which p-51 is this?

The bubble canopy gives this one away as a P-51D. All other bubble top Mustangs were postwar developments of the D variant.

Bit of trivia, the RAF and other British Commonwealth services refered to the D model as the Mustang MK.IV. If you're ever doing a British, Canadian, Australian... Mustang, the MK.IV and the D are one in the same.

Sorry, but I can't help you with the resources for looking up aircraft numbers and such.

Hope I've helped you out.

thank you so much upnorth! step 1 in the mystery is solved!

The hardpoints on the wing also help....as the D was the only variant that carried the HVAR rockets as the B model carried only the tube launched bazooka type rockets.

I imagine if you could find out what squadron and group he was in somehow, it wouldn't be too much more trouble to come up with that sort of info as most groups still have historians that keep track of their groups.

There are a few more hints to the airframe. The Mustang bubble tops were only in a few models and set apart by a time line. Physical issues for the D vs K vs H is the landing gear and enging exhust ports, nose developement, wing panel lines, vent panels, front and rear cockpit wind design and a much taller rudder on an H model. With your pic the biggest hint is the landing gear and it does have the D model style. I have thumbed through the Squadron signal P-51 in action but did not find your bird. Anyone else have more mustang nose art sources???
Tally ho
Rosie

Was your friend's grandfather named Jack Bond? If so, the 319 FS Unit lists a P-51: # 43-24852; AC# 87 Gravel Gertie/Delightful Dee.

Merideth,

This Stang is, indeed, a "D" model. The markings on the nose of "Dee" and on the tail of the aircraft in the background appear to be those of the 35th FG which fought in the Pacific.

Also, you can see the hardpoints on the bottom of the wing for carrying rockets. Only PTO Mustangs were so equipped on a regular basis.

I'll see if I can dig up more on this unit, I dunno fersher what squadron this would be, (possibly the 39th FS) but it certainly looks to be a 35th FG ship.

Oh, one last thing, am I correct in reading the pilot's name as Lt. M.F. Allen?


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Hi guys!

Okay, so here's what i found out yesterday. The pilot's name, I already knew, was Merle Allen. I found a story about him by searching his name and "flew" on google and turned up a story about him on here http://www.cebudanderson.com/262.htm

The story is about 1/3 of the way down and relates an encounter in which Allen and several other pilots chased down and ultimately destroyed Waiter Nowotny's 262. So this article would indicate that Allen was in the 357 FG - The Yoxford Boys. I called my friend's mom (Allen's her father) and she found some old papers noting that he'd been in the 357th 364th squadron. (She even mentioned later that he was friends with Chuck Yeager.) It's confusing though, that the "Dee" (Allen's wife's name it turns out) doesnt have the checkered cowel of 357th. Any ideas on why this would be the case? And does knowing the FG and squadron dictate any numbering? I found a great site called http://www.littlefriends.co.uk but neither the "Dee" nor Allen's name are listed among the a/c.

Again, thank you all so much for any help you can give in helping me solve this mystery!

I am pretty sure the number came about due to when/where they were manufactured....but I am not 100% sure on this.

I would go to the 357th website and contact them to see if you can get the number:

http://www.franka.clara.net/

The 364th FS used the red yellow checkerboard and red spinner with yellow stripe to indicate they were part of the 357th FG ( from websites I have seen this appears to vary greatly in the 364th FS though). #64th squadron indicators were yellow rudder and C5 forward of the national insignia. Individual A/C were indicated by another letter aft of the insignia ( C5 * ? ).

Squadron/signal has a book on the 357th FG.

Found a couple pics of Lt. Merle Allen:

http://www.franka.clara.net/Photo_page5.htm

http://www.cebudanderson.com/vinphoto6.htm

Merideth,

What a curve ball! Was Mr. Allen transferred to the Pacific after the war ended in Europe? That might explain the photograph.

Anyhoo, I found out the folowing about Mr. Allen.

He is mentioned a few times in Merle Olmstead's book "The 357th Over Europe" - The 357th FG in WWII.

He is, indeed, listed as a member of the 364th FS, codes would be C5-"x". The squadron color was yellow and the rudders of each aircraft, if painted, would have been this color. As to the exact code and serial# of an aircraft, I've found nothing with his name on it.

He is listed as having participated in the downing of three aircraft:

_Date___________Rank_______________Claim_________

20th June 1944 -- 2nd Lt. Merle F. Allen Jr. ------- .5 (Shared kill)
29th June 1944 -- 2nd Lt. Merle F. Allen Jr. ------- .5 (Shared kill)
13th Sept 1944 -- 1st Lt. Merle F. Allen Jr. ------- 1

No aircraft types were listed for the downed aircraft, but the 20th June victim was an Fi 156 Storch.

The encounter report that you found on your search was taken verbatim from this book, and there is another describing Mr. Allen's participation in the destruction of this Storch.

June 20: The apprehension of the crew of an unarmed Luftwaffe Fieseler Storch in a sky full of Mustangs can well be imagined, and on this date, the worst fears of one such crew were realized. Nick Frederick in his encounter report:

"I was flying GREENHOUSE Red Three and after I had destroyed an Me.109, I saw several P-51s chasing a Fieseler Storch on the deck. I got behind Lt. Merle Allen and saw him fire, observing strikes on the fuselage. The Storch kept flying and since my guns were jammed, I forced the Storch into the ground by flying several feet over him. The propwash evidently spun him in. The plane broke into many pieces." (Merle Allen then strafed the wreck and the two shared the claim.)

I think someone gave one of these links before but here's a couple for some good sites on the Yoxford Boys.

http://www.franka.clara.net/ The 357th FG Website

http://www.cebudanderson.com/ Bud Anderson's (Old Crow) site. This one has a link to a 357th site where there is an ongoing and HUGE modeling project. Perhaps you can find some info there. I haven't looked at this site lately, but I'll see what's there.

I'll keep looking for more info!


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Ah , excellent info...okay, another call to Allen's daughter confirms that he was sent to Japan after the war in '47...here's my question though, the rank on the side of the plane in the photo is "Lt."...while he's referred to as "Captain" in Olmstead's account of the attack on the ME262s...i'm about to think the "capt." reference was a typo and that this photo shows, in fact, another "Dee" and was taken post-war in Japan...hmmm...

still though, would like to figure out the numbers/markings of his Yoxford "Dee".

y'all are fantastic detectives!

To quote a fictional literary hero of mine;

"Elementary, my dear Watson. Elementary.."

I love researching the subjects that I model and illustrate. And if I can help someone out at the same time, all the better!


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