Editing North American P-51 Mustang (section)

===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>