The P-51 Mustang – Speed Matters

The P-51 Mustang is one of the most iconic aircraft from World War II to appear in World of Warplanes and as such has proved to be a popular choice with the players.  It played a huge role in changing the nature of air-based combat by showing what sheer speed and power can do, thus ushering in the jet engine era.  In this article we take a look at the history and background of this American fighter powered with a British engine.

British Requirements

The P-51 was originally designed for the British RAF who wanted a fast and heavily armed fighter.  The designers were Edgar Schmued and Raymond Rice who saw the British request as an opportunity to design a completely new fighter from scratch.

In 1940, a prototype was produced and the plane went into production in 1941.  The original P-51 had Allison V engines and four 12.7mm machine guns.  It was the British who gave it the name ‘Mustang’.   The plane performed incredibly well for the British, particularly as a tactical reconnaissance aircraft.  At low altitudes, its performance was exceptional, perhaps even better than the legendary Spitfire.  However, at high altitudes, its capability dropped off significantly, particular above 15,000 feet (4500m).  Nonetheless, for the reconnaissance and ground attack tasks that it was assigned to, it was very successful.

Late to the Party

Back home in America, the plane was largely ignored.  The majority of P51s were shipped to the British, although others were used by the Canadians and the Polish.  However, the USAAF took no notice of it at all until 1942, asking for a pair of evaluation models.  After testing them, they said that whilst it showed promise, they were still uninterested and turned down an order commitment.

This decision outraged the Chief of the Air Force, General ‘Hap’ Arnold, and he personally intervened to hold back 55 P-51s before they were delivered to the British.  These aircraft were deployed to North Africa in 1943 to be used for photo reconnaissance.

Collaboration

There was still a major problem with the Mustang, and that was the drop in performance at high altitude.  The British had never been particularly satisfied about these limitations, as this aspect of the aircraft performance technically meant that the plane didn’t meet their original specifications.  The source of the problem quickly proved to be the Allison engines, which just weren’t suitable for the purpose.

The British proposed a solution in the form of their own Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, as used in the Spitfire.  They collaborated with the American designers of the plane to fit the P-51 with this vastly more powerful engine.

Changing the Game

The use of the Merlin engine resulted in a tremendous increase in the performance of the plane, such that it was able to clock up an incredible 441 mph (710 kmph) at over 30,000 feet (9000m)!  That was more than 100 mph faster than the previous Allison powered Mustang could ever have hoped to achieve.  Deliveries of the new and improved Mustangs began at the end of 1943.

Further changes to the Mustang were made based on pilot feedback, resulting in the P-51D model – generally considered to be the ‘definitive’ Mustang with the most iconic appearance.  New features included fuel drop tanks, which meant that the warplane could stay in the air for much longer.  Once the tanks were empty, they could be dropped, granting greater speed and aerodynamic agility to the aircraft.  This huge boost to mileage meant that the Mustangs could be used to escort American bombers across Germany to defend them against the Luftwaffe.

The P-51 Mustang was a phenomenal success and it is estimated that 19 enemy planes were destroyed for every Mustang was that lost in action.  It has been credited with the destruction of nearly 5,000 German planes, including the jet powered Me.262.

The P51 was simply a full step of advancement ahead of any other WWII plane, and everyone else found themselves rapidly having to catch up.  In 1944, President Harry Truman called the Mustang “the most aerodynamically perfect pursuit plane in existence.”  Not bad for a plane that the US had initially turned its nose up at!

After the War

So advanced was the Mustang that it survived through the switch to jet engines in the 1950s and remained in service across the world until the 1970s.  In total, 55 countries bought versions of the P-51 Mustang after the War had ended, and they served in numerous wars and battles across the entire world.  Over 15,000 were produced during the years of production.

Many Mustangs have survived to the present day and have been lovingly maintained.  Many of them are still in perfect flying condition and take to the skies on a regular basis!  As such, the best place to try and see one is at any of the numerous air shows that take place throughout the world, where you can inspect it on the ground and then see it in action in the air.  Given the spread of the Mustang across the world after the war, it’s not hard to find one in a country near you!

The P-51 in World of Warplanes

There are two variants of the P-51 Mustang in the game, as well as a jet-powered aircraft based on the P-51 framework (although it is not strictly a Mustang).  An early iteration, the P-51A Mustang is a Tier VI fighter, whilst the later version – the P-51 Mustang is at Tier VII.  The jet-powered version is Tier VIII.  Unsurprisingly, both propeller craft handle much the same, although like in real life, the improved engines on the later version grant a huge increase in speed and power.  As a P-51 Mustang in World of Warplanes, you excel at high speed and long range combat, so get out there and start racking up that kill count!