"Twilight Tear" is a north american
p-51d mustang with a rich history.
Delivered to the 78th fighter group
in Duxford, England in april, 1945,
she arrived late in the war. She was
assigned to lt. Hubert "bill" davis,
who promptly named her after his
favorite race horse. davis shot down
three german aircraft, two ME-109's
and, notably, an ME-262, Germany's
first fighter jet. He also
participated in the famous raid on
Hitler's eagle's nest near
the end of WWII.
After the war, Twilight Tear, along
with many other low time fighter
aircraft was sold to the Swedish Air
Force in 1948, then went on to serve
in the Israeli Air Force from
1953-1960.
The aircraft was purchased in 1960
by Bill Lear of lear aircraft fame,
was modified and saw civilian life
as the demonstration platform for
the world's first autopilot.
After crashing in Iceland in 1963,
Ttwilight Tear was stored until
acquired by an american in 1991.
After a few subsequent transfers, it
was acquired by Ron Fagen in 2005.
While undergoing the restoration,
the discovery was made as to the
rich history and lineage of this
famous aircraft, and the decision
was made to restore her to her
original specifications when Hubert
Davis flew her inWWII.
This complete and meticulous project
earned the prestigious "Lindy" at
Oshkosh in 2009. The detail is
unmatched, right up to and including
the functional .50 cal machine guns!
(see the video below)
78th Fighter Group
The 78th fighter
group was activated
in 1942. It
initially trained
for combat with
P-38's and served as
part of the west
coast air defense
organization.
Eventually, it moved
to England in
November 1942 and
was assigned to
eighth Air Force.
The group was
assigned to Duxford
Aerodrome in April
1943 and equipped
with P-47s. The group
consisted of the 82d
fighter squadron
(mx), 83d fighter
squadron (hl), and
the 84th fighter
squadron (wz).
From Duxford, the
78th flew many
missions to escort
B-17/B-24bombers
that attacked
various targets
throughout Europe.
The unit also
engaged in
counter-air
activities and on
numerous occasions
strafed and
dive-bombed
airfields, trains,
vehicles, barges,
tugs, canal locks,
barracks, and
troops.
In addition to other
operations, the 78th
participated in the
intensive campaign
against the German
Air Force and
aircraft industry
during big week,
February 20-25th
1944 and helped to
pave the way for the
invasion of France.
the group supported
the landings in
Normandy in june
1944 and contributed
to the breakthrough
at Saint-lô in july
1944.
The group converted
to P-51 Mustangs in
december 1944 and
participated in the
battle of the bulge,
december 1944 -
january 1945. during
this time the
mustang supported
the airborne assault
across the rhine in
march.
The 78th fighter
group received a
distinguished unit
citation for
activities connected
with the airborne
attack on holland in
september 1944 when
the group covered
troop carrier and
bombardment
operations and
carried out strafing
and dive-bombing
missions. The group
received a second
distinguished unit
citation for
destroying numerous
aircraft on five
airfields near
prague and pilsen on
16 april 1945.
Duxford aerodrome,
still exists today
and has been
beautifully restored
to its WWII
grandeur. The
airfield is owned
jointly by the
Imperial War Museum
(IWM) and
Cambridgeshire
County Council. It
is the site of the Imperial War Museum Duxford and the
American Air Museum.
firing the guns
video
Duxford, England, 1945
Crash Site in Iceland, 1963
(click for larger image)