I finally had the chance to do some research the other day. I filled my satchel with microfilm reels and headed over to the library. This is the first opportunity I have had to do so in 10 years because there were no microfilm viewing/scanning machines where I was living in Uruguay. As usual I found a lot of cool and interesting things in addition to what I was specifically looking for. One of the things I found was this PRO release about 352nd Fighter Group pilot Bill Whisner and his P-51B "Princess Elizabeth".
I recall reading somewhere that contrary to the PRO release, Bill did not want to have that name for his plane, it was actually the PR officer who thought it would be a good idea. Anyway, a couple of years after moving to Uruguay I made this pencil drawing of Whisner and "Princess Elizabeth" which was meant to depict him scoring a shared victory over an Me 109 on 30 May 1944. He shared the kill with his buddy George Preddy. I've always liked this drawing and think it would make a great painting but I've painted so many blue nosed Mustangs over the years including Whisner's subsequent P-51D, that I have been reluctant to do another one unless it is a commissioned work. Recently I've been tossing around the idea of creating a painting using the same composition but changing the markings to depict a Tuskegee Airman Mustang instead as I think more attention should be focused on their contribution to victory in WWII.
The real "Princess Elizabeth" only lasted for a week after that sortie. She was shot down by flak on D-Day, 6 June 1944 with another pilot at the controls. These days there is a restored warbird on the air show circuit that bears similar markings. The actual aeroplane is a beauty to behold but sadly the markings on it are not historically correct. Here is a photo I found on the MustangsMustangs website.
In actual fact ground crews were hard pressed to get the black and white invasion stripes painted on the planes between close of business on 5 June 1944 and the first mission the following morning. They simply painted over the fuselage codes and as time permitted in the following days they relocated the aircraft ID letters to the tail. They never had a chance to do so for "Princess Elizabeth" because she was a wreck in France by sundown on the 6th. I reckon the owners made an aesthetic decision to remove the "W" from the fuselage and paint it on the tail. When you own an aeroplane you can paint it any way you want. Unfortunately this has resulted in revisionist history because modellers and artists are unknowingly depicting this Mustang incorrectly.
And the beat goes on...
If you are interested in more on Bill Whisner check him out at this link: http://www.starduststudios.com/william-t-whisner.html
And the beat goes on...
If you are interested in more on Bill Whisner check him out at this link: http://www.starduststudios.com/william-t-whisner.html