Sorry for yesterday, I promised to inform you, but had no news... I'm still waiting further pics of the wreck, and the contact to interview the witness of the crash, in order to establish the plane's true colors (which should be, I'm 90 percent sure, bare metal, but...). For the lettering, We will have to wait a little bit, I'm afraid.
To all those it may concern : I discovered the site of George Loving, ace of the 309th. Beautiful pics of his P-51 B "WZ-D", interesting for the "candy stripes" on the tail (3 only...). Check them here : http://home.att.net/~georgeloving/wsb/html/view.cgi-photos.html-.html
Simplex, your idea about the ditching event is great, as your impressive work : welcome on board !!!
System-M, I welcome your proposal too. In fact, I'm already in contact with Jesters Ink, but as far as I'm not here to sign any contract, nor to launch any kind of contest (who am I to do that), well... Welcome on board too.
I did speak to jester we both know each other, and I know he doesnt mind me having a go at it either we both get on well and I doubt this will cause a problem.
As I said, System-M, you are welcome. Glad to see that "profilers" are a band of brothers...
Time to break for me, nothing new except that the new pics are unable to help me to determinate the plane colour... We rely on vets, specialists, and/or the next dive, which is not planned yet.
Jester pointed me out to George Loving's site. While we are waiting I figured I'd work on Loving's aircraft. I just wish I had a better photo.
So in short, the skin is done but would like to have a bit more data like the serial number, oil stains, correct number of red stripes on the elevators. Typical stuff.
If you are able to show us the current set of photos anything is of great value and help to us when reproducing the aircraft. almost anything can point us in the right direction.
Ive done a bit of research on the crash Date going through serial numbers of 31st FG P-51s and the dates they were lost or crashed the nearest serial I have found is out by a couple of days but is currently the closest date on all the records I have found I just need to look into the MACR report to confirm more.
43-7074 (31st FG) lost Jul 14, 1944. MACR 5820
Last edited by System-M-; 12th January 2007 at 01:35.
Send me private messages with your e-mail, I'll send you tomorrow my collection of pics -can't post them here because I picked them on various sites, and they are not all "copyrighted" (I know I am a copyright paranoiac !)-.
About the MACR stuff : big doubt, 20 days before... On aviation archeology, I have found a P 51 B loss the 5 of july, but it belongs to the 51st FG, that served in China with P-51 at that date... But maybe it could be a mistranscription of handwriting, you know, 3 to 5 is an easy mistake to make...
Here are the references: 7175 440705 P-51 43-7073 51 ( MACR date type serial FG) [43-6313/7112 North American P-51B-5 Mustang]
Another hypothesis : the 31st had news of Taylor 24 hours after his loss, so maybe the "forgot" to establish a MACR. There was a war on, isn't it !
For example : I found 80 MACR for the 31st, but the group has lost 107 officers...
Help, specialists and vets, help...
Last edited by Sebastien; 12th January 2007 at 01:32.
Apolgies I posted the date wrong it is infact the 14th of July. 9 days after the crash. I do know when researching Herky Greens P-40 The MACR was about 10 or so days after the accident.
I can't believe the plane was discovered 5 weeks ago...
-1st- A fellow 15th AF enthusiast, who holds a website about the USAAF over Slovakia (=O= Final Destination Slovakia - Western Allies Air Forces Story over Slovakia 1944/45 =O=) has sent me a letter of one of his contact, whose name I ignore. The serial number is discovered, at least we have a very strong hypothesis : please read an extract of the mail they wrote to me.
"The Individual Aircraft Record card lists the loss as MIA but there is no MACR. This would suggest that the aircraft was lost but the pilot rescued or returned to his Unit within 48 hours before a MACR would have been filed. The a/c in question is a P-51B-10NA and serialed 42-106585. The aircraft just previous to this serial number were also 309th FS aircraft which is good as the MTO deployed Mustangs were often deployed in 3s to individual Squadrons. Not have any further evidence to back up this identification I would put a * by the serial number meaning that in all likelyhood this is correct but we can't be sure at this point in time."
The datas seem to match here, and that 1st new sounds well to me.
-2nd- I allowed myself to write to Mister George Loving himself, thanks to hi s webpage. He answered very kindly, and guess what : the pilot, who is "Don" Taylor (for Donald K Taylor, according to the 31st roster on the web), is alive and in contact with the General Loving. I do not have further informations at the time, but I guess this is enough emotion for us !
Cheers, buddies, I'm going to buy a bottle of champagne !!
PS : about the planes color : I have a close up pic of Lt Col (commander of the group at the time) Mc Corkle's P-51B, . His plane is bare metal, and serialed 42-106501. So I assume that our plane, from the same factory, must have been unpainted too.
PS 2 : I transmit our thread to the General Loving. I hope he will be glad to discover his own plane in a sky of pixels...
Last edited by Sebastien; 12th January 2007 at 18:55.
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