Captain Clayton Kelly Gross flew the P-51D Mustang “Live Bait”, (44-63668), when he was assigned to the 355th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, 9th USAAF, based in Boxted, England, in the European Theatre of Operations. He named his P-51B “Live Bait” after one of his fellow fighter pilots said “you stay here and I will get up above you in the sun. Maybe we can draw a little action”, to which he replied, “what do you think I am, live bait?!” He completed two tours with the 354th Fighter Group, and flew a total of 105 combat missions. He shot down five German Luftwaffe Bf-109 fighters, with the fifth victory on October 29, 1944, which made him an Ace. On April 14, 1945, he shot down an ME 262 jet, and finished the war with 6 air-to-air victories, 2 air-to-ground victories, and _ probable. He was shot down once by ground fire during a strafing run and bailed out near Metz, France, which was behind enemy lines at that time, however, he was soon rescued by one of General Patton’s armored units, and returned to his squadron 24 hours later. He was awarded the Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Purple Heart, and 16 Air Medals. He left the service and became a dentist, and was the past President of the American Fighter Aces Association.

The 354th FG was the first fighter group to fly the P-51 Mustang and adopted the name “Pioneer Mustang Group”.