March 1944; Debden, England. The 4th Fighter Group's P-51 Mustangs are proving to be temperamental machines, but most of the experienced pilots are nonetheless excited about their new fighter - for obvious reasons. It was small, fast, handled well, and most of all promised for the first time the ability to carry the fight to the heart of Germany. Outfitted with long-range drop tanks, the Mustangs could go anywhere the bombers needed to go - and more. So, despite teething troubles with the P-51s and an increasing Spring ops tempo, big smiles after a mission were common.
Capt. Duane W. "Bee" Beeson of Boise, Idaho (left), a 71 Eagle Squadron veteran, shares a post-mission laugh with 1Lt. Charles D. "Chuck" Carr of Lincoln, Nebraska. Both pilots flew with the 4th's 334th Fighter Squadron. On the afternoon of April 5th, 1944, the 4th was tasked with attacking several Luftwaffe airfields - a dangerous mission at best. Carr was flying White 4 in Beeson's four-ship section that day, and coming off the airdrome at Gardelegen heavy ground fire mortally crippled Beeson and Carr's P-51s and both men bailed out to become prisoners of war. For Beeson, his remarkable run at becoming one of the top allied aces of the war was over. His final aerial tally was 17.33 confirmed destroyed, with an additional 4.5 destroyed on the ground.
Capt. Grover C. Hall, Jr., of Montgomery, Alabama, the 4th Fighter Group's Public Relations Officer, listens intently between the two pilots. His postwar classic, 1000 Destroyed: The Life and Times of the 4th Fighter Group, remains one of the best insider accounts of life in an 8th Air Force fighter group during World War II.
Completed 2013
Collection of Barry Panasik
March 1944; Debden, England. The 4th Fighter Group's P-51 Mustangs are proving to be temperamental machines, but most of the experienced pilots are nonetheless excited about their new fighter - for obvious reasons. It was small, fast, handled well, and most of all promised for the first time the ability to carry the fight to the heart of Germany. Outfitted with long-range drop tanks, the Mustangs could go anywhere the bombers needed to go - and more. So, despite teething troubles with the P-51s and an increasing Spring ops tempo, big smiles after a mission were common.
Capt. Duane W. "Bee" Beeson of Boise, Idaho (left), a 71 Eagle Squadron veteran, shares a post-mission laugh with 1Lt. Charles D. "Chuck" Carr of Lincoln, Nebraska. Both pilots flew with the 4th's 334th Fighter Squadron. On the afternoon of April 5th, 1944, the 4th was tasked with attacking several Luftwaffe airfields - a dangerous mission at best. Carr was flying White 4 in Beeson's four-ship section that day, and coming off the airdrome at Gardelegen heavy ground fire mortally crippled Beeson and Carr's P-51s and both men bailed out to become prisoners of war. For Beeson, his remarkable run at becoming one of the top allied aces of the war was over. His final aerial tally was 17.33 confirmed destroyed, with an additional 4.5 destroyed on the ground.
Capt. Grover C. Hall, Jr., of Montgomery, Alabama, the 4th Fighter Group's Public Relations Officer, listens intently between the two pilots. His postwar classic, 1000 Destroyed: The Life and Times of the 4th Fighter Group, remains one of the best insider accounts of life in an 8th Air Force fighter group during World War II.