Thanks to Lyric1 for his research on this one. It was INVALUABLE as always. Also thanks to the usual crowd (Devil, Greebo, FTJR, Oboe, etc.) for the assistance and feedback offline. As always, a hat tip to Oboe for his outstanding pilot figure. This should be the default. It's first rate.
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P-51D-10-NA (F-6D), s/n 44-14735
"Pride of the Bluegrass - ZM*D
Lt. John Ragan "Red"/"Ace" Ellis
10th PRG, 12th TRS
Fürth, Germany, May 1945
This is Lieutenant John Ragan "Red"/"Ace" Ellis' F-6D-10-NA Mustang (s/n 44-14735) "Pride of the Bluegrass" coded ZM*D of the 10th Photo Reconnaissance Group, 12 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. Lieutenant Ellis was assigned to this aircraft after his previous mount, an F-6C, crashed. He was credited with two victories, one each on 5 and 9 April 1945, and one damaged. He went on to a lengthy career in the Air Force flying T-33s, F-80s, and F-89s among others, passing away in 2007.
The F-6D was an armed photographic reconnaissance version of the P-51D Mustang with more than half a dozen different camera installations each possessing varying capabilities (compare this one with Clyde East's F-6D* for example). The aircraft is depicted as it was in May 1945 while flying out of Fürth, Germany with Lloyd Hoobery's nose art showing a zoot suit-clad Kentucky Colonel jitterbugging (Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State).
The 12th TRS, equipped with the RF-4C Phantom, was the last dedicated regular USAF recce squadron before it was inactivated on 30 September 1993.
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https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,401318.0.htmlClick to enlarge.
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