P51 Mustang fighter aircraft. Aviation art prints of the P-51 Mustang by
aviation artists Robert Taylor, David Pentland, Anthony Saunders. Aviation art
prints showing P51D Mustangs of 353rd Fighter Group and P51 Mustangs on long
range fighter escort duty over Germany available from Cranston Fine Arts.
The ubiquitous North American P-51 Mustang, which many
consider to be the best all-around fighter of WW II, owes its origins to
the British Air Ministry. Following Britains entry into WW II in 1939,
the RAF was interested in purchasing additional fighter aircraft from
American sources, particularly the Curtiss P-40. Curtiss, which was
busy, was unable to guarantee timely delivery so the British approached
North American Aviation as a possible second source for the P-40. North
American chose to propose its own fighter design which would use the
same Allison engine as the P-40. Utilizing new laminar flow wings, the
North American fighter was expected to have performance better than the
P-40. Developed in record time the new aircraft was designated as a
Mustang I by the Brits, whereas the USAAF ordered two for evaluation
which were designated XP-51 Apaches. Intrigued with the possibility of
using this aircraft also as a dive bomber, North American proposed this
to the USAAF which decided to order 500 of the P-51 aircraft to be
modified for dive bombing use. Designated as the A-36 Invader, this
version of the Mustang utilized dive
flaps, and bomb racks under each wing. Some reinforcing of the
structural members was also required because of the G-forces to be
encountered in dive bombing. A-36s entered combat service with the USAAF
prior to any P-51s. In early 1943 the 86th and 27th
Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12th Air Force began flying
A-36s out of Northern Africa. Despite some early problems with
instability caused by the dive flaps, the A-36 was effective in light
bombing and strafing roles. It was not, however, capable of dog fighting
with German fighters, especially at higher altitudes. Despite these
drawbacks one USAAF pilot, Captain Michael T. Russo, who served with the
16th Bomb Squadron of the 27th Fighter Bomber
Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36,
thereby becoming the first mustang ace