Sunday, January 20, 2013

Aviation Classic Issue 2

On 15 August 2009 North American P-51D Mustang 44-13521 Marinell landed back at Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire. It had last taken off from there on 13 August 1944, which prompted a voice to sound over the radio saying, "Welcome home Marinell" After spending five years rebuilding the fighter to achieve such a tribute to Lt Myer Winkelman who was killed that clay 65 years ago, pilot Maurice Hammond simply replied "Thank-you" in an emotional voice as he taxied towards the parking area. P-51D-5-NA 44-13521 was built at NAA's Inglewood, California factory and taken on charge on 30 June 1944. It flew with the 339th Fighter Group's 504th Fighter Squadron from Fowlmere. This Mustang was usually flown by Captain Bradford V Stevens, but it was being flown by 2nd Lt Myer Winkelman when it was shot clown on a low-level bombing mission over France on 13 August 1944 resulting in the loss of life of its young USAAF pilot.

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