{"id":1589613,"date":"2022-06-03T17:19:23","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T15:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/armahobbynews.pl\/?p=1589613"},"modified":"2024-07-22T10:26:39","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T08:26:39","slug":"mazie-me-and-monk-reconnaissance-p-51b-2-na-mustang-43-12400-70040-70068","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armahobbynews.pl\/en\/blog\/2022\/06\/03\/mazie-me-and-monk-reconnaissance-p-51b-2-na-mustang-43-12400-70040-70068\/","title":{"rendered":"“MAZIE, ME and MONK” \u2013 Reconnaissance P-51B-2-NA Mustang 43-12400"},"content":{"rendered":"

Built by North American Aviation’s Inglewood, California facility, P-51B-1-NA 43-12400 was received by the USAAF 10 Aug 1943, shipped to the United Kingdom from Long Beach and received by the 9th AF in October 1943. The airplane was modified for the tactical reconnaissance mission (Tac-R) while in the UK by modifying the aft fuselage to mount a vertical or an oblique camera and the associated cockpit camera controls. <\/p>\n

Received by the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group at Middle Wallop, England in December 1943 she was assigned to the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron coded ZM*O. One of the first four P-51-B’s assigned to the squadron she would be the only one of the four to survive the war.<\/p>\n

“Mazie, Me and Monk” was probably the best known airplane assigned to the 10th Photo Reconnaissance Group during the war. Flying the 12th TRS first P-51Tac-R mission on 3 Jan 1944 with pilot Capt. E.B. “Blackie” Travis, the airplane would go on to rack up 172 missions and over 350 combat hours. Her last mission was flown on 28 May 1945 by 2ndLt Robert Worrell.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s just like a bad penny. Just when you think you\u2019ve lost her for good, Mazie, Me and Monk turns up again. She\u2019s been transferred twice, shot up three or four times, classified as war-weary, gone on 172 rough and long missions, and always come back.\u201d – SSgt Jesse “Monk” Davidson, crew chief.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Named for the pilot\u2019s wife<\/h3>\n

Capt. Travis named the mustang “Mazie” for his wife, “Me” for himself and “Monk” after crew chief SSgt Jesse “Monk” Davidson.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

“Mazie, Me and Monk” with markings of the photo-reconnaissance missions (camera) and visual reconnaissance missions (spyglass) and the Purple Heart Medal.<\/em> Photo shows Cpt. E.B. “Blackie” Travis (at right).<\/em><\/p>\n

By the end of her career she had been flown by all of the squadron pilots and a few pilots from the 15th TRS. But during her career she didn’t go unscathed. While being flown on a photo mission over St. Omer she took a 20mm shell through the tail wheel which exploded internally blowing a large hole in the fuselage, damaging the stabilizers and severing all of the controls but one. Though heavily damaged, pilot 1stLt Malcolm Cox was able to perform a successful landing. After two months for repairs the airplane was returned to the squadron.<\/p>\n

Lt. Cox set Mazie down like the lady she was, but the plane was almost two months getting repaired, and missed action on D-Day. \u201cAfter she came back that time\u201d \u2013 Monk recalls \u2013 she stayed in pitching for quite a while, flying two missions almost every flyable day, and sometimes getting up to ten or eleven missions a week\u201d. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Returning to the 12th TRS she continued to fly Tac-R missions, often two a day, while the 12th TRS supported General Bradley’s First Army. In June the 12th TRS was transferred from the 67th TRG in Middle Wallop to the 10th PRG at Chalgrove, England. But instead of moving to Chalgrove the squadron crossed the channel to Le Molay, France. On 1 August 1944 Patton’s Third Army became operational and the 12th TRS switched its support to Third Army.<\/p>\n

Fotorozpoznawczy F-6C Mustang\u2122 porucznika Newmana<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n