The
North American P-51 Mustang
Picture
Archive
A P-51D Mustang
A P-51D mixing it up with a Focke-Wulf 190
A Mustang and a Marine Corps F-8 Bearcat
A P-51D: Gunfighter
Another P-51D: Moonbeam McSwine
(Photo
courtesy Claude Spears)
The powerplant of the P-51D, a Rolls-Royce "Merlin"
V-12
(Photo courtesy Robert Myers)
Another shot of the Rolls "Merlin"
The first incarnation of the Mustang; a
P-51A
(Photo courtesy David Stafford)
Another P-51D: Man-O-War
The Mustang in its primary role: escorting a B-17 Flying
Fortress.The Mustang was the first fighter capable of
escorting bombers over Berlin.(Photo courtesy Jon S.
Berndt)
Another view of "Gunfighter": Note the open cowl
flaps.
(Photo courtesy Jon S. Berndt)
A cutaway view of a P-51D
Two Mustangs in low-level
formation
(Photo courtesy Ronald Myers)
Mustangs Taxiing Out in
Formation
(Photo courtesy Ronald Myers)
A P-51B Mustang. This one is
"Shangri-La",
the plane of 4th Fighter Group ace Don
Gentile(Photo courtesy Ronald Myers)
The P-82, the "Twin
Mustang".
(Photo courtesy Ronald Myers)
Captain Henry Ankeny
of the 362nd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group(Photo
courtesy David Buckingham)
Captain Ankeny in front
of his Mustang(Photo courtesy David
Buckingham)
A Mustang on
display at an airshow
A nonstandard paint job; a racing Mustang
Another racing
'Stang, this one sponsored by Penzoil
Painting of a P-51B
Painting of Mustang bearing the markings of the
Tuskeegee Airmen
A vintage photo of a P-51B in combat paint
On combat patrol; aircraft from the 334th,
335th, and 336th Fighter Squadrons
One of the chief adversaries of the Mustang in
the early days of the war, the Messerschmidt Bf 109. The Bf 109 was wholly
outclassed by the Mustang.
As the bombers plod towards their targets,
their escorting Mustangs fly lazy S curves overhead. With this
formidable protection, it became suicide for a Luftwaffe pilot to attack
an American bomber formation.
The Focke-Wulf 190, the successor to the Bf 109,
which was capable of matching the P-51A. Unfortunately, they had to deal
with the greatly improved P-51B's, with which it could not compete.
An A-36, the dive-bomber variant of the Mustang.
It was basically a P-51A with hardpoints under the wings and dive brakes.
The photo-reconnaissance variant of the Mustang,
the F6. Note the opening for the camera in the rear portion of the
national insignia.
A gun camera view of a Bf 109 taking hits.
An idyllic view of the Mustang
A Mustang waiting on the ramp in Europe
A P-51K at a British airbase during the
winter of 1944-45
A P-51A of the 1st ACG over Burma
A P-51D in the service of the Chinese
Nationalist Air Force
A Mustang having its hydraulics system
checked out
A Mustang of the 4th Fighter Group gets an
overhaul
A map depicting the distance from the Army
Air Forces bases. With a range greater than the largest circle, P-51's
from the 8th Air Force in England and the 15th Air Force in Italy could
strike any target in Europe.
A Me 410 crew being sorely treated by a Mustang
driver. The crew bailed out shortly after the taking of this
photograph.
"When strafing, 20 feet above the ground
was 'too high.'" When not protecting bombers, the Mustangs were free to
destroy all targets of opportunity, including trains, convoys, and
airfields. Here, a Mustang strafes Luftwaffe aircraft on the ramp.
The fighters of the Eighth Air Force. In the
center, a P-51D, flanked by a "B" model Mustang and a P-47
Thunderbolt.
These Mustangs prepare to depart on the
long trip escorting B-29 Stratofortresses to Japan from this coral
airfield at Iwo Jima.
With the war finished, the AAF felt no need
to keep all its Mustangs, so many were scrapped, such as these P-51s which
are being melted down.
The afterburning successor to the Mustang,
the P-80 Shooting Star
Two Mustangs start their takeoff roll,
circa D-Day
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P-51s"