Flown by Capt. Lloyd J "Jeff" French of West Hartford CT, 503rd Fighter Squadron,339th FG, P-51K 44-11623 D7-A "Rusty". L-R Bellman brothers of Manhattan KS; crew chief S/Sgt. Robert C Burns of Dearborn MI & Capt. French.

 P-51K "Rusty"

Part of over 1,000 B-17 bombers, circa 1942-1943.

B-17 Bombers

The crash-landing seen here occurred on 20 June 1944 when Maj. Bill Routt suffered a systems failure. The P-51 had only been with the squadron since 10 June.The “D” model P-51 was only just entering service around the time of D-Day and those that were available mostly claimed by the senior officers. Modellers note the full D-Day markings, a rare sight on P-51D’s