Black Friday

     A pair of two 457FS/ 506FG Mustangs on Combat Air Patrol near Iwo Jima, at some point before June the 1st, 1945, also known as the "Black Friday". P-51D "538" flown by Lt Lawrence Grennan and the "The Enchantress" flown by 2/Lt William E Saks. Both will take part at the "Black Friday" mission, with Saks getting MIA flying another Mustang (44-72885).
     Lt Lawrence Grennan in 44-72552 lost sight of his wingman ( one of the missing ) and dropping down to near sea level headed home. His engine cut out 10 miles from Iwo Jima and he bailed out at 5,000 feet, boarding his inflatable dinghy in a calm sea. His position was radioed in by passing B-29s and he was soon picked up by a Navy ship. He flew again the next day on a combat Air Patrol (CAP) over Iwo. One very interesting point of his story is, as his widow reported, that Larry used the signalling mirror he used to help in his rescue as the mirror he shaved in the rest of his life!!!
     June 1st 1945 was Black Friday for three ( 15th, 21st and 506th ) 20th AAF Fighter Groups.
The pilots of the 506th FG were briefed for a very long range bomber escort mission (VLR) to Japan, also referred to as 'the Empire'. 148 P-51s were to protect a force of 400 B-29s in an incendiary bombing raid on Osaka.
The Mustangs were to meet up with a flight of B-29 navigational guidance planes and be led to the rendezvous point with the bomber force off the coast of Japan. Single-seat fighters did not have the navigation equipment to make long over the water flights.
     About 370 miles from Iwo Jima the fighters encountered the squall line of a huge weather front that one pilot estimated extended up to 70,000 feet. The fighter pilots had no choice but to try to negotiate the front or turn back and leave the bomber force unescorted in their raid. The commander of the fighter force ordered a go ahead, and led by their B-29 guides the Mustangs plunged into the heavy rain and severe turbulence of the front.
In moments chaos ensued. Flights of Mustangs became hopelessly broken up in the near zero visibility and shocking turbulence. Collisions and near collisions took place and one P-51 flight leader was heard to call another flight leader saying " If your wingman bumps into me again I am going to shoot him down." Squadron leaders, faced with a hopeless situation, began to order their pilots to turn back for Iwo Jima. The 400-strong bomber force was also affected by the bad weather, only a small fraction of the B-29s making it to the target, accompanied by a handful of the P-51s.
      Twenty-seven Mustangs and twenty-five pilots were lost on this day. It is believed to be the biggest single day loss of P-51 Mustangs in WW2, including Europe. Among the missing pilots was the CO of the 506th Fighter Group, Lt-Col. Harvey Scandrett, who, as leader of the escort force gave the order to continue the mission when the weather front was encountered.
    Created with Cinema4D, rendered with Maxwell and post processed with Photoshop, as a tribute to all the brave men that fought and died with the 506th FG over the PTO!