Crew chief S/Sgt Harry East awaits word from Col. Don Blakeslee on issues with his Mustang following a mission to Munich. East fought a losing battle with the temperamental engine fitted to Blakeslee's first P-51B, struggling to get the right bank of its Merlin engine to stop smoking and missing. The fighter was finally replaced, much to east's relief, when it suffered a perforated hydraulic line.