WW II Photo 1/8/2005

[Stryker]

It's hard to see in the photo, but the name on the cowling say's "My Girl". This P-51 mustang is taking off from the Iwo Jima airfield. Some say the price to take this island was too high; almost 7000 Marines Killed and 4 times that number wounded in less than 35 days. But, by wars end, over 2500 B-29 bombers back from raids over Japan, made "unscheduled landings" at Iwo. This aircraft may have flown cover for some of those "wounded ducks."