First off, nice job everyone on all the skins you've been creating.
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P-51D-20-NA, s/n 44-72035
"Tall In The Saddle" - A3*3
Lt. George Edward Hardy
332nd Fighter Group, 99th Fighter Squadron
Italy, 1945
This is P-51D-20-NA "TALL IN THE SADDLE" of the 99th FS, 332nd FG, 15th AF based in Italy, coded No. A3*3. Flown by Lt. George Hardy, who flew 21 missions in it during World War II. At the age of 19, Hardy was the youngest member of the Tuskegee Airmen and was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group--known as "The Red Tails" and "The Red-Tailed Angels" due to their distinictive markings.
Born in Pennsylvania on 8 June 1925, Hardy had a long career in the Air Force. After WWII he flew 45 combat missions as a B-29 pilot then later went to Vietnam flying AC-119K gunships for another 70 missions. He retired in 1971 as a Lieutenant Colonel. His decorations include the Air Medal with 11 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. As of this submission he is one of two surviving combat veterans of the Tuskegee Airmen who served with distinction in World War Two as the first U.S. aviation unit in which black aviators saw combat action.
44-72035 "Tall in the Saddle" of the Hanger 11 Collection is purported to be Hardy's actual Mustang from WWII--although this has been disputed by some--and has been restored to flying condition in Hardy's markings. I do not have a conflicting serial number so I'm using this one.
His son Frank is a friend of mine and is a pilot with a fine career of his own (including I believe service as an F-4 Phantom pilot in the USAF). "Those are some pretty big shoes for a kid to fill."
This is most likely my last P-51D skin for AH3 barring something supremely interesting that I can't pass up.
