Warbird Information Exchange

Yes.

Just one more reply

Digging through the 506th photos, there is this one of a mass take off with all three squadrons.

I've stared at it and the Enchantress is there, #528 right along side 599 of the 458th FS. Note it's a solid tail while the 458th birds are a mix of stripes and solid and the 462nd birds are solid yellow while the 457th guys are all solid green.

457th squadron numbers are 500-549. 458th are 550-599 and 562nd are 600-650.

I wish I could blow it up larger but I labeled the birds I could identify. 538 was lost on July 16, 1945 so this is prior to that date.

some info to above photo

538 - serial number unknown - assigned to Larry Grennan
542 - 44-72570 "Fighting Lady" - assigned to Jet Jatczak
528 - 44-72671 "The Enchantress"
599 - 44-72870 "Anything Goes"
539 - 44-72875
589 - 44-xxxxx
502 - 44-72599
553 - 44-xxxxx
555 - 44-xxxxx "The Ole Lady"

Martin

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Looks like 538 is the only one with the rudder painted as the tail.

It's just the angle on the rudder. It was silver.

Martin, adding to your info


538 - 44-63983- assigned to Larry Grennan
542 - 44-72570 "Fighting Lady" - assigned to Jet Jatczak
528 - 44-72671 "The Enchantress"
599 - 44-72870 "Anything Goes"
539 - 44-72875 "Lil Ole Meanie"
589 - 44-xxxxx
502 - 44-72599
553 - 44-xxxxx
555 - 44-xxxxx "The Ole Lady"

Some Green tails from the collection of John Benbow's nephew.

538 that Captain John Benbow was lost in


539 Lil Ole Meanie II



540 Kwitcherbitchen


541


542


And a nice formation shot

Great photos!
It looks like an access panel was also added on L/H side of fus just outboard and several inches lower from the L/H Able Dog antenna.
Anyone have a closeup of that area?
It isn't a factory panel.
Is it Dzuz or screw on for the fasteners?
Rich

Best I can find.

Thanks for the effort on the photo. Still a little blurry but it looks like a dzuz on panel was added there.
Thanks to Adrian here on WIX, I have the manual on the ARA-8 unit. It looks like a kit that could be installed into about any aircraft with both AAC and Navy Designations as a part of the manual.
I have a part number for the Mounting Bracket that the 2 AS-148 antennas are mounted. MT-282/ARA-8. The modulator Keying Unit MD-34/ARA-8 also mounts to this bracket between the pics.
So everybody- look for a MT-282 in your pile of parts sitting around.
Also this would have been drawn up as a kit specific to the P-51. Keep looking for the Tech Order or installation instructions specific to the Mustang.
Rich

Cool, more photo's thank you.
Do you have anything on Maj. Malcolm Watters P-51D and I hate to ask but anything on Capt. Aust P-51D .I'm not trying to stir anything up .
Thank you for your time.
Rick

[/quote].......The Tail Warning Antennas are on our list to be installed as well.
Rich[/quote]

If you haven’t already considered it, you may want to also include the “eye in the sky” in your installation as it readily noticeable from outside the airplane.

Dan’s shot at: http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u60/ ... ntress.jpg shows it in its most prevalent location, left of the gun sight; the visual alarm for intrusions into the APS-13 sector. -Adrian

A quote from John Benbow who works with the 506th FG Association and whose uncle John Benbow was killed flying 538 of the 457th FS, 506th FG from Iwo

"When the Mustangs of the 457th FS were loaded onto the USS Kalinin Bay for transport to the Pacific, they had red striped tails. This is the color scheme depicted in all of the history books. However, when the air echelon arrived on Tinian, the tails were stripped and repainted green"

And another note from the same source

The 457th Squadron’s planes originally had red tails, but they were repainted en route to Iwo Jima. Contrary to all the history books, they actually had green tails when the squadron began combat.

Some more pictures that might help:





Looks like the inspection door only existed on the left side, and that some sheet metal was added on the area around the masts.

HTH,

Laurent

I know that this is an old thread but 542 was flown by my grandfather Major Ralph S. Gardner (then a 2nd Lt.). He was 1 of 10 replacement pilots who were sent to Iwo Jima after the Japanese soldiers broke out from the caves at night and killed many of the original pilots. I'm not certain of the exact time frame but I believe that it would have most likely been in April.

Thanks for posting the picture of all the planes. It is pretty neat to get a bird's eye view.

Russell A. Hokanson
Grandson of Ralph S. Gardner (pilot of the no-named 542)
He never refers to it by name as it was nameless through the end of World War II

Thanks for the input Russell on your Grandfathers #542.
Hope you post some photo's but you input helped since I plan on Building a model plane of this P-51D.
Rick

Jim,
Did you ever find installation info on the Uncle Dog Antenna Installation? Curt (Big Merle) saw this thread and forwarded it to me just today.
I could not locate a TO for the installation, but I did find some factory drawings from the "Dallas" set that could help.
Check the following drawings...
124-71401 & 124-31127
124-71428 through 124-71435
EL3-9 & EL3-9 AMEND 1 (Maintenance Inst)

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aka Mustanger
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