The RAF referred to its P-51’s as Mustang III’s and made an immediate modification. Combat visibility was considered too poor for European operations, out of the standard ‘hinged’ canopy, so RAF machines were fitted with a ‘bulged’ sliding canopy, known as the ‘Malcolm Hood’. The resultant variant was considered the best fighting machine of the P-51 series, although later models carried more armament.
RAF Mustangs were used extensively against the V-1 Flying Bomb threat to Southern England, in the latter stages of the War.
About the P-51 Mustang
The North American P-51 Mustang was an American long-range single-seat fighter aircraft that entered service with Allied air forces in the middle years of World War II. The P-51 became one of the conflict's most successful and recognizable aircraft.
The P-51 flew most of its wartime missions as a bomber escort in raids over Germany, helping ensure Allied air superiority from early 1944. It also saw service against the Japanese in the Pacific War. The Mustang began the Korean War as the United Nations' main fighter but was supplanted as a fighter by jets early in the conflict, being relegated to a ground attack role. Nevertheless, it remained in service with some air forces until the early 1980s.
Despite being economical to produce, the Mustang was a well-made and rugged aircraft. The definitive version of the single-seat fighter was powered by the Packard V-1650-3, a two-stage two-speed supercharged 12-cylinder Packard-built version of the legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, and armed with six aircraft versions of the .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns. Like most other fighters that used a liquid-cooled engine, its weakness was a coolant system that could be punctured by a single bullet.
