North American P-51D Mustang
By coolwolf20338
In The Start
It all started with sheet metal, rivets, and war. The British called the Americans in need of aerial backup. So the Americans set to work on the on the P-51D. The air-frame is a dive bomber, but mainly a fighter like the British Hawker Hurricane, or Supermarine Spitfire. The prototype was finished in a record 117 days. It was good up to 15,000 ft or so, but the battle was taking place over 9 miles high. So with an under-powered Alison engine, it could not deliver the high altitude performances that were needed during the battle.
The Mustangs did enter the RAF (Royal Air Force) but it was sadly the least helpful plane of all. It was used but only in the least bit.
The Change
The famous British test pilot Ronald Harker thought of putting the Rolls-Royce Merlin as the engine in the Mustang. This was a major breakthrough. With the Mustang in order, it was all out.The Mustang was important to the Allied bombing campaign. The Allies originally tried daylight raids but they had to many casualties, than they tried night raids. The casualties was less catastrophic, but their aim was not the best. That is when the Mustang comes in.
It’s a Go
The Mustang was the secret weapon. The bomber pilots called Mustang pilots, “angels” because the bombers are basically sitting ducks without protection from the Luftwaffe. The Mustang is a shield. Not indestructible, but a obstacle.The most important part of the Mustangs mission was to hammer the Luftwaffe until it was incredibly weak. The only problem was they had to do it by “D-Day.” By the time of June 5th the air was taken over by the Allies. The Mustangs launched daily attacks on the small bunkers below them. The weather was harsh on the due date so that delayed the attack. This means another day of defending what the took.
