This one is for the upcoming scenario. I have a couple minor tweaks left to finish it out but this is representative of the final product. I hope it meets expectations. Many thanks to Devil 505, Oboe, and Lyric1 for their help offline. I must also tip my hat to what I learned about metal from restoring Dutchguy's "Miss Velma" (along with completely redrawing his "Dallas Doll") a few years back and study of the work done by Fester when I adopted "American Beauty" from his orphan list. Their artistry inspired much of what you see here. Also the usual thanks to Greebo for all his help over the years. That input is always reflected in the work of the skinners here in ways big and small.
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P-51D-5-NA, s/n 44-13551
"Little Horse" - FT*K
Lt. Charles Wilbert Koenig / Kenneth Harry Dahlberg
354th FG, 353rd FS
May 1944
This is Lt. Charles W. Koenig's P-51D-5-NA "Little Horse" (S/N 44-13551) coded FT*K of the 354th Fighter Group, 353rd Fighter Squadron depicted as it would have appeared in May 1944. Koenig was a flight leader in the squadron and scored three of his 6.5 victories (3.5 x Me-109, 3 x FW-190) in this aircraft. It was also flown by Lt. Ken H. Dahlberg who was himself a triple-ace with 15 victories, although none were scored in this particular aircraft.
Koenig later named the airplane "Le Petite Cheval" after the squadron's move to France following the D-Day landings. He scored four and a half of his victories after D-Day. He had a lengthy post-war career flying P-51s, C-46s, C-119s, HU-16s, and Helio Couriers. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1974 before passing away from cancer in 1976.
General Koenig's awards include the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 12 oak leaf clusters (2 silver, 2 bronze), American Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Legion of Merit, National Defense Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Croix de Guerre (French), Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Longevity Service Award with 6 oak leaf clusters (1 silver, 1 bronze), European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 4 bronze stars, and the Air Medal with 12 oak leaf clusters. The "Pioneer Mustang Group" (354th FG) also earned two Distinguished Unit Citations during Koenig's time with them.
Dahlberg was shot down three times, escaping twice before becoming a Prisoner of War follwing his last shoot-down. He remained in the military until 1951 and would go on to own the company that created the Miracle-Ear hearing aid. "Little Horse" survived the war and was restored to flying condition in its original markings (with some modifications). Before he passed away in 2011 at the age of 94, Ken flew in "Little Horse" again during a reunion with its WWII crew chief, Staff Sergeant George Chassey, in 2006.
Dahlberg's awards include the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star with Bronze oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, Bronze oak leaf cluster, Purple Heart with bronze oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with three silver oak leaf clusters, Presidential Unit Citation, Prisoner of War Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, World War II Victory Medal, Air Force Longevity Service Award, and the Croix de guerre 1939-1945 with palm (France).
Some will note differences in this scheme compared to the restored warbird. The restoration includes a few inauthentic items which account for some (if not all) of the differences. Also, while a couple of the gallery shots show three victory markings the final version of the skin only displays two.
I'm still not a fan of JPGs on the forum as it feels like something gets lost in translation. I've posted some BMPs to my offsite gallery just in case.
Click to Enlarge.
Offline Gallery with Better Resolution:
