Challenge for Martin and Jack (and/or anybody else) ...

[Chicoartist]

I'm planning a large oil painting for next year's ASAA forum depicting the well-known 18 Mar 45 rescue of Pierce McKennon by George Green. I have a very good first-person description of the event in the 335th FS diary, plus the "narrative" by Grover Hall in 1000 Destroyed (the book is available online, BTW - Google it), plus I have talked to witnesses Paul Lucas and Cal Willruth, who watched the rescue firsthand orbiting above, so that part is covered.

It's a "well-known" event, but to my knowledge has never before been depicted on canvas by one of my fellow aviation artists. What started out as a "whim" is now taking on a life of it's own, and I can't wait to get started on it. Early (very early) sketches are leading me to show Green's P-51 "Suzon" on the ground in the grass field, with Green on the wing throwing his 'chute away (!). "Mac" will be sprinting up to the Mustang.

I still have to verify a few detail points (like did or did not Green land with his wing tanks - to be dropped on the ground by Mac by reaching into the cockpit prior to boarding - per Hall's account, which "stretches" the story on several points, I've found ... ), but for now what I need are any and all photos I can get of Green's 'rescue' Mustang and/or any shots of Mac or Green (I have a lot of both men, but you never know what might turn up) -
Thanks in advance!

Oh, as of this moment the future oil painting is unclaimed and will be looking for a home after the summer 2008 ASAA show, so if yer "interested", please PM or email me.

Wade

[wls3]

Wade,

Our WIX friend Tom Walsh just wrote an article on the life and
times of McKennon which appeared in Air Classics 9/30/06.
In it he describes the rescue.
There are several photos, even one of the 2 sitting in the a/c.

Bill

[Dan Johnson II]

1000 Destroyed shows photos of the rescue being reinacted. The Mustang is WD-KK. Chute is down by the tail, no DTs on the ground, No name on that bird.

[Swiss Mustangs]

we're talking about Green's P-51D-20-NA 44-63736 WD-M "Suzon"...

and "Mac" abandoned P-51D-20-NA 44-63166 WD-A that day....

Wade.... your challenge is accepted.... will plunge into this tonight

Martin

[Jack Cook]

Hey wait a minute.
Is that the 4th FG again?
Hide youe paint brushes

[Chicoartist]

Wade,

Our WIX friend Tom Walsh just wrote an article on the life and
times of McKennon which appeared in Air Classics 9/30/06.
In it he describes the rescue.
There are several photos, even one of the 2 sitting in the a/c.

Bill

Heh heh ... yes, I saw Tom's article. Hmm, wonder where he got the "Don Gentile logbook" entries? I know he got the info from my site because he mistakenly credited Gentile with the "McKennon" passages quoted in his Air Classics article. Those exact quotes are contained within my online article on, you guessed it: Don Gentile's logbook (see Don Gentile's 1944 Logbook) - but if you read close (which Tom did not, obviously), those two entries are properly credited to 335's operational diary by me. I have a copy of Gentile's logbook, by the way, which I obtained from his son Joe - the "McKennon" 335 diary entries are not repeated there.

Glad to have helped, though ... that's why we're here.

Martin is right (as usual!). "Suzon" was marked WD-M on "the day". I have an overall shot of the kite taken just after they landed. Definitely WD-M, no doubt. WD-KK was used for a nice series of "reenactment" shots - postwar.

And yes, 44-63166 WD-A was the Mustang Mac was flying on 18 Mar 45. He was assigned the plane on 3 Jan.

Wade