Armorers unpack 50 caliber ammunition from cases to be loaded into a 46th Fighter Squadron, 21st Fighter Group Mustang in preparation for the April 19, 1945 VLR strike mission against Atsugi Naval Airfield near Tokyo. Two Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer patrol bombers are in the background on Central Field.
Ground crews were anxious for the return of their pilots and planes from the first VLR escort mission to the Japanese Home Islands. The 7th Fighter Command lost only two Mustangs and one pilot (1st Lt. Robert G. Anderson, 531st FS/21st FG) on the April 7th mission.
In the photo above, ground crew watch on as a P-51D Mustang lands on Iwo Jima. If you enlarge the photo, on the other side of the runway are two C-46 Commandos, a C-47 Dakota, a P-51D Mustang, four PB4Y-1 Liberator patrol bombers, and a PB4Y-2 Privateer patrol bomber.
P-51D Mustangs were not the only planes to land on Iwo Jima on April 7th. In the photo above, a damaged B-29 Superfortress lands on the same field. If you enlarge the photo, the prop on the right outside engine has been feathered. It appears that the first two photos were taken by the same 7th Air Force Combat Camera photographer. In this photo, he standing next to the tail of the damaged PV-1 Ventura shown in the first photograph.
In the photo above, ground crew and support personnel clamor around 68 “Victory Belle”, a 45th FS/15th FG Mustang, as the pilot waits to exit the cockpit while discussing the mission with his ground crew. A couple of things to note. First, it does not appear that the twin Uncle Dog antennae have been installed on Victory Belle yet. Second is the wear on the backside of the propeller blade. Only the cuff at the bottom of the propeller blade has retained its color because it was made of a hard rubber composition. The volcanic grit on Iwo Jima took its toll on painted surfaces. I am unaware of any after market decals for Victory Belle.
In the photo above, Major James B. Tapp, enjoys a sandwich and a cup of coffee after the April 7th mission. Major Tapp was the top scorer on the April 7th mission downing four Japanese fighters that were attacking the B-29 Superfortress formations.
References:
1. The Long Campaign: The History of the 15th Fighter Group in World War II, John W. Lambert, Schaffer Publishing Ltd. (2006).
2. Very Long Range P-51 Mustang Units of the Pacific War; Carl Molesworth; Osprey Publishing Limited (2006).
I am posting this edition of Photo(s) of the Week a day early to observe and commemorate a significant event in the history of Iwo Jima VLR Mustang Groups. Seventy-nine years ago today, 108 P-51D Mustangs of the 15th and 21st Fighter Groups flew their first very long range mission to the Japanese Home Islands escorting 107 B-29s of the 73rd Bomb Wing to Tokyo and back.
The target for the B-29s was the Nakajima aircraft engine factories on the west side of Tokyo. The B-29s approached the target at 15,000 feet with the P-51Ds several thousand feet above the bombers in combat formation with the 15th Fighter Group on the right and the 21st Fighter Group on the left of the bombers.
1st Lt. Eurich L. Bright of the 47th Fighter Squadron, shown in the picture above, was one of the top scorers of the mission being credited with shooting down a Kawasaki Ki-61 Hein (Tony), a Mitsubishi A6M Zero, and a Nakajima Ki-45 Toryu (Nick).
The photo above shows the 47th Fighter Squadron P-51D Mustangs being readied for the April 7, 1945, VLR escort mission to Tokyo. The 110 gallon metal drop tanks would have been mounted on the wings the day before, and filled the morning of the mission. Note the twin Uncle Dog antennae on 186. By the time of this mission, most, if not all the 15th and 21st Fighter Group Mustangs would have had them installed to help them form up with the B-29s on the trip to Japanese Home Islands, and to find their way back to Iwo Jima.
45th Fighter Squadron Mustangs warm up their engines in the photo above as part of the pre-flight preparation for the first VLR escort mission.
For the 7th Air Force Fighter Command, this mission was culmination of several years of being in the Central Pacific theater of operations and waiting to get into the fight on a larger scale. The 15th Fighter Group participated in the defense of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and then only saw sporadic combat until April 7, 1945. The 7th Fighter Command called themselves the “Sunsetters”, and their primary objective was to help bring the war in the Pacific to an end.
In the photo below, ground crew watch as 45th Fighter Squadron Mustangs move to begin taking off.
Seventeen Mustangs had to abort and return to Iwo Jima, including Brig. General Ernest “Mickey” Moore and 15th Fighter Group commander Colonel James O. Beckwith. The Sunsetters were credited with twenty-six Japanese planes destroyed, one probably destroyed, and five damaged at the cost of two Mustangs and one pilot. Major James B. Tapp of the 78th Fighter Squadron was high scorer shooting down four Japanese defenders. More importantly, no B-29s were shot down by Japanese fighters. Two B-29s were lost to flak, and one to an aerial bomb dropped on the bomber formation.
If you have Eduard’s 1/48 “Very Long Range: Tales of Iwo Jima“ Limited Edition kit (No. 11142), it provides decals for the following pilots and planes that participated in the April 7, 1945 mission: Major Gilmore L. “Buck” Snipes’ 67 “Tom Kat” (45th FS/15th FG); Major James B. Tapp’s 101 Margaret -IV” (78th FS/15th FG); 1st Lt. Eurich L. Bright’s 176 “Moonbeam McSwine” (47th FS/15th FG); Major Paul W. Imig’s 250 “Dede Lou” (72nd FS/21st FG); and Major Harry C. Crim, Jr.’s 300 “My Achin! [Ass].
References:
1. The Long Campaign: The History of the 15th Fighter Group in World War II, John W. Lambert, Schaffer Publishing Ltd. (2006).
2. Very Long Range P-51 Mustang Units of the Pacific War; Carl Molesworth; Osprey Publishing Limited (2006).
This is AeroMaster’s second decal sheet dedicated solely to Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs. Three additional sheets on Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs would be subsequently issued by AeroMaster under the series “The Very Long Range Escorts ‘The Iwo Jima Mustangs’ Fancy Art.”
This sheet provides markings for the planes of two VLR aces: Major James B. Tapp’s 101 “Margaret – IV” (8 aerial victories), and Major Harry C. Crim, Jr.’s 300 “My Achin! [Ass]” (6 aerial victories).
The sheet also provides markings for the planes of two 506th FG squadron commanders: Major Harrison E. Shipman’s 550 “Madam Wham-Dam” (458th FS), and Major Thomas D. DeJarnette’s 600 “Tallahassee Lassie” (462nd FG).
Originally issued in 2005, the decals look good, are in register and are for the most part accurate. Photo documentation that has recently emerged shows there are a few omissions and errors on this sheet, but this is still a very nice decal sheet.
Major James B. Tapp (78th FS/15th FG) – Major Tapp was the second highest scoring VLR Mustang ace with 8 aerial victories. All eight victories were scored in 101 “Margaret – IV” (44-63984), a P-51D-20NA. Major Tapp scored 4 aerial victories on the first VLR mission on April 7, 1945. He scored another victory on April 12, 1945, which represents the 5 victories on the decal sheet.
As can be seen from the photo above and the photo below, the name “Margaret – IV” and the Bushmaster squadron emblem are on both sides of the nose. The photo below shows that there are additional markings on the right side of the fuselage below the canopy.
This last photo shows the markings on the right side of the fuselage which includes kill and mission markings. In addition to the name of the Crew Chief Sergeant Blanco, there is the name of another ground crew member which is undiscernable from the photo. This photo also shows that the 0 in the fuselage number is broken rather than solid.
Unfortunately, the kill and mission markings on the right side of Major Tapp’s Mustang are not contained on this decal sheet. The most accurate and complete decals for 101 “Margaret – IV” are found in the Eduard kits.
Major Harry C. Crim, Jr. (531st FS/21st FG) – Major Crim was the 3rd highest scoring VLR ace with six confirmed victories, and the only fighter ace of the 21st FG. He joined the 21st FG in August, 1944, after serving with the 14th Fighter Group in Tunisia flying the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Unable to score any aerials victories with 14th FG, he scored his first two victories, a Kawasaki Ki-61 “Tony” and a Kawasaki Ki-45 “Nick” on April 7, 1945, the first VLR mission flown by the 7th Fighter Command Mustangs. His last victory, a Mitsubishi A6M Zero, came on July 6, 1945 during a strike mission against Atsugi airfield. Major Crim was also credited with six ground victories.
44-73623 was a P-51D-25NA, and Major Crim’s second VLR Mustang. The kill markings, mission markings, and ground crews’ names appear to be very good on the decal sheet except for Asst. Crew Chief Stanley McCarro’s name being misspelled. The only other deficiency in these decals is the artwork for the donkey/ass.
The photo above shows a portion of the canvas wheel well covers which were a standard production feature that were discarded by European Theater Mustang groups, but were maintained in place by the Iwo Jima Mustang groups as a means of keeping sand and volcanic grit out of the wheel wells.
After Major Crim rotated home, “My Achin! [Ass]” was assigned to Flight Officer Theo Gruici, who had Major Crim’s kill and mission markings and the names of the ground crew removed, and had a reclining nude painted on the fuselage. Most decal manufacturers have a nude on the left landing gear cover for Major Crim’s markings, but I have yet to see a photo confirming this. The nude on the left landing gear cover is mostly obscured by the 110 gallon drop tank in the photo below, and it raises the question whether there was a nude also on the right landing gear cover. After inquiring of others who have more extensive photo collections than I do, there does not appear to be any photos of the right side of the plane. Some questions will never be answered.
Major Harrison E. Shipman (458th FS/506th FG) – 550 “Madam Wham-Dam”, a P-51D-25NA, 44-72607, was assigned to Major Harrison E. Shipman, commander of the 458th FS. Major Shipman served as the 458th’s commander during the squadron’s time on Iwo Jima, and was not credited with any aerial victories.
The actual color of the background for the nude nose art on the right side of the fuselage in front of the cockpit is unknown. AeroMaster provides you with three options; red, blue and yellow. My preference would be blue, but it could be red as well. It appears to be a little too dark for yellow.
“Madam Wham-Dam’s” time on Iwo Jima was short lived. She arrived on either May 11th or the 13th and was lost on the disastrous June 1, 1945, Black Friday mission with 506th FG Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Harvey J. Scandrett at the controls.
Please note the last two photos of “Madam Wham-Dam” and the color of the main landing gear legs. They are considerably darker than the main landing gear legs on either Major Tapp’s “Margaret – IV” or Major Crim’s “My Achin! [Ass]” which suggests that they have been painted. I have also seen what appears to painted landing gear legs in pictures of 21st Fighter Group Mustangs.
Major Thomas D. DeJarnette (462nd FS/506th FG) – 600 “Tallahassee Lassie”, a P-51D-20NA, 44-72547, was also flown by Lt. Col. Harley Brown, Deputy Commander of the 506th Fighter Group. DeJarnette and Brown were well acquainted with each other having flown Bell P-39 Airacobras in combat with in 80th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group in New Guinea earlier in the war. Major DeJarnette is in the back row of the photo above, second from the left. Lt. Col. Brown is to Major DeJarnette’s left.
Major DeJarnette was credited with shooting down a Kawasaki Ki-61 ‘Tony’ on the June 10, 1945 escort mission to the Tokyo area. Lt. Col. Brown was credited with damaging a Nakajima Ki-84 ‘Frank’ on the July 19, 1945 fighter strike mission against targets in the Nagoya and Osaka areas. Both men survived the war.
This decal sheet has been long out of production but you can still find it on eBay with the other sheets in the series. Although there are a few inaccuracies and omissions, it is still a quality decal sheet.
If you are wanting to purchase a more recently produced decal sheet for some of these planes, DK Decals has produced a 1/72 scale sheet containing markings for “My Achin! [Ass] and “Madam Wham-Dam”. My review of this sheet is found here:
DK Decals has also produced a 1/48th scale sheet containing the markings for “Madam Wham-Dam”. My review of this sheet is found here:
References:
Very Long Range P-51 Mustang Units of the Pacific War; Carl Molesworth; Osprey Publishing Limited (2006).
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After the 31st CB (SeaBees) and the 2nd Separate Engineer Battalion completely reconstructed Central Field (Motoyama #2), the 72nd FS of the 21st FG arrived on Iwo Jima on March 22nd. The remaining two squadrons of the 21st FG, the 46th and 531st, arrived on March 24th.
I really like the above photo. It shows 231 Tiny Gay Baba, 209 Three of a Kind and other 46th FS Mustangs parked on Central Field after their arrival on March 24th. Above Tiny Gay Baba you can see the main South Field runway and Mt. Suribachi.
Taken on March 25th, the above photo shows a nice line up of 72nd FS Mustangs on Central Field. The closest Mustang in the photo is 250 Dede Lou, the mount of 72nd FS commander, Major Paul W. Imig. If you enlarge the photo, it appears that Dede Lou has the twin Uncle Dog antennae installed.
The final photo shows 531st FS Mustangs in the foreground, with 46th and 72nd FS Mustangs in the background. This photo was also taken on March 25th, a day after the 46th and 531st FS Mustangs arrived on Iwo Jima.
Iwo Jima Models 