Using this technique with friendly forces only feet away would be extremely risky. When skip bombing a pilot would be required to fly level and guess the point at which to release his bomb. The Mustang appears to be employing a skip bombing technique instead of a more accurate dive bombing method. Another problem with the Mustang's attack is the profile used during the bombing run. The last documented use of the P-51 in combat was the 1969 conflict between Honduras and El Salvador.Ī valid point of criticism is the absence of any attachment points on the wings for the bomb used to destroy the tank on the Ramelle bridge. The P-51 was considered to be one of the best fighters produced during World War II, and even saw limited action in the Korean War as a ground-attack plane. For fighters these stripes were to be 18 inches in width, and consisted of alternating stripes of white/black/white/black/white that were placed on the top and bottom of each wing, as well as encircling the rear body of the fuselage. Although used for ground strafing and bombing of targets, the USAAF employed the Mustang primarily as a high altitude bomber escort because of its long range capabilities and impressive performance against the German Bf 109 and Fw 190 fighters.įor Operation Overlord all Allied aircraft were painted with a distinctive set of white and black stripes (known as "invasion stripes") designed to clearly mark friendly aircraft from those of the Germans. These variants soon saw extensive service in the USAAF in both the Pacific and European theaters. Army Air Force took a more active interest in the design and North American developed the P-51B, P-51C and P-51D variants. Although the British initially named the fighter the "Apache," the name was eventually changed to "Mustang," a name that would later be added to the American P-51 designation.įollowing the success of the design as a fighter/bomber with the RAF, the U.S. The plane entered production in 1941 and by mid-1942 active-duty combat planes were being flown by the Royal Air Force. The prototype, Model NA-73X, was developed in less than four months and tested in October of 1940. The P-51 was developed by North American Aviation, Inc.
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