P-51 15th TRS, 19th PRS “Lil Margaret” Capt. Clyde Bennet “Stonewall” East, Battle of the Bulge, June 1941. Clyde East flew P-51 Mustangs with 414 Fighter / Reconnaissance Squadron RCAF in England, In January of 1944 East transferred to the U.S Army Air Force. On June 6, 1944, Captain East became the highest ranking ” reconnaissance ace. East participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy in the Mustang. It was during this mission that East and his wingman stumbled upon several FW-190s landing and promptly dispatched them with their .50 caliber machine guns, claiming the first aerial victories of the invasion. East became a confirmed ace in March 1945. He would go on to score 9 more aerial victories against the Luftwaffe. East’s aircraft was named for his girlfriend, Margaret Ann Dilks, whom he later married.