Watch This Raw Footage From a P-51B Mustang “Patty Ann II” Destroying Enemies During WWII

Footage from a Legendary Pilot

This rare footage captures 1st Lt. John Thornell flying his P-51B Mustang “Patty Ann II” during World War II. The clips show real combat scenes as he destroys enemy aircraft and targets on the ground. These images are not reenactments—they’re actual moments from the war, recorded in real time. The footage gives viewers a front-seat look at what air combat looked like over Europe in 1944.

Thornell’s aircraft, “Patty Ann II,” flew missions against both enemy fighters and airfields. In just a six-month span between January and June 1944, he destroyed over 17 enemy planes in the air and several more on the ground. These victories placed him among the top American fighter aces of the war.

The Life of Lt. John Thornell

John Thornell was born in Massachusetts in 1921. He joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 1940, and later became a pilot with the U.S. Army Air Forces. After training on the P-47 Thunderbolt, he moved to England in 1943 with the 328th Fighter Squadron. In early 1944, flying the P-51B, Thornell made his mark in combat during bombing escort missions and ground attacks.

After returning to the U.S. in July 1944, he continued to serve in different roles around the world, including posts in Germany, Turkey, and England. He retired in 1971 as a Colonel. He passed away in 1998 and is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in California.

Hangar 180 proudly flies a P-51D Mustang in Thornell’s markings and honors his family’s history through this preserved footage.

Keep going for the video below: