Page 111
P-51C-1-NT, s/n 42-103309, Lt. William B. Overstreet, 363rd FS, 357th FG, 8th AF, Leiston,
Great Britain, June 1944
“Bill” Overstreet became particularly famous for
his story of chasing a German Bf 109 through
the arches of the Eiffel Tower. The dogfight was
supposed to have taken place sometime in the
spring of 1944, but it is questionable whether the
passage through the Eiffel Tower actually took
place. Nor is the exact date of the duel known,
and there is no mention in German records
of such a strange event as a fighter plane
crashing into the streets of Paris ... Overstreet
was, however, an aggressive and capable pilot,
and on September 3, 1944, for example, he took
part in a top-secret mission in which a remote-
controlled four-engine bomber attacked a heavily
defended German heavily protected submarine
base hidden in the cliffs. He subsequently flew
other secret missions in support of the French
Resistance, often landing behind enemy lines. His
Berlin Express, with which he was to fly under
and through the Eiffel Tower, bore a partial coat of
olive drab paint on the upper surfaces, while the
sides and undersides were left in a natural metal
and aluminum paint.
BUILT
INFO Eduard
111
November 2024