P-51 Mustangs - Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow 2023

A trio of North American P-51 Mustangs displaying at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, during the Battle of Britain Airshow on Saturday 16 September 2023.

P-51D 'The Hun Hunter\Texas':-
Accepted into the Army Air Force in 1945, P-51D N351MX served in the U.S. Military until 1958 when it was purchased by the Guatemalan Air Force. It was later owned by filmmaker Chris Woods. In 2000 the aircraft was restored with a design that honours “February.” In June 2-18 she was shipped to the UK and put into the colour scheme we see today as P-51D s/n 44-133 WR-Z ‘The Hun Hunter \ Texas’ flown by Capt. Henry W ‘Baby’ Brown pf the 354th FS, 355TH FG. Henry Brown was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross to go with the Silver Star, multiple Distinguished Flying Crosses and Air Medals, and Purple Heart. He tallied 14 air-to-air victories before being shot down and captured on October 3, 1944.
P-51D N351MX has been owned and operated by Comanche Fighters LLC in Houston, Texas since 2009.

P-51D 'Miss Helen':-
This P-51D Mustang is the only known surviving original airframe that was operated by the 352nd Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) during World War 2.
“Miss Helen” 44-72216 was delivered to the 487th Fighter Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group at RAF Bodney (USAAC station 141) in January 1945. It became the personal aircraft of Captain Raymond (Ray) Henry Littge. Coded HO-M it was flown on a number of combat missions by Littge, including 6 confirmed ground kills on 17 April 1945.

In total air and ground victories Ray Littge was the 352nd's third highest scoring ace with a total 23.5 victories, 10 of which were air-to-air with a half credit for an 'assist' and the remainder were credits for enemy aircraft that were destroyed on the ground. Only John Meyer and George Preddy were higher scorers in the 352nd FG.
In early 1945 the 352nd were deployed to Belgium where they operated from both AAF Station Y-29 at Asch and later at AAF Station A-84 at Chievres, so for a portion of “Miss Helens” operational career with Littge the Mustang was based in Belgium. The 352nd returned to Bodney in early April 1945 Littge was flying “Miss Helen” from Bodney during very successful ground attack operations on 16th-17th April 1945.

Ray Littge left Bodney to be assigned to special duties in the USA in May 1945. “Miss Helen” was then assigned to Capt. Russell H Ross, who renamed her “Miss Nita”, after his girlfriend. He flew this Mustang until the end of the war.

After the end of WW2, many surplus 8th AF Mustangs were flown to Germany for storage and “Miss Helen” was one of these. It was purchased by the Swedish Government in February 1948 and joined the Swedish Air Force as FvNr 26116, serving at Ostersund and Uppsala. In 1953 it was sold to the Israeli Air Force and allocated the IAF number 43. It was 'retired' to a children's playground at Ein Gedi kibbutz, where it was retrieved from in 1978 and then restored.

TF-51D 'Contrary Mary':-
Built too late to see combat service in World War Two, P-51D 44-84847 was one of the last Mustangs constructed at North American Aviation’s Dallas, Texas, plant. It was built as a photo reconnaissance conversion of the P-51D which was designated F-6D-25-NT and later RF-51D, of which 136 were made. Details of her post war service career are limited, but there is photographic evidence, from September 1951, of her serving with the 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Kimpo, South Korea, during the Korean War.

By late 1951 it was shipped back to the US to serve with the Air National Guard until around 1956. Her history from then until January 1999, when she re-appeared in North Dakota as a restoration project, is unknown. She joined The Fighter Collection fleet in 2000 and was moved to Chino, California for a full restoration by Fighter Rebuilders, modified into a two-seat TF-51D, registered N251RJ.

She flew again in May 2007 and was painted in the 55th Fighter Group scheme of Capt. Frank Birtciel’s P-51D 44-14561, 'Miss Velma' and arrived at Duxford on the 4th July 2007.

On 9th July 2017 she made a wheels up forced landing in a cornfield due to engine failure. She was shipped back to USA for damage repairs, then repainted as 'Contrary Mary'. This scheme was worn by P-51D Mustang 44-14251, coded WZ-I, of the United States Army Air Force (USAAF), 78th Fighter Group, 84th Fighter Squadron based at Duxford during 1945, as originally flown by Lt.Col. Roy Blair Caviness. Caviness was part of the Headquarters Squadron, and brought the P-51 with him as his personal Mustang when he was transferred from Command of the 361st FG to take over as Group Commander of the 78th from 1 July 1945.

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