Someone Should Paint a P-51 in this guy's markings

51fixer · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:32 am

Terrible and amazing story-
http://www.wimp.com/missinghusband/

A bit more on this.

MACR
7165 FRA 440717 P-51D-5 44-13328 354FG 355FS Harris, Billie B

Tribute-
http://www.354thpmfg.com/BillieDHarris_ ... part1.html

peter · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 9:21 am

Wow.. speechless..

TAdan · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 11:11 am

This story was televised on CBS Sunday Morning a couple of weeks back (Right around June 6). It included an interview with his widow. It was very moving.

Edit, I see Rich has a link to the news video in the first post.

lmritger · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 11:20 am

When my great-uncle Carson Harris was killed in the sinking of the SS R.P. Resor in Feb 1942, his father and mother split up not long afterwards. His father Bill married my great-grandmother sometime in 1944, and his mother never remarried, living on her own well into her 90s and passing away about 10 years ago.

I've only recently learned of this part of my family's history (driven by the discovery of Carson's Purple Heart certificate in some paperwork from my grandmother's house), but it struck me that his loss must have had a terrible effect on his mother. I find the devotion of Mrs. Harris in this story to be equally amazing and tragic... to spend 61 years in limbo waiting to learn what happened to the one she loved is an incredibly heavy burden to bear.

Lynn

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7886

51fixer · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 12:49 pm

Mark Allen M wrote:

Sad indeed, and to think there are/were thousands of others from around the world who suffer/suffered as much, if not more. Not to make any comparisons but my dad and grandparents didn't hear about the death of his brother/their son for several months after he was KIA in Europe. Terrible stuff to endure.

Did I miss a link or photo? What would the fellows P-51 markings had looked like?

Nose would probably have been white spinner, blue band around fwd cowling with white stars.
I haven't found any pics of his A/C.
Just googled name after seeing the video of the CBS story.
A French site seemed to suggest 1.5 victories in June around D-Day.

p51 · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:17 pm

Wow.
I couldn't help but notice he was 'moved up to Tallahassee' according to his wife to be moved overseas. That would have been Dale Mabry AAF, I grew up less than 5 miles away from there many years after the base closed...

Wildchild · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 2:43 pm

This guy and his wife deserve a P-51 painted in his markings. That is really a touching story.

And does anyone know the status of the wreckage of his plane?

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 9:39 pm

Thanks Rich for posting this. I'm all teary-eyed now.....

51fixer · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 9:47 pm

This article suggests he had transitioned to the P-47.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/last_summer.htm

Wildchild · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 9:56 pm

This stands out to me-

"The Army did not know what had happened to the aircraft. No one in the US or Allied military saw the plane crash. The Germans saw the plane go down and so did the local French. The P-47 fighter set down in the woods outside of Lesventes, France, about 90 miles southwest of Paris. It landed in trees and was cushioned on impact, so the fighter did not break-up or catch on fire.

French resistance members were the first to get to the aircraft and discovered that Billie Harris was dead. They removed his handgun and codebooks and then left the area because the Germans were approaching. All the Germans took was the parachute."

:shock:

What would be a better way to honor him then by finding his 47?

51fixer · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:14 pm

Interesting the MACR report states a P-51D-5.

I found a painting done titled "Two Against Seventy - No Problem!" (Clayton Kelly Gross 354th FG):

The info on the litho-

11 May, 1944, the 354th FG was escorting heavies - target Saarbrucken. 1st Lt. Clayton Kelly Gross leading Green flight , 355th FS, was weaving on the right side of one section of B-17s. He spotted a large formation of ME-109s a few thousand feet above and right and paralleling the bomber course. With wingman Billie D. Harris he began a climb to a position behind the enemy fighters. 'Checking Six' he discovered a second group of EA trailing bringing the total to an estimated 70. Slowing and watching the second group pass over without observing him, they then climbed into a position very close to the enemy rear, "Two into Seventy - Lets get 'em". Gross and Harris both flamed the first targets and moved to other targets. Their tracers and probable radio chatter by the victims caused the entire group to break up. Gross then hit a second victim who bailed out. An enemy attack diverted! Kelly will finish the mission with 2 victories and 1 probable and the war with 6 victories, 1 probable, and 4 damaged.

Found here, scan down the page, features a P-51B titled Live Bait-
http://www.ehangar.com/modules.php?name ... ic&p=40617

Wildchild · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:18 pm

He probly flew both kinds of Mustangs, but transitioned to 47's later. I don't think the 51B Live Bait is his though.

51fixer · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:26 pm

Wildchild wrote:

He probly flew both kinds of Mustangs, but transitioned to 47's later. I don't think the 51B Live Bait is his though.

The painting depicts 2 B models, Livebait and one flown by Harris. Hence 2 vs 70 odd enemy fighters they encountered.

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:50 pm

Since this thread is about a KIA I know knowledge about I will post
this once to sare what I know. I originally sent Rich a PM but decided
to post here also.
Quote:
Hi Rich,
I posted on your facebook page but I'm guessing you haven't seen it.
I know quite a bit about Harris and was surprised about the story that came out last month about his widow not knowing about his fate. I've know and so have many others for years. The painting with Kelly Gross is an earlier combat and Harris was flying his P-51B s/n 42-103373 GQ+H which was salvaged due to flak damage in late June 44. Has a result Harris was flying Capt Maury Long's P-51D s/n 44-13328 GQ+L "Mary Pat III". His wingman aborted and he was tail end charlie in his flight. They were jumped by FW-190s and Capt Buer saw Harris go down and crash with a FW on his tail shooting. There were eyewitnesses and a MACR was filled out so what happened with the reporting of his death is a mystery. He was even buried in a US Military cemetary. It's amazing in the computer age that this remained a mystery only to his family. How very sad!

Jack

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Someone Should Paint a P-51 in this guy's markings

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