The North American P-51 Mustang: A “Little Friend” with a Big Impact | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans (2024)

Top Image:P-51 Mustang fighters on the way to their base on the recently captured Japanese island of Iwo Jima, 1945. Gift In memory of Isaac "Ike" Bethel Utley, 2012.019.243

The North American P-51 Mustang is the gold standard for WWIIfighters. While the Mustang was in Europe and the Pacific, its impact on the strategic situation in Europe cannot be understated. One of the most important operations of the war, the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, can be broken down into two phases: pre-P-51 and post-P-51. Pre-P-51, the Allies were losing—and losing badly. Post-P-51, the Allies established complete control of the air, and drove the Germans from the skies of Europe.

So, why was the P-51 such a game changer? Where did this world-class aircraft come from? In early 1940, the British asked North American Aviation to build Curtiss P-40 Warhawks because they desperately needed planes as the Germans were rampaging across Europe. Instead of P-40s, North American offered to design a new fighter which became the P-51 Mustang. The P-51 prototype was ready on September 9, 1940, and it first flew October 26, 1940. It was an astonishing accomplishment for North American: they had delivered a brand new, prototype aircraft in a mere 102 days and flew it weeks later. The British accepted the plane into service, and gave it its famous “Mustang” nickname.

However, the P-51 did have issues. While the American-built Allison engine was fine at lower altitudes, it suffered a drastic drop-off in performance at higher ones. In the fall of 1942, the Americans and British experimented with Mustangs by adding British Rolls-Royce Merlin engines to the air-frame. The results were unbelievable. The Mustang’s top speed leapt to well over 400 miles per hour, and it no longer suffered from performance drop-off at higher altitudes. Production of the Mustang was thrown into high gear and the first American P-51 units arrived in Europe towards the end of 1943.

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  Three American servicemen posing near the nose of P-51 Mustang in Germany, 1945. Gift in Memory of Nicholas Patano, 2013.433.085

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  A row of American P-51 Mustangs in Germany, 1945. Gift in Memory of Nicholas Patano, 2013.433.098

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  View of a P-51 Mustang from a B-17 Flying Fortress in flight over Europe, 1944-45. Gift of Peggy Wallace, 2010.308.023

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  A P-51 Mustang with nose art on its airfield in Germany, 1945. Gift in Memory of Nicholas Patano, 2013.433.087

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  P-51 Mustang with early war US roundels painted on the plane. Photo Courtesy Library of Congress

Before the Mustang finally began arriving in Europe in increasing numbers, the British and American strategic bombing campaign was faltering. The British were bombing only at night, and the Americans were suffering frightful losses in their daytime raids. Although the Allies had planes like the Lockheed P-38 Lightning which could escort bombers, it was inefficient and not economical. A long-range escort fighter was needed not only to bring the bombers in and out of Germany, but also to wrestle control of the sky from the German fighters who preyed on the bombers. The Mustang, with its high speed, long-range, low-cost, and six .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns, made it the ideal fighter for the job. The campaign for air supremacy kicked into high gear in March 1944 when the Americans made their first major daytime bombing raids on Berlin. On March 6, 1944, over 800 US bombers, escorted by over 900 fighters, attacked Berlin.