Captain Bill Whisner & Moonbeam McSwine featured in
"New Year's Bash"
© Troy White, Oil on canvas, 56" x 44"
In an epic battle on January 1, 1945, Captain William T. Whisner flying his assigned P-51D Moonbeam McSwine downs an Me 109 after a head-on pass despite having been hit in the oil tank and wings. Whisner and the rest of the 487th FS had taken off into a hornets nest of Messerschmitts and Focke Wulf s. At around 1,500 feet he ran into about thirty FW-190s and quickly shot one down. While doing so, "Moonbeam McSwine" was hit in the oil tank and wings. Despite his dropping oil pressure and having lost control of his left aileron, Whisner continued into the fight. Moments later, he shot down a second FW-190 then engaged a third in a dogfight that lasted ten minutes before he dispatched that one also.
The airstrip was still under attack as Whisner approached and saw an Me-109 strafe the northeast end of the field. They made two head-on passed at each other, and on the second pass he hit the Messerschmitt in the nose and wings. It crashed and burned east of the strip. (This is the scene depicted above in the painting "New Year’s Bash".)
After chasing several more enemy fighters without results, Capt. Whisner was forced to return to the base and land as his windshield was covered with oil. When the day’s results were tallied, the 487th had shot down twenty-three of the Luftwaffe attackers and had suffered no losses. This was Capt. Whisner’s fourth victory for the day, bringing his total to 15.5. "Whiz" later flew with the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing and the 51st FIW in Korea scoring with both units. He shot down 5.5 Soviet MiG 15s and damaged 6 others, making him one of only a handful of "two-war aces" and giving him a grand total of 21 victories.
Above: 1st Lt. Bill Whisner is seen climbing into his P-51B "Princess Elizabeth". On May 30, 1944. "Whiz" shared a victory with George Preddy while flying this aircraft. A P-51B painted in these markings is currently flying on the air show circuit in Great Britain. Next Captain Bill Whisner poses after scoring kills and two probables on November 21, 1944. Finally Major Bill Whisner is seen beside his F-86A while he was with the 4th FIW in 1951.
Above: Captain Bill Whisner's Moonbeam McSwine shortly after having the engine shut down at AAF Station Y-84 in Belgium in 1945.
Bill retired from the Air Force as a Colonel in 1971. On September 21, 1989, Whisner passed away after having been stung several times by yellow-jacket wasps two days earlier in his hometown of Pineville, Louisiana. Photos copyright ©352nd FG Association via Sam Sox . Used with permission
"New Year's Bash"
is available as a signed & numbered limited edition print.
Overall print size: 22" x 28", Edition Size: 500 @ $135 each with 50 Artist Proofs @ $300 each.
Each print comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and an extensive background story.
For additional information on Limited Edition Prints click here
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All artwork represented on the pages of this website is copyrighted and may not be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without the knowledge, permission and express written consent of the artist Troy White. All text, photographs and graphics on the pages of this website, except where otherwise noted, are copyrighted by Stardust Studios. No copyrighted material appearing on this website may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic or printed, without the knowledge, permission and express written consent of Troy White, Stardust Studios.
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Revised: 28 Mar 2007.
