Editing North American P-51 Mustang (section)

==Operational history==
===United Kingdom operational service===
[[File:Mustang III at Hucknall 1943 (cropped).jpg|thumb|A Royal Air Force North American Mustang Mk III (''FX908'') on the ground at [[Hucknall#Rolls-Royce|Hucknall]]]]
The Mustang was initially developed for the RAF, which was its first user. As the first Mustangs were built to British requirements, these aircraft used factory numbers and were not P-51s; the order comprised 320 NA-73s, followed by 300 NA-83s, all of which were designated Mustang Mark I by the RAF.<ref>Gruenhagen 1980, p. 193.</ref> The first RAF Mustangs supplied under [[Lend-Lease]] were 93 Mk Ia designated as P-51s by the USAAF, followed by 50 P-51As used as Mustang Mk IIs.<ref>Gruenhagen 1980, pp. 195–196.</ref> Aircraft supplied to Britain under Lend-Lease were required for accounting purposes to be on the [[United States Army Air Corps|USAAC's]] books before they could be supplied to Britain, but the British Aircraft Purchasing Commission signed its first contract for the North American NA-73 on 24 April 1940, before Lend-Lease was in effect. Thus, the initial order for the P-51 Mustang (as it was later known) was placed by the British under the "[[Cash and carry (World War II)|cash and carry]]" program, as required by the US Neutrality Acts of the 1930s.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

After the arrival of the initial aircraft in the UK in October 1941, the first squadron of Mustang Mk Is entered service in January 1942, the first being [[No. 26 Squadron RAF]].<ref>Delve (1994), p. 191</ref> Due to poor high-altitude performance, the Mustangs were used by [[RAF Army Cooperation Command|Army Co-operation Command]], rather than Fighter Command, and were used for tactical reconnaissance and ground-attack duties. On 10 May 1942, Mustangs first flew over France, near [[Berck-sur-Mer]].<ref>Hatch (1993), p. 15</ref> On 27 July 1942, 16 RAF Mustangs undertook their first long-range reconnaissance mission over Germany. During the amphibious [[Dieppe Raid]] on the French coast (19 August 1942), four British and Canadian Mustang squadrons, including 26 Squadron, saw action covering the assault on the ground. By 1943–1944, British Mustangs were used extensively to seek out [[V-1 flying bomb]] sites. The last RAF Mustang Mk I and Mustang Mk II aircraft were struck off charge in 1945.

Army Co-operation Command used the Mustang's superior speed and long range to conduct low-altitude "[[Glossary of RAF code names|Rhubarb]]" raids over continental Europe, sometimes penetrating German airspace. The V-1710 engine ran smoothly at 1,100 rpm, versus 1,600 for the Merlin, enabling long flights over water at {{cvt|50|ft|m}} altitude before approaching the enemy coastline. Over land, these flights followed a zig-zag course, turning every six minutes to foil enemy attempts at plotting an interception. During the first 18 months of Rhubarb raids, RAF Mustang Mk.Is and Mk.Ias destroyed or heavily damaged 200 locomotives, over 200 canal barges, and an unknown number of enemy aircraft parked on the ground, for a loss of eight Mustangs. At sea level, the Mustangs were able to outrun all enemy aircraft encountered.<ref name="Born memo">{{cite web |last1=Born |first1=Charles |title=British Army Cooperation Tactical Employment of the Mustang I (P-51) |url=http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/e-geh-16.html |access-date=5 September 2020}}</ref> The RAF gained a significant performance enhancement at low altitude by removing or resetting the engine's manifold pressure regulator to allow overboosting, raising output as high as 1,780 horsepower at 70 in Hg.<ref name="Born memo" /><ref name="Hazen memo">{{cite web |last1=Hazen |first1=R. |title=Service Use of High Power Outputs on Allison V-1710 Engines |url=http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/P-40/V-1710_Service_Use_of_High_Power_Outputs.pdf |publisher=Allison Division, General Motors Corporation |access-date=5 September 2020}}</ref> In December 1942, Allison approved only 1,570 horsepower at 60 in Hg manifold pressure for the V-1710-39.<ref name="Hazen memo" />

The RAF later operated 308 P-51Bs and 636 P-51Cs,<ref>Gruenhagen 1980, pp. 199–200.</ref> which were known in RAF service as Mustang Mk IIIs; the first units converted to the type in late 1943 and early 1944. Mustang Mk III units were operational until the end of World War II, though many units had already converted to the Mustang Mk IV (P-51D) and Mk IVa (P-51K) (828 in total, comprising 282 Mk IV and 600 Mk IVa).<ref>Gruenhagen 1980, pp. 201, 205.</ref> As all except the earliest aircraft were obtained under Lend-Lease, all Mustang aircraft still on RAF charge at the end of the war were either returned to the USAAF "on paper" or retained by the RAF for scrapping. The last RAF Mustangs were retired from service in 1947.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

===US operational service===
====Prewar theory====
Prewar doctrine was based on the idea "[[the bomber will always get through]]".<ref name="Miller 2007, p. 41">Miller 2007, p. 41.</ref> Despite RAF and Luftwaffe experience with daylight bombing, the USAAF still incorrectly believed in 1942 that [[Combat box|tightly packed formations of bombers]] would have so much firepower that they could fend off fighters on their own.<ref name="Miller 2007, p. 41" /> Fighter escort was a low priority, but when the concept was discussed in 1941, the [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]] was considered to be most appropriate, as it had the speed and range. Another school of thought favored a [[Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress|heavily up-armed "gunship" conversion of a strategic bomber]].<ref name="Mil0646">Miller 2007, p. 46.</ref> A single-engined, high-speed fighter with the range of a bomber was thought to be an engineering impossibility.<ref>Miller 2007, p. 42.</ref>

====Eighth Air Force bomber operations 1942–1943====
[[File:C-1098 - A stacked-down echelon of P-51 Mustang fighters heading homeward after an uneventful bomber escort mission over Europe, (52289765424).jpg|thumb|P-51 Mustangs of the [[375th Fighter Squadron]], [[Eighth Air Force]] mid-1944]]
The [[Eighth Air Force|8th Air Force]] started operations from Britain in August 1942. At first, because of the limited scale of operations, no conclusive evidence showed American doctrine was failing. In the 26 operations flown to the end of 1942, the loss rate had been under 2%.<ref>Hastings 1979, [https://books.google.com/books?id=XUMuAAAAQBAJ&dq=max+hastings+bomber+command+%281979%29&pg=PA379 pp. 214–215.]</ref>

In January 1943, at the [[Casablanca Conference]], the Allies formulated the [[Combined Bomber Offensive]] (CBO) plan for "round-the-clock" bombing – USAAF daytime operations complementing the RAF nighttime raids on industrial centers. In June 1943, the [[Combined Chiefs of Staff]] issued the [[Pointblank Directive]] to destroy the Luftwaffe's capacity before the planned invasion of Europe, putting the CBO into full implementation. German daytime fighter efforts were, at that time, focused on the Eastern Front and several other distant locations. Initial efforts by the 8th met limited and unorganized resistance, but with every mission, the Luftwaffe moved more aircraft to the west and quickly improved their battle direction. In late 1943, the 8th Air Force's heavy bombers conducted a series of deep penetration raids into Germany, beyond the range of escort fighters. The [[Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission]] in August lost 60 B-17s of a force of 376, the [[Second Raid on Schweinfurt|14 October attack]] lost 77 of a force of 291—26% of the attacking force.{{Sfn|Craven|Cate|1949|pp=704–705}}

For the US, the very concept of self-defending bombers was called into question, but instead of abandoning daylight raids and turning to night bombing, as the RAF suggested, they chose other paths; at first, bombers converted to gunships (the [[Boeing YB-40]]) were believed to be able to escort the bomber formations, but when the concept proved to be unsuccessful, thoughts then turned to the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.<ref>Boylan 1955, p. 154.</ref> In early 1943, the USAAF also decided that the [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]] and P-51B be considered for the roles of smaller escort fighters, and in July, a report stated that the P-51B was "the most promising plane" with an endurance of 4 hours 45 minutes with the standard internal fuel of 184 gallons plus 150 gallons carried externally.<ref>Boylan 1955, p. 155.</ref> In August, a P-51B was fitted with an extra internal 85-gallon tank, but problems with longitudinal stability occurred, so some compromises in performance with the full tank were made. Since the fuel from the fuselage tank was used during the initial stages of a mission, the fuel tank would be fitted in all Mustangs destined for [[VIII Fighter Command]].<ref>Boylan 1955, pp. 155–156.</ref>

====P-51 introduction====
The P-51 Mustang was a solution to the need for an effective bomber escort. It used a common, reliable engine and had internal space for a larger-than-average fuel load. With external fuel tanks, it could accompany the bombers from England to Germany and back.<ref name=Parker>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tlsnngEACAAJ |pages=77, 90–92 |isbn=978-0-9897906-0-4 |last=Parker |first=Dana T. |title=Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II |date=19 October 2013 |publisher=Dana T. Parker}}.</ref>

By the time the Pointblank offensive resumed in early 1944, matters had changed. Bomber escort defenses were initially layered, using the shorter-range P-38s and P-47s to escort the bombers during the initial stages of the raid before handing over to the P-51s when they were forced to turn for home. This provided continuous coverage during the raid. The Mustang was so clearly superior to earlier US designs that the 8th Air Force began to steadily switch its fighter groups to the Mustang, first swapping arriving P-47 groups to the 9th Air Force in exchange for those that were using P-51s, then gradually converting its Thunderbolt and Lightning groups. By the end of 1944, 14 of its 15 groups flew Mustangs.<ref>Dean 1997, p. 338.</ref>

The Luftwaffe's twin-engined [[Messerschmitt Bf 110]] heavy fighters brought up to deal with the bombers proved to be easy prey for the Mustangs, and had to be quickly withdrawn from combat. The [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]]A, already suffering from poor high-altitude performance, was outperformed by the Mustang at the B-17's altitude, and when laden with [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190 operational history#The Sturmböcke|heavy bomber-hunting weapons]] as a replacement for the more vulnerable twin-engined ''Zerstörer'' heavy fighters, it suffered heavy losses. The [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]] had comparable performance at high altitudes, but its lightweight airframe was even more greatly affected by increases in armament. The Mustang's much lighter armament, tuned for antifighter combat, allowed it to overcome these single-engined opponents.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

====Fighting the ''Luftwaffe''====
[[File:Pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group.jpg|thumb|left|Pilots of the all-Black American [[332d Fighter Group|332nd Fighter Group]] (the [[Tuskegee Airmen]]) at Ramitelli, Italy: From left, Lt. [[Dempsey W. Morgran]], Lt. [[Carroll S. Woods]], Lt. [[Robert H. Nelron, Jr.]], Capt. [[Andrew D. Turner]], and Lt. [[Clarence D. Lester]]]]

At the start of 1944, Major General [[Jimmy Doolittle|James Doolittle]], the new commander of the 8th Air Force, released most fighters from the requirement of flying in close formation with the bombers, allowing them free rein to attack the Luftwaffe wherever it could be found. The aim was to achieve [[air supremacy]]. Mustang groups were sent far ahead of the bombers in a "fighter sweep" to intercept German fighters. Bomber crews complained, but by June, supremacy was achieved.<ref>{{cite book |title=American Military Leaders: A-L |last=Fredriksen |first=John C. |date=1999 |page=227 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781576070017 |volume=1}}</ref>

The ''Luftwaffe'' answered with the ''Gefechtsverband'' ("battle formation"). This consisted of a ''Sturmgruppe'' of heavily armed and armored Fw 190As escorted by two ''Begleitgruppen'' of Bf 109s, whose task was to keep the Mustangs away from the Fw 190s as they attacked the bombers. This strategy proved to be problematic, as the large German formation took a long time to assemble and was difficult to maneuver. It was often intercepted by the P-51 "fighter sweeps" before it could attack the bombers. However, German attacks against bombers could be effective when they did occur; the bomber-destroyer Fw 190As swept in from astern and often pressed their attacks to within {{convert|100|yd|m|abbr=on|sigfig=1|order=flip}}.<ref name= "Spick p. 111.">Spick 1983, p. 111.</ref>

[[File:P-51B 100FS 332FG Italy 1944.jpg|thumb|A USAAF armorer of the [[100th Fighter Squadron]], [[332nd Fighter Group]], 15th US Air Force checks ammunition belts of the .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns in the wings of a North American P-51B Mustang in Italy, ''circa'' September 1944]]
While not always able to avoid contact with the escorts, the threat of mass attacks and later the "company front" (eight abreast) assaults by armored ''Sturmgruppe'' Fw 190As brought an urgency to attacking the ''Luftwaffe'' wherever it could be found, either in the air or on the ground. Beginning [[Big Week|in late February 1944]], 8th Air Force fighter units began systematic strafing attacks on German airfields with increasing frequency and intensity, with the objective of gaining air supremacy over the [[Normandy]] battlefield. In general, these were conducted by units returning from escort missions, but beginning in March, many groups also were assigned airfield attacks instead of bomber support. The P-51, particularly with the advent of the K-14 [[gyro gunsight]] and the development of "Clobber Colleges"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.b24.net/2ndADA-Newsletters/1974-Dec.pdf |title=Clobber College |last=Robertie |first=William G |publisher=Second Air Division Association |volume=12 |date=December 1974 |issue=4 |access-date=2 June 2021}}</ref> for the training of fighter pilots in late 1944, was a decisive element in Allied countermeasures against the ''Jagdverbände''.

The numerical superiority of the USAAF fighters, superb flying characteristics of the P-51, and pilot proficiency helped cripple the ''Luftwaffe''{{'}}s fighter force. As a result, the fighter threat to the US, and later British, bombers was greatly diminished by July 1944. The RAF, long proponents of night bombing for protection, were able to reopen daylight bombing in 1944 as a result of the crippling of the ''Luftwaffe'' fighter arm. [[Reichsmarschall]] [[Hermann Göring]], commander of the ''Luftwaffe'' during the war, was quoted as saying, "When I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up."<ref>Bowen 1980{{page needed|date=May 2011}}</ref><ref>Sherman, Steven. [http://acepilots.com/usaaf_eto_aces.html "Aces of the Eighth Air Force in World War Two"] {{webarchive|url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110813231458/http://acepilots.com/usaaf_eto_aces.html |date=13 August 2011 }} ''Ace pilots'', June 1999. Retrieved: 7 August 2011.</ref><ref name=Parker/>

====Beyond Pointblank====
[[File:P51-1 300.jpg|thumb|P-51D 44-14888 of the 8th AF/357th FG/363rd FS, named ''Glamorous Glen III'', is the aircraft in which [[Chuck Yeager]] achieved most of his 12.5 kills, including two Me 262s – shown here with twin single-use 108-gallon (409-l) drop tanks fitted. This aircraft was renamed "Melody's Answer" and crashed on 2 March 1945, from unknown causes at Haseloff, west of Treuenbrietzen, Germany.]]
[[File:George Preddy P-51.png|thumb|Top-scoring Mustang ace of WWII, Major [[George Preddy|George Earl Preddy Jr]]., with 26.83 aerial victories and five aircraft destroyed on the ground (first three victories were achieved on [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt|P-47]])]]
On 15 April 1944, VIII Fighter Command began "Operation Jackpot", attacks on Luftwaffe fighter airfields. As the efficacy of these missions increased, the number of fighters at the German airbases fell to the point where they were no longer considered worthwhile targets. On 21 May, targets were expanded to include railways, locomotives, and other [[rolling stock]] used by the Germans to transport materiel and troops, in missions dubbed "Chattanooga".<ref>Olmsted 1994, p. 144.</ref> The P-51 excelled at this mission, although losses were much higher on strafing missions than in air-to-air combat, partially because the Mustang's liquid-cooled engine (particularly its liquid coolant system) was vulnerable to small-arms fire, unlike the air-cooled [[Pratt & Whitney R-2800|R-2800]] radials of its Republic P-47 Thunderbolt stablemates based in England, regularly tasked with ground-strafing missions.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

[[File:P-51D Urban Drew.jpg|thumb|P-51D Mustang ''Detroit Miss'' of the 375th Fighter Squadron: [[Urban L. Drew]] flew this aircraft in late 1944 and shot down six German aircraft, including two jet-powered [[Messerschmitt Me 262|Me 262]]s in a single mission.]]
Given the overwhelming Allied [[air superiority]], the Luftwaffe put its effort into the development of aircraft of such high performance that they could operate with impunity, but which also made bomber attack much more difficult, merely from the flight velocities they achieved. Foremost among these were the [[Messerschmitt Me 163]]B point-defense rocket interceptors, which started their operations with [[JG 400]] near the end of July 1944, and the longer-endurance [[Messerschmitt Me 262]]A jet fighter, first flying with the [[Organization of the Luftwaffe (1933–45)#Gruppe|''Gruppe'']]-strength [[Kommando Nowotny]] unit by the end of September 1944. In action, the Me 163 proved to be [[Hypergolic propellant#History|more dangerous to the Luftwaffe]] than to the Allies and was never a serious threat. The Me 262A was a serious threat, but attacks on their airfields neutralized them. The pioneering [[Junkers Jumo 004]] [[Axial compressor|axial-flow]] [[Turbojet|jet engine]]s of the Me 262As needed careful nursing by their pilots, and these aircraft were particularly vulnerable during takeoff and landing.<ref>Forsyth 1996, pp. 149, 194.</ref> Lt. [[Chuck Yeager]] of the [[357th Fighter Group]] was one of the first American pilots to shoot down an Me 262, which he caught during its landing approach. On 7 October 1944, Lt. [[Urban L. Drew]] of the [[361st Fighter Group]] shot down two Me 262s that were taking off, while on the same day, Lt. Col. [[Hubert Zemke]], who had transferred to the Mustang-equipped [[479th Fighter Group]], shot down what he thought was a Bf 109, only to have his gun camera film reveal that it may have been an Me 262.<ref>Scutts 1994, p. 58.</ref> On 25 February 1945, Mustangs of the [[55th Fighter Group]] surprised an entire [[Organization of the Luftwaffe (1933–45)#Staffel|''Staffel'']] of Me 262As at takeoff and destroyed six jets.<ref>[[Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft]], p. 12.</ref>

The Mustang also proved useful against the [[V-1 (flying bomb)|V-1]]s launched toward London. P-51B/Cs, using 150-octane fuel, were fast enough to catch the V-1 and operated in concert with shorter-range aircraft such as advanced marks of the [[Supermarine Spitfire]] and [[Hawker Tempest]].{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

By 8 May 1945,<ref name="Glancey p. 188">Glancey 2006, p. 188.</ref> the [[United States Air Forces in Europe#Lineage|8th]], [[USAFCENT#Ninth Air Force 1943 to June 1944|9th]], and [[15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force|15th Air Force]]'s P-51 groups {{#tag:ref|All but three of these FGs flew P-38s, P-40s, or P-47s before converting to the Mustang.|group=nb}} claimed some 4,950 aircraft shot down (about half of all USAAF claims in the European theater, the most claimed by any Allied fighter in air-to-air combat)<ref name="Glancey p. 188" /> and 4,131 destroyed on the ground. Losses were about 2,520 aircraft.<ref>Dean 1997, p. 339.</ref> The 8th Air Force's [[4th Operations Group|4th Fighter Group]] was the top-scoring fighter group in Europe, with 1,016 enemy aircraft claimed destroyed. This included 550 claimed in aerial combat and 466 on the ground.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In air combat, the top-scoring P-51 units (both of which exclusively flew Mustangs) were the 357th Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force with 565 air-to-air combat victories and the 9th Air Force's 354th Fighter Group with 664, which made it one of the top-scoring fighter groups. The top Mustang ace was the USAAF's [[George Preddy]], whose final tally stood at 26.83 victories (a number that includes shared one half- and one third victory credits), 23 of which were scored with the P-51. Preddy was shot down and killed by [[friendly fire]] on Christmas Day 1944 during the [[Battle of the Bulge]].<ref name="Glancey p. 188" />

====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>

====Medal of Honor recipients====
[[File:James_Howard_April_1944.jpg|thumb|Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Col. James H. Howard, in the cockpit of his P-51 Mustang]]
Two P-51 pilots received the [[Medal of Honor]] during World War II:
*USAAF Lt Col. [[James H. Howard]] of the [[356th Fighter Squadron]], [[354th Fighter Group]] was awarded the Medal of Honor for his action during a bomber escort mission near [[Oschersleben]], Germany on 11 January 1944, flying P-51B, serial number {{USAF serial|43|6315}} nicknamed "Ding Hao".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EkUc5FEoaIsC&pg=PA171 |page=171 |last=Hatch |first=Gardner N. |date=1993 |title=P-51 Mustang |publisher=Turner |isbn=9781563110801}}</ref> Despite being outnumbered, Howard shot down three German planes and continued to defend the bombers even when his guns went out of action and fuel supply became dangerously low.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/639627/howard-lt-col-james-h-howard/ |title=Lt Col. James H. Howard |newspaper=Air Force Historical Support Division |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref>
*USAAF Maj. [[William A. Shomo]] of the [[82nd Reconnaissance Squadron]], [[71st Reconnaissance Group]] was awarded the Medal of Honor for his action during a mission over [[Luzon, Philippines]] on 11 January 1945, flying an F-6D, the armed photo reconnaissance variant of the P-51, serial number {{USAF serial|44|14841}} nicknamed "Snooks the 5th". On that mission, Shomo shot down seven Japanese planes and became an "[[List of aviators who became ace in a day|ace in a day]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/639652/shomo-maj-william-a-shomo/ |title=Maj. William A. Shomo |newspaper=Air Force Historical Support Division |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref>

===Pilot observations===
Chief Naval Test Pilot and C.O. Captured Enemy Aircraft Flight Capt. [[Eric Brown (pilot)|Eric Brown]], [[Royal Navy|RN]], tested the Mustang at [[RAE Farnborough]] in March 1944 and noted:
{{blockquote|The Mustang was a good fighter and the best escort due to its incredible range, make no mistake about it. It was also the best American dogfighter. But the laminar-flow wing fitted to the Mustang could be a little tricky. It could not by any means out-turn a Spitfire. No way. It had a good rate-of-roll, better than the Spitfire, so I would say the plusses to the Spitfire and the Mustang just about equate. If I were in a dogfight, I'd prefer to be flying the Spitfire. The problem was I wouldn't like to be in a dogfight near Berlin, because I could never get home to Britain in a Spitfire!<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7PeDPQAACAAJ |isbn=978-1-903223-98-7 |page=233 |title=Air Combat Manoeuvres: The Technique and History of Air Fighting for Flight Simulation |last1=Thompson |first1=Steve |last2=Smith |first2=Peter C. |last3=Allan |first3=Ian |last4=Spinetta |first4=Lawrence J. |year=2008 |publisher=Classic Publications}}</ref>}}

The US Air Forces, Flight Test Engineering, assessed the Mustang B on 24 April 1944 thus:
{{blockquote|The rate of climb is good and the high speed in level flight is exceptionally good at all altitudes, from sea level to 40,000 feet. The airplane is very maneuverable with good controllability at indicated speeds up to 400 MPH [sic]. The stability about all axes is good and the rate of roll is excellent; however, the radius of turn is fairly large for a fighter. The cockpit layout is excellent, but visibility is poor on the ground and only fair in level flight.<ref name="test">[http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/mustangtest.html Flight Tests on the North American P-51B-5-NA Airplane] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109090445/http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/mustangtest.html |date=9 January 2008 }}, Army Air Forces Material Command, Flight Test Engineering Branch, Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, 24 April 1944</ref>}}

[[Kurt Bühligen]], the third-highest scoring German fighter pilot of World War II's Western Front (with 112 confirmed victories, three against Mustangs), later stated:
{{blockquote|We would out-turn the P-51 and the other American fighters, with the Bf 109 or the Fw 190. Their turn rate was about the same. The P-51 was faster than us, but our munitions and [[MG 151 cannon|cannon]] were better.<ref name= "Sims pp. 134–135.">Sims 1980, pp. 134–135.</ref>}}

German fighter ace [[Heinrich Bär|Heinz Bär]] said that the P-51:
{{blockquote|was perhaps the most difficult of all Allied aircraft to meet in combat. It was fast, maneuverable, hard to see, and difficult to identify because it resembled the Me 109.<ref name="rymaszewski199407">{{Cite magazine |last=Rymaszewski |first=Michael |date=July 1994 |title=Playing Your Aces |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=120 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |pages=101–105 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116132532/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=120 |archive-date=16 November 2017 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

===After World War II===
{{More citations needed section|date=October 2021}}

[[File:USS Boxer (CV-21) loading F-51 Mustangs at NAS Alameda in July 1950 (80-G-418776).jpg|thumb|left|{{USS|Boxer|CV-21|6}} loads 146 [[United States Air Force|USAF]] F-51Ds at [[Naval Air Station Alameda|Alameda]] for the Korean theater, in July 1950.]]

In the aftermath of World War II, the USAAF consolidated much of its wartime combat force and selected the P-51 as a "standard" piston-engined fighter, while other types, such as the P-38 and P-47, were withdrawn or given substantially reduced roles. As the more advanced ([[Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star|P-80]] and [[Republic F-84 Thunderjet|P-84]]) jet fighters were introduced, the P-51 was also relegated to secondary duties.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barrett |first=M. B. |title=Today in History – April 3, 1965 – 1LT George Craig Smith takes heavy fire over SVN |url=https://supersabresociety.com/this_time_in_history/today-in-history-april-3-1941-robert-cheed-chilton-flies-first-prototype-of-the-p-51/ |access-date=11 June 2024 |website=Super Sabre Society |language=en}}</ref>

In 1947, the newly formed [[USAF]] [[Strategic Air Command]] employed Mustangs alongside F-6 Mustangs and [[North American F-82 Twin Mustang|F-82 Twin Mustang]]s, due to their range capabilities. In 1948, the designation P-51 (P for pursuit) was changed to ''F-51'' (''F'' for fighter) and the existing ''F'' designator for photographic reconnaissance aircraft was dropped because of a new designation scheme throughout the USAF. Aircraft still in service in the USAF or [[Air National Guard]] (ANG) when the system was changed included: ''F-51B'', ''F-51D'', ''F-51K'', ''RF-51D'' (formerly ''F-6D''), ''RF-51K'' (formerly ''F-6K'') and ''TRF-51D'' (two-seat trainer conversions of F-6Ds). They remained in service from 1946 through 1951. By 1950, although Mustangs continued in service with the USAF after the war, the majority of the USAF's Mustangs had become surplus to requirements and placed in storage, while some were transferred to the [[Air Force Reserve]] and the ANG.<ref name="NMUSAF" />

[[File:F-51 in Puddle, Korean War.jpg|thumb|An F-51 Mustang, laden with bombs and rockets, taxis through a puddle at an airbase in Korea.]]

From the start of the [[Korean War]], the Mustang once again proved useful. A "substantial number" of stored or in-service F-51Ds were shipped, via aircraft carriers, to the combat zone, and were used by the USAF, the South African Air Force, and the [[Republic of Korea Air Force]] (ROKAF). The F-51 was used for ground attack, fitted with rockets and bombs, and photo reconnaissance, rather than being as interceptors or "pure" fighters, where it was already surpassed by early jets. After the first North Korean invasion, USAF units were forced to fly from bases in Japan and the F-51Ds, with their long range and endurance, could attack targets in Korea that short-ranged F-80 jets could not. Because of the vulnerable liquid cooling system, however, the F-51s sustained heavy losses to ground fire.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep13778.8 |title=Initial Period of Operations in the Korean War, 25 June–24 July 1950 |last=Purdham |first=Aldon E. |date=2003 |publisher=Air University Press |pages=5–25}}</ref> Due to its lighter structure and a shortage of spare parts, the newer, faster F-51H was not used in Korea.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} On 5 August 1950, Major [[Louis J. Sebille]] of the [[67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron]] attacked a North Korean armored column advancing on [[United Nations Command|United Nations military units]] during the [[Battle of Pusan Perimeter]]. Though his aircraft was heavily damaged and he was wounded during the first pass on the column, he turned his F-51 around and deliberately crashed into the convoy at the cost of his life, and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/639634/sebille-maj-louis-j-sebille/ |title=Maj. Louis J. Sebille |newspaper=Air Force Historical Support Division |access-date=3 October 2022}}</ref>

Mustangs continued flying with USAF and ROKAF fighter-bomber units on close support and interdiction missions in Korea until 1953 when they were largely replaced as fighter-bombers by USAF F-84s and by [[United States Navy]] (USN) [[Grumman F9F Panther]]s. Other air forces and units using the Mustang included the [[Royal Australian Air Force]]'s [[No. 77 Squadron RAAF|77 Squadron]], which flew Australian-built Mustangs as part of [[British Commonwealth Forces Korea]]. The Mustangs were replaced by [[Gloster Meteor]] F8s in 1951. The [[South African Air Force]]'s [[No. 2 Squadron SAAF|2 Squadron]] used US-built Mustangs as part of the [[18th Wing|US 18th Fighter Bomber Wing]] and had suffered heavy losses by 1953, after which 2 Squadron converted to the F-86 Sabre.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

F-51s flew in the [[Air Force Reserve]] and ANG throughout the 1950s. The last American USAF Mustang was F-51D-30-NA AF serial no. {{USAF serial|44|74936}}, which was finally withdrawn from service with the [[West Virginia Air National Guard]]'s [[167th Airlift Squadron|167th Fighter Interceptor Squadron]] in January 1957 and retired to what was then called the Air Force Central Museum,<ref>United Press, "Last of Prop Fighters Will Go to Museum", ''The San Bernardino Daily Sun'', San Bernardino, California, Saturday 26 January 1957, Volume LXIII, Number 127, page 22.</ref> although it was briefly reactivated to fly at the 50th anniversary of the Air Force Aerial Firepower Demonstration at the Air Proving Ground, [[Eglin AFB]], Florida, on 6 May 1957.<ref>"'Mustang' Taken Out of Mothballs For Demonstration". ''The Okaloosa News-Journal'', Crestview, Florida, Volume 43, Number 14, page 3E.</ref> This aircraft, painted as P-51D-15-NA serial no. {{USAF serial|44|15174}}, is on display at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]], [[Wright-Patterson AFB]], in [[Dayton, Ohio]].<ref name= "Gunston P-51">Gunston, Bill. ''North American P-51 Mustang.'' New York: Gallery Books, 1990. {{ISBN|0-8317-1402-6}}.{{page needed|date=October 2021}}</ref>{{page needed|date=October 2021}}
[[File:P-51 WV ANG.jpeg|thumb|West Virginia Air National Guard F-51D with postwar "uncuffed" propeller unit]]
The final withdrawal of the Mustang from USAF dumped hundreds of P-51s onto the civilian market. The rights to the Mustang design were purchased from North American by the [[Cavalier Aircraft]] Corporation, which attempted to market the surplus Mustang aircraft in the US and overseas. In 1967 and again in 1972, the USAF procured batches of remanufactured Mustangs from Cavalier, most of them destined for air forces in South America and Asia that were participating in the [[Mutual Defense Assistance Act|Military Assistance Program]] (MAP). These aircraft were remanufactured from existing original F-51D airframes fitted with new V-1650-7 engines, a new radio, tall F-51H-type vertical tails, and a stronger wing that could carry six {{convert|0.50|in|mm|adj=on|abbr=on|order=flip}} machine guns and a total of eight underwing hardpoints. Two {{convert|1000|lb|kg|adj=on}} bombs and six {{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on|order=flip}} rockets could be carried. They all had an original F-51D-type canopy but carried a second seat for an observer behind the pilot. One additional Mustang was a two-seat, dual-control TF-51D (67-14866) with an enlarged canopy and only four wing guns. Although these remanufactured Mustangs were intended for sale to South American and Asian nations through the MAP, they were delivered to the USAF with full USAF markings. They were, however, allocated new serial numbers ({{USAF serial|67|14862/14866}}, {{USAF serial|67|22579/22582}} and {{USAF serial|72|1526/1541}}).<ref name= "Gunston P-51" />{{page needed|date=October 2021}}

The last US military use of the F-51 was in 1968 when the US Army employed a vintage F-51D (44-72990) as a chase aircraft for the [[AH-56 Cheyenne|Lockheed YAH-56 Cheyenne]] armed helicopter project. This aircraft was so successful that the Army ordered two F-51Ds from Cavalier in 1968 for use at [[Fort Rucker]] as chase planes. They were assigned the serials {{USAF serial|68|15795}} and {{USAF serial|68|15796}}. These F-51s had wingtip fuel tanks and were unarmed. Following the end of the Cheyenne program, these two chase aircraft were used for other projects. One of them (68-15795) was fitted with a 106&nbsp;mm recoilless rifle for evaluation of the weapon's value in attacking fortified ground targets.<ref>Wixey 2001, p. 55.</ref> Cavalier Mustang 68-15796 survives at the [[Air Force Armament Museum]], [[Eglin AFB]], Florida, displayed indoors in World War II markings.

The F-51 was adopted by many foreign air forces and continued to be an effective fighter into the mid-1980s with smaller air arms. The last Mustang ever downed in battle occurred during [[Operation Power Pack]] in the [[Dominican Republic]] in 1965, with the last aircraft finally being retired by the [[Dominican Air Force]] in 1984.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060829114424/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_153.shtml "Dominican Republic."]}} ''acig.org.'' Retrieved: 17 January 2012.</ref>

===Service with other air forces===
After World War II, the P-51 Mustang served in the air arms of more than 25 nations.<ref name="Gunston p. 58" /> During the war, a Mustang cost about $51,000,<ref name="knaack">Knaack 1978</ref> while many hundreds were sold postwar for the nominal price of one dollar to signatories of the [[Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance]], ratified in [[Rio de Janeiro]] in 1947.<ref name="Munson p. 97">Munson 1969, p. 97.</ref>

These countries used the P-51 Mustang:

;Australia
[[File:82 Sqn RAAF (P02032-023).jpg|thumb|P-51Ds of 82 Squadron RAAF in Bofu, Japan, as part of the [[British Commonwealth Occupation Force]], in 1947]]
:In November 1944, [[No. 3 Squadron RAAF|3 Squadron RAAF]] became the first Royal Australian Air Force unit to use Mustangs. At the time of its conversion from the P-40 to the Mustang, the squadron was based in Italy with the RAF's [[First Tactical Air Force]].
:3 Squadron was renumbered [[No. 4 Squadron RAAF|4 Squadron]] after returning to Australia from Italy, and converted to P-51Ds. Several other Australian or Pacific-based squadrons converted to either [[CAC Mustang|CAC-built Mustangs]] or to imported P-51Ks from July 1945, having been equipped with P-40s or Boomerangs for wartime service; these units were: [[No. 76 Squadron RAAF|76]], [[No. 77 Squadron RAAF|77]], [[No. 82 Squadron RAAF|82]], [[No. 83 Squadron RAAF|83]], [[No. 84 Squadron RAAF|84]] and [[No. 86 Squadron RAAF|86]] squadrons. Only 17 Mustangs reached the RAAF's [[Australian First Tactical Air Force|First Tactical Air Force]] front-line squadrons by the time World War II ended in August 1945.

:76, 77 and 82 squadrons were formed into [[No. 81 Wing RAAF|81 Fighter Wing]] of the [[British Commonwealth Occupation Force|British Commonwealth Air Force]], which was part of the [[British Commonwealth Occupation Force]] stationed in Japan from February 1946. 77 Squadron used its P-51s extensively during the first months of the Korean War, before converting to [[Gloster Meteor]] jets.<ref>Anderson 1975, pp. 16–43.</ref>

:Five reserve units from the Citizen Air Force also operated Mustangs. [[No. 21 Squadron RAAF|21 "City of Melbourne" Squadron]], based in the state of [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]; [[No. 22 Squadron RAAF|22 "City of Sydney" Squadron]], based in [[New South Wales]]; [[No. 23 Squadron RAAF|23 "City of Brisbane" Squadron]], based in Queensland; [[No. 24 Squadron RAAF|24 "City of Adelaide" Squadron]], based in South Australia; and [[No. 25 Squadron RAAF|25 "City of Perth" Squadron]], based in Western Australia; all of these units were equipped with CAC Mustangs, rather than P-51D or Ks. The last Mustangs were retired from these units in 1960 when CAF units adopted a nonflying role.<ref>Anderson 1975, pp. 50–65.</ref>

;Bolivia
[[File:Cavalier Mustang.jpg|thumb|A Cavalier Mustang, formerly of the Bolivian Air Force, parked on a Canadian airfield]]
: Nine [[Cavalier Mustang|Cavalier F-51D]] (including the two TF-51s) were given to Bolivia, under a program called Peace Condor.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Canada 
[[File:MUSTANG RCAF 9221.jpg|thumb| [[Lynn Garrison]] with RCAF 9281, 1956, {{not a typo|subsequently flown}} during the 1969 [[Football War]], returned to the US by Jerry Janes and flown as ''Cottonmouth'']]
:Canada had five squadrons equipped with Mustangs during World War II. RCAF [[No. 400 Squadron RCAF|400]], 414, and 430 squadrons flew Mustang Mk Is (1942–1944) and 441 and 442 squadrons flew Mustang Mk IIIs and IVAs in 1945. Postwar, a total of 150 Mustang P-51Ds were purchased and served in two regular ([[No. 416 Squadron RCAF|416 "Lynx"]] and 417 "City of Windsor") and six auxiliary fighter squadrons (402 "City of Winnipeg", 403 "City of Calgary", 420 "City of London", 424 "City of Hamilton", 442 "City of Vancouver" and 443 "City of New Westminster"). The Mustangs were declared obsolete in 1956, but special-duty versions served on into the early 1960s.

;Republic of China 
[[File:P-51 of the Republic of China Air Force, 1953.jpg|thumb|P-51 of the Republic of China Air Force, 1953]]
: The [[Chinese Nationalist Air Force]] obtained the P-51 during the late [[Second Sino-Japanese War|Sino-Japanese War]] to fight against the Japanese. After the war, [[Chiang Kai-shek]]'s [[Republic of China|Nationalist]] government used the planes against insurgent Communist forces. The Nationalists retreated to [[Taiwan]] in 1949. Pilots supporting Chiang brought most of the Mustangs with them, where the aircraft became part of the island's defense arsenal.

;People's Republic of China
[[File:P-51D in Chinese Military Museum 20170919.jpg|thumb|P-51D Mustang in Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution]]
: The Communist Chinese captured 39 P-51s from the Nationalists while they were retreating to Taiwan.<ref name="Gunston p. 39">Gunston 1990 p. 39.</ref> In August 1949, the [[People's Liberation Army Air Force]] formed its first P-51 squadron at [[Beijing Nanyuan Airport]] and were tasked of the defending Beijing's airspace from Nationalist Air Force aircraft. On 1 October 1949, when [[Mao Zedong]] proclaimed the [[Proclamation of the People's Republic of China|founding of the People's Republic of China]], nine P-51s conducted a fly-past during the military parade in Beijing. By 1950, when [[Soviet Union]] began supplying modern military equipment to China, surviving P-51s were relegated to PLAAF's aviation school and 13 P-51s were modified as two-seat trainers. By September 1953, most P-51s were retired from service and only eight P-51s remained in service to teach [[Ilyushin Il-10]] pilots on how to taxi aircraft.<ref name="Oliver 2023">Oliver 2023.</ref>

;Costa Rica
:The [[Costa Rican Air Force]] flew four P-51Ds from 1955 to 1964.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" /> 

;Cuba
: In November 1958, three US-registered civilian P-51D Mustangs were illegally flown separately from Miami to Cuba, on delivery to the rebel forces of the [[26th of July Movement]], then headed by [[Fidel Castro]] during the [[Cuban Revolution]]. One of the Mustangs was damaged during delivery and none of them were used operationally. After the success of the revolution in January 1959, with other rebel aircraft plus those of the existing Cuban government forces, they were adopted into the [[Cuban Air Force|Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria]]. Due to increasing US restrictions and lack of spares and maintenance experience, they never achieved operational status. At the time of the [[Bay of Pigs invasion]], the two intact Mustangs were already effectively grounded at Campo Columbia and at Santiago. After the failed invasion, they were placed on display with other symbols of "revolutionary struggle" and one remains on display at the [[Museo del Aire (Cuba)|Museo del Aire]].<ref>Hagedorn 1993, p. 147.</ref><ref>Hagedorn 2006{{page needed|date=September 2011}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2011}}<ref>Dienst 1985</ref>

;Dominican Republic 
: The [[Dominican Republic]] was the largest Latin American air force to employ the P-51D, with six aircraft acquired in 1948, 44 ex-Swedish F-51Ds purchased in 1948, and a further Mustang obtained from an unknown source.<ref name="wingsof fame1 p107">Gunston and Dorr 1995, p. 107.</ref> It was the last nation to have any Mustangs in service, with some remaining in use as late as 1984. Nine of the final 10 aircraft were sold back to American collectors in 1988.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;El Salvador 
: The [[Salvadoran Air Force]] (''Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña'' or FAS) purchased five Cavalier Mustang IIs (and one dual-control Cavalier TF-51) that featured wingtip fuel tanks to increase combat range and up-rated Merlin engines. Seven P-51D Mustangs were also in service.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" /> They were used during the 1969 Football War against Honduras, the last time the P-51 was used in combat. One of them, FAS-404, was shot down by a [[Vought F4U Corsair|Vought F4U-5 Corsair]] flown by Captain Fernando Soto in the last aerial combat between piston-engined fighters in the world.<ref name="wingsof fame1 109-0">Gunston and Dorr 1995, pp. 109–110.</ref>

;France
: In late 1944, the first French unit began its transition to reconnaissance Mustangs. In January 1945, the Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron 2/33 of the French Air Force took their F-6Cs and F-6Ds over Germany on photographic mapping missions. The Mustangs remained in service until the early 1950s, when they were replaced by jet fighters.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Germany
: Several P-51s were captured by the Luftwaffe as ''Beuteflugzeug'' ("captured aircraft") following crash landings. These aircraft were subsequently repaired and test-flown by the ''[[Zirkus Rosarius]]'', or ''Rosarius Staffel'', the official ''[[Erprobungskommando]]'' of the [[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe|Luftwaffe High Command]], for combat evaluation at [[Göttingen]]. The aircraft were repainted with German markings and bright yellow noses, tails, and bellies for identification. P-51B/P-51Cs – including examples marked with Luftwaffe ''Geschwaderkennung'' codes T9+CK, T9+FK, T9+HK, and T9+PK (with the "T9" prefix not known to be officially assigned to any existing Luftwaffe formation from their own records, outside of the photos of ''Zirkus Rosarius''–flown aircraft)—with a total of three captured P-51Ds were also flown by the unit.<ref>Smith et al. 2004, pp. 78–79, 80, 82.</ref> Some of these P-51s were found by Allied forces at the end of the war; others crashed during testing.<ref>Smith et al. 2004, pp. 108–114.</ref> The Mustang is also listed in the appendix to the novel ''KG 200'' as having been flown by the German secret operations unit [[Kampfgeschwader 200|KG 200]], which tested, evaluated, and sometimes clandestinely operated captured enemy aircraft during World War II.<ref>Gilman and Clive 1978, p. 314.</ref>

;Guatemala
[[File:336 NA P-51 Mustang Guatemalan Air Force (7468458898).jpg|thumb|Guatemalan Air Force P-51Ds at Guatemala La Aurora International]]
: The [[Guatemalan Air Force]] had 30 P-51D Mustangs in service from 1954 to the early 1970s.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Haiti 
: Haiti had four P-51D Mustangs when President Paul Eugène Magloire was in power from 1950 to 1956, with the last retired in 1973–1974 and sold for spares to the Dominican Republic.<ref name="wingsof fame1 p108">Gunston and Dorr 1995, p. 108.</ref>

;Indonesia
[[File:Mustangsatriamandala.jpg|thumb|Indonesian Air Force P-51]]
: Indonesia acquired 26 P-51D/Ks from the departing Netherlands East Indies Air Force in 1949–1950 and later received 35 P-51Ds from the United States in 1960–1961.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php |title=Arms Trade Registers |website=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute |access-date=5 October 2022}}</ref> The Mustangs were used against numerous rebellions during the 1950s, such as the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]-backed [[Permesta]] rebels in 1958–1961. During this period, the Mustang scored the first and (as of 2022) the only aerial victory of the Indonesian Air Force, when on 18 May 1958, a P-51D Mustang piloted by Capt. Ignatius Dewanto shot down a Permesta's Revolutionary Air Force [[Douglas A-26 Invader|B-26 Invader]] piloted by [[Allen Lawrence Pope]] near [[Ambon Island|Ambon]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Conboy |first1=Kenneth |last2=Morrison |first2=James |year=1999 |title=Feet to the Fire CIA Covert Operations in Indonesia, 1957–1958 |location=Annapolis |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]] |isbn=1-55750-193-9 |pages=132–141}}</ref> They were also used against Commonwealth (RAF, RAAF, and RNZAF) forces during the [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]] in the early 1960s. Indonesia received a shipment of five or seven [[Cavalier Mustang|Cavalier II Mustang]]s and one TF-51D (without tip tanks) delivered in 1972–1973 as part of "Peace Pony" program under the [[Mutual Defense Assistance Act]]. The last time Mustangs were deployed for military purposes was during the "Wibawa V" exercise at [[Mount Lawu]], [[Magetan]] in February 1975. The Indonesian Mustangs were also used for filming ''[[Janur Kuning]]'', which was released in 1980. The Mustangs were replaced in 1976.<ref>[http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/p51variants/Cavalier.shtml Cavalier Mustangs] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927175855/http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/p51variants/Cavalier.shtml |date=27 September 2007 }} ''Mustangs-Mustangs''. Retrieved: 12 April 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.scramble.nl/id.htm "Indonesian Air Arms Overview"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916041603/http://www.scramble.nl/id.htm |date=16 September 2011 }} ''Scramble: Dutch Aviation Society''. Retrieved: 12 April 2007.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.merdeka.com/peristiwa/kisah-pilot-tni-au-tembak-jatuh-pesawat-pengebom-cia.html |title=Kisah pilot TNI AU tembak jatuh pesawat pengebom CIA |website=merdeka.com |date=11 September 2014 |language=id |access-date=10 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.radarmiliter.com/2019/07/story-sepenggal-kisah-generasi-terakhir.html |title=Story: Sepenggal Kisah Generasi Terakhir Penerbang P-51 Mustang TNI AU |website=radarmiliter.com |date=15 July 2019 |language=id |access-date=5 October 2022 |archive-date=5 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005030924/https://www.radarmiliter.com/2019/07/story-sepenggal-kisah-generasi-terakhir.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

;Israel
[[File:Hatzerim Mustang 29012010 01.jpg|thumb|A P-51D at the [[Israeli Air Force Museum]]: The marking beneath the cockpit notes its participation in the wire-cutting operation at the onset of the Suez Crisis.]]
: A few P-51 Mustangs were illegally bought by Israel in 1948, crated, and smuggled into the country as agricultural equipment for use in the [[1947–1949 Palestine war]], serving alongside upwards of 23 [[Avia S-199]] fighters (Czech-built Messerschmitt Bf 109Gs) in Israeli service, with the Mustangs quickly establishing themselves as the best fighter in the Israeli inventory.<ref>Darling 2002, p. 66.</ref> Further aircraft were bought from Sweden and were replaced by jets at the end of the 1950s, but not before the type was used in the [[Suez Crisis]], at the opening of [[Operation Kadesh]]. In conjunction with a surprise parachute drop at the [[Mitla Pass]], four P-51s were specially detailed to cut telephone and telegraph wires using their wings in extreme low level runs, which resulted in major interruptions to Egyptian communications.<ref>Herzog (1982) p. 118</ref><ref>Norton, Bill (2004) – ''Air War on the Edge – A History of the Israeli Air Force and its Aircraft since 1947''</ref><ref>Yenne 1989, p. 62.</ref>

;Italy 
[[File:P-51D Mustang&SM.82 Marsupiale.jpg|thumb|Italian P-51D Mustang]]
: Italy was a postwar operator of P-51Ds; deliveries were slowed by the Korean War, but between September 1947 and January 1951, by MDAP count, 173 examples were delivered. They were used in all the AMI fighter units: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 51 ''Stormo'' (wing), plus some employed in schools and experimental units. Considered a "glamorous" fighter, P-51s were even used as personal aircraft by several Italian commanders. Some restrictions were placed on its use due to unfavorable flying characteristics. Handling had to be done with much care when fuel tanks were fully used, and several aerobatic maneuvers were forbidden. Overall, the P-51D was highly rated even compared to the other primary postwar fighter in Italian service, the Supermarine Spitfire, partly because these P-51Ds were in very good condition in contrast to all other Allied fighters supplied to Italy. Phasing out of the Mustang began in mid-1958.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/storia/museostorico/Pagine/NorthAmericanP51.aspx |title=North American P-51 |publisher=Aeronautica Militare |access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/italy/af/ital-af2-all-time.htm |title=Italian Air Force |publisher=aeroflight |access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref><ref>Sgarlato 2003{{page needed|date=September 2011}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2011}}

;Japan 
: The P-51C-11-NT ''Evalina'', marked as "278" (former USAAF serial: {{USAF serial|44|10816}}) and flown by 26th FS, 51st FG, was hit by gunfire on 16 January 1945 and belly-landed on Suchon Airfield in China, which was held by the Japanese. The Japanese repaired the aircraft, roughly applied [[Hinomaru]] [[roundel]]s and flew the aircraft to the Fussa evaluation center (now [[Yokota Air Base]]) in Japan.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Netherlands
[[File:North American P-51 Mustang (7177600325).jpg|thumb|Netherlands North American P-51 Mustang]]
: The [[Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force]] received 40 P-51Ds and flew them in the course of the [[Indonesian National Revolution]], particularly during the two [[Police actions (Indonesia)|Dutch police actions]]: [[Operation Product]] in 1947 and [[Operation Kraai]] in 1948–1949.<ref name="Kahin90">Kahin 2003, p. 90.</ref> When the conflict was over, Indonesia received 26 of these Mustangs.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;New Zealand
{{main|North American P-51 Mustang in New Zealand service}} 
[[File:P51 Mustang Wairarapa.jpg|thumb|P-51D in 3 (Canterbury) Squadron TAF livery, performing at 2007 Wings over [[Wairarapa]] airshow]]
:New Zealand ordered 370 P-51 Mustangs to supplement its F4U Corsairs in the [[Pacific Ocean Areas]] theater. Scheduled deliveries were for an initial batch of 30 P-51Ds, followed by 137 more P-51Ds and 203 P-51Ms.<ref name="Wilson 2010, p. 42.">Wilson 2010, p. 42.</ref> The original 30 were being shipped as the war ended in August 1945; these were stored in their packing cases, and the order for the additional Mustangs was canceled. In 1951, the stored Mustangs entered service in [[No. 1 Squadron RNZAF|1 (Auckland)]], [[No. 2 Squadron RNZAF|2 (Wellington)]], [[No. 3 Squadron RNZAF|3 (Canterbury)]], and [[No. 4 Squadron RNZAF|4 (Otago)]] squadrons of the [[New Zealand Territorial Air Force|Territorial Air Force]] (TAF). The Mustangs remained in service until they were prematurely retired in August 1955 following a series of problems with undercarriage and coolant-system corrosion problems. Four Mustangs served on as target tugs until the TAF was disbanded in 1957.<ref name="Wilson 2010, p. 42." /> RNZAF pilots in the Royal Air Force also flew the P-51 and at least one New Zealand pilot scored victories over Europe while on loan to a USAAF P-51 squadron.

;Nicaragua 
: The [[Nicaraguan National Guard]] purchased 26 P-51D Mustangs from Sweden in 1954 and later received 30 P-51D Mustangs from the US together with two TF-51 models from MAP after 1954. All aircraft of this type were retired from service by 1964.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Philippines
[[File:PAF P-51 Mustang.jpg|thumb|Philippine Air Force P-51D: The tailwheels were fixed in the extended position.]]
:The Philippines acquired 103 P-51D Mustangs after World War II, operated by the 6th "Cobras", 7th "Bulldogs" and 8th "Scorpions" tactical fighter squadrons of the 5th Fighter Wing.<ref>{{cite web |title=Orbats |url=https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/philippines/philippine-air-force-history |website=Scramble: Dutch Aviation Society |publisher=Scramble}}</ref> These became the backbone of the postwar [[Philippine Army Air Corps]] and [[Philippine Air Force]], and were used extensively during the [[Hukbalahap|Huk]] campaign, fighting against communist insurgents, as well as the suppression of Moro rebels led by Hadji Kamlon in southern Philippines until 1955. The Mustangs were also the first aircraft of the Philippine air demonstration team, which was formed in 1953 and given the name the "Blue Diamonds" the following year.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000226185217/http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/7279/BLUEDIA2.HTML "Blue Diamonds: Philippine Air Force."] ''geocities.com''. Retrieved: 21 March 2008.</ref> The Mustangs were replaced by 56 F-86 Sabres in the late 1950s, but some were still in service for COIN roles up to the early 1980s.

;Poland
:During World War II, five [[Polish Air Forces in France and Great Britain|Polish Air Force in Great Britain]] squadrons used Mustangs. The first Polish unit equipped (7 June 1942) with Mustang Mk Is was "B" Flight of [[No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron|309 "''Ziemi Czerwieńskiej''" Squadron]]{{#tag:ref|"Ziemi Czerwieńskiej" = "[[Czerwień|Land of Czerwien]]", RAF Polish units retained the name and the logo of a squadron from the Polish Air Force which fought the Germans in 1939.|group=nb}} (an Army Co-Operation Command unit), followed by "A" Flight in March 1943. Subsequently, 309 Squadron was redesignated a fighter/reconnaissance unit and became part of Fighter Command. On 13 March 1944, [[No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron|316 "''Warszawski''" Squadron]] received their first Mustang Mk IIIs; rearming of the unit was completed by the end of April. By 26 March 1944, [[No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron|306 "''Toruński''" Sqn]] and [[No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron|315 "''Dębliński''" Sqn]] received Mustangs Mk IIIs (the whole operation took 12&nbsp;days). On 20 October 1944, Mustang Mk Is in 309 Squadron were replaced by Mk IIIs. On 11 December 1944, the unit was again renamed, becoming 309 ''Dywizjon Myśliwski'' "''Ziemi Czerwieńskiej''" or 309 "Land of Czerwien" Polish Fighter Squadron.<ref>[http://www.polishairforce.pl/dyw309zdj.html "309 Sqn photo gallery."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111021910/http://www.polishairforce.pl/dyw309zdj.html |date=11 November 2009 }} ''polishairforce.pl.'' Retrieved: 18 February 2010.</ref> In 1945, [[No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron|303 "''Kościuszko''" Sqn]] received 20 Mustangs Mk IV/Mk IVA replacements. Postwar, between 6 December 1946 and 6 January 1947, all five Polish squadrons equipped with Mustangs were disbanded. Poland returned about 80 Mustang Mk IIIs and 20 Mustangs Mk IV/IVAs to the RAF, which transferred them to the US government.<ref>Mietelski 1981{{page needed|date=September 2011}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2011}}

;Somalia
: The [[Somalian Air Force]] operated eight P-51Ds in post-World War II service.<ref>[http://worldairforces.com/Countries/somali/som.html "Somali (SOM)."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902153010/http://worldairforces.com/Countries/somali/som.html |date=2 September 2011 }} ''World Air Forces.'' Retrieved: 10 September 2011.</ref>

;South Africa
[[File:F-51Ds 2 Sqn SAAF Korea May 1951.jpeg|thumb|North American F-51D Mustang fighters of No. 2 Squadron of the South African Air Force in Korea, on 1 May 1951]]
:No.5 Squadron [[South African Air Force]] operated Mustang Mk IIIs (P-51B/C) and Mk IVs (P-51D/K) in Italy during World War II, beginning in September 1944, when the squadron converted to the Mustang Mk III from Kittyhawks. The Mk IV and Mk IVA came into SA service in March 1945. These aircraft were generally camouflaged in the British style, having been drawn from RAF stocks; all carried RAF serial numbers and were struck off charge and scrapped in October 1945. In 1950, 2 Squadron SAAF was supplied with F-51D Mustangs by the United States for Korean War service. The type performed well in South African hands before being replaced by the F-86 Sabre in 1952 and 1953.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;South Korea
[[File:ROKAF F-51D.JPEG|thumb|The F-51D in ROKAF service]]
:Within a month of the outbreak of the Korean War, 10 F-51D Mustangs were provided to the badly depleted [[Republic of Korea Air Force]] as a part of the [[Bout One]] Project. They were flown by both South Korean airmen, several of whom were veterans of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy air services during World War II, as well as by US advisers led by Major [[Dean Hess]]. Later, more were provided both from US and from South African stocks, as the latter were converting to F-86 Sabres. They formed the backbone of the South Korean Air Force until they were replaced by Sabres.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />
:It also served with the ROKAF [[Black Eagles aerobatic team]], until retired in 1954.

;Sweden
[[File:Swedish Airforce P51D Mustang.jpg|thumb|Swedish Air Force J 26 on display at [[Swedish Air Force Museum]]]]
:Sweden's ''[[Swedish Air Force|Flygvapnet]]'' first recuperated four of the P-51s (two P-51Bs and two early P-51Ds) that had been diverted to Sweden during missions over Europe. In February 1945, Sweden purchased 50 P-51Ds designated J 26, which were delivered by American pilots in April and assigned to the [[Uppland Wing]] (F 16) at [[Uppsala]] as interceptors. In early 1946, the [[Jämtland Wing]] (F 4) at [[Östersund]] was equipped with a second batch of 90 P-51Ds. A final batch of 21 Mustangs was purchased in 1948. In all, 161 J 26s served in the [[Swedish Air Force]] during the late 1940s. About 12 were modified for photo reconnaissance and redesignated S 26. Some of these aircraft participated in the secret Swedish mapping of new Soviet military installations at the Baltic coast in 1946–47 (''Operation Falun''), an endeavor that entailed many intentional violations of Soviet airspace. However, the Mustang could outdive any Soviet fighter of that era, so no S 26s were lost in these missions.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQG9PAAACAAJ |isbn=978-91-7243-015-0 |title=Bortom horisonten: Svensk flygspaning mot Sovjetunionen 1946-1952 |last1=Andersson |first1=Lennart |year=2002 |publisher=Stenbom}}</ref> The J 26s were replaced by [[De Havilland Vampire]]s around 1950. The S 26s were replaced by [[SAAB Tunnan|S 29Cs]] in the early 1950s.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Switzerland 
[[File:Swiss Air Force P-51 Mustang side view.jpg|thumb|A restored Swiss Air Force P-51D at the [[Flieger-Flab-Museum]]]]
:The [[Swiss Air Force]] operated a few USAAF P-51s that had been impounded by Swiss authorities during World War II after the pilots were forced to land in neutral Switzerland. After the war, Switzerland also bought 130 P-51s for $4,000 each. They served until 1958.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Soviet Union
: The Soviet Union received at least 10 early-model ex-RAF Mustang Mk Is and tested them, but found them to "under-perform" compared to contemporary USSR fighters, relegating them to training units. Later Lend-Lease deliveries of the P-51B/C and D series, along with other Mustangs abandoned in Russia after the famous [[Shuttle bombing|"shuttle missions"]], were repaired and used by the Soviet Air Force, but not in front-line service.<ref>Gordon 2008, pp. 448–449.</ref>

;Uruguay 
: The [[Uruguayan Air Force]] used 25 P-51D Mustangs from 1950 to 1960; some were subsequently sold to Bolivia.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

===P-51s and civil aviation===
[[File:P51 tiptanks Cavalier Mustang.jpg|thumb|Cavalier P-51 Mustang with tiptanks]]

Many P-51s were sold as surplus after the war, often for as little as $1,500. Some were sold to former wartime fliers or other aficionados for personal use, while others were modified for air racing.<ref name="Swiss">Kyburz, Martin. [http://www.swissmustangs.ch/35899.html "Racing Mustangs."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221194316/http://www.swissmustangs.ch/35899.html |date=21 February 2008 }} ''Swiss Mustangs,'' 2009. Retrieved: 17 January 2012.</ref>

One of the most significant Mustangs involved in air racing was serial number {{USAF serial|44|10947}}, a surplus P-51C-10-NT purchased by film stunt pilot [[Paul Mantz]]. He modified the wings, sealing them to create a giant fuel tank in each one; these "wet wings" reduced the need for fuel stops or drag-inducing drop tanks. Named ''Blaze of Noon'' after the film ''[[Blaze of Noon]]'', the aircraft won the 1946 and 1947 Bendix Air Races, took second in the 1948 Bendix, and placed third in the 1949 Bendix. Mantz also set a US coast-to-coast record in 1947. He sold the Mustang to [[Charles F. Blair Jr]] (future husband of [[Maureen O'Hara]]), who renamed it ''Excalibur III'' and used it to set a New York-to-London (about {{convert|3460|mi|km|disp=or}}) record in 1951: 7 hr 48 min from takeoff at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|Idlewild]] to overhead London Airport. Later that year, Blair flew from Norway to Fairbanks, Alaska, via the North Pole (about {{convert|3130|mi|km|disp=or}}), proving that navigation via sun sights was possible over the magnetic North Pole region. For this feat, he was awarded the [[Harmon Trophy]] and the Air Force was forced to change its thoughts on a possible Soviet air strike from the north. This Mustang now sits in the [[National Air and Space Museum]]'s [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]].<ref>[http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/NAP-51C.htm "Mustang NA P-51C Mustang."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312185637/http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/NAP-51C.htm |date=12 March 2007 }} ''NASM''. Retrieved: 30 September 2010.</ref>

[[File:p51-d mustang 472216 arp.jpg|thumb|''Miss Helen'', a P-51D in its wartime markings as flown by Capt. [[Raymond H. Littge]] of the 487 FS, 352 FG, on aerial display in 2007: It is the last original 352 FG P-51 known to exist.]]
In 1958, the RCAF retired its 78 remaining Mustangs. RCAF pilot [[Lynn Garrison]] ferried them from their various storage locations to [[Canastota, New York]], where the American buyers were based. Garrison flew each of the surviving aircraft at least once. These aircraft make up a large percentage of the aircraft presently flying worldwide.<ref name="sale" />

The most prominent firm to convert Mustangs to civilian use was Trans-Florida Aviation, later renamed Cavalier Aircraft Corporation, which produced the [[Cavalier Mustang]]. Modifications included a taller tailfin and wingtip tanks. Conversions included a Cavalier Mustang specialty: a "tight" second seat added in the space formerly occupied by the military radio and fuselage fuel tank.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the [[United States Department of Defense]] wished to supply aircraft to South American countries and later Indonesia for close [[air support]] and [[counterinsurgency]], it paid Cavalier to return some of their civilian conversions back to [[Cavalier Mustang#Military Cavaliers|updated military specifications]].

In the 21st century, a P-51 can command a price of more than $1&nbsp;million, even for only partially restored aircraft.<ref name="sale">[http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/p51sforsale/4473142apr2005.shtml "P-51s for Sale."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060715193735/http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/p51sforsale/4473142apr2005.shtml |date=15 July 2006 }} ''mustangsmustangs.net.'' Retrieved: 30 September 2010.</ref> There were 204 privately owned P-51s in the US on the [[FAA]] registry in 2011,<ref>[http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=NORTH+AMERICAN&Modeltxt=P-51&PageNo=1 "North American P-51".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715104400/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=NORTH+AMERICAN&Modeltxt=P-51&PageNo=1 |date=15 July 2012 }} ''FAA Registry.'' Retrieved: 15 May 2011.</ref> most of which are still flying, often associated with organizations such as the [[Commemorative Air Force]] (formerly the Confederate Air Force).<ref name="Dixie">[http://www.dixiewing.org/aircraft_rides/ "Aircraft rides."] ''Dixie Wing.'' Retrieved: 1 September 2010. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204214445/http://www.dixiewing.org/aircraft_rides/ |date=4 February 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:The Rebel P-51D-25NT N151CF 2014 Reno Air Races photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|''The Rebel'', a P-51D-25-NT, at the 2014 Reno Air Races]]

In May 2013, [[Doug Matthews]] set an altitude record of {{convert|42568|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} in a P-51 named ''The Rebel'' for piston-powered aircraft weighing {{convert|3000|to|6000|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/05/31/doug-matthews-sets-several-records-with-a-p-51-mustang/ |title=Doug Matthews sets several records flying a P-51 Mustang |work=World Warbird News |access-date=1 April 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402121112/http://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/05/31/doug-matthews-sets-several-records-with-a-p-51-mustang/ |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> Flying from a grass runway at Florida's [[Indiantown, Florida|Indiantown]] airport and over [[Lake Okeechobee]], Matthews set world records for time to reach altitudes of {{convert|9000|m|abbr=on}}, 18 minutes and {{convert|12000|m|abbr=on}}, 31 minutes. He set a level-flight altitude record of {{convert|40100|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} in level flight and an absolute altitude record of {{convert|42500|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/eaa-news-and-aviation-news/warbirds/2013-05-30-doug-matthews-sets-world-records-in-p-51d |title=Doug Matthews Sets World Records in P-51D |work=eaa.org |access-date=1 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402101949/http://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/eaa-news-and-aviation-news/warbirds/2013-05-30-doug-matthews-sets-world-records-in-p-51d |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs091/1102200709681/archive/1110419649863.html |title=July 2012 NAA Record Newsletter |work=constantcontact.com |access-date=1 April 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20150403014129/http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs091/1102200709681/archive/1110419649863.html |archive-date=3 April 2015}}</ref> breaking the previous record of {{convert|36902|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} set in 1954.

==== Incidents ====
* On 9 June 1973, [[William Penn Patrick]] (43) a certified pilot and his passenger, Christian Hagert, died when Patrick's P-51 Mustang crashed in [[Lakeport, California]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=86405&key=0 |title=NTSB Identification: OAK73FVG65 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620174847/http://www3.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=86405&key=0 |archive-date=20 June 2013}}</ref><ref name=crash-at-farrels>[http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/Sabrejet_crash_site.htm "The Crash at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor in Sacramento, CA – September 24, 1972, Postscript."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320003854/http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/Sabrejet_crash_site.htm |date=20 March 2008 }} ''Check Six'', 2002. Retrieved: 8 February 2014.</ref>
* On 1 July 1990 at the National Capital Air Show ([[Ottawa]], Ontario, Canada), Harry E. Tope was killed when his P-51 Mustang crashed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Warbird Registry |url=http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51registry/p51-4511586.html |access-date=18 September 2009}}</ref>
* On 16 September 2011 ''[[The Galloping Ghost (aircraft)|The Galloping Ghost]]'', a modified P-51 piloted by Jimmy Leeward of Ocala, Florida, [[2011 Reno Air Races crash|crashed during an air race in Reno, Nevada]]. Leeward and at least nine people on the ground were killed when the racer suddenly crashed near the edge of the grandstand.<ref>Barboza, Tony. [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/09/reno-air-crash-ntsb.html "Reno air races crash: NTSB investigates elevator trim tab."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103053943/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/09/reno-air-crash-ntsb.html |date=3 January 2015 }} ''Los Angeles Times,'' 14 June 2012. Retrieved: 17 September 2011.</ref>