This new volume straps the reader into the cockpit of the P-51B/C as
the Mustang-equipped fighter groups of the 'Mighty Eighth' Air Force
attempt to defend massed heavy bomber formations from deadly Luftwaffe
fighters charged with defending the Third Reich.
Luftwaffe Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring admitted that the appearance of
long-range Mustangs over Berlin spelled the end of the Jagdwaffe's
ability to defeat American daylight bombing. But the Mustang was far
more than an escort -- it was a deadly hunter that could out-perform
nearly every German fighter when it was introduced into combat. Entering
combat in Europe in December 1943, P-51Bs and P-51Cs had advantages over
German Bf 109s and Fw 190s in respect to the altitude they could reach,
their rate of climb and top speed. Initially tapped for close bomber
escort, Mustangs were quickly turned loose to range ahead of the bomber
stream in order to challenge German fighters before they could assemble
to engage the bombers en masse. Thanks to the Mustang's superior
performance, USAAF pilots effectively blunted the Luftwaffe's tried and
tested tactic for destroying B-17s and B-24s. Boldness and aggression in
aerial combat meant that P-51B/C pilots inflicted a rapidly mounting
toll on their German counterparts in the West during the early months of
1944, contributing mightily to Allied air superiority over northern
France on D-Day.
This volume, packed full of first-hand accounts, expertly recreates the
combat conditions and flying realities for Mustang pilots (including
headline aces such as Don Blakeslee and Don Gentile, as well as lesser
known aviators). It is heavily illustrated with photographs, artwork,
and innovative and colorful 3D ribbon diagrams, which will provide a
realistic overview of the most dynamic dogfights in aviation history.
