German Pilots Were Stunned When the American P-51 Mustang Appeared

Video from the channel Realidad del Pasado about North American P-51 Mustang, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 18:27. Language: Spanish. Video type: Documentary.

The video narrates how the arrival of the Merlin-engined P-51 Mustang changed the air war over Europe between 1943 and 1945. It is told mainly from the point of view of Luftwaffe pilots, who lost control of the skies over Germany.

In 1943, B-17s attacking German targets suffered very heavy losses once they went beyond their escorts' range. The Spitfire had little range, and the P-40 and P-38 struggled against the Bf 109 and Fw 190. The Mustang was born in 1940 as a British order to North American Aviation, with a laminar wing and room for extra fuel. The early versions, with the Allison engine, performed poorly at altitude. Everything changed once it was fitted with the Rolls-Royce Merlin, the same engine used in the Spitfire.

With the Merlin, the P-51 could escort bombers to Berlin and back. The video mentions the 1944 missions to Leipzig and Berlin and the Big Week of February that year. It also describes attacks on airfields, trains and trucks, and cites pilots such as Chuck Yeager and Bud Anderson. It credits the Mustang with nearly 5,000 kills during the war and recalls its later use in the Pacific and in Korea.