The Iowa beaut

This 355th Fighter Group (8th Air Force) P-51B Mustang had an interesting history. The plane started out as Man O' War, belonging to eventual... more

by Wade Meyers

Original - Sold

Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

14.000 x 8.000 inches

Title

The Iowa beaut

Artist

Wade Meyers

Medium

Drawing - Pencil On Toned Paper

Description

This 355th Fighter Group (8th Air Force) P-51B Mustang had an interesting history. The plane started out as Man O' War, belonging to eventual 8-victory ace Lt. Col. Claiborne Kinnard, of Franklin, Tennessee. As an aside, the pilot in my Vietnam F-4E Phantom painting, Chico the Gunfighter, worked as a young man postwar for 'Claib' and his brother at their plant in Franklin.

The plane was next assigned to Lt. Robert E. Hulderman, who named it The Iowa Beaut. Hulderman was not an ace - his final score was an Me 410 damaged - but he retained Kinnard's victory markings on the plane (on the left side). He later had a P-51D nicknamed The Iowa Beaut II. Hulderman was from Cleveland, Ohio, so my guess is he knew a girl from Iowa. Lt. Hulderman logged 58 missions and 264 combat hours in all.

Maj. Lee Mendenhall is flying the plane in my drawing. Ace Maj. Fred R. Haviland, Jr., of Tampa, Florida, also used The Iowa Beaut for several of his six victories, but it was not 'assigned' to him.

Lastly, Capt. Kenneth Rafferty was KIA flying this Mustang on 11 Sept 44. On that date, Capt. Rafferty and his element leader were returning home at minimum altitude. Both were hit by a heavy and accurate flak barrage after flying over a small German town. Rafferty and The Iowa Beaut spun in at low level.

Uploaded

January 5th, 2015