Lt. William Bolin King (355th FS, 354th FG, 9th AF), age 21, poses briefly sometime after 24 June 1944 at Cricqueville en Bessin Airfield (A-2) on the wing of his P-51B-10-NA (s/n 42-106434) “Atlanta Peach.” His nose art includes strafing five formations of troops on the road, a locomotive, two tractors, 1.5 aerial victories, assorted bomb runs, shovels, and clean sweeps. All he is missing is drowned kittens, an omelet, and a Frenchman on a board waitress ‘Allo ‘Allo style.
Atlanta Peach later crash-landed at Ansbach Airfield R-45 Katterbach, Germany due to engine failure, on 1 May 1945. The pilot survived, aircraft was badly damaged, it is unknown if it was repaired, as noted Baugher, leading to “Atlanta Peach II.”
As for King, born 21 April 1923 in Atlanta, he joined the Army Reserve on 4 June 1942 as an enlisted man. He completed the Air Cadet program as a qualified pilot with the rank of Second Lieutenant on October 1, 1943. Assigned to the 355th Fighter Squadron / 354th Fighter Group on 8 March 1944, he totaled 307 flight hours at the end of the month including 228 of initial training. Promoted to Lieutenant on 24 June 1944, then Captain on 8 November, he left active service on 29 October 1945. During his stay with this unit, he made ace with 5.5 confirmed victories (three Fw109s, half an Fw 56 Stösser, 1 Me 109, 1 Me 410 Hornisse) in aerial combat between 6 April and 25 August 1944, and earned both the Silver Star as well as the Bronze Star.
He later went to the Air Force in 1947 and retired as a light colonel in December 1964.