Editing North American P-51 Mustang (section)

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[[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" />