Editing North American P-51 Mustang (section)

====In China and the Pacific Theater====
[[File:P-51 Mustang taking off from Iwo Jima.jpg|thumb|alt=Black-and-white photograph of a man wearing military uniform facing a World War II-era single-engined fighter while gesturing to his left|A P-51&nbsp;Mustang taking off from [[Iwo Jima]]]]
In early 1945, P-51C, D, and K variants also joined the [[Republic of China Air Force|Chinese Nationalist Air Force]]. These Mustangs were provided to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Fighter Groups and used to attack Japanese targets in occupied areas of China. The P-51 became the most capable fighter in China, while the [[Imperial Japanese Army Air Force]] used the [[Nakajima Ki-84]] ''Hayate'' against it.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

The P-51 was a relative latecomer to the Pacific theater, due largely to the need for the aircraft in Europe, although the P-38's twin-engined design was considered a safety advantage for long, over-water flights. The first P-51s were deployed in the Far East later in 1944, operating in close-support and escort missions, as well as tactical photoreconnaissance. As the war in Europe wound down, the P-51 became more common. With the [[Battle of Iwo Jima|capture of Iwo Jima]], USAAF P-51&nbsp;Mustang fighters of the VII&nbsp;Fighter Command were stationed on that island starting in March 1945, being initially tasked with escorting [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] missions [[Air raids on Japan|against the Japanese homeland]].{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

The command's last major raid of May was a daylight incendiary attack on Yokohama on 29 May conducted by 517 B-29s escorted by 101 P-51s. This force was intercepted by 150 [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero|A6M Zero]] fighters, sparking an intense air battle in which five B-29s were shot down and another 175 damaged. In return, the P-51 pilots claimed 26 "kills" and 23 "probables" for the loss of three fighters. The 454 B-29s that reached Yokohama struck the city's main business district and destroyed {{convert|6.9|sqmi|km2}} of buildings; over 1000 Japanese were killed.<ref>Craven and Cate (1953), pp. 639–640</ref><ref name="Hoyt_1987_397">Hoyt (1987), p. 398</ref> Overall, the attacks in May destroyed {{convert|94|sqmi|km2}} of buildings, which was equivalent to one-seventh of Japan's total urban area. The [[Home Ministry (Japan)|minister of home affairs]], [[Iwao Yamazaki]], concluded after these raids that Japan's civil defense arrangements were "considered to be futile".<ref>Tillman (2010), pp. 172–173</ref> On the first day of June, 521 B-29s escorted by 148 P-51s were dispatched in a daylight raid against Osaka. While en route to the city, the Mustangs flew through thick clouds, and 27 of the fighters were destroyed in collisions. Nevertheless, 458 heavy bombers and 27 P-51s reached the city, and the bombardment killed 3,960 Japanese and destroyed {{convert|3.15|sqmi|km2}} of buildings. On 5 June 473 B-29s struck Kobe by day and destroyed {{convert|4.35|sqmi|km2}} of buildings for the loss of 11 bombers. A force of 409 B-29s attacked Osaka again on 7 June; during this attack, {{convert|2.21|sqmi|km2}} of buildings were burnt out and the Americans did not suffer any losses. Osaka was bombed for the fourth time that month, on 15 June, when 444 B-29s destroyed {{convert|1.9|sqmi|km2}} of the city and another {{convert|0.59|sqmi|km2}} of nearby [[Amagasaki]]; 300,000 houses were destroyed in Osaka.<ref>Craven and Cate (1953), pp. 640–642</ref><ref name="Hastings_336">Hastings (2007), p. 336</ref> This attack marked the end of the first phase of XXI&nbsp;Bomber Command's attack on Japan's cities. During May and June, the bombers had destroyed much of the country's six largest cities, killing between 112,000 and 126,762 people and rendering millions homeless. The widespread destruction and high number of casualties from these raids caused many Japanese to realize that their country's military was no longer able to defend the home islands. American losses were low compared to Japanese casualties; 136 B-29s were downed during the campaign.<ref>Craven and Cate (1953), pp. 642–644</ref><ref>Kerr (1991), pp. 261–262</ref><ref>Frank (1999), pp. 76–77</ref> In Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama, Kobe, and Kawasaki, "over 126,762 people were killed&nbsp;... and a million and a half dwellings and over {{convert|105|sqmi|km2}} of urban space were destroyed."<ref name="Miller 2001, p. 460">Miller (2001), p. 460</ref> In Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, "the areas leveled (almost {{convert|100|sqmi|km2}}) exceeded the areas [[Combined Bomber Offensive|destroyed]] in all [[Nazi Germany|German]] cities by both the [[United States Army Air Forces|American]] and [[RAF Bomber Command|British air forces]] (about {{convert|79|sqmi|km2}})."<ref name="Miller 2001, p. 460"/>

P-51s also conducted a series of independent ground-attack missions against targets in the home islands.<ref name="Russ_22">Russ (2001), p. 22</ref> The first of these operations took place on 16 April, when 57 P-51s strafed [[Kanoya Air Field]] in Kyushu.<ref>Craven and Cate (1953), p. 634</ref> In operations conducted between 26 April and 22 June, the American fighter pilots claimed the destruction of 64 Japanese aircraft and damage to another 180 on the ground, as well as a further 10 shot down in flight; these claims were lower than the American planners had expected, however, and the raids were considered unsuccessful. USAAF losses were 11 P-51s to enemy action and seven to other causes.<ref>Craven and Cate (1953), pp. 634–635</ref>

Due to the lack of Japanese air opposition to the American bomber raids, VII&nbsp;Fighter Command was solely tasked with ground-attack missions from July. These raids were frequently made against airfields to destroy aircraft being held in reserve to attack the expected Allied invasion fleet. While the P-51 pilots only occasionally encountered Japanese fighters in the air, the airfields were protected by antiaircraft batteries and [[barrage balloon]]s.<ref name="Russ_24">Russ (2001), p. 24</ref> By the end of the war, VII&nbsp;Fighter Command had conducted 51 ground-attack raids, of which 41 were considered successful. The fighter pilots claimed to have destroyed or damaged 1,062 aircraft and 254 ships, along with large numbers of buildings and railway rolling stock. American losses were 91 pilots killed and 157 Mustangs destroyed.<ref name="Russ_25">Russ (2001), p. 25</ref>