I would like to express my sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the brave men and women(yes, women, the Nurses) of the US Army Air Forces 9th and 15th Air Forces in Italy, the 8th out of England, the 20th out of the SWPOA and the 15th in CBI for their contributions to the continued freedom of the world during the dark days of World War2. Without these gentlemen in the air, the various army divisions on the ground and the Fleets on the seas, this world would be so much different and darker than it is today.

I have spent my life studying the various campaigns, developments and battles of World War 2, mostly in the Pacific Theatre, being from a Navy family myself. However, mostly because of the dangers involved in the flights over targets such as Ploesti, I have studied the 9th and the 15th extensively and I’ve seen Major Brooks’s name,a s well as those of the Preddy brothers mentioned in a number of books and historical accounts. Gentlemen, Well Done, and thank you for everything you’ve done.

Bob was one short of ace though a couple of probables might have given him that status. Twice he sat his F6F in the drink, was picked up by a DD and traded to the Cabot for ice cream as was the custom back then. Bob shared some stories of bomb missions and the four certain air victories a couple years before he died.

I know this is not a pure P-51 tribute, a plane that I admire, but it is in the spirit of all those who flew and at such a young age. Thanks for your efforts towards passing along the stories of these heros. Jim Brooks and the P-51 is a wonderful kick off effort. The production is so well done.

Chuck Lacy

My mother told me that she got to fly in a Mustang once and advised me that if I ever got to take a ride in one, to not hesitate for a second.

I started flight training in February 2009 and promised myself that if I got my private pilot certificate, I would treat myself to a flight in a Mustang. Just one month before I passed my checkride for my license, I met a Mustang pilot at a small gathering of P-51s at an airport in Northern California. We became friends and I spent the day helping him push the plane out onto the ramp, pulling the chocks out from the wheels and keeping track of the protective plugs that go in the exhaust ports. The day was drawing to a close and people were leaving for home, when the pilot grabbed me by the arm and instructed me to climb into the back seat of the plane and buckle up. I was going for a ride in a P-51 Mustang!

It was everything I ever imagined it would be and 1,000 times more! As we taxiied back to the hangar, tears streamed down my cheeks as I thought back to nearly 60 years earlier, when my own mother sat in the back seat of a Mustang and experienced that same thrill. I know she was right beside me in that cockpit as I rolled and looped among the clouds.

Hearing Lt. Jim Brooks’ story and seeing this documentary was fantastic. I know I will watch it over and over again. Thank you to all involved in this great effort.

Blue skies…

His generation has no eaquals.

Mark Lawrence
Decatur, Ga.

My dad, Capt Henry J Alinger, was a pilot in the Air Transport Command…a “Hump” pilot. Two years ago,
I wrote to the military archives in St Louis and was able to get copies of dad’s miltary records. Dad died in 1975 at the age of 59 which made him an “old man” at the time he flew the Hump. I was 16 at the time of his death. In his records, I found documented the 186 trips he made from Mohanbari, India (or Sookerting) into Kunming, China. These pilots flew primarily on instruments when no one knew how to instrument fly!
In an untested, somewhat ornery, Curtiss C-46 it’s a testament to these pilots spirit that they survivied!
I am so proud of dad and the all the men that served in this little know theatre of the war.

At the age of 16, my son wrote a poem about his grandfather whom he never met…it is titled simply “The Hump”

High above the highest crest,
These heavy airplanes, line abreast,
Though seemingly with steady ease
Do face this day a grueling test.

They fight the Himalayan breeze
To help to thwart the Japanese,
And staying ever mission bound
They help provide a soldier’s needs.

But little glory here is found
Granted to soldiers on the ground,
Who never would begin to fight
Without these fliers, unrenowned

And so they tarry through the nights
and keep their engines clear of ice
And though they’ve the most dangerous chore,
They’re fighting a forgotten war.

Jared was a young man with a love of aviation and his country. He was diligent in his pursuit to attend the United States Air Force Academy. Not long after writing this, he was killed in an auto accident. We learned later that summer that he would have secured a nomation to the USAFA.

The Hump Pilots Association has dissolved due to declining memebership…as mentioned in Mr Brooks video, this generation (the greatest) is dwindling in numbers each day. Please tell your stories and celebrate these men and women who served so unselfishly, so humbly, with so much grace.

We are blessed to have received the gift of their sacrafice!

You can’t be in love with planes and not develop some appreciation, if not open love, for the P-51. I can’t tell you how many different models of the plane I built over the years, nor can I recount the countless books I read about the plane and the brave pilots who took them to war. To say I’m obsessed with the lore of the P-51 is not too strong of a statement.

Several years ago, my darling wife….unbeknost to me….arranged for a Christmas gift of a lifetime. In our town, Jacksonville, FL., there is a P-51 owned and flown by Dave Marco. The plane is the “Sizzlin Liz “. It’s stunning. It was awarded the top prize for warbirds at the Oshkosh show one year. It still looks as good as new, thanks to the stewardship of Dave and his crew.

Under the Christmas tree that year was a poster of the Sizzlin Liz and, signed at the bottom, was an invitation by Dave to show up and take a ride with him. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!To this day, I can’t tell you how many times I jumped off the floor…my wife says at least 20.

When the day of the flight arrived, I was a bag of jitters. Dave, though, put me at ease immediately. He showed me all around his hangar, showed the the documented history….pictures and all….of the restoration period his plane went through, and, of course, made sure I was comfortable with all the things we would experience during the flight.

The sounds that plane made may be the most lasting memory I have of the P-51. It’s hard to adequately describe, but the sounds penetrated your soul and spoke to your psyche. On run-up prior to takeoff, you wonder if you could have survived the intensity of the noise without benefit of the headset.

Prior to releasing the brakes for the blast down the runway, your overriding perception is that of being inside a caged, wild animal straining to attack. Then, in what seems a mere moment, you’re climbing through the sky with a level of commitment you’ve never experienced before. Having flown light aircraft myself in years gone by, I thought I had a pretty good idea of how this flight would go. I didn’t have a clue.

To say it was an experience of a lifetime doesn’t do it justice. I heard things and felt things at a level I didn’t know existed. What a thrill those young guys who took this plane to war got to enjoy, and I, now, have a much better appreciation for what a day in the office was like for them. Except, of course, I didn’t share the fear of getting killed as they did, each time they mounted their steed. God bless the souls of each and every one of them.

You have my deep gratitude for your contributions & sacrifices, as one of the guarantors of a future for me & my children / grandchildren. BRAVO ZULU !!

I regret that I had inadequate time at Gathering of Mustangs & Legends (GML) to inspect all the P-51’s—especially “February.” I prize the GML program, and especially its profile of your service.

Very Respectfully,

Mac Hunt

2nd Cousin to Bill & George Preddy
Director, Preddy Memorial Foundation
( http://www.preddy-foundation.org )

Swansboro, N. C.

Blue skies and gentle landings,

Joe

I agree that today’s youth probably don’t know much, if anything, about these heroes who fought and died for our freedoms. Part of that is our fault, because we often don’t do enough to teach them about our past. This DVD brings the history we teach to life, making the lessons more real for our cadets. I have always been fascinated with airplanes and with combat aircraft, especially WWII era planes, and it was wonderful to see this film. The P-51 is a magnificent plane, and to see so many of them flying at the same time is breath-taking. Thank you for making this film, and I guarantee that we will continue to use it to educate our cadets about this special part of their heritage.

Major Jeff Pruitt
USAF (ret.)

Roman Susil
Zlin, Czech Republic