Research Assistance Requested - P-51D "The Deacon" - 21st FG (Iwo Jima)

[Vraciu]

Thank you, Hajo.  Much appreciated.

[lyric1]

Perhaps The Deacon is facing Mr. Death ready to clobber him.

 
Maybe he is looking right at you?
Two eyes two eyebrows a nose a hat possible mouth.
Going back to the cropped black and white image again.

[lyric1]

Taking this black and white image gives us the most detail.

(Image removed from quote.)

Looks like some one signed the art work as well.
Possibly the squadron artist was signing all his work?

[Spikes]

Maybe he is looking right at you?
Two eyes two eyebrows a nose a hat possible mouth.
Going back to the cropped black and white image again.

(Image removed from quote.)

[Vraciu]

So here is what I see...

I don't have the clear zoomed image to play with but hopefully you can see around Lyric's notes which are in orange.



MAN:




DEMON:

[Vraciu]

Another version...

[Devil 505]

It's just too blurry to have any idea what's going on with it.

Probably best to shelve this one until better reference is available.

[Vraciu]

It's just too blurry to have any idea what's going on with it.

Probably best to shelve this one until better reference is available.

It's finished.  The only thing left is this bit of nose art.  I want to do "THE DEACON" because it is iconic (everyone has seen this footage a million times).  But if that fails I can always switch it to "IS THIS TRIP NECESSARY?" which is a sister aircraft with plenty of photo documentation.   "THE DEACON" is far more noteworthy an airplane but perhaps it is a wash.   If we figure out what this nose art image is we'll be among the very few who knew/know.

http://www.gaetanmarie.com/is-this-trip-necessary-a-good-motto-for-the-day-and-an-ever-better-mystery/

[Vraciu]

I have stared at this thing a million times.

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/the-deacon-starting-up-line-of-p-51s-starting-engines-the-news-footage/mr_00003421






I can't help but think Deacon Hively's P-47 nose art is somehow related.   At least in terms of the pose except that his arms are not doing exactly the same thing in both images.

[lyric1]

So here is what I see...

I don't have the clear zoomed image to play with but hopefully you can see around Lyric's notes which are in orange.

(Image removed from quote.)

MAN:

(Image removed from quote.)


DEMON:

(Image removed from quote.)

Clean image for you to work with. We clearly are seeing two totally different things. 

[Waltz41]

I got to watch a premier of the movie Apocalypse '45, which will be airing on the Discovery Channel on Labor Day weekend.  I helped get a couple of our 506th vets interviewed for it.  Anyways, it in, they show this color footage, but it is really restored, and might help us out a little bit more.  I tried to take a couple screen shots, so I will send them to Vraciu to analyze.  When it comes out, we might be able to visit it again and see what we come up with.

[Waltz41]

It's finished.  The only thing left is this bit of nose art.  I want to do "THE DEACON" because it is iconic (everyone has seen this footage a million times).  But if that fails I can always switch it to "IS THIS TRIP NECESSARY?" which is a sister aircraft with plenty of photo documentation.   "THE DEACON" is far more noteworthy an airplane but perhaps it is a wash.   If we figure out what this nose art image is we'll be among the very few who knew/know.

http://www.gaetanmarie.com/is-this-trip-necessary-a-good-motto-for-the-day-and-an-ever-better-mystery/


(Image removed from quote.)

So I have never seen any photo that connects  IS THIS TRIP NECESSARY to P-51 #44-63289.  In fact, I have this aircraft down as a 72nd FS Mustang not a 531st, but without proof.  Which might be why as this little profile suggests, it's not the same plane in the report as the photos show.  Not to get away from the main thread, but does anyone else have anything on this one?

[Vraciu]

That would be fabulous, Waltz.  I hope you bay dig it out.


Does IS THIS TRIP NECESSARY? have a correct side number in the profile?  335 I think.

Lyric, that clear shot you show makes me see something else.   It's amazing what different exposures reveal.

I would love to solve this mystery. We would be pioneers. Lol.

[lyric1]

That would be fabulous, Waltz.  I hope you bay dig it out.


Does IS THIS TRIP NECESSARY? have a correct side number in the profile?  335 I think.

Lyric, that clear shot you show makes me see something else.   It's amazing what different exposures reveal.

I would love to solve this mystery. We would be pioneers. Lol.

What strikes me as weird is the single black and white image is clearly from the colour film. Yet none of the colour footage is as clean as the black & white single frame.

[Mister Fork]

Who flew The Deacon? Here it is in a P-47 - same pilot?