Wirecutting Mustang Operation Kadesh
- Масштаб:
- 1:72
- Статус:
- В работе
1956. The jet age started and the famed P-51 Mustang has become obsolete as a combat aircraft. But when armed conflict loomed again in the middle east, this bird played a last trump it had up its sleeve. A trump it had in its genes from the very beginning: range.
Being able to attack targets way beyond the reach of early jets, it was given the first and quite dangerous task of this new war. Equipped with a long balasted wire they were to cut communications far behind Egyptian lines. By the time the planes arrived at the scenes, these devices were unfunctional already. The four pilots of 116th squadron decided to pursue the task nevertheless and bluntly flew through the wires and poles, cutting communication lines with propellers and wings.
There are conflicting reports on losses and their causes concerning this raid. I believe one plane got lost due to small arms ground fire.
I originally wanted to build this plane with a heavily weathered paint job at the end of its service life. Then I learned that all Mustangs transferred to 116th squadron received a new paint job in Feburary 1956. So even when exposed to the elements for half a year, weathering should not be too heavy by end of October 56.
As participants of operation Kadesh, as Israel called the Sinai campaign (Great Britain and France named it operation Musketeer) the planes received black and yellow identification stripes on fuselage and wings.
All 1:72-decals for those Mustangs participating in operation Kadesh are out of production, so that I have to find different solutions to depict such a machine. To make my life a bit easier I chose No 39, as it is displayed at the airforce museum in Hazerim.