The Tactic that Killed P-51 Mustang Pilots

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Little known but infuriating scandal related to the AAF "Bomber Mafia" in 1943. P-47s were perfectly capable of escorting bombers as far as Berlin, had the Army Air Corps ordered large capacity drop tanks that had been designed and were available to be mass produced. Air Corps leadership chose not to, thinking it was unnecessary. Even when it proved to be disastrous, their first response was the B-17 gunships, a ridiculous concept. Meanwhile, P-47s in the Far East were doing very long range escort missions in New Guinea, equivalent to Berlin and back, using a large capacity drop tank developed by the Australians. The post WW2 narrative that fully escorted missions deep into Germany were not possible until the Mustang was false, to cover the bad decisions. Also, the P-47 was the better fighter overall, but the Mustang's fuel burn advantage and much lower unit cost (about 2/3rds) made it a no brainer logistically and is the real reason it dominated later in the war.

I lived in the FRG from the early 1970s. My landlord, Herr Lehr, was a veteran of WW2 and had been invalided early. We spoke of the war as often as I was able to prevail upon him to do so. He told me among many other things that from a certain point in the conflict one just didn't go out in daylight, PERIOD. He described the fighters attacking farms, farmers, tractors, livestock, anything that moved or sustained the war effort. I've often tried to imagine any given strike which after the bombs were toggled, 600 fighters were then freed up to ravage the countryside, all the way back to the coast. Not to mention aircraft already at it as part of the tactical air force. Since relating some of his experiences has in the past caused some people heartburn, let me just relate, mine are solely retold observations, with no hidden messages whatsoever. Duane Beeson had been a Eagle Squadron pilot, getting out of his Spitfire and into the Jug with kills already under his belt. Seems to me his airplane was named 'The Boise Bee'. I have seen a P-51B under restoration in Nampa, Idaho and it was marked as Beesons Mustang. I think Beeson lived through the war and was dead a year later from a brain tumor.

I wonder if they could have restricted the strafing to the P-47? It had the air cooled engine, a tougher frame and 2 more 50 caliber machine guns.

Unfortunately in Korea the same error was repeated; P51 (F51) got used as ground attackers. Probably because most P47 already have been scrapped at this time.

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"They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason." Ernest Hemingway

The P-51 is a terrible ground attack aircraft. Water cooled with the radiator at the bottom. It’s far too susceptible to ground fire. This is a high altitude fighter, this is where it shines. Unfortunately the USAF in the Korean conflict didn’t learn the lessons from its performance in WW2 and used this aircraft again in the ground attack role to unfavourable results.

A very well put together and interesting presentation. I’m a volunteer at IWM Duxford and will be able to build this into discussions with visitors when looking at the P51 and P47 and their respective roles.

In the category, "If I knew then what I know how"... attacking fuel processing facilities sounds like it may have had better success.

Hopefully you tell Gabreski’s story as well as Zemke’s story. For that matter, the story of the P-47 only 56th FG

That radar guided 20 and 40 mm flak cannons were deadly.The majority of people dont know the germans had them.Yes,they had them in different configurations.

Defeating planes in the air would be a much better tactic as it would pilot and plane against pilot and plane. The risks to rewards would be much lower as the allied pilots would not be lost to empty aircraft. Also, replacing the p-47's with P-51' as a ground attack aircraft was another mistake that caused the loss of many pilots. You can't successfully replace a tank with an armed racing car.

That's why the P51 largely replaced the P47 as a bomber escort. It wasn't that the P47 was inadequate as an escort, it was because it was a much better fighter bomber/ground attack than the P51. And with D-Day approaching, there was a growing need for that role.

Fantastic visuals ! Great stories.....

Great video

Great start to the weekend. Another amazing video TJ. We Always learn something new with each new video. Thank you for not only going above and beyond with your research for each video but for putting you heart into them as well. I always knew you would do well and you never disappoint. Thanks for your hard work and Please Keep 'em Flyin we've got your six.

No wonder so many of the pilots preferred the P47 to the P51.

In the video I kept seeing P-51As or A-36s!! They had the scoops above the cowling due to the Allison engines. Those were never used for escort duties as far as I know, so that's a bit unrealistic. If anyone can find any evidence of Allison powered Mustangs escorting bombers late in the war, I'd be surprised. At least in Europe. Some P-51As were used as escorts in Burma, China and India. The A-36 was never, ever used for escort because it was a dive bomber/ground attack version with dive brakes.

When is Gaijin going to give you a decal Theyve sponsored you at least 5 times and still havent given you a decal