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In 1943, the American daylight strategic bombing campaign was in trouble. Escorting fighters did not have the range to accompany the bombers all the way to targets deep into the center of Germany. Once the escort fighters turned back, the bombers suffered terrible losses at the hands of skilled Luftwaffe pilots. A solution was desperately needed. With a little modification—the addition of auxiliary fuel tanks and a more efficient and powerful engine—the North American P–51 Mustang became the best long-range escort fighter aircraft of the war.
In 1940, British purchasing agents approached North American Aviation to build Curtiss P–40s under license. Preferring to build an original aircraft, North American proposed to design a new fighter for the British. Completed in just 117 days, the Mustang soon proved to have outstanding low-level performance. The Mustang’s early success with ground-attack missions prompted the U.S. Army Air Corps to order a dive-bomber version known as the A–36. This was followed by the P–51A fighter with improved speed.
In 1942, the British began experimenting with the Rolls Royce Merlin engine in place of the original Allison to increase high-altitude performance. Encouraged by the results, North American modified the Mustang to take the Merlin engine. The new fighter was some 50 mph faster and had a ceiling of 42,000 feet. With the addition of wing drop tanks, in March 1944, Mustangs escorted U.S. bombers all the way to Berlin and back. The early Mustang’s limited rearward visibility was improved by the introduction of the bubble canopy on the P–51D model. This modification resulted in the classic Mustang profile most known today.
In the center and left of the instrument panel are the six blind flying instruments. The P–51D was the first model to have them in these newly adopted standard positions. A K–14 gunsight was mounted at the top of the instrument panel (not installed here). The bomb release or rocket launch button is at the top of the control stick, while the trigger operates the machine guns and camera. The throttle handle on the left side wall has a silver remote transmit-receive switch so that the pilot could operate the radio without taking his hand off the controls. On the right side is the control for the AN/APS–13 tail warning radar. The round object at the top left of the instrument glare shield is the warning light for this system. This light, combined with a bell, warned the pilot of aircraft approaching from the rear.
LT. VERNON L. RICHARDS OF THE 374TH FIGHTER GROUP, 361ST FIGHTER SQUADRON AT THE CONTROLS OF TIKA IV IN THE SKIES OVER ENGLAND.
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