P-51B Mustang: North American’s Bastard Stepchild that Saved the Eighth Air Force

Description

During World War II, the United States Army Air Corps was led by a cadre of officers who believed implicitly that military aviation, particularly fast heavy bombers at high altitude, would be able to destroy strategic enemy targets during daylight with minimal losses. However, by 1942 the Flying Fortress was proving vulnerable to Luftwaffe fighters. This title charts the United States Army Air Force's struggle to develop a Long-Range Escort which would enable them to achieve the Combined Bomber Objectives and gain mastery of the skies over the Third Reich. The commitment of the USAAF to the Mediterranean and European theatres saw an increasingly desperate need to find a fighter escort, which reached crisis point in 1943 as losses suffered in the Tidal Wave offensive and Schweinfurt-Regensburg-Munster raids emphasised the mounting strength of the Luftwaffe. The USAAF leaders increasingly accepted the probability of bomber losses, and the deployment of the P-51B Mustang solved the problem of Germany's layered defence strategy, as Luftwaffe fighters had been avoiding the P-47 Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightening escort fighters by concentrating their attacks beyond the range of the Thunderbolt and Lightning. The P-51B duly emerged as the 'The Bastard Stepchild' that the USAAF Material Division did not want, becoming the key Long-Range Escort fighter, alongside the P-38 and P-47, that defeated the Luftwaffe prior to D-Day. As well as the P-51B's history, this title explores the technical improvements made to each of these fighters, as well as the operational leadership and technical development of the Luftwaffe they fought against.

Get the book

Amazon.com

Search the book

eBay.com

Search the book

Other editions

• 

  P-51B Mustang: North American’s Bastard Stepchild that Saved the Eighth...

  • 2020-08-04
  • 352 pages
  • Paperback
  • Bloomsbury Publishing
• 

  P-51B Mustang: North American’s Bastard Stepchild that Saved the Eighth...

  • 2020-07-09
  • 352 pages
  • Ebook
  • Bloomsbury Publishing

Similar books

• 

  P-51B/C Mustang: Northwest Europe 1943–44

  By Chris Bucholtz

  This new volume straps the reader into the cockpit of the P-51B/C as the Mustang-equipped fighter groups of the 'Mighty Eighth' Air Force attempt to defend massed heavy bomber formations from deadly Luftwaffe fighters charged with defending ...

• 

  Allison-Engined P-51 Mustang

  By Martyn Chorlton

  While the introduction of the Merlin engine did improve the Mustang's performance and produce the bubble-canopied fighters with which we associate the name, credit must be given to the Allison-engined variants that preceded it.

• 

  P-51 Mustang Pilot's Flight Manual

  By Periscope Film Com

  Instruktionsbog for det amerikanske jagerfly fra 2. verdenskrig, P-51 Mustang.

• 

  P-51 Mustang: Development of the Long-range Escort Fighter

  By Paul A. Ludwig

  Looks at the design and development history of the P-51 Mustang fighter plane.

• 

  The Fight in the Clouds: The Extraordinary Combat Experience of P-51 Mustang Pilots During World War II

  By James P. Busha

  DIVIn The Fight in the Clouds, aviation writer James P. Busha narrates a spellbinding collection of tales of P-51 Mustang combat throughout World War II. /div

• 

  North American Aviation P-51 Mustang

  By Michael O'Leary

  This new series follows the great fighter types of the conflict from the raw metal phase, through construction and testing, to the combat theatres of Europe, the Middle East, China/Burma/India and the Pacific.

• 

  North American P-51B/C Mustang in USAAF Service

  By Richard Ward, Ernest R. McDowell

  Beskriver det fra 2. verdenskrig kendte amerikanske jagerfly North American P-51 Mustang i dets forskellige versioner

• 

  Mustang and Thunderbolt Aces of the Pacific and CBI

  By John Stanaway

  This book relates the appearance of the Allison-engined A-36As and P-51As over Rangoon from India in November 1943, the 1st Air Commando Group in China, P-47s over the jungles of New Guinea in 1943, escorting B-29s on long-range bombing ...

• 

  Me 262 vs P-51 Mustang: Europe 1944–45

  By Robert Forsyth

  This book examines the two fighters in detail, exploring their history and development and containing accurate descriptions of the combats between the P-51 Mustang and the Me 262 in what were some of the most bitter and large-scale aerial ...

• 

  North American Aviation P-51b/C & F-6c Mustang

  By Robert Pęczkowski

  This book contains: Comprehensive technical details of the American built P-51B/C and F-6CNumerous specially selected original NAA technical photographsProduction and service photos. A wide range of colour profiles.