I knew I’d seen one 65 Squadron Mustang III photo but I couldn’t for the life of me remember where. So after a long dig through all the Mustang books I found it in “P51 Mustang in Color” by Larry Davis. Not the one you are looking for, but it at least shows the markings well.

Dan

It’s an oldy from 86, but it’s my all time favorite picture. I’m the goofy looking guy in front of all those 41 Squadron pilots and the B of B Spit II at RAF Coltishall July 1986.

Dan

Sure wish someone could save that early model B25 from the ravages of the outdoors. Note the ventral turret too.

Still wondering if the interned Doolittle Raider B25 is floating about somewhere too. That would be a real piece of history that should come home.

Dan

Lots of stories of mystery B17s or 24s tagging along just out of range of the guns of the formations. These were assumed to be German flown captured bombers giving range, height, speed etc to the ground gunners.

A B24 top turret gunner friend, remembers vividly seeing an early model B24D without a nose turret flying along out of range of their guns while on a run over Austria in early 45. His pilot told the gunners to keep an eye on the plane and blast it if they got close enough.

Dan

Re: Spitfire Ace – could YOU do it?

Originally posted by DazDaMan
Was just pondering this as the last episode of Spitfire Aceis on tomorrow night.

Could any of us on the forums do what these men (many of them younger than myself) did sixty-plus years ago? Put your life on the line for King and Country to defend the right to freedom of speech? Freedom from persecution? Defending your faith and your own views?

Me? I’d like to think I could at least try. The defining moment would come when that Messerschmitt 109 is hovering in my gunsight. To maim or kill another man…?

Real-life’s a helluva lot different from a computer game!

Growing up and reading everything I could about WW2 pilots, I had an image of them as supermen, larger then life. They always seemed huge to me in the photos.

Then I started hunting for Spit XII drivers and began to get to know some of them via letters. They still were the guys in the photos though.

Then I was lucky enough to go to the 41 Squadron Reunion at Coltishall in 86 and finally met my heros. What struck me at first, was that I was actually physically bigger then most of them. I’m only 5’10” but I was taller then most. The other thing I found out was these were just good people. They weren’t supermen, they weren’t larger then life. They were good, decent people.

And that made them bigger heros to me in that like any of us would, they faced the fears and the dangers for the sake of their fellow men. When the job was done, those that survived came home, started regular jobs and got on with their lives.

I know we call them our greatest generation in the US, but I believe we are all capable of the same sort of sacrifice and I believe, that while I’m glad I never had to face that danger, that if my home and my family was in danger, I too could rise to the occasion.

Dan

Same plane, someone elses effort

Dan

From my B of B Then and Now copy. Guess it’s the first version as there is no Mk number

Dan