P-51B “Shangri-La” (KP 1/72)

 P-51B-7-NA s/n 43-6913 “Shangri-La” (KP 1/72)

336th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF, Pilot Capt. Dominic Salvatore “Don" Gentile

Debden Airfield, Essex - England 1944

Capt. Dominic S. “Don” Gentile - 336th FS/4th FG/8th AF - England 1944

Kit: Kovozávody Prostejov - KP #KPM0029 Scale: 1/72

Aftermarket:

• EzLine for the antenna.
• BarracudaCast Item: BR72498 P-51 MustangBlock Tread pattern resin main wheels.

The kit is very good and it was the best P-51B in 1/72nd scale until the release of the Arma Hobby kit. Decals were used a mix of the kit supplied decals and spare parts since the color register from my sample were very off, especially for the Star’n'Bars decals.

Don Gentile was born on December 6, 1920, in Piqua, Ohio. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in July 1941, and the British Royal Air Force No 133 Eagle Squadron in 1942. During this time he was credited with the destruction of 2 enemy aircraft in aerial combat. Gentile was commissioned a 2LT in the U.S. Army Air Forces on September 15, 1942, when the Eagle Squadrons were absorbed into the 4th Fighter Group in England. He was assigned to the 336th Fighter Squadron of the 4th FG and managed to destroy another 19.83 enemy aircraft in the air plus 7 more in ground strafing runs before he returned to the United States in May 1944. This gave him 21.83 total air victories during World War II. After participating in War Bond tours, he was assigned as a Test Pilot at Wright Field, Ohio, where he served until April 16, 1946, when he was honorably discharged. Capt Gentile was recalled to active duty on December 6, 1946 and served as a Plans and Training Officer in the Fighter Gunnery Program until September 1948. He attended the Air Tactical School from September 1948 to June 1949, and then received an Air Force Institute of Technology assignment to the University of Maryland to complete his degree. Maj Gentile was killed in the crash of a T-33 Shooting Star on January 28, 1951, near Andrews AFB, Maryland. Gentile Air Force Station in Kettering, Ohio, was named in his honor in 1962.

His 1st (of 2) Distinguished Service Cross Citation reads:
"For extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy, 8 March 1944. On this date Captain Gentile, while leading a section of Fighter aircraft on a bomber escort mission to targets in the vicinity of Berlin, Germany, saw a flight of bombers being attacked by approximately fifty enemy fighters. With only his wing man as support and without regard to the overwhelming odds against him, Captain Gentile immediately attacked the enemy formation and by extremely courageous flying and skilful gunnery destroyed three enemy planes and broke up the threat against the bombers. Continuing with his wing man, they destroyed three more enemy fighters. By this time the wing man had expended his ammunition and Captain Gentile's supply was very low. Despite this fact, they picked up a straggling bomber and escorted it to friendly territory. Captain Gentile's outstanding courage and determination to destroy the enemy on this occasion set an example of heroism which will be an inspiration to the Armed Forces of the United States.”

Modifications to the kit:

• New resin wheels for the Tread Block pattern as seen in the photos.
• Use of spare parts decals to replace out of register colour for the kit supplied decals.
• The antenna mast is indicate4d wrong on the instructions, used the photo reference for the correct type.
• Camouflage colour scheme:
• Gunze Acrylic Drab I (H52) on upper surface.
• Gunze Acrylic Neutral Grey (H53) for underside surfaces.
• Gunze Acrylic White flat (H11) for stripes and spinner tip.
• Gunze Acrylic Shine Red (H23) for spinner bottom and aircraft nose.

Reference photo

Model Photos

That's all folks!

P-51C Mustang “Evalina” (Arma Hobby 1/72)

 P-51C-11-NT 44-10816 “Evalina” (Arma Hobby 1/72)

26th FS, 51st FG, 1st Lieutenant Oliver E. Strawbridge

China, January 1945

Kit: Arma Hobby - Expert Set #70038 Scale: 1/72

Aftermarket:

• EzLine for the antenna.
• BarracudaCast Item: BR72497 P-51 Mustang Diamond Tread pattern resin main wheels.

The kit is the best P-51B available in 1/72nd scale.

A P-51C with the charming name “Evalina” was the first and, as it turned out, last fully airworthy North American Mustang to be captured by the Japanese. Intensive tests followed by demonstration flights at combat units convinced both veterans and commanders of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force that their most recent “acquisition” was a truly fantastic aircraft – the fulfilment of every fighter pilot’s dreams.

The North American P-51C-11-NT Mustang with registration number 44-10816 (manufactured at the Dallas plant in Texas as 111-28949) was the personal aeroplane of First Lieutenant Oliver E. Strawbridge. At the turn of 1945, the fighter was stationed in China with the 26th Fighter Squadron, itself an element of the 51st Fighter Group. The unit’s combat trail had started in India and proceeded through Burma and China, ending in French Indochina, a territory that comprised present-day Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

“EVALINA” Ends up in Japanese hands

In truth, the circumstances of the incident have still not been fully clarified. We do know that on 16 January 1945 the pilot landed “Evalina” on the Chinese airfield of Suchin, which was still held by the Japanese. While the Americans concluded that this was the result of a navigational error, Japanese sources mention an emergency landing – and then muddle the story still further. Namely, some maintain that the aircraft belly-landed in a rice paddy near the base, but according to others the fighter made a normal landing necessitated by a technical fault.

Practically all historians reject the former version of events, logically assuming that Japanese ground crews would have been incapable of repairing damage sustained by an Allied fighter during a wheels up landing made in difficult terrain (especially as there are no extant documents suggesting that such repairs had actually been performed). This would appear to be supported by the fact that later, when “Evalina’s” tail wheel leg suffered only slight damage, it was simply left locked in the down position. Whatever the case may have been, the chance acquisition of a virtually brand-new and fully functional Mustang was a godsend to the IJAAF. It was no surprise, therefore, that the aircraft was collected and flown to Japan, where it underwent detailed testing, by one of the leading aces of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force – Major Kuroe.

The Riddle of “EVALINA”

The final act of our story took place several dozen years after the end of the war. In the nineteen eighties and nineties, growing interest in the wartime activities of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force led to the publication of numerous press articles and monographs. “Evalina” also became rather widely known, both among World War II history buffs and modellers.

Strangely – albeit in a sense logically – it was taken for granted that since the aircraft had been regularly flown by Oliver E. Strawbridge, he must have been the leading protagonist of the whole unfortunate event. Whereas… Around the mid-nineties, First Lieutenant Strawbridge’s granddaughter, Sara, finally shed some light on the riddle. Namely, she stated that although she had never met her grandfather (due to family reasons), she knew with absolute certainty that he had not been the pilot of the Mustang on that fateful day of 16 January. Furthermore, she informed that her grandfather had served in the USAAF until the very end of the conflict and had never been a Japanese POW. From what she recollected, he had died in 1987 in the USA. The name given to the aircraft, “Evalina”, was that of his then girlfriend. Their love fizzled out, however, and after the war First Lieutenant Strawbridge married a woman by the names of Ruth Anne.

The topic was taken up by a few historians, with the renowned Henry Sakaida first and foremost among them. Finally, it was determined that the Mustang had been piloted by First Lieutenant Sam McMillan, Strawbridge’s friend from the 26th Fighter Squadron. Captured and imprisoned by the Japanese, he survived the war and returned home. When this research was being conducted, First Lieutenant McMillan was still alive, living in his hometown in Connecticut. However, due to his age and state of health, he did not assist in clarifying the circumstances of the incident. Sakaida published his conclusions in “Flight Journal” magazine sometime around the year 2000 (although it would seem that they are not widely known today). Ms. Susan Strawbridge-Bryant assisted in collecting a considerable part of the material.

(Text extracted from: Arma Hobby kits Blog, History. https://armahobbynews.pl/en/blog/2021/11/19/the-chequered-fate-of-the-p-51c-mustang-called-evalina/)

Modifications to the kit:

• New resin wheels for the Diamond Tread pattern as seen in the photos.
• The antenna wire was made using EzLine super fine.
• Paint scheme:
• SMS Lacquer - Metallic Aluminium for overall fuselage.
• SMS Lacquer - Stainless Steel for exhaust panel.
• SMS Lacquer - Metallic Silver for upper and ventral wing panels.
• Gunze Acrylic - Olive Drab 1 (H52) for anti-glare panel.

Reference photos

Model photos

That's all folks!

Mustang III - RAAF (Hasegawa 1/72)

 Mustang III, FB244/CV-V  3rd Squadron RAAF (Hasegawa 1/72)

Fano - Italy, April 1945

Kit: Hasegawa #AP11 Scale: 1/72

Aftermarket:

• EzLine for the antenna.
• Eduard Photo-etch set #72 110 P-51B/C Detail set for Hasegawa kit.

The kit was originally released in 1992 and have a few issues like:

• The wing is from a D version not a B/C;
• The wheel wells are too shallow; and
• Very minimal interior details.

Originally formed on 1 July 1925, 3 Squadron was one of twelve permanent Royal Australian Air Force Squadrons in existence at the beginning of the Second World War. In the first months of the war the squadron adopted an operational alert status, absorbed new personnel and intensified its training, prior to being identified to accompany the 6th Division of the Second AIF overseas as an attached army co-operation squadron.

Leaving its aircraft behind, 3 Squadron sailed from Sydney on 15 July 1940. Arriving in Egypt on 23 August 1940, the squadron was placed under the command of the Royal Air Force's Middle East Command and organised a three flight army co-operation squadron: two flights were equipped with Gloster Gauntlet and Gladiator fighters and the third with Westland Lysander utility aircraft. It commenced active operations in support of British Commonwealth land operations in the Western Desert on 3 November 1940.

During the next four and a half years, 3 Squadron became one of the most active squadrons in the RAAF, quickly becoming a jack-of-all-trades. In addition to the conventional reconnaissance and ground attack roles of an army co-operation squadron, it defended ground forces and bombers from enemy aircraft, and conducted strikes against enemy shipping. The squadron was involved in the first Allied campaign in Libya between November 1940 and April 1941, and played a critical role in the invasion of Syria in June and July 1941. In September 1941 it returned to the see-sawing war in North Africa, which finally ended with the defeat of the Axis forces in Tunisia in May 1943. Operating from Malta initially, the squadron supported Allied operations in Sicily between July and August 1943. Sicily was a stepping-stone to Italy, which became 3 Squadron's principal area of operations for the rest of the war.

3 Squadron's original aircraft had been replaced by Hawker Hurricanes by January 1941, but for most of the war its principal workhorse was the Curtis P-40, with which it was first equipped in May 1941. Two successive variants of the P-40, known as Tomahawks and Kittyhawks, were employed by the squadron before they were finally replaced by North American P-51 Mustangs in November 1944. In Italy, the squadron adorned its aircraft with a southern cross painted on the rudder, a practice which has been continued by more modern incarnations of 3 Squadron to the current day.

3 Squadron's war was brought to an end by the surrender of German forces in Italy on 2 May 1945. Since November 1940, the squadron had been responsible for shooting down 217 - enemy aircraft, making it the highest scoring British Commonwealth squadron in the Mediterranean theatre of operations. It destroyed another 29 aircraft on the ground in addition to 709 motor vehicles, 28 water vessels of varying sizes, and 12 locomotives. The squadron sailed from Egypt for home on 27 September 1945 and was disbanded at Point Cook in Victoria on 30 July 1946. 3 Squadron was, however, destined to reform in 1948.

Modifications to the kit:

• Cockpit detailed with Eduard P-E.
• The antenna wire was made using EzLine super fine.
• Pilot figure from spare parts box with arm scratch-built to correctly have the controls manned.
• “Turning” propeller scratch-built and painted.
• Decals for this version from the Arma Hobby kit #70038
• Paint scheme:
• Tamiya Acrylic - XF83 Medium Sea Gray 2 (RAF) for underside surfaces.
• Tamiya Acrylic - XF-81Dark Green 2 (RAF) and XF-82 Ocean Gray 2 (RAF)  for upper side camouflage.

Reference Photos

This is the only known photo of the depicted aircraft V-CV

Model Photos

That's all folks!