Quick Overview

The P-51D Mustang Old Crow was an American fighter aircraft which was most widely produced by Mustang. The P-51D was equipped with a larger canopy and an aero products propeller to replace the Hamilton Standard propeller. The Old Crow arrived in Europe in mid-1944 and quickly became the primary USAAF fighter in the theater.

In the same year, 1944, Captain Clarence Anderson returned to the 375th Fighter Group for a second combat tour. He was assigned a new P-51D Old Crow in the dark green mask. Captain Bud was on a mission when the first drop of snow in Germany fell. Thus, he noted a mixed flight of dark green and silver aluminum Mustangs below him. After his mission, he told his ground crew that the one painted dark green stood out against the snow background and the silver ones appeared to the have the best camouflage. Because of that, Bud suggested painting the Old Crow silver the next time it was down for heavy maintenance.

The next morning, Captain Bud arrived at the station to find his P-51D Old Crow in a gleaming aluminum paint scheme, ready for flight. Three members of his crew worked on it through the night scraping, rubbing and remarking. They were all tired and their hands were raw, due to the cold and solvents they used. The change made to the aircraft was dedicated to Bud Anderson and all 357th crew chief and ground support personnel who maintained the P-51 Mustang during World War II.

This handcrafted and handpainted wooden model is signed by Col. Clarence "Bud" Anderson.