decorating the aircraft with girlfriend’s, children’s or wife’s names, drawings of the sparsely clad ladies decorated some aircraft noses as well. Its artistic appearance depended on the ground personnel skills, if any could be found at the unit level. One of the Mustangs that sported the “pin up girl” artwork was the aircraft belonging to 55th FS flown by Lt. Mullins. Factory finish was supplemented with the olive color coat on the fuselage and wings upper surfaces. 55th FS affiliation is further confirmed by the fuselage code KI as well as the black triangle on the vertical tail surface and the rudder carrying the plane’s individual letter in white color.
s/n 44-13321, Capt. John M. Simmons Jr., 317th FS, 325th FG, 15th AF, Lesina, Italy, September 1944
John Mack Simmons, native of Gadsden in Alabama, joined army reserves in June 1942 and in January 1943 started his pilot’s training. After the graduation he was dispatched to 317th FS in the Italian theater. From the second half of April, he flew P-47s with this unit, in May, the whole 325th FG was re-equipped with superior Mustangs. While flying combats during the World War II, John Simmons shot down seven enemy aircraft and after it he remained in the USAF service. On January 18, 1961, he perished in the T-33 crash during the final approach. Since their African assignment the 325th FG aircraft were marked with yellow-black checkerboard painted on the tail surfaces to distinguish them from the bombers they covered, and which gave them the nickname Checkertails. The checkers’ dimensions were 10 by 10 inches. The plane marked with number 27 carried the inscription Devastating Dottie on the port side of the nose, the starboard side sported the name Lady Janie VIII as all the aircraft of crew chief Ebert.