WIX Archives
Re: There are preserved P-51 Combat vets.... what a load of ...
Posted by Richard Allnutt on Wed Jan 21, 2004 12:47:47 PM
In reply top There are preserved P-51 Combat vets.... what a load of ... posted by Richard Allnutt on Wed Jan 21, 2004 12:15:42 PM
From Paul Coggan's excellent Mustang Survivor book...these combat aircraft are "preserved" under TiGHAR's rather stringent Standards.
44-63871 - At Musee de l'Air - former AAF, FvP, IDFAF
44-72123 - Museo de Armadas, Dominican Rep. - former AAF combat vet, FvP, FAD
44-73451 - Italian Airforce Museum, served in Italian Air Force in Italy during latter stages of WWII. Don't know if it actually was shot at, but it certainly was "in-theatre".
I am sure that there are others which served in combat in airforces other than the AAF too. Does that make them any less legitimate?
There are also a few largely original combat veteran P-51's flying, such as TFC's latest P-51D. Regardless of this, it seems such a ridiculous statement to say that there are no original combat veteran aircraft out there. Every serving aircraft throughout history has had modifications in the field or during their service careers. How does this make them any more, or less, original. TiGHAR make a lot of asinine comments, but there statements about "originality" are particularly galling.
Oh well, I guess there are those with a lot of time on their hands that have to nit-pick to the nth level of detail. Pity they don't put their resources to more useful goals...