The North American P-51 Mustang (renamed F-51 after 1948) was a US fighter that first flew in 1940.

Development

The first variants of the P-51 used an Allison engine which caused problems for the RAF. The P-51B and C however used Rolles Royce Merlin engines, fixing the high altitude problems encountered by the Royal Air Force with the first P-51 versions.

The P-51D/K variants introduced the famous bubble canopy which resolved visibility problems for pilots in combat. It also employed a license version of the Merlin, the Packard V-1650-7. The P-51D/K also had a new wing design.

Combat History

Europe

The P-51 was originally developed for and used by the RAF, seeing action for the first time in Europe in 1942. The USAAF soon began to employ the P-51 along with it's ground attack variant (A-36 Apache) in combat in Europe and the Mediterranean. The newer D/K models began to see action against Germany in 1944. Among the notable users of the P-51 in USAAF were Lt. Chuck Yeager from the 375th FG, the Tuskegee Airmen (332nd FG) and Major George E. Preddy Jr. from the 352nd FG.

Pacific War

The P-51 was also employed in East Asia beginning in late 1944. The P-51D/Ks of VII Fighter Command began to see major combat against the Japanese Home Islands after the capture of Iwo Jima in February 1945. This allowed them to escort the B-29s. VII Fighter Command lost 91 pilots and 157 Mustangs by the end of the Pacific War.

Cold War

After the war and with the creation of the USAF in 1947, many piston engined fighter aircraft from World War 2 were replaced by jet aircraft. The P-51 was relegated to secondary duties and was re-designated the F-51 (changing the P for pursuit for F for fighter).

P-51s were used by the ROCAF during the Chinese Civil War, with many of them falling into the hands of the PLAAF.

Later Service

See F-51 Mustang page