North American P-51 Mustang Photo Album

The North American P-51 Mustang being tested is most likely 44-72210 dating this picture to late December 44 or early January 45, it later departed the US for the 8th AF in England on March 5th and was modified into a very unusual Mustang: the canopy was split in the middle, a second seat was added in place of the fuselage tank, and a radar antenna was installed in the right wing operated from the rear seat. It was later scrapped without returning to the US.

Michael O'Leary's "Building the P-51 Mustang" book is full of tons of great pictures from the factory, and page 163 has four pictures of this unit. In those pictures the wheel aligning bars are painted to match, they have extra support bars welded on to keep the struts at a set height, the bottom of the curved chambers have some sort of baffles on the outside, and there's a track to slide Mustangs in from the side. Those improvements were all added by mid-February so it was probably still quite new in this picture, replacing the sand mounds that were previously used.

How to find this Mustang's ID: Mustangs at the Inglewood plant had two numbers on the left side of the fuselage for easy identification before the serial was added to the tail along with other markings: the top number was the aircraft's sequential number on the contract, while the bottom number was the last 3 digits of the USAAF serial number. This Mustang has the AN/APS-13 tail radar warning unit which was added starting on 44-72127, the 1100th aircraft of the NA-122 contract which gives a range from 72127 to 75026. The 3 digit number appears to be 210, limiting it to 72210, 73210, or 74210. The top number ends in a 4 which confirms the bottom number ending in a 0 but is otherwise difficult to read. In the book with the later setup, two Mustangs shown being tested are 44-72810 and 44-74153, since this appears to be an earlier setup that would place it before those two limiting it to 44-72210 with a sequence number of 1184.

 

Pilot Lt. William King on the wing of his P-51B Mustang “Atlanta Peach” of the 355th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group. The Mustang’s victory markings show 24 missions with 2 German planes destroyed, 1 locomotive, and 2 troop carriers, and the figures represent 5 strafings of troop concentrations.

 

North American P-51 Mustang (F?)X883.

 

North American P-51 Mustang in a mix of RAF and USAAF markings and RAF camouflage. The aircraft was originally built for the RAF but was taken over by the USAAF.

 

North American P-51 Mustang (F?)X883.

 

North American P-51 Mustang (F?)X883.

 

North American P-51 Mustang 43-12408.

 

North American Mustang IA cockpit.

 

North American P-51D Mustang 44-13366.

 

North American P-51H-1-NA Mustang 44-64164.

 

North American P-51H-1-NA Mustang 44-64164.

 

1942: British markings are being applied to an RAF Mustang IA at the North American Aviation plant in Los Angeles. At the request of the RAF, North American redesigned the Mustang to be armed with four 20mm cannons in place of the original armament of .30 and .50 caliber machine guns. The new version was given the change order number NA-91 and 150 were ordered for the RAF through Lend Lease. When the U.S. entered the war, 58 of the NA-91s were deferred to the USAAF where they were known as the P-51 Apache.

 

A P-51 Mustang (serial number 411748) of the 13th Photographic Squadron, 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group prepares for takeoff at Mount Farm. The P-51's were to protect the F-5 photo-reconnaissance aircraft.

 

North American P-51 Mustangs, Martlesham, England, 1944.

 

 

Captured North American P-51, Zirkus Rosarius, Luftwaffe.

 

A P-51 Mustang (VQ-C, serial number 43-12425) of the 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, painted in the colors of the 8th Air Force Technical Operations Squadron.

 

P-51B Mustang, B6-D.

 

Armorer directs crane with a 500 lb bomb into place on the wing of a North American P-51 Mustang at a base in England.

 

A USAAF armorer of the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, Fifteenth U.S. Air Force checks ammunition belts of the .50 cal. machine guns in the wings of a North American P-51B Mustang in Italy, September 1944.

 

American ground crew preparing to arm P-51 Mustang fighter at an airfield with six M2 machine guns and 0.50 caliber ammunition.

 

Blue-nose North American P-51D Mustangs of the 352nd Fighter Group on PSP matting at ALG A-84 Chievres-Mons, in Belgium, in February 1945. The P-51D in the foreground is HO-F, “Buzz Boy II” of the 487th FS.

 

North American P-51D prototype in flight (s/n 43-12102; modified P-51B). (U.S. Air Force photo)

 

Four generations of U.S. Army Air Corps /U.S. Air Force air superiority, and the technological leaps that maintained it, are represented by a single formation of an F-22 Raptor, F-86 Sabre, F-16 Fighting Falcon and a P-51D Mustang during the Heritage Flight Training Course at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona, Mar 5, 2016. 

 

North American P-51B-15-NA Mustang (42-106950, WR-P) "The Iowa Beaut". Assigned to 354FS/355FG/8AF USAAF. Failed to return from escort to Madgeburg, crashed in Hörnsheim in the vicinity of Wetzlar. Lt Kevin G. Rafferty killed in action 11 September 1944.

 

North American F-6K Mustang (44-11907) US Army Air Forces. The F-6K was a camera-equipped conversion of the P-51K, which differed from the P-51D only in having a different propeller. The North American plant in Dallas, Texas, built 1,337 P-51Ks, the RAF received 594 of these, designated Mustang Mk.IV. Assigned to 25th TRS, 315th CpW, 5th AF, and flown by Harry S. Utley, the pictured aircraft was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Osaki/Itami AAB, Japan on September 11, 1946.

 

North American F-6C Mustang (43-25148) US Army Air Forces. Originally a P-51C, this was one of 91 F-6Cs converted from P-51Bs and P-51Cs, fitted with two K-24 cameras or a K-17 plus a K-22 camera. 43-25148 was assigned to the 20th TRS, 8th PRG, 10th AF and crashed 8 miles (13 km) east of Chaunggwa in Burma on April 16, 1945. The pilot was killed.

 

Early Allison-engined North American P-51 Mustangs in a mix of U.S. and British markings at the North American Aviation facility at Inglewood, California.

 

P-51D Mustangs from the 505th FG being transported on USS Kalinin Bay, March 1945. The final destination would be Iwo Jima.

 

North American P-51D.

 

North American P-51H Mustang.

 

North American P-51H Mustang.

 

North American P-51D Mustang, "Air Power for Peace", with female factory worker.

 

North American F-6D Mustang (44­84540), was a photo reconnaissance version of the P-51D.

 

North American P-51B 3/4 rear view (43-6999) of the 357th Fighter Group. Note the wingtip damage. (U.S. Air Force photo)

 

North American P-51B prepare for take-off, 361st FG, 376th FS; includes 42-106707.

 

North American XP-51 (41-039, second aircraft built). (U.S. Air Force photo)

 

North American P-51B "Shoo Shoo Baby".

 

A North American P-51 “My Girl” takes off from Iwo Jima, in the Bonin Islands. From this hard-won base our fighters escorted the B-29s on bombing missions to Japan, and also attacked the Empire on their own. (U.S. Air Force photo)

 

North American Mustangs of No. 112 Squadron RAF, loaded with 500-lb GP bombs, taxy to the runway at Cervia, Italy, before taking off on a sortie in support of the 8th Army's spring offensive in the Po valley. A Mark III leads a Mark IV along the taxiway covered with pierced steel planking (PSP). Imperial War Museum photo CAN 3494.

 

P-51D Mustangs of the 4th Fighter Squadron in flight, Italy, 1944. Nearest camera is WD-M, s/n 44-13287.

 

Pilot Lieutenant Colonel C. H. Older in the cockpit of his P-51D Mustang fighter (s/n 44-11275 – last digit as seen in this photo appears to be a “5” and an online search for this P-51D using that serial number does not turn up any data on this aircraft which seems odd since the pilot was an ace – note the 18 victory flags beneath the pilot’s name), China, c. February-March 1945. Charles Herman Older, born on 29 September 1917 in Hanford, California, graduated from the University of California in 1939 with a degree in political science. On 1 April 1940 Older joined the Marine Corps for flight training, and received his wings and commission at Pensacola. Resigning from the Marine Corps in 1941 to join the AVG (“Flying Tigers”), Older took part in the great 'Christmas' air battles over Rangoon shooting down five Japanese aircraft. With 10.25 victories to his credit he joined the 23rd Fighter Group flying P-51s when the AVG was disbanded. He led the first strike against Shanghai resulting in the destruction of 77 Japanese aircraft. He completed the war with 18.25 air victories. After leaving the Air Force Colonel Chuck Older obtained a law degree from the University of Southern California and subsequently became a superior court judge in Los Angeles, California. He gained prominence as the presiding judge in the Charles Manson mass murder trial in 1970-71. Charles Older died on the 17 June 2006.

 

A North American Aviation worker preparing a P-51 Mustang fighter for painting, in Inglewood, California, in October 1942. Note the B-25 Mitchell bombers in the background. The B-25 in the left background, tail #113178 (or 41-13178) crashed and burned at March Field in Southern California on June 30, 1943. The one on the right, #113180 (or 41-13180), was part of the 340th bomb group, 57th Bombardment Wing, Twelfth Air Force operating in Italy when it was shot down by antiaircraft fire on April 28, 1944. Three crew members, including the pilot were killed; the other four made it back to the base.

 

P-51D-5NA Mustang (44-13357) with underwing drop tanks; Lt Vernon Richards, ‘Tika IV’ of the 374th FS, 361st FG, 8th AF. Was later assigned to Lt. Alfred B Cook Jr who renamed it ‘Sailor Girl Shirl’ - KIA 16 Nov 1944 - crashed near Little Walden. USAAF photo.

 

North American NA-73X, with a short carburetor air-intake scoop and the frameless, rounded windshield: On the production Mustang Mk Is, the frameless windshield was replaced with a three-piece unit that incorporated a bullet-resistant windshield. North American Aviation photo.

 

P-51D (44-14888) of the 8th AF/357th FG/363rd FS, named Glamorous Glen III, is the aircraft in which Chuck Yeager achieved most of his 12.5 kills, including two Me 262s – shown here with twin single-use 108 US gallon (410 L) drop tanks fitted. This aircraft was renamed "Melody's Answer" and crashed on 2 March 1945, from unknown causes at Haseloff, west of Treuenbrietzen, Germany.

 

North American P-51D-10-NA Mustang 44-14164 "Detroit Miss" of the 375th Fighter Squadron of the 361st Fighter Group USAAF. Urban L. "Ben" Drew flew this aircraft in the autumn 1944 a shot down four German aircraft. Totally he claimed six victories. Martin Čížek illustration.

 

Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Col. James H. Howard, in the cockpit of his P-51 Mustang, 25 April 1944. Imperial War Museum photo FRE 413.

 

P-51B and P-51C Mustang fighters of the US Army Air Force 118th Tactical Recon Squadron at Laohwangping Airfield, Guizhou Province, China, June 1945.

 

“Yank” the English Bulldog, mascot of the US 8th Air Force base, greets Capt. James Duffy of Mt. Clair, N. J., upon the pilot’s return from a mission in his P-51D “Dragon Wagon”, 1944.

 

North American XP-51 prototype fighter serial number 41-038, parked at the NACA Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Virginia.

 

1st Lt. Crowell and Pearsall with "A" Flight (Red Flight) in front of a P-51. Front Rows: 1st Lt. Richard Warrington, 2nd Lt. Claude Jackson, 1st Lt. LeRoy Price, 2nd Lt. Elmo Oxley, and 1st Lt. Ray Crowell. Back Row: 1st Lt. Everson "Vitamin" Pearsall, 2nd Lt. Ron Phillips, 1st Lt. Raymond Trudeau, 2nd Lt. James "Earthquake McGoon" McGovern, 2nd Lt. John Grover, and 1st Lt. Benjamin Roberts. 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, USAAF.

 

Freshly arrived P-51C-5-NT Mustang, 42-103506 (converted to F-6C) assigned to 118th  Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group in China. She was condemned as salvage on December 31, 1945.

 

Freshly arrived P-51C-5-NT Mustang, 42-103506 (converted to F-6C) assigned to 118th  Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group in China. She was condemned as salvage on December 31, 1945.

 

Don Gentile strapping into his P-51B “Shangri-La.”

 

USAAF North American F-6C Mustang fighter (42-103??) from the 111th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in World War II.

 

North American Aviation advertisement for P-51.

 

North American P-51D on the Inglewood assembly line.

 

Captured North American P-51, Zirkus Rosarius, Luftwaffe. Named *My Lady/Miss Marilyn* upon assignment, it was normally flown by Henry Longs. This plane, flown by Lt. Thomas Todd, was one of four P-51s of the 318th FS who were detailed to escort a F-5E of the 32nd Squadron. However, all failed to return, due to adverse weather conditions. Two of the P-51s, the P-51D 44-15174 flown by Lt. Norval Weers. and the P-51B 42-103458, landed in a field in Austria, near the Hungarian border. While Lt. Weers crash landed his plane (wheels up) Lt. Todd. who was the element leader, landed wheels down. The two P-51s were retrieved by the Germans. The P-51D flown by Lt. Weers was 35% damaged, and was only used for parts. While the P-51B was tested at Rechlin, Germany, in Olive Drab/Yellow camouflage scheme. In 1995, Weers stated his belief that Todd had landed in order to pick him up, before flying back to base, despite not having sufficient fuel.

 

Captured North American P-51, Zirkus Rosarius, Luftwaffe. Behind the P-51 is a P-47. Probably the same aircraft as in the previous photo.

 

Lineup of ten newly arrived P-51C Mustangs at Kanchow Airbase, China. First in line is P-51C-11-NT Mustang (44-10807) which was being flown on December 18, 1944 by 1st Lieut. Wallace D. Cousins, 74th Fighter Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group, from Kanchow escorting B-25s to Wuchang Airdrome at Hankow-Wuchang, China. Second in line, P-51C-10-NT Mustang (43-24963), was being flown by 2nd Lieut. Richard R. Fitzgerald, 74th Fighter Squadron from Kanchow on a strafing mission to Tien Ho Airdrome, Canton, China on December 22, 1944. She was hit by AAA fire over the airdrome, killing Lieut. Fitzgerald.

 

P-51B-1-NA (F-6C) (43-12330) 26th FS. Note the Chinese working on the airfield in China.

 

North American P-51 Mustang.

 

Eisenhower and Brereton greet Major James Howard, Medal of Honor recipient. Coningham, Leigh-Mallory, and Spaatz are behind Eisenhower. They are next to Howard’s P-51.

 

North American P-51 Mustang I in flight, AL 958. Allison-powered Mustang for RAF (U.S. Air Force photo)

 

P-51s and P-47s undergo maintenance at Lingayen airstrip in the Philippines in April 1945. (U.S. Air Force photo)

 

P-51B Mustang “Ding Hao!” and pilot Maj James Howard (in cap) of the 356th Fighter Squadron at RAF Boxted, Essex, England, UK, early 1944.

 

P-51D (AI-3) of the 99th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group shows off its distinctive red tail, probably at Ramitelli Airfield, Italy, circa 1944-45.

 

USAAF Capt Don Gentile sits on the wing of his P-51B Mustang “Shangri-La” of the 336th Fighter Squadron at RAF Debden, Essex, England, UK, circa 1944-45.

 

P-51 Mustang fighters at rest at an airfield in Burma, date unknown.

 

P-51A Mustang fighter of the 311th Fighter Group in flight over Burma, c. 1943-1945.

 

P-51B and P-51A Mustang fighters side-by-side at North American Aviation plant at Inglewood, California, circa 1943.