ON THE COVER: The Dakota Kid II also known by some as Long Island Kid was built in 1945. In 1990, it was
restored by Jerry Beck with Bob Odegaard, doing the wings and helping Jerry with finals. e original Dakota
Kid was named in March 1944 at Steeple Morden, England. The first was a P51C that was later replaced with a D model fl own by Lt. Noble Peterson of New England, ND. Like many Mustangs of the day, his main mission was bomber escort as part of the 355th Fighter Group. He was part of what became known as “Steeple Morden Strafers” who on secondary missions had the honor of destroying more aircraft on the ground during strafing missions than any other fighter group. During his two tours of duty, Peterson was credited with three kills and four probable.
