COMBAT HISTORY

The first Mustangs to see combat in World War II were the RAF Mk 1's. The combat missions were recon/ground attack which soon become know as reconnaissance and destroy missions. The RAF soon expanded the role of the Mk 1's to include anti-ship 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 the British Spitfires.
The first United States use of the Mustang in combat were A-36's and P-51 A's in the China-Burma-India theatre where the long range (escort) and superb ground attack capabilities came in useful. The first Merlin powered Mustang (P-51 B) saw combat with the 354th Fighter Group as escorts for the 8th Air Force 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 Nazi Germany. Previously, the P-38's and P-47's had to turn back due to fuel restraints, leaving the bombers unescorted for a portion of their journey. In a time when US bomber losses were high and their was the question of daylight bombing tactics, the arrival of the P-51 Mustang turned the tide of the air war over Europe.

The P-51 Mustang proved itself to be the premier fighter escort early in its career. By February 1944, P-51's were credited with an average of 13 kills per 100 sorties, almost three times that for the P-47's and P-38's. Additionally the P-51 enjoyed a kill/loss ratio of almost 5:1.

Flying the Mustang was not all glory, however. The P-51 B bore a striking resemblance to the German ME-109 fighter and many P-51 pilots found themselves the target of both Allied fighters and bombers of mistaken identity. Additionally, the low mounted radiator proved vulnerable to ground fire. By mid-1944 the P-51D began its way to front line units. The 4th Fighter Group and the 352nd Fighter Group were the first to receive their new Mustangs. The P-51 D had increased range and could escort bombers deep into Berlin.