David Doyle

P-51 Mustang in Actionop/HS David Doyle

Its contrails twisting through the clouds, one fighter aircraft was able to escort US heavy bombers from England to Berlin, and from Iwo Jima to Tokyo: the North American P-51 Mustang. Beyond bomber escort, this iconic pursuit (later F- for fighter) aircraft was employed against ground targets using machine guns, rockets, and bombs; in fact, one variant was specifically produced as a dive-bomber, an Allied counterpart to Germany's famed Stuka. Including derivatives, the Mustang soldiered on in the arsenal of the US and her allies into the 1980s, and was responsible for downing more than 5,000 enemy aircraft. This new edition presents a new look at the Mustang, from the early experimental NA-73X to the PA-48, the final military variant.