King of the Strafers by Iain Wyllie  Col. James A (Goody) Goodson's P47 Mustang  

Dallas Doll by Philip West  American designed and built, British inspired and later powered, the Mustang turned into arguably the finest WWII long-range fighter ever constructed. The Mustang, developed from the Prototype NA73X, was manufactured in large quantities with an impressive final total of 15,586 aircraft. Of these, 13,600 were powered by the British Rolls Royce designed Merlin engine.   Reichsmarschall Herman Goering is reported to have said: "When I saw those Mustangs over Berlin, I knew that the war was lost."; testimony indeed to the mighty Mustang and those who flew and fought in them.

Escort Service by Keith Woodcock  In the early morning sun, two North American P51D Mustangs of the 359 FS, 356 FG, take off from their base at Martlesham Heath to escort 8th Air force bombers on another daylight raid

Deadly Duo by Harley Copic Captain Don Gentile and Lt John Godfrey, 4th Fighter Group, team up to form one of the most successful Leader-Wingman duos in the 8th Air Force, scoring a combined total of 36 victories.

Vintage Mustangs by Stan Stokes.  The P-51B and the Ford Mustang make quite a pair in Stans depiction. The P-51 Mustang was arguably the most effective American fighter aircraft of WW II.  North American proposed this design in response to the RAFs  desire to find a second production source for the P-40. Early models were equipped with an Allison engine and had marginal performance. With the addition of the Packard-built Merlin engine beginning with the B variant, the Mustang had the power to earn its place in history. One of the top scoring Mustang aces of the War was USAAF Col. Henry Brown. Browns P-51B, The Hun Hunter from Texas, is depicted in Stans painting.

A Pistol Whipping  by Stan Stokes.  There were tens of thousands of aerial combat encounters during World War II. One of the most unusual was a dogfight that took place between Captain Arthur C. Fiedler, Jr. and an unidentified German Bf-109 pilot on June 28, 1944. Fiedler was an Illinois native who received his wings in July 1943. He was assigned as a flight instructor in Dover, Delaware, but in May 1944 he was assigned to the 317^th Fighter Squadron of the 325^th Fighter Group. Flying P-51B Mustangs the 317^th was based in Lesina, Italy. Fiedler named his Mustang after his wife Helen. On a combat mission on June 24^th Fiedler claimed a probable. Four days later the eventual ace was flying near Polesti, Rumania when a Bf-109 crossed directly in front of his aircraft. Slamming his P-51 into a near vertical bank he trailed the 109 for a few seconds attaining several hits before his guns jammed. As Fiedler rolled out of his bank he found himself flying in formation parallel to the 109, and headed towards Russia. Fiedler was not willing to make himself a target for the 109, and with his Mustang low on fuel and with jammed guns, Fiedler reactively drew his service revolver. As he drew his .45 pistol, the German pilot unexpectedly jettisoned his canopy and bailed out. Fiedler was given the nickname Svengali for this incident. Fiedler continued his combat tour into 1945, and by January he had attained 8 confirmed aerial victories. Fiedler remained in the Air Force following the War. Flying in both Korea and Vietnam, he was promoted to Colonel in 1969, and retired from the Air Force in 1975. The P-51 Mustang and the Messerschmitt Bf-109 were two of the most important aircraft of WW II. More than 15,000 P-51s were produced, the most of any American-built fighter, while the Bf-109 was the most produced fighter aircraft of the war with 35,000 produced. The P-51 was designed by Raymond Rice and Edgar Schmued of North American Aviation, because the President of the company thought he could do better than merely produce Curtiss P-40s under license for the RAF.  Initially introduced with an Allison liquid-cooled V-12, the P-51 performed poorly despite its superior airframe. As early Mustangs arrived the British were anxious to see how this aircraft would perform with the powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engine. The aircraft was about 13 percent faster and could climb to combat altitude in 45 percent less time than the Allison-equipped aircraft. Going into production as the P-51B the Brits received about 1000 aircraft while the USAAF took an additional 1000. The first P-51B models were in service with the Eighth Air Force in December 1943. The excellent performance of these aircraft and their excellent range when equipped with external wing tanks, made the P-51 a tremendous asset when accompanying American daylight bombers on their raids into Germany. The 109 was arguably the most advanced fighter aircraft from 1935 until 1940. The 109 was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Walter Rethel with the goal of packing the most powerful engine available into the smallest possible aircraft structure. During the Spanish Civil War the 109 proved its superiority. Despite numerous technical enhancements as the war progressed, by the end of the War the 109 was both outclassed and outnumbered by its rivals. 

 A Big Victory by Stan Stokes.  On September 18, 1944 P-51 pilots of the 375^th Fighter Squadron of the 361^st Fighter Group, based at Little Walden in Essex, were assigned the mission of escorting B-17s on a shuttle mission to Russia. The Mustangs would accompany the bombers to the south of Sweden where they would be picked up by an escort of Russian fighters. Urban Drew, flying  a 51-D named Detroit Miss, was one of the USAAF pilots on this mission. Just before breaking off the escort Drew spotted a twin-engine German aircraft flying very low to the water. He broke off with two wingman and went down after the German plane. It turned out to be an He-111, most likely a courier plane from Scandinavia. He opened fire hitting the top gun position, circled around, and with his second burst set the aircraft afire. It tumbled into the Baltic. As Drew and his two wingman climbed back to altitude to rejoin their flight, he looked off to the right and spotted an enormous flying boat moored at a sea plane base on a lake. Drew called to his wingman and said, get lined astern immediately, and we will make one pass, and one pass only... lets see if we can burn and sink this mother. The three Mustangs commenced their attack with the element of surprise to their advantage. The three Mustangs poured about 1200 rounds of 50 caliber ammo into the behemoth, and as the third aircraft pulled up black smoke and flames were pouring from the target. It was not until that moment that anti-aircraft batteries opened fire, but the P-51s were quickly out of range. During the debriefing it was determined that their target was probably a Blohm and Voss BV-222. Years later, in 1974, while Drew was living in London, he was contacted by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) which wanted to do a documentary. It was only then that Drew found out that the aircraft he destroyed at the Bug Seaplane Base on Lake Schaal was actually the BV-238, the largest aircraft to see service in WW II. Development work on the Blohm and Voss BV-238 began in 1940. This was planned to be a very large overseas transport aircraft, and was powered by six 1900-HP Daimler-Benz inverted V-12 engines. It would be considerably larger than the BV-222 with a wingspan of nearly 200 feet, a height of nearly 44 feet, and an empty weight of more than 110,000 pounds. Although two other aircraft, the Douglas B-19 and the Soviet ANT.20, had longer wingspans, the BV-238 was the heaviest and most powerful aircraft developed during WW II. It was during the testing phase of this aircraft at Lake Schall in 1944 that the BV-238 was strafed and destroyed by a flight of three P-51s lead by Eighth Air Force ace Urban Drew.

The First Mustang Ace  by Stan Stokes.   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 86^th and 27^th Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12^th 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 16^th Bomb Squadron of the 27^th Fighter Bomber Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36, thereby becoming the first mustang ace. In Stan Stokes painting, Russos third victory is depicted over a JU-52 at the Aversano Airfield in Italy. The early USAAF fighter versions of the Mustang were designated as P-51As. About 650 were delivered to the RAF and 350 to the USAAF. With its Allison engine the early P-51s were no match for German Bf-109s or FW-190s. The performance drawbacks of the Mustang were especially apparent at higher altitudes. The RAF equipped some Mustangs with the more powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. This dramatically enhanced the Mustangs high altitude performance. This new engine was utilized in the P-51B, the first effective fighter version of this aircraft. Also developed were inexpensive wing mounted drop tanks which extended the Mustangs range into the heart of Germany, so it could accompany American bombers on daylight raids. Late in 1943, North American redesigned the top of the rear fuselage of the Mustang, and added a bubble canopy. This variant became the P-51D and proved to be an effective dog fighting aircraft against any of the Luftwaffes propeller driven fighters.

Top Cover by Stan Stokes.  The painting depicts a P-51D Mustang (flown by William Bailey of the 353rd Fighter Group) flying escort for B-17 Flying Fortresses of the U.S. Armys Eighth Air Force. The scene is over the French countryside during late 1944, and several more hours of high altitude flying lies ahead of these pilots before the days work is over. Bombing played a major role in the Allies victory in Europe. The RAF relied primarily on night bombing which was also called strategic bombing. Day time bombing was a necessity for hitting specific targets such as munition plants, dams, and submarine pens. The Mighty Eighth took on responsibility for most of the day time bombing missions. The hazards and discomforts of high altitude flying, the perils of enemy flak batteries, and the threat of enemy fighters made these missions exceedingly dangerous until only very late in the war. Fighter escort was critically important in improving the odds of a successful mission, and the P-51 became arguably the premier aircraft for providing that cover. The P-51 is generally acknowledged as Americas top fighter plane of World War II. The first Mustangs were ordered by the British Government in 1940. The USAAF was initially reluctant to order the Mustang, having already committed itself to the P-38 Lightning, the P-47 Thunderbolt, the P-40 Warhawk, and the P-39 Airacobra. In 1944 an improved version of the Mustang, the D, came off North American Aviations assembly line in California. It was dramatically altered from earlier versions, as major changes in fuselage design were incorporated to improve pilot visibility. The P-51D was powered by a Packard-built, Rolls Royce-designed, liquid cooled V-12 engine which generated 1,612 HP. The Mustang had a top speed of 436 MPH, a range of 949 miles, and an operational ceiling in excess of 42,000 feet. Nearly 8,000 P-51Ds were produced. In service with the USAAF Mustangs flew in excess of 200,000 missions, and were credited with destroying nearly 5,000 enemy aircraft. The Mustang was unique in its ability to provide long range fighter escort, and this greatly enhanced the effectiveness of Allied bombing missions. On returning from their escort missions Mustangs would generally split into squadrons and take varying routes home looking for targets of opportunity.

Triple Dates With Destiny by Stan Stokes.  Lt. Col. Chuck Older was one of the first AVG aces. He rejoined the USAAF and eventually returned to China where he served as Deputy Commander of the 23^rd FG. Older ended the War with 18.25 confirmed aerial victories. Stans painting depicts a mission during which Older bagged a Betty, a Tess, and a Sonia (depicted) near the outskirts of Shanghai in January of 1945. Following the War Older earned a Law Degree. He was the presiding judge on the highly publicized Charles Manson murder case.

 A Perfect Record by Stan Stokes.  At the time of World War II there was still a great deal of prejudice in America, and this extended to all the branches of the military. Although black soldiers and seaman fought with dignity and bravery during WW I, many thought that blacks were incapable of handling difficult assignments. It was therefore with great uncertainty and trepidation that the Army Air Corps authorized the training of black pilots in 1941. The Air Corps proposed that a segregated training program be established. Judge William Hastie, Dean of the Howard University Law School, who was serving as a Civilian Assistant for Negro Affairs to the Secretary of War, protested about the segregated training, but his complaints were ignored. Hastie also proposed that the Army consider affiliating with the Tuskegee Institute which had already established a pilot training program. The Army allocated $1 million for the construction of the Tuskegee Army Air Field. The men sent to Tuskegee had to pass rigorous physical tests and pass nine weeks of ground school. They then received their basic flight instruction from instructors with the Civilian Instructor Corps. Those who passed moved on to more sophisticated military training for another seventy hours of flight time. A third phase of advanced training followed after which pilot cadets received their wings and were appointed to an initial rank of either 2^nd Lieutenant or Flight Officer. Only about 60% of the cadets made it through the program, and many were killed or injured in flying accidents during training. Captain Noel Parish who oversaw much of the training at Tuskegee was a vocal supporter of the men under his command. Despite their ability to successfully handle the Air Corps training program, considerable hostility was still evident and the Army was reluctant to assign Tuskegee graduates to combat units. This created a difficult morale problem for those who had earned their wings and were now anxious to see combat. Finally, in the spring of 1943, the 99^th Fighter Squadron headed for North Africa. In June of 1943 the 99^th finally saw combat flying P-40s. On July 2 Lt. Charles Hall became the first black aviator to record an aerial victory in WW II. The 99^th played an important role in preparing for the invasion of Sicily. The 332^nd Fighter Group (under the command of then Lt. Col. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.) consisting of the 100^th, 301^st, and 302^nd fighter squadrons entered combat in Italy flying P-39s in early 1944. By mid-1944 the Group was receiving P-47s, but in another about face the Air Corps quickly substituted P-51s. At this time the 99^th FS was folded into the 332^nd FG. From mid-1944 until the end of the War in Europe the Tuskegee Airmen of the 332^nd FG flew an incredible number of missions. They generally escorted Fifteenth Air Force bombers on their attacks into Germany from bases in Italy. The red-tailed fighters of the 332^nd FG had the distinction of having a perfect record – losing no escorted bombers to enemy fighter attack during the entire War. In Stan Stokes painting, the P-51 piloted by Charles E. McGee, who would also go on to fly combat missions in both Korea and Vietnam, is depicted over a Czech airfield on August 24, 1944. On this mission McGee would down an Fw-190.

Winter of 45 by Philip West.  American built, British inspired and once re-engined with the Merlin, the mighty Mustang became a supreme long-range escort fighter and close air support platform. Old Crow was the mount of Clarence E. Anderson based at Leiston, England, with the 357th FG, 363rd FS. Andersons personal victory score during WWII was 16.25 in air combat.

Homeward Bound by Philip West  A combat damaged B-17 of the 91st Bomb Group heads home to Bassingbourn shadowed by P51Ds of the 352nd Fighter Squadron (353rd FG).

Mustang Recce by Robert Taylor Berg's 10th Recce Group P-51 Mustang's dodge enemy flak and fighters to get vital photos for General Patten's forces.

Final Victory by Simon Atack Painting depicts Robin Olds last air victory of the second world war. Flying Scat VII he is seen bringing down an Me109 G10 high over Germany in the late spring of 1945 while flying escort to B-17 bombers of the 381st Bomb Group. Remarkably, this P-51 survived the war and in 1958 was sold to a private owner for the princely sum of  $1196. In 1992 it was returned to its old wartime configuration.  Signatories: artist and Brigadier General Robin Olds (13 air victories).

Return to Duxford by Robert Taylor  Flying low over the picturesque village of Thaxted,in the cold winter of 1944-45, the P-51D Mustangs of the 78th Fighter Group return to Duxford after a tiring eight hour escort mission. With dusk approaching, low on fuel, the fighters have about 20 miles to run. Catching the festive mood, the pilots have dropped to tree-top height to take in the spectacular countryside as they scurry back to base and some well-earned celebrations

Lt Col Ernest E Bankey - After training in the US, Ernest Bankey arrived in England for his first combat tour with the 364th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force in February 1944. On 27th December during the Battle of the Bulge, his group ran into a large mass of Luftwaffe fighters whilst trying over the Bonn area of Germany. In the melee of dog-fighting that followed, Ernest Bankey shot down 5 enemy aircraft and shared another. During his 2 tours in England, he flew over 110 combat missions and was credited with 11½ aerial victories and another 5 on the ground.

Colonel Donald Cummings - Joining the USAAF in 1941, Don Cummings saw action in England, Africa and Italy, taking part in the battle of Anzio. Flying first with the 12th Air Force and then posted to the 8th Air Force in England, flying with the 39th Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group out of Wormingford. Don Cummings flew a total of 150 combat missions and on 25th February 1945, became one of only two fighter aces to shoot down two Me262 jet fighters on a single mission. He then served in occupied Germany after the war ended.

Col Walker 'Bud' Mahurin - 'Bud' Mahurin gained a reputation as one of the USAAF's most colourful fighter aces. Arriving in the European Theatre, flying with the 56th Fighter Group, he indulged in seventeen months of aerial combat, during which he suffered one crash and was forced to bail out three times, finally landing behind enemy lines. Undaunted he made contact with the French Resistance, and found his way back to England. He had by this time shot down 21 German aircraft. He then transferred to the South West Pacific where he added a Japanese aircraft to his score. 'Bud' Mahurin commanded 4th Fighter Interceptor Group in Korea where he added 3½ MiG-15s to his tally before being shot down, for the last time, to spend 16 months as a POW.

Generalleutnant Günther Rall - One of the greatest Aces of all time, Günther Rall scored his first air victory early in the Battle of Britain, and by July 1940 was leading 8./JG-52. After transfer to the Eastern Front his air victories mounted but a crash hospitalised him. Within 9 months he was back as a Kommandeur ofIII./JG-52 gaining the wing's 500th victory. Later Kommandeur of II./JG-11 on the Western Front in the home defence, and in March 1945, Kommandeur of JG-300. Günther Rall became the 3rd highest scoring ace in history with 275 victories. He was awarded the Knight' Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

Oberfeldwebel Helmut Rüffler - Helmet Rüffler joined 9./JG3 in February 1941 and was soon to prove himself a masterful fighter pilot. His scores began to mount quickly and by the end of 1942 his tally had risen to 50 victories. Surviving being shot down in June 1943, he was posted as a much needed fighter instructor but was soon back in the fray - joining 4./JG3 in the home defence of the Reich. In March 1945 he was promoted to Staffelführer of 9./JG51. Shot down 5 times during the war, Helmut Rüffler flew over 690 missions and scored 98 victories. He was awarded the Knight's Cross in December 1942.

Eagles of the Eighth by Nicholas Trudgian  Major Jim Goodson taxies his 4th (The Eagles) Fighter Group P-51 D Mustang at Debden following a mission to supply air support over the Normandy beaches soon after D-Day, June 1944. Having previously flown Spitfires and Hurricanes with the RAF, Spitfires with 133 Eagle Squadron, and P-47 Thunderbolts with the Fourth fighter group, Jim Goodson became one of the USAAF's top fighter pilots of WWII.

D-Day Armada by Nicolas Trudgian  There was never a greater concentration of air power deployed in a n active theatre of war as over the English Channel in May and June 1944.  As D-Day approached, the USAAF's Ninth Air Force had assembled over 3500 aircraft and, dispatching up to 1000 aircraft a day, they were pounding enemy positions all the way from Pas de Calais to the coast of Normandy.  6 June 1944, arguably the most decisive single day in modern military history, saw the sky filled with waves of troop carrying aircraft towing gliders, dropping over 20,000 highly trained men in support of the massed sea-borne landings on the beaches below.  Grabbing all the airspace they could find, the combat wings of the Ninth Air Force were creating havoc among the German ground forces as they scrambled to get troops and armour to the battlefront.

Duxford: A name synonymous with military aviation.  Built during the First World War, that most famous of airfields later became home to some of the most distinguished fighter squadrons of World War Two.  That expanse of rolling Cambridgeshire countryside has harkened to the sounds of piston-engined aircraft for over 80 years.  Base to the legendary Douglas Bader Fighter Wing during the Battle of Britain, it became home to countless thousand Americans of the 8th Air Force in 1942.  Today  it appropriately houses the magnificent American Air Museum, and hosts the many summer air shows where crowds thrill to the sight and sound of the glorious veteran warbirds that fought in the hostile skies above Europe in World War II.

The 78th Fighter Group, briefly stationed at Goxhill, flew their P-47 Thunderbolts into Duxford in April 1943, the Group remaining operational there until the end of the war.  Initially flying high altitude sweeps over France and Holland, the aggressive pilots spoiling for a scrap constantly challenged the Luftwaffe to come up and fight.  As the great daylight raids built up, the 78th took up escort duties and, now equipped with the P-51 Mustang fitted with auxiliary tanks, flew and fought all the way to the target and back.  By the end of the war the 78th Fighter Group was credited with 688 enemy aircraft destroyed, 474 in the air, and another 406 destroyed on the ground during low-level strafing missions.  Charles London of the 78th became the 8th Air Force's first fighter Ace of the war and a 78th pilot, Quince Brown, was the first to down an Me262 jet in August 1944

Nicolas Trudgian's new limited edition re-lives that momentous aerial assault in graphic detail with a superbly realistic view of the snow-covered Gablingen airfield in Bavaria. As 'Red Dog' Norley's P-51D screams across the field at hangar height with his squadron's Mustangs fanned out behind him, the 4th Fighter Group pilots jink through the intense groundfire wreaking havoc on the ground.  In the foreground a couple of brave Fw190 pilots make a gallant attempt to get airborne while an assortment of Luftwaffe aircraft - Me262s, Me410s, Ju88s, Stukas and Fw190s - come under fire. Ground personnel take cover as best they can. In the distance hangars and aircraft are on fire and a fuel dump has exploded.  The painting is packed with action and all the accurate detail for which this talented artist has become so well known. In addition to the 334th's P-51s, there are over twenty aircraft visible on the ground, and the remains of others having been destroyed in earlier attacks.  With each print in the edition individually signed by World War veteran P-51 Aces, Mustang Mayhem is surely one of the finest collector pieces issued and available today.

Mustangs Over the Mediterranean by Nicholas Trudgian  P-51 Mustangs of the 31st Fighter Group pass low over an Italian fishing village heading out on another combat patrol.  Signed by Jim Brooks, Bob Curtis, Bob Goebel, George Loving.

Last Man Home by Nicholas Trudgian  Pilots and crews of 375th Fighter Group at Leiston, Suffolk, anxiously await the return of the last man from today's mission.

Checkertail Clan by Nicholas Trudgian  There was no mistaking the 325th Fighter Group. Their reputation preceded them, the brightly coloured checkerboard tails of their P-51 Mustangs signaling a calling card most Luftwaffe pilots hated to see. By May 1944, based in Italy, the 325th were escorting the heavy bombing missions deep into Rumania, France, Germany and Austria. Escorting B-24s to bomb the airfield at Markersdorf in Austria, August 1944, the 325th tangled with a group of Fw190 fighters. The ensuing dogfight spiraled down below the mountain peaks as Herky Green led the Checkertails in a high-speed, low-level chase through a spectacular Austrian mountain pass. Herky nails one Fw190. Behind him his P-51 pilots take out two Fw190s off his starboard wing. When all is done this day the 325th will be credited with 15 enemy fighters destroyed.

F-51 Mustang Units Over Korea by Warren Thompson.  When the Korean War erupted in late June 1950, the USAFs standard fighter in the Far East was the F-80 Shooting Star. Although the aircraft soon proved the master of the North Korean Air Force, its lack of endurance resulted in the USAF rushing 145 obsolescent F-51 Mustangs to the theatre - these aircraft quickly commenced operations against the troop columns moving south. The 8th, 18th and 35th Fighter-Bomber Wings were the primary operators of the Mustang, along with the South African Air Forces No 2 Squadron, the Royal Australian Air Forces No 77 Squadron and the embryonic Republic of Korea Air Force - photo-recce RF-51Ds also served in-theatre, and by the time the war ended in 1953, some 194 Mustangs had been lost - ten to enemy fighters, twelve in operational accidents and the rest to anti-aircraft fire. This volume illustrates all the users of the F-51/RF-51 during the Korean War in contemporary colour. These aircraft were some of the most colourful Mustangs ever to see action, and the author has used his extensive contacts to accumulate the largest private collection of Korean colour material in the world. Accompanying the photographs are detailed captions, quotes from pilots in action and a full appendices listing of the various units, plus specifications and cutaways of the aircraft flown.