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

[Lynn Allen]

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

Rich, thank you for posting this story as its truly sad how a person fate is somehow overlooked. Going thru the prints on the link, I saw Col. Welch's print. I grew up around him and never knew he was an ace and flew P-38's. I'm going to take him flying when he get's to feeling better...

Lynn

[51fixer]

Jack- Thx for the info.
Here is he FB message with a few more details-

Rich, you were asking about Lt Billie Harris's P-51D from the 354th FG. He was in the 355th ?FS and was flying Maury Long's P-51D when he was killed. P-51D s/n 44-13328 GQ+L "Mary Pat III" it has a blue spinner and checkboard band around the nose. He was in a 3 ship flight and didn't have a wingman and was shot down by a FW-190. First 'D' lost in combat by the 354th.

[51fixer]

This has been a cool bit of poking into history.
A bit of info on Maury Long.
http://www.cieldegloire.com/014_long_m_g.php

[SaxMan]

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

I have a picture of the R.P. Resor after it was torpedoed (only 20 miles off the coast of NJ) in one of the books in my library. After your post, I don't think I'll look at that picture the same way again.

Even in more recent times, we've seen an example of the kind of effect grief can have for someone. One of the survivors from Flight 90, which crashed into the Potomac in January, still basically lives in seclusion 30 years later as she lost her child (and possibiy her husband, IIRC) in the disaster.

[lmritger]

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

I have a picture of the R.P. Resor after it was torpedoed (only 20 miles off the coast of NJ) in one of the books in my library. After your post, I don't think I'll look at that picture the same way again.

Even in more recent times, we've seen an example of the kind of effect grief can have for someone. One of the survivors from Flight 90, which crashed into the Potomac in January, still basically lives in seclusion 30 years later as she lost her child (and possibiy her husband, IIRC) in the disaster.

Oh, it gets worse... the ship didn't sink immediately after her back was broken by Kpt. Rehwinkel's torpedo, but it split her tanks and the oil which spilled onto the surface immediately caught fire. Most of the crew apparently managed to escape the ship on a lifeboat... which then drifted into the inferno. And those who weren't on the lifeboat were caught in the oil slick- only two men survived, both of whom required many men to drag them into rescue boats as they weighed several hundred pounds from all the excess oil.

Carson had just graduated from Newport News High in August 1940, a class behind my grandmother Lorraine; he was only 20 years old.




Jack, thank you for the info on Billie!

Lynn

[Sasquatch]

BUMP...to go with the Valentine's Day story.

[DH82EH]

I somehow missed this one when it first came around

Thanks for the bump! great story!

Andy Scott