Colonel Joe Peterburs is a decorated World War II fighter pilot who served with the 55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force. At just 19 years old, he flew the legendary P-51 Mustang on long-range escort missions protecting B-17 bombers over Nazi Germany. During his 49th combat mission on April 10, 1945, Joe engaged enemy aircraft, was shot down near Berlin, survived, escaped from a German prisoner-of-war camp, and ultimately rejoined Allied forces. During the war, he was also credited with shooting down renowned Luftwaffe ace Walter Schuck, one of Germany's most accomplished fighter pilots; this being one of the few occasions when an Allied fighter shot down a German Me 262 fighter jet in aerial combat. Joe later continued his distinguished military career through the Korean and Vietnam Wars, retiring as a Colonel after more than three decades of service.
Depicted in this illustration is an F-51D Mustang, as the Mustang was known in US Air Force service; 'F' for fighter replacing the US Army Air Forces' designation of 'P' for pursuit. FF-560 was one of the two Mustangs most commonly flown by Peterburs during the Korean War, alongside FF-777. During this time he was assigned to the 12th Fighter Bomber Squadron.
