Looking for a P-51

[sbdgrl]

I work at an air museum and had a lady come in and in passing conversation mentioned that her grandfather flew Mustangs in WWII. The name of the plane was Papoose and his name was Richard White. I am going to post some of the highlights of the email that she sent and I hope someone out there can shed some light on this subject.

His name was Richard M. White born in 1922 and passed in 1998.
The only thing we have that has any record of his P-51 Mustang was an
etched piece of glass that a buddy of his made for him. The numbers and
letters etched on his plane, named Papoose, were SWR 414830.
Excerpts from his letter:
"In February of 1944, I was graduated from single-engine pilot training and
commissioned a second lieutenant." He trained in Selma, Alabama air force
base. "We then moved to Venice, Florida, where I took combat flight
training, and then to Tallahassee, Florida, from where I went overseas to
England." "My memory is like English weather--mostly a little bit foggy.
However, I dug out my pilot's logbook and my copy of the history of the
355th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, US Army Air Cops, and these freshened
up my remembrances."
Highlights:
October, 1942: Enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in the US Army Air Corps.
February, 1943 through August 1943: Preflight training, including basic
Infantry Training.
August 1943 to February, 8 1944: Flight training as a single-engine fighter
pilot. Commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant on February 8 1944.
February 1944 to June 1944: Operational flight training in P-40 Warhawk
aircraft. Training included aerial gunnery, strafing, dive-bombing and
Combat formations and simulated aerial combat.
July 1944: Assigned to Air Force Fighter Command in England.
August 13, 1944: Completed transitional training on P-51 aircraft and




Thank you in advance and Happy Flying!!!