The P-51 Mustang: The Fighter that Won World War II

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[devonbell]

On May 17, 2024, Col Bud Anderson passed away in Auburn, California at the age of 102.

Col. Anderson was a WWII triple Ace. The plane he flew was a Mustang named “Old Crow.”

Rest easy Colonel…

[joenobody]

My grandfather was a gunner on a half-track (whenever they could get the thing to run) during WWII and would always glow a little when bringing up the P-51. He says that plane absolutely saved his life. When things looked grim, he heard the Mustangs coming and knew everything was going to be alright.

He spoke of the Mustang the way today's soldiers talk about the A-10. High praise.

[keepingitreal]

We live near a small airport west of Calgary, Alberta where someone has a P51 Mustang. The owner will fly it often during the summer months. It’s amazing to see and hear! A couple of times I’ve seen the P51 and another plane (I think it’s a Spitfire) playing around and pretending to dog fighting. Very enjoyable to watch while sitting on our deck sipping on a lemonade. Peace.

[goaliechris]

My late grandpa flew this plane. He loved being in it. He did not talk about the war, but he would talk about this beautiful machine. Thank you for making this video. His plane name is California Coaster.

[blackace]

As an American, my favorite brit plane has to be the Mosquito. That thing was nuts 2 merlin engines and made of a widely available resource at the time. *chef's kiss*

[davesanders]

As a Brit we were taught that it was the Spitfire that won the air battle over the uk, However it was actually the hurricane which was made in far greater numbers usually flown by pilots whose country was occupied by Axis forces, at the break out of the battle of Britain we had over 18 squadrons also by the end of production in July 1944, 14, 487 units had been built.

[JakeOrion]

I want to thank our British allies for help making that airplane what it is today. Without the Merlin, I do not believe the Mustang would be NEARLY as successful and legendary as it is held to today. That pairing of the Merlin with an US airframe makes it just as much as your aircraft as it is ours. Be proud!

[Person-sqxz]

My grandfather flew p-51s and was an ace in WWII. This was a pleasure to watch

[BJ-zehn]

While everyone first thinks of the F-14 when the Top Gun movies come up, the epilogue of Top Gun Maverick is probably the best epilogue anyone could have made (in Hollywood) for the P51. Like him or not, Tom Cruise is one lucky SOB to own and be flying one of those remaining, operational Mustangs...

[piedpiper]

Amazing thing about the Mustang is that it’s one of the few things in life that lives up to the hype.

I recently got to watch, and more importantly hear, a pair of Mustangs at the MCAS Cherry Point Airshow, and they were even more breathtaking than I’ve always heard.

It really is the ultimate in mechanically beautiful sound and design in person. Everyone you’ve ever heard talk and rave about it is right. They are beautiful, and they sound even better.

[ashman]

The impact of the Merlin engine on the P-51's development is understated here. Up until then it couldn't compete at the higher altitudes that the Western Front required. It was only after the installation of the licensed Merlin engine with its two stage two speed supercharger that the Mustang actually became viable as a high altitude, long range escort fighter

[zvphdut]

My uncle, Langdon Badger, was an avid non-commercial pilot, as well as a successful businessman. In his 30s he bought a Mustang and used to fly it from Parafield Airport near Adelaide in South Australia. After a couple of years, being a father of three and knowing the dangers of flying such a plane, he reluctantly sold it. The new owner flew it in an air show in Queensland (I think) and tragically suffered a catastophic high-speed crash into the terra firma, completely destryong the Mustang and killing himself. My industrious uncle also recovered a wrecked Spitfire from Papua New Ginuea which he restored (with minor assistance from my cousins and me on weekends). From a serial number he located the pilot who was flying the Spitfire when it ran off the runway upon landing, Alec Chomley, who lived in Melbourne. The two familes became good friends. Alec came over to see the unveiling of the completed plane and it was all on the local news. Upon squeezing his somewhat portly frame into the cockpit Alec quipped "You've done everything else right Langdon, but you made the cockpit too small". My uncle recently passed away but his Spitfire remains here in the South Australian Aviation Museum at Port Adelaide.

[Eric-gurs]

I had an old neighbor who told me about his time as a mechanic servicing American fighters flying missions out of Britain. He called the P-51 a “thoroughbred racing horse”, and the P-47 a “solid draft horse”. He said if you were a pilot who wanted to impress his girlfriend, you got your picture taken in a P-51. But if you were a husband wanting to convince your wife you’d be returning home, you got your picture taken in a P-47.

[skyden]

There's a local hobby air group here that operates near/from March ARB in California that performs on certain holidays such as Memorial Day and Independance Day, as well as USAF air shows. The group consists of two or three P-51 Mustangs as well as (if I remember correctly) a Spitfire and a Zero. It is a spectacular sight to see these iconic aircraft of WWII flying together in peaceful formation.

[HalRiveria]

Simon: The P-51 was the linchpin of the Air war
P-47: Am I a joke to you?

[johngrantham]

Also, North American didn't purchase the design of the P51 from Curtiss. At the behest of the British, they purchased the blueprints of the P40 to study fighter design (as stated, they had no experience in that area) and whilst some broad design concepts were carried over (such as the one piece wing) the P51 owed next to nothing to the P40. It was a homogenous clean paper design.
Even then, the early P51's were not that good. Certainly, with the same Alison engine it was on a par with the P40 but no better. It took Rolls Royce trial fitting a Merlin to start the P51's genesis into a truly great fighter.

[healerf]

One of the great ironies of history is that North American Aviation had its roots in Fokker, the Dutch aircraft manufacturer for Germany in WWI, and the lead engineer for the P-51 was German immigrant Ed Schmued. Amazing.

[davidelliott]

Mustang only existed in significant numbers because the British wanted a replacement for the Curtis P49 Warhawk/Kittyhawk. North American Aircraft company had the Mustang ready to go with a low altitude Alison engine. A Rolls Royce test pilot suggested it be tried with a two stage Merlin. It took just 6 weeks to engineer the Mustang X complete with air to air intercooler alongside the engine water radiator.

[TheMeepster]

"If you want to get the girls, fly a P-51. If you want to make it home, fly a P-47."

[richardmeo]

No doubt P51 was a big hit in Europe. But in the Pacific it was the early flyers of F4F, P-38 and P-40 that saved the day in the Solomons and the Carrier battles. Then in 1943 the F6F and Corsair arrived and Japan had NO CHANCE. Both had incredible kill ratios and the F6F shot down the most planes in the war. Unreal how US produced so many different types of planes at the same time.