Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane
Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane - The Mustang Takes Flight
The P-51 Mustang stands as one of the most iconic fighter aircraft of World War II, but its origins were much humbler. Initially designed to fulfill a 1940 British Purchasing Commission requirement for an American-built Curtiss P-40 Warhawk derivative, the nascent Mustang prototype first took flight in October 1940.
Powered by an underwhelming Allison V-1710 engine, the early Mustang's performance failed to impress in trials. However, Rolls-Royce engineers realized the airframe had potential if matched with a more capable powerplant. Mating the Merlin 61 engine to the Mustang airframe created a machine transformed, one with performance exceeding that of the vaunted Spitfire.
Now in its element, the Mustang could outclimb, outdive, and outrun the opposition. Cruising over 350 mph, it was 50 mph faster than the Spitfire Mk V. The P-51B and P-51C variants coupled this superb performance with an increased ammunition load and a highly innovative laminar flow wing. This new wing minimized drag while enhancing control and stability at high speeds and low altitudes.
It was in the P-51B and C that the Mustang came into its own as a long-range fighter escort. Laden with drop tanks, the Mustang could now accompany bomber formations deep into Reich territory. Prior to this, Allied bombers suffered grievous losses from Luftwaffe interceptors without capable escorts. The Mustang helped shift the tide in the Allies' favor.
With exceptional handling, firepower, and most crucially, range, the Mustang proved itself an extremely capable dogfighter. Notably, in aerial combat it outclassed the feared Fw 190 fighter. Though slower in a dive, the Mustang's superior maneuverability and dive recovery allowed it to hold its own. In the hands of expert pilots, the Mustang attained kill ratios of 15:1 or even 20:1 against German aircraft.
What else is in this post?
- Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane - The Mustang Takes Flight
- Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane - Designed for Speed and Agility
- Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane - Seeking Allies Across the Atlantic
- Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane - Proving Its Mettle Over Europe
- Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane - The Scourge of the Luftwaffe
- Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane - Pushing the Envelope with the P-51H
Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane - Designed for Speed and Agility
The P-51 Mustang was purpose-built for speed and maneuverability from the outset. While the initial Allison-engined variants lacked thrust, the designers got everything else right in crafting an airframe optimized for velocity and control. Once equipped with the mighty Rolls-Royce Merlin, the Mustang's full potential was unleashed.
The laminar flow wing was the Mustang's secret weapon, greatly reducing drag while enhancing stability and control. Most WWII fighters used conventional wings with turbulent boundary layers. But the Mustang's laminar flow airfoils kept smooth airflow attached longer, slicing through the sky with minimal resistance. This enabled phenomenal high-speed agility. The Mustang could reliably dive at 475 mph, pull up forcefully, and regain energy rapidly.
At low altitudes from sea level to 15,000 ft, the Mustang's laminar flow wing also provided excellent maneuverability and responsiveness. Aileron control was superb even approaching the speed of sound. In the hands of an expert, the Mustang could dogfight with the best of them. It used its superior speed and dive recovery to enter and exit engagements at will.
One maneuver that highlighted the Mustang's talents was the "walkaround turn." This was an ascending spiral climb executed at high Gs and blistering speed. Few opponents could follow a Mustang through a walkaround. The pilot could transition from defensive to offensive positioning in one swooping 360 degree turn.
The P-51's lightweight aluminum construction and powerful engine meant power-to-weight and thrust-to-weight ratios that were superior to contemporaries. With 1700 horsepower available from the Packard Merlin V-1650-7, the Mustang accelerated like a drag racer. It leaped from 200 mph to 400 mph in just over 30 seconds when the war emergency power setting was engaged.
At higher altitudes from 25,000 ft up to 41,000 ft, the Mustang still performed admirably. It was no slouch in the thin air, retaining enough maneuverability to evade attackers and down the unwary. The effective engine inlet design of the Mustang ensured the Merlin delivered ample thrust at altitude without choking.
Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane - Seeking Allies Across the Atlantic
As the United States watched the war unfolding in Europe during the late 1930s, military leaders recognized the nation urgently needed to modernize its air arsenal. The aircraft in service at the time were woefully inadequate compared to frontline fighters rapidly evolving overseas. America required superior designs to defend its shores and project power abroad. Yet domestic firms were struggling to deliver the requisite performance. This forced the Army Air Corps to forage for cutting-edge aircraft across the Atlantic.
The British were receptive partners in this endeavor. With the RAF embattled against the Nazi onslaught, England sought all the aircraft it could acquire whether from domestic or foreign sources. The nation welcomed American orders as added revenue to sustain its beleaguered manufacturing base. British aviation firms possessed extensive expertise crafting sophisticated fighters, expertise that would greatly aid American engineers.
A prominent example was the P-40 Warhawk, built by Curtiss for the Army Air Corps but relying heavily on British collaboration. The fuselage mold was British-designed, the Allison engine was British-improved, and performance enhancements were British-tested. Without this partnership, the P-40 would have paled beside subsequent designs. English input similarly influenced the promising P-38 Lightning and laid the groundwork for the storied B-17 Flying Fortress.
Yet it was the British influence on North American Aviation’s NA-73X prototype that ultimately birthed the legendary P-51 Mustang. The 1940 British Purchasing Commission requirement for an advanced P-40 derivative compelled North American designers to aim higher. They strove to satisfy the British need for a long-range high-altitude escort fighter. Company founder James Howard “Dutch” Kindelberger directed engineer Edgar Schmued to incorporate British recommendations, especially the call for pressurization. This seed planted by the British blossomed into the most effective Allied fighter of WWII.
Across the Atlantic, Rolls-Royce engineers saw great potential in mating their renowned Merlin engine to the NA-73 airframe. Here too, America benefited enormously from British expertise. Meticulous hand craftsmanship enabled Rolls-Royce technicians to optimize the Merlin 61 for high altitude performance at low weight. The British zeal for aircraft propulsion gave the Mustang its unmatched powerplant.
Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane - Proving Its Mettle Over Europe
The P-51 Mustang’s trial by fire came amid the swirling dogfights over Fortress Europe. Here, the Mustang demonstrated that its sterling flight characteristics translated into lethality against the Nazi foe. Now under the aegis of the USAAF Eighth Air Force, Mustang squadrons commenced perilous bomber escort duties deep into Germany in late 1943. They braved hoards of Luftwaffe interceptors and a dense carpet of flak batteries to shepherd vulnerable B-17 and B-24 formations. It was over the Reich’s skies that the Mustang proved itself the preeminent escort fighter of the European theater.
For American bomber crews, the arrival of Mustang escorts marked the end of an abattoir. Unescorted raids into Germany in 1943 saw B-17 and B-24 formations torn to shreds by marauding Fw 190s and Bf 109s. Losses regularly exceeded 10 percent of bombers dispatched, a frightening attrition rate. The Mustang enabled USAAF bombers to strike vital targets across Germany while suffering far fewer casualties. With the “Little Friends” watching over them, loss rates plummeted to around 2 percent.
The P-51 had the legs to accompany bombers all the way to Berlin and back, a 1,300 mile round trip from English bases. The Mustang’s laminar flow wing provided unmatched range, allowing it to penetrate deeper into Germany than any previous escort. Cruising over 350 mph, it could readily rejoin bomber boxes if forced to dogfight. Mustang pilots downed attacking fighters before they could unleash their ordnance on the bombers.
The Mustang also possessed the speed, power, and maneuverability to best the Luftwaffe’s fighter contingent. Capable aces in the P-51 decimated Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf squadrons through 1943-1944. Exuding confidence in their mounts, ace Donald Blakeslee coined the term “Achtung! Blakeslee!” to strike fear into the enemy. Their audacity and skill allowed Mustang groups to attain unprecedented kill ratios.
One shining example of the Mustang earning its stripes occurred on March 6, 1944. That day the USAAF targeted Berlin in its first raid on the German capital since 1941. A hornet’s nest awaited the 65 B-17s escorted by three groups of P-51Ds. Swarms of German fighters rose to meet the challenge. Yet despite the maelstrom of flak and fighters, 25 Mustangs downed 27 Luftwaffe aircraft without the loss of a single bomber. This momentous mission affirmed the Mustang’s indispensability.
Yet escort duty demanded more than just dogfighting prowess. Shepherding bomb groups for hundreds of miles required excellent high altitude performance and fuel economy. Unlike contemporaries, the Mustang suffered no major deficiencies above 25,000 feet. It could respond nimbly even in the thin air at 30,000 feet, diving and zooming to gain speed advantage. And the Merlin purred along with smooth thrust at altitude, sipping fuel thriftily on lean cruise settings. These capabilities allowed the P-51 to manage the escort mission’s unique rigors.
Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane - The Scourge of the Luftwaffe
The P-51 Mustang earned its fearsome reputation as the scourge of the Luftwaffe through its effectiveness as both bomber escort and air superiority fighter. While B-17s and B-24s pummeled targets across Germany, it was the Mustang that enabled these bombing campaigns to sink Nazi war production. Without tenacious Mustang squadrons cleaving through Luftwaffe defenders, losses of Fortresses and Liberators would have rapidly become unsustainable. The Mustang was the razor edge of an increasingly lethal American air offensive.
The fundamental advantage underpinning the Mustang’s success was range. Cruising on lean power settings, the Merlin engine sipped fuel thriftily even at high speeds. This enabled the Mustang to achieve 1,650 miles or more on internal fuel depending on loadout. Escorting bomber streams, nimble groups of Mustangs could now accompany Fortresses and Liberators to the farthest reaches of the Reich. Prior long range fighters like the P-38 Lightning lacked the performance to effectively engage German interceptors at the depths of their incursions.
Free to roam enemy skies nearly unopposed, aggressive Mustang pilots carried the fight to the Luftwaffe. They patrolled ahead of bomber formations, sweeping wings clean of defenders before they could assemble into attacks. With the Mustang on hand, American bombers could strike targets as far flung as Berlin, Vienna, and Regensburg. Bomb tonnage dropped on Axis military production, oil refineries, and transportation links crippled the Nazi war economy.
Lt. Colonel Donald Blakeslee of the 4th Fighter Group coined the term “Achtung! Blakeslee!” to strike dread into opposing airmen. The phrase captured American fighter pilots’ growing ascendancy over their German counterparts as 1944 progressed. Expert marksmen like Blakeslee used the Mustang’s stellar high altitude performance to clinically despatch Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs.
The Luftwaffe steadily lost its most experienced combat veterans to prowling Mustangs. Younger, hastily trained replacements were cut down in droves by seasoned P-51 pilots. German sortie rates plummeted as losses mounted and precious aviation fuel dwindled. Mustang groups racked up absurd kill ratios, with the 357th Fighter Group recording a remarkable 61 kills for each Mustang lost during one 30 day span. By 1945 enemy opposition all but evaporated, allowing bombers to strike targets completely unmolested. The Allies had secured air supremacy.
A key factor enabling the Mustang’s supremacy was pilot quality. Though technically advanced, the Mustang still required skillful handling to achieve air kills. American training rigorously prepared pilots for the rigors of air combat maneuvering. Luftwaffe greenhorns simply could not match the deft maneuvers and marksmanship of their American opponents. Mustang groups were further bolstered by British RAF transfers bringing extensive combat experience to bear.
Born to Fly: The Remarkable Journey of the P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane - Pushing the Envelope with the P-51H
The P-51H represented the apotheosis of Mustang development, an attempt to squeeze every last drop of speed and power from the airframe. As the air war entered 1945, both sides strove to field improved fighters that could secure control of the skies. For North American Aviation, the P-51H offered a chance to catapult the Mustang back ahead of advancing German designs.
Outwardly the P-51H retained the classic Mustang silhouette, albeit with a more streamlined canopy devoid of exterior bracing. Yet underneath the skin, it was extensively re-engineered for higher performance at extreme speeds. Engineers strengthened the airframe and reduced drag wherever possible, tweaking the radiator inlets and tail planes. Armament decreased to six wing-mounted .50 caliber machine guns to save weight and lower drag.
Most significantly, the P-51H received a new powerplant, the legendary Packard V-1650-9. The ultimate Merlin variant, this engine churned out a monumental 2,218 horsepower on war emergency power, adding an extra 150 hp over the D model’s engine. Advanced two-stage intercoolers let it maintain this immense power at high altitudes. The supercharged Merlin drove the P-51H to 487 mph in level flight, nearly 100 mph faster than early B and C variants.
In skilled hands, the P-51H's sensational thrust transformed it into the ultimate hot rod Mustang. It climbed to 10,000 feet in just over two minutes. In a dive, it crept past 505 mph. One test pilot reported pulling an astonishing 6.7 Gs during a maximum performance turn, although at a perilously slow 103 mph with the aircraft on the verge of stalling. Normal cruise manifold settings still propelled the Mustang to 420 mph at 25,000 feet.
To fully harness this radical power, North American widened the vertical stabilizer and fitted a lightweight aileron system designed by a creative engineer in his garage. These enhancements paid dividends with superb control response and fluid handling at high speeds. Pilots marveled at how crisply the P-51H rolled into turns. A British test pilot enthused, “This airplane is perfect for going out looking for trouble!”