Editing North American P-51 Mustang (section)

====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110]] heavy fighters brought up to deal with the bombers proved to be easy prey for the Mustangs, and had to be quickly withdrawn from combat.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}}