captaxe Posted January 15, 2010 Share #1 Posted January 15, 2010 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
316th FS 324th FG Posted January 15, 2010 Share #2 Posted January 15, 2010 Those are 31st Fighter Group planes, 308th FS. The plane in the back is Capt John Voll's plane I believe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
316th FS 324th FG Posted January 15, 2010 Share #3 Posted January 15, 2010 From - http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/31st/31st.html probably taken on the same flight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captaxe Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share #4 Posted January 15, 2010 I stand corrected. Thank you, sir! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobrahistorian Posted January 15, 2010 Share #5 Posted January 15, 2010 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragpick Posted January 15, 2010 Share #6 Posted January 15, 2010 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobrahistorian Posted January 16, 2010 Share #7 Posted January 16, 2010 Thanks Al! That definitely looks like "O'Kaye" now that I look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captaxe Posted January 16, 2010 Author Share #8 Posted January 16, 2010 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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