Looking for pics and info on 352nd FG P-51's

[gamary]

I had free time and also didn't have the patience to wait for your answer so I started drawing it.



Now the hard part is left: name, weathering and crew name.

[gamary]

Almost finished:




All that is missing is the name under the canopy but I'm hoping you (or someone else) might have better photo ref. cc. that. Also, it needs a little extra staining on the fin tip and around the fuel cap. The name is a bit of an approximation but it's hard to distinguish the details on the pics.

Does anybody know why there is a unpainted strip of metal at the base of the spinner? I've never noticed that on other 51s.

[gamary]

I've finished it as I could:



Since I don't have any detail about the name under the canopy, I used a standard handscript font and the text Lt. Nelson R. Jessup.

I'll be uploading it to Mustang! as well.

[jesup]

Very nice! I forwarded what you did to my Uncle and his children. One correction: Jesup is spelled with one 's'.

I've read conflicting info as to whether he had 3 or 4 kills total. I think the official total is 3. (Certainly at Asch when the picture was taken it had 3 below the canopy, and I assume that was after Jan 1/Bodenplatte.)

If I get a closeup of the lettering I'll let you know. The picture of him in the cockpit is from an earlier Peanuts I think (a B model I believe), which was lost with another pilot flying.

[gamary]

I'm glad you like it. Thanks for pointing out the mistake: I'll correct it tomorrow and post again. I don't where where I got that extra S.

AFAIK, you're right about the cockpit shot: it's the "first" Peanuts", a B-model. It's sadly ironic (and maybe lucky for your uncle) that his two assigned aircraft were lost while being flown by other pilots.

More tomorrow. Regards,

[gamary]

I've corrected the drawing and the info on the website. Since the resolution of the drawing posted here does not make it possible to see the correction, I figured it was pointless to upload the new drawing.

Please let me know if ever you find a close-up of the cockpit so I can correct it.

Best regards,