"The Merlin had great gobs of power and was equally at home high or low, thanks to a two-stage, two-speed supercharger. We sensed it was special, even before we measured it against what the enemy pilots were flying." A fuel tank was installed in the fuselage behind the pilot, and with auxiliary wing-mounted tanks the Mustang could fly six-hour missions-something unheard of at the time. It could now go where any bomber went. NAA opened a second facility in Dallas, Texas, eventually producing 857 planes a month. Further revisions and model designations brought the Mustang to its most iconic version-the P-51D. This was the plane with a plexiglass bubble canopy (for better rearward visibility) and six Browning .50-caliber machine guns. June 1943: Allied chiefs of staff issued the Pointblank Directive to destroy the Luftwaffe, a crucial objective. The Mustang's range and capabilities made it an important factor for the success of missions carried out with USAAF bombers and for achieving dominance in the skies. The most successful squadron of WWII P-51 flyers was the 357th, with 609 air and 106 ground kills from February 11, 1944, to April 25, 1945. Top aces were George Preddy with 25 kills, John C. Meyer with 24 and Don Gentile with 23. Other famous aviators linked with the P-51 include the Tuskegee Airmen-the first African American fighter pilots-and the legendary Chuck Yaeger.
The final production Mustang was the P-51H, which had a maximum of 2,218 hp in a lighter airframe and was capable of 487 mph at 25,000 feet, making it one of the fastest prop fighter planes ever. In total, 15,875 Mustangs were made, with around 8,000 of those being P-51Ds. Approximately 280 Mustangs survive to this day, with around 140 still flying. Although the plane's primary theater was Europe, it also took part in combat against the Japanese. The plane went on to see some active service in the Korean War, re-named as the F-51 (P stands for Pursuit; F stands for Fighter).
A Mustang cost $50,985 in 1945. Today, airworthy examples can fetch in excess of $1 million. And yes, that famous Ford is named after it.