P-51D Mustang 352nd FG, 487th FS "PETIE 2nd"

General Background
Later in WWII the Allied bombers were flying deep into Germany but suffered tremendous losses because of the lack of range the fighter escorts had. German fighters would wait beyond the range of the Allied fighters and then attack the vulnerable bombers. Once the P-51 called Mustang by the British had the Allison engine replaced with a British Merlin it possessed the high performance that had been lacking. With drop tanks the P-51 had the range to escort bombers all the way to Berlin and back.
The Aircraft
J.C. Meyer joined the USAAF in 1939. By 1943 he was a Major and CO of the 487th Fighter Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group Stationed in Bodney, England. With the nose of their aircraft painted blue the 352nd became known as “The Blue-nosed Bastards of Bodney”. On November 26, 1943 Major Meyer scored the first 487th victory against a Me-109. In 1944 Meyer became a Lt. Col. and finished WWII with 24 air-to-air victories, 13 ground victories. He was awarded three Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star with oak leaf cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross with five oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with 15 oak leaf clusters, the Purple Heart, the French Croix de Guerre, and the Belgian Croix de Guerre. During the Korean War Meyer was CO of the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing and earned 2 MiG-15 victories. He later became a four-star General and held many posts and commands, too numerous to list. One such role was Vice Chief of Staff of the USAF. On July 1, 1974 General Meyer retired from the military as Commander in Chief of SAC.