The P-51 was designed in 1940 at Britain’s request\uff0cThe prototype was constructed within a 120-day limit. It was the Royal Air Force that bestowed the nickname “Mustang” on the type. In December 1943, P-51B first entered combat\u00a0with the 354th Fighter Group of the 9th\u00a0Air Force in\u00a0England. The bulk of the P-51B in combat status were assigned to the 8th\u00a0and 9th\u00a0Air Forces in\u00a0England<\/p>\n
With a\u00a0\u00a0lesser number doing combat chores with the 12th\u00a0and 15th\u00a0U.S.A.A.F in\u00a0Italy\u00a0and surrounding areas. The P-51B was the prime variant from December 1943 until March 1944 at which time the P-51D began to appear in quantity with the 8th\u00a0A.F. However, the P-51B remained predominant until the middle of 1944 and remained in combat till the end of the conflict.\u00a0\u00a0Of\u00a0\u00a0the 1,357,000 combat hours flown by the P-51\u2032s in all theatres of war\uff0cand approximately 400,000 of that quantity by the ever present B\u2032s.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sadr\u017ei:<\/p>\n