High Resolution P-47C Thunderbolt
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This represents the P47C-5-RE,"VF-E" BuN 41-6575, of Capt.Kendall "Swede" Carlson, 4th FG, 336FS, as it appeared August, 1943. Capt.Carlson joined the 4thFG. on July 25,1943 and served until February 25,1945 when he crash landed onto an airfield he and the 4thFG. were straffing. The "Fighting Eagle" on the engine cowl of "VF-E" was original applied when it was the mount of Maj.John Dufour. This was retainded when Carlson became the next owner. 
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In his book "Tumult In The Clouds" Maj. James A. Goodson has this to say about the "Swede"....

"He  wasn't what you'd call a big-time hero. In fact there wasn't much glamour and glory about the 'Swede', but he was a nice guy to have around. If you know what I mean. 
The first night I saw him down at the end of the bar he looked like a Gremlin. He had a grin on him that wouldn't quit. It was the kind of grin that makes you forget what the other guys looked like because it was the first and the last thing you noticed. 

Next morning, I went up flying with him in our new massive P47 Thunderbolts which we treated with a great deal of respect.
I didn't waste anytime taking off and I hadn't got my wheels up before he was formating on me with his wing-tip stuck inside mine and his prop churning away a few inches from my wing-tip. Climbing up through the 2,000 foot overcast we broke out into sunshine. I immediately racked into a tight turn but when I looked around there he was right on my wing-tip grinning and looking around like a kid. I put him in line astern, flipped on my back and split-essed downto the overcast. I hauled her back, just about blacking out, shot up and racked it into a tight Immelmann. When I got through I figured I'd lost him, I couldn't see another plane in the sky. I punched the R/T button and asked if he could see me?
"Hell yes, I'm still around. Six o'clock on you."
I cocked up my wing and stomped the rudder to slew myself around a bit. and there he was behind and below me, with his prop chewing right under my tail.  Later I learned that the' Swede' had over 1,000 hours flying time, some as an instructor, before joining the 4th. 

The next day, we went to Paris escorting B-17s with the' Swede' as my wingman. After we'd got formed up and set course I could look across at him grinning like a cat. That grin wasn't just for his own benefit, it was for mine too. Round about 27,000 feet we leveled off and slid out into combat formation. The weather was perfect. Visibility unlimited. Joining the bombers we crossed in over the French coast. We could see the Siene wriggling down past Rouen towards Paris. It looked real pretty and peaceful. The' Swede' was the first to report enemy aircraft ahead. About a hundred yellow-nosed FW190s. They were in a head-on attack on the lead box of bombers. The leading edge of their wings were winking and flashing. I remember how big and dry my tongue was when I said."Red Section going down." and I remember the "Swede' saying "I'm with you."  The plane bounced around when I jerked at the controls in my nervousness. Then I was on the tail of a 190 and firing. There were flashes and something came tumbling past me. He fell away and as i swung past him I saw flames licking alaong the grey fuselage and over the black cross. I threw thestick into one corner of the cockpit and trampedrudder and slid under the first bomber. Then ship after ship, element after element flashed past me, as a hurtled through the formation. Suddenly I was clear and pulled up. I screwed my head around to clear my tail and there was a radial engined plane behind me. I punched my R/T. "Is anyone with me?"
"Yeah, I'm still around. right behind you." It was the 'Swede'.
We spotted a straggler below, a lone bomber and the Jerry's were buzzing around him like flies. The big ship began to spin and then there was aflash, and a tall, stillcolumn of smoke. I was able to close on the Jerry's as they circled the wreck. I clobbered him and watched him crash., when I heard the 'Swede' yell "Break! Break left!"
I heard a clump. The plane shuddered and started to stall. I could see the round yellow nose and most of all I could see the flashes that lit up the leading edge of his wings. I tightened my turn and fought the plane with the stick and rudder as it shuddered and bucked. My mouth was so dry that it burned.Then I felt the 'crump' again. Too low to try to drive away I prepared to bailout.
Then I heard the 'Swede': "Ok, I'll have him off you in a jiffy." 
I looked back and saw the Jerry's fuselage covered with flashes as he went into a field on his back.
Then suddenly there wasn'tany other planes in the sky. Just me and the 'swede' formating on me and grinning.
There was something wrong with my plane and there was a good chance that I wouldn't make it home.
So I called the 'Swede' and told him to go home.  He didn't answer me and when I repeated, he said: "Oh I reckon I'll stick around for a while longer."
He stuck around alright, all the way back across the Channel and landed right behind me back at base.

Like I said the 'Swede' wasn't rated among the top Aces, but he was usually around when you wanted him. He stuck around for quite a while for those days but when he ended his combat career, he went out in style.

I was already in the bag, as a guest of the Third Reich but the day after it happened, the story was all over the big Prisoner of War camps. The 'Swede' got it strafing an aerodrome, the way all the best ones did. When the Swede's time came, he slipped and slid his drying Mustang onto the aerodrome they  were strafing. Maj. Pierce McKennon, leading the group, figured he'd heard the last of the 'Swede' but then he started getting orders on how to direct their attack. "Hey, 'Swede' where the hell are you? What's your altitude?"
"My altitude is nil, Mac, I'm on the ground, but my radio's still working."
And so he conducted the show until here wasn't much left to strafe. But the 'Swede wasn't finished. "Hey Mac, there's two more190s coming in to land, come back and get 'em!"

In the end, furious and armed Germans converged on Carlson's plane because the last 190 which had crashed in flames had been piloted by their commanding officer Hauptmann Hoffmann. Maybe the one reason why he wasn't torn limb from limb, is I'm sure, when they got to him, the 'Swede was grinning from ear to ear.

No, he was no big-time hero and you probably never heard of him. But there were a lot of guys like him and when you needed someone to loan you a buck, or fly on your wing, or help win a war, they're nice to have around. If you know what I mean."
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Capt. Kendall 'Swede' Carlson, at the time of his capture, February 25th. 1945,  had already received both an Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. And his squadron score card showed 4 air victories and 6 ground kills. 
    
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Note: Due to the increasing number of files required, in order to minimize the download size, the pcx files are not included. However, do not fear, the zip file contains a batch file, P51BHRTPC-PCX, for converting tpc to pcx using gpmTpc2Pcx.exe for those who want to try their hand at skinning. Simply place this file and the accompaning file, gpmTpc2Pcx.exe, in your folder containing the tpc files and execute. This batch file is courtesy of John "Chompy" Masters who also created the 3d model. Much thanks to you John!


USE.
Simply extract all the files into your EAW folder, or install into your skin manager program as it's instructions reccomend. To uninstall, just delete the files listed below.

The new High res 3dz set for the P-51 B is based on the same 3dz's from the P-51 D, with a few changes to get the look right, and incorporate the Malcolm hood sliding canopy.  The cockpit 3dz's have also been altered to add a few changes I thought neccessary -
1.  Wide view armour added
2.  Bars removed to match Malcolm hood view,
3.  "Deflection" type gunsight/instrument panel
4.  High res wingview added.

The new 'Damaged Torn Off Wings' (TOW) and 'roughly torn off' wing stub have been added to the aircraft to give more realistic looking damgage FX.

The only changes to the main file set (when compared to the D's files) are the inclusion of separate TOW damage PCX's.  The Complete file list and their uses are as follows-

PP51bA.3dz = 3dz file for the Left rear fuselage and tail
Pp51bB.3dz = 3dz file for the Right rear fuselage and tail.
Pp51bC.3dz = 3dz file for the Cockpit area.
Pp51bE.3dz = 3dz file for the Right wing.
Pp51bF.3dz = 3dz file for the Front fuselage, left and right
Pp51bG.3dz = 3dz file for the Left wing.
Pp51bH.3dz = 3dz file for the Gunst type transparent shadow.
Pp51bL.3dz = 3dz file for the Left Torn Off Wing (TOW).
Pp51bM.3dz = 3dz file for the Medium Distance Model (MDM).
Pp51bP.3dz = 3dz file for the Propellor.
Pp51bR.3dz = 3dz file for the Right Torn Off Wing (TOW).
Pp51bS.3dz = 3dz file for the Long Distance Model (LDM).
Pp51bU.3dz = 3dz file for the High res Wingview.
Pp51bV.3dz = 3dz file for the Cockpit - left side.
Pp51bW.3dz = 3dz file for the Cockpit - right side.
Pp51bY.3dz = 3dz file for the in cockpit view of the prop.
Pp51bZ.3dz = 3dz file for the Gunsight and seat.

Pp51bFRT.pcx = file for the FRonT fuselage L and R (F.3dz)
Pp51bLEX.pcx = file for the Left wing (G.3dz)
Pp51bLTW.pcx = file for the Left Torn off Wing (L.3dz)
Pp51bMEX.pcx = file for the MDM and LDM (M and S.3dz)
Pp51bREX.pcx = file for the Right wing (E.3dz)
Pp51bRTW.pcx = file for the Right Torn off Wing (R.3dz)
Pp51bTEX.pcx = file for the cockpit, shadow, prop and cockpit prop (C,H,P and Y.3dz's)
Pp51bTLL.pcx = file for the TaiL Left and rear fuselage (A.3dz)
Pp51bTLR.pcx = file for the Tail Right and rear fuselage (B.3dz)
Pp51bTRA.pcx = transparency file for the TEX file
Pp51bV.pcx   = file for the cockpit (V and W.3dz's)
Pp51bVTR.pcx = Transparency file for the cockpit (clear glass gunsight mod)
Pp51bWNG.pcx = file for the High res wingview (U.3dz)
Pp51bX.pcx   = file for the cockpit guages (X.3dz) 

The X.3dz (guages) is not included.  It's the only file I haven't altered!!

As always, there are still a few rendering issues that I have been unable to solve.  This 3dz is optimized for D3D, but if there is demand, I can work on a separate Glide 3dz.

PCX files have been omitted ONLY to save space.  If you want the PCX files, D/L the P51B HR TPC-PCX batchfile from my site.  Likewise, if you want to do a skin for these 3dz's, D/L the P51B HR PCX-TPC batchfile.  Both batchfiles convert all 14 texture files with a double click.

**** Skinners take note -  The PCX's with this aircraft use different palettes.  Save and use the palettes that the PCX's come with unless you want spotty problems!  The FRT, TLL, TLR and TEX use a modified 'blue' palette, LTW and RTW use a modified palette, and the rest use the default Mustang palette (from memory!).  I have blank skins if anyone wants them *****

Thanks to All who helped with the original P-51D HR model, 
Salty for the great textures which make up the base skin and the MEX, for the aircraft/pilot info at the top of the page, and for great construction and skinning detail help. 
Mr J for his Malcolm hood version of the D (the C.3dz uses this) and for his transparency ideas on non-TEX files,
JWC for the wide view armour idea,
Peregrine for the Deflection gunsight idea.
Migge for the cockpit and guage textures
Sorry, thanks and S! to anyone I forgot.

Feel free to send any comments, questions, feedback etc.

John "Chompy" Masters,
4th January 2003.
jdmasters@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~jdmasters/
