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Full Video of all existing combat footage

NEWLY DISCOVERED COMBAT FOOTAGE

This clip contains gun camera footage from 1st Lt. Darrell S. Bash of the 462nd Fighter Squadron. These clips show Bash strafing ground targets of opportunity. In the first few seconds, you can see a couple of aircraft to the left (presumably fellow squadron P-51's on their strafing run). The bright flashes that seem to dance around the footage is tracer fire emanating from enemy ground fire. Due to it's liquid cooled engine, the P-51 was not best suited for the role of ground attack, however, the 506th pilots flew many sorties where they were assigned this dangerous type of mission, especially for the final months of the war in July and August.

Lt. Bash flew P-51 # 616, 'Shanghai Lil' and finished the war being credited with 1 aerial victory, which he scored on June 10, 1945, shooting down a Japanese Tony fighter while on an escort mission to Tokyo. For his part in the war, Lt. Bash received a Distinguished Flying Cross, as well as the Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf clusters.