P-51D Mustangs of the 20th Fighter Group 1944

[Jack Cook]

Lt Jim Bradshaw 79th FS P-51D s/n 44-13660 MC-B

Lt Hal Binkley 79th FS P-51D s/n 44-13855 MC-J

Capt Jim Baldwin 79th FS P-51D s/n 44-13876 MC-T

Lt George Merriman 79th FS P-51D s/n 44-13667 MC-M

[Jerry O'Neill]

Jack,
Once again, greeat shots. Thanks for your continued posts!
Jerry

[Robbie Stuart]

Real nice Jack.
Robbie

[mustangdriver]

Is it me, or is it nice to see some different paint schemes.

[Django]

Great pics. Let's hear it for the ground crews!!

[lowpass]

I noticed on the 2nd picture down there is a patch panel inplace. It was still marked with its manufacturers marking "ALCLAD".

Kyle

[Locobuster]

OK, what can I say but MORE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!

[Kevin G]

I noticed on the 2nd picture down there is a patch panel inplace. It was still marked with its manufacturers marking "ALCLAD".

Kyle

Yes, right where the "cheese grater" vent (I don't know the real name) usually is.

[sdennison]

Great pics. Let's hear it for the ground crews!!

Agreed! One of my personal favorites.



I tracked Joe down in Houston Texas a few years after my Pop flew West. He was a great guy to chat with and very humble of his role in WWII.

I found out that he was having his 85th birthday and had nearly 250 family and friends coming. Given that Joe was Dad's crew chief when he was awarded one of his Air Medals, I sent one of Dad's to him along with a thank you letter. It was, according to Joe's wife, one of the most moving gifts if his birthday.

I share this not for me but to encourage others to embrace the support crews that may not have gotten their true thanks for their roles to make the heros.

Joe embraced me as if I were my Pop. ( I don't hold a candle to Dad) But Joe never received the credit due. IMHO

I am glad that a simple gesture of giving hin one of Dad's medals and a thank you, made such an impression.

Do what you can with what you know. Everyone of these guys did things we can only imagine. Thank them, hug them, love them, for giving us what we have and for what they helped our "heros" achieve.

The pictures mostly show the pilots, not so many show the crews.

Sorry for my diatribe. Too much snow and probably too much CH3CH2OH.

[Mudge]

Didn't we just see this guy dressed as a P-38 driver?

Capt. Jack Ilfrey 20th FG 79th FS

7 kills
Lots of Top Hats
Lots of Umbrellas (Hidden by the glare.)
Those 4 white spots just aft of the exhaust stacks are locomotives destroyed. The 20th's nickname was "The Loco Busters"

Mudge the resourceful

[Tim Landers]

My buddy John B. Lee, flew with JacK Ilfrey.