P-51 Mustang

The North American P-51 Mustang was a successful long range fighter aircraft which entered service in the middle years of World War II. The definitive version of the single-seat fighter was powered by a single two-stage supercharged V-12 Merlin engine and armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 machine guns.

P-51D

The P-51D was the definitive Mustang. Armament was increased with the addition of another two 0.5 in (12.7 mm) guns, for a total of six, the inner two on each wing having 400 rounds and the outer 270. Some aircraft had under-wing rocket pylons added to carry up to 10 rockets per plane.

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A major concern was the very limited visibility to the rear, a problem the British had complained about. Many pilots took to fitting the canopy from later model Supermarine Spitfires to their Mustangs in order to improve the view. However, after the first examples of the P-51D had already been produced, the D series introduced an improvement consisting of a cut down rear fuselage and a "bubble" style canopy of new design which offered excellent all-round visibility. Removing the moulding behind the cockpit lowered the longitudinal stability, so later in the D series a strake was added to the front of the vertical stabilizer to improve handling.

Related Topics:
Strake - Vertical stabilizer

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The resulting P-51D (and RAF P-51K version which differed very slightly) was the most produced of all Mustangs by far. The new version began to arrive in Europe in March 1944, just in time to deploy for D-Day combat.

Related Topics:
Europe - D-Day

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