Capt.Wallace Emmer 354th Fighter Group

[aaatripp]

Reminder: the damaged P-51D which is photographed on the ground in "History in the Sky" is #44-13400 on 3 Aug 44, following a landing accident which occurred while Franklin "Bud" Rose, Jr. was returning from Mission #185, a bomber escort mission to protect B-26s flying to Chartres. Fortunately, Rose was unhurt in the crash.

On 4 Aug Bud (Emmer) flew a different a/c on Mission #186, which was a fighter sweep NE of Paris. He did not fly on the 5th or 6th. On the 7th he led both patrol missions (#190 & 191) over Vire-Argentan-Alencon-Laval in his new a/c and was credited with a confirmed kill of a ME-109 (his 14th and last AVC) sometime around 1520h. No missions were flown on 8 Aug. He did not fly the morning mission (#192 to Flugplatz A213, north of Reims) on 9 Aug, when his CO and longtime buddy, Don Beerbower, was KIA.

....so, we're focusing on a very narrow window (for photos of the a/c) between the time when the new FT-G Ser. #44-13948 was assigned to Bud Emmer and 1658h on the afternoon of 9 Aug 44 when he took off on his last mission (#193), leading the 353FS as Red One (Jacknife 60) on an armed recce back to the Reims area......his 3rd mission in his new "ARSON'S REWARD".

Tripp