The North American P-51 Mustang is often considered one of the most iconic fighter planes in military history, a testimony to great engineering capabilities and strategic foresight. At the very center of the development of this aircraft was Lt. Colonel Thomas J. Hitchcock Jr., whose advocacy and vision were crucial in turning the Mustang into a high-altitude powerhouse.
His military service began at a tender age during World War I, flying with the French Lafayette Flying Corps. Though the US Army rejected him as being too young, he received his wings with the French and secured three aerial victories before being captured by the Germans. His daring escape from captivity after a 100-mile trek to Switzerland set the stage for his future contributions.
After the First World War, Hitchcock was a fashionable polo player and socialite, running with the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Then, with the outbreak of World War II, the 42-year-old Hitchcock received a commission in the US Army Air Force. He was considered too old for active duty, but as Assistant Military Air Attaché in London, he proved indispensable. He reported on the British tests of the P-51A airframe fitted with the Rolls-Royce Merlin 61 engine, which significantly improved the aircraft’s high-altitude performance.
It was on Hitchcock’s suggestion that Allison was replaced with Merlin, and that produced the P-51B capable of exceeding 430 miles per hour at 30,000 feet. His prophecy came to be very accurate since the US Army Air Force ordered 2,200 P-51Bs and assigned the 354th Fighter Group as the first operational unit in the ETO on those engines.
The arrival of the Mustang in early 1944 marked a turn in the air war over Europe. During “Big Week” in February 1944, Mustang pilots destroyed 17 percent of the Luftwaffe’s experienced fighter pilots. Though early problems arose with external wing tanks destabilizing the aircraft during dives, Hitchcock’s determination to solve these was indicative of his true character. He died in a test flight crash on April 18, 1944, near Salisbury, England.
These P-51 Mustang attributes, among many others, contributed greatly to the Allied air supremacy during the success of the Normandy invasion. By March 1944, Mustangs were escorting US daylight bombing raids over Berlin, fulfilling Hitchcock’s vision.
The sleek design of the Mustang, coupled with a formidable V-12 Rolls-Royce/Packard-Merlin engine, made it a very fine air-superiority fighter and a bomber escort. It was armed with six .50 cal. machine guns and could carry up to 2,000 pounds of external stores. The efficiency of the aircraft at high altitudes enabled it to remain with bomber formations for protection.
Service and reputation for the P-51 Mustang reached well beyond WWII. In the Korean War, the P-51s-now called F-51s operated very efficiently in that theater’s rough airfield conditions. To name a few, some of the more notable pilots to have flown the Mustang during the early years of their careers include General Daniel “Chappie” James Jr.
Of course, the Mustang was about as subtle as a sledgehammer when it came to making its presence felt on the airshow circuit, audiences agog at its performance. Yet the potential risks in military aviation were always present: during one pre-D-Day demonstration in England, disaster indeed happened when one Mustang pilot went well over and above.
The development of the P-51 Mustang was evolutionary, and it had much to thank the British Purchasing Commission and North American Aviation for. Initial shortcomings gave way to fitting with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, which gave spectacular performance at altitude.
The role of the Mustang in the Second World War was as much due to its technical capabilities as the bravery and skill of its pilots. Probably the first African-American servicemen to fly fighters and bombers were the Tuskegee Airmen, who flew Mustangs with distinction. Their work earned them many accolades, among them a Presidential Unit Citation on 24 March 1945 for escorting bombers to Berlin.
The P-51 Mustang has remained a symbol of innovation, bravery, and an unyielding pursuit of excellence in military aviation. Its legend continues to fire the imagination of generations of flyers and military enthusiasts from all over the world.