John Meyer's "Petie 2nd"
Lt. Col. John C. Meyer's P-51D-10-NA 44-14151 "Petie 2nd", of the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group. This aircraft was the 2nd Mustang that Meyer flew. It was initially duller, with the aircraft's name and kill marks in white. However, Meyer wanted to "scare the hell out of the Germans" and ordered Sgt Sam Perry to repaint the markings in orange to make them more conspicuous. Meyer scored two victories in this aircraft, out of a total of 24 confirmed aerial victories (21 of which were achieved while flying P-51 Mustangs, making him the second leading Mustang ace). He was also credited with 13 ground victories. His military decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross with two oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Silver Star with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with six oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with 14 oak leaf clusters, Croix de Guerre with palm from both France and Belgium.
After the war, Meyer continued his Air Force career. During the Korean War, he was appointed Commander of the 4th Fighter Wing and shot down two Soviet MiG-15s while flying the F-86 Sabre. His career culminated in May 1972, when he became Commander of the Strategic Air Command and the director of the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff. He retired in 1974 and died a year later, on December 2, 1975.
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