North American P-51 Mustang History Part III - P-51 in Combat

The first Mustangs to see combat in World War II were RAF Mk Is. The first combat missions were recon/ground attack which soon became known as reconaissance and destroy missions. The RAF soon expanded the role of the Mk Is to include anti-shipping escort duties and low-altitude interception. The appearance of the Mustangs gave the British an aircraft at least the equal of the highly capable German Focke Wulf 190 which had proved superior to British Spitfires.


The first US uses of the Mustang in combat were A36s and P51-As in the China-Burma-India theatre where the long range (escort) and superb ground attack capabilities came in useful. The first Merlin powered Mustangs (P-51B) saw combat with the 354th Fighter Group as escorts for the 8th Air Force during December 1943. The appearance of the P-51 gave the Allies an escort fighter that could follow the US B-17 and B-24 bombers to the deepest targets inside Germany. Previously the P-38s and P-47s had to turn back on many missions due to fuel constraints, leaving the bombers unescorted for a portion of their journey. In a time where US bomber losses were high and the US command was questioning daylight bomber tactics, the appearance of the P51 can be said to have turned the tide of the air war over Europe.

The P-51 proved itself to be the premier escort fighter early in its career. By February 1944 P-51s were credited with an average of 13 kills per 100 sorties, almost three times that for P47s and P38s. Additionally, P-51s enjoyed a kill/loss ratio of almost 5:1. Flying a Mustang was not all peaches and cream, however. The P-51B bore a striking resemblance to the German Me-109 fighter and many P51 pilots found themselves the target of both Allied fighters and bombers in cases of mistaken identity. Additionally, the low mounted radiator proved vulnerable to ground fire.

By mid-1944 the P-51D began to find its way into front line units. The 4th FG and the 352nd FG were the first to receive their new Mustangs. The P-51D had increased range and could escort bombers all the way to Berlin.