P-51 “Shangri-La” Low Top Canvas Shoes
This design is based on the P-51 Mustang (VF-T, serial number 43-6913) nicknamed “Shangri-la” flown by Captain Dominic ‘Don’ Gentile of the 336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group. At 23 years of age, he would go on to surpass Eddie Rickenbacker’s World War I record of 26 downed aircraft and was officially credited with 21.8 air and 6 ground victories during WWII. After the war, on January 23, 1951, Gentile died in a training crash while piloting a T-33 jet trainer at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. He was 30 years old. During his service, he received the Distinguished Service Cross x2, Distinguished Flying Cross x 8, and 4 Air Medals .
