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ETO P-51 photo; help id'ing


captaxe
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A recent pick-up. Vintage 8x10 of P-51's in flight.

 

Fuselage markings identify them as part of the 83rd Fighter Squadron of the 78th Fighter Group, but I'm puzzled by the tail paint. Is this early war or post war (or war-time)?. The on-line research I've done doesn't show this tail design. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

post-701-1263582335.jpg

 

post-701-1263582350.jpg

 

post-701-1263582364.jpg

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Cobrahistorian

Good eye there Doug! That is definitely Voll's "American Beauty"! Great shots there!!!

 

Looks like HL*C also has quite the scoreboard on it. Anyone know whose bird that one is?

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HL*C, named O'Kaye, was the normal aircraft of the 308th squadron CO, Major Leland Molland. He was credited with 11 1/2 victories. Al

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Thanks for the detective work guys.

 

Looks like (then) LTC Molland was killed in Korea:

 

At dawn one May day Selenger and Lieut. Colonel Leland P. Molland, 32, of Fargo, N.Dak. volunteered to fly a weather reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines. A World War II ace, Molland himself had flown 167 missions in Europe, bagged eleven German planes, collected a Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses and 29 Air Medals.

 

As Selenger and Molland streaked northward in a T-33 jet, the sky was murky, the air turbulent. They did not return. Last week the Air Force announced the fate of two of its most spectacular airmen. They had been found dead in the wreckage of their plane on a cloud-shrouded mountain top just north of Taegu.

 

 

 

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...l#ixzz0cjasS363

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