The P-51D Mustang was a single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and the Korean War. It was designed by North American Aviation in response to a British request for a long-range fighter aircraft that could escort bombers all the way to their targets deep in Nazi-held Europe. The P-51D was powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, which gave it excellent speed and range, and it was armed with six .50 caliber machine guns.
Captain Peter Nowick was a World War II fighter pilot who flew the P-51D Mustang. He was a member of the 355th Fighter Group and flew with the 354th Fighter Squadron. Nowick flew a P-51D named "Glamorous Glen III", which was named after his wife.
Nowick flew a total of 94 combat missions during World War II, and he is credited with shooting down three enemy aircraft. His most famous mission was on January 14, 1945, when he led a flight of P-51D Mustangs on a mission to strafe a German airfield in the Netherlands. Nowick's flight destroyed or damaged over 30 enemy aircraft on the ground, and they also shot down four enemy fighters in the air.
After the war, Nowick remained in the Air Force and served as a test pilot. He retired from the Air Force in 1972 with the rank of colonel. Nowick was awarded the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, and the Air Medal with 18 oak leaf clusters for his service during World War II. He passed away in 2004 at the age of 84.
In 1992, he began working as a painter, graphic designer, and illustrator of military books. He produces artwork in physical media, with brush and airbrush, and using the range of software for digital art so necessary to graphic design today. Since he took up art, Zbigniew has created over 5,000 colour profiles of aircraft, tanks and ships, published in more than 150 books. He has also created artwork for around 100 magazine and book covers. Zbigniew is also an amateur historian, specialising in military American WW2 aircraft camouflage and markings of. He has worked for numerous publishers in Poland, Czechia, Germany, Canada and the UK.