A devout Mormon, Lt. Roland Wright looked forward to piloting a P-51 Mustang. He also looked forward to naming it Mormon Mustang. In fact he liked the name so much that he used it three times.

Mormon Mustang
Model, P-51 Mustang

On January 20, 1945, Lt. Wright shot down a German ME 262. Low on fuel, it was necessary for Wright to land at a German airbase. At that point he did not know if the base was occupied by Germany or the Allies. Fortunately, five days earlier the French had occupied the airfield. Wright received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his deed that day.

B-17 Flying Fortress


Model, B-17 Flying Fortress

The B-17 “Flying Fortress” was 75 feet long with a wingspan over 100 feet and stood 19 feet tall. It could carry 6,000 pounds of bombs and required a crew of 10. By the end of the war, 12,731 B-17’s had been produced, with a peak production of 16 per day at the height of the war.

William McKell

William McKell was a prisoner at the infamous Stalag Luft III where Lieutenant Harold “Hal” Gunn was also imprisoned for a time.

Paratrooper

For William McKell the motto of his flight training, “It don’t mean a thing if you don’t pull that string” was not forgotten as he bailed out of his burning B-17 over Germany. The pulled ripcord from his parachute has remained a cherished possession since the day it saved his life.

A devout Mormon, Lt. Roland Wright looked forward to piloting a P-51 Mustang. He also looked forward to naming it Mormon Mustang. In fact he liked the name so much that he used it three times.

Mormon Mustang
Model, P-51 Mustang

On January 20, 1945, Lt. Wright shot down a German ME 262. Low on fuel, it was necessary for Wright to land at a German airbase. At that point he did not know if the base was occupied by Germany or the Allies. Fortunately, five days earlier the French had occupied the airfield. Wright received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his deed that day.

B-17 Flying Fortress


Model, B-17 Flying Fortress

The B-17 “Flying Fortress” was 75 feet long with a wingspan over 100 feet and stood 19 feet tall. It could carry 6,000 pounds of bombs and required a crew of 10. By the end of the war, 12,731 B-17’s had been produced, with a peak production of 16 per day at the height of the war.

William McKell

William McKell was a prisoner at the infamous Stalag Luft III where Lieutenant Harold “Hal” Gunn was also imprisoned for a time.

Paratrooper

For William McKell the motto of his flight training, “It don’t mean a thing if you don’t pull that string” was not forgotten as he bailed out of his burning B-17 over Germany. The pulled ripcord from his parachute has remained a cherished possession since the day it saved his life.