WarSimBox
North American P-51D Mustang, the in-game model
1944USAFighter

North American P-51D Mustang

The North American P-51 Mustang was designed at British request and, with the Rolls-Royce Merlin, became one of the best fighters of the war. With its laminar-flow wing and large fuel capacity, from 1944 it escorted American bombers deep into Germany and wore down the Luftwaffe’s daylight fighter force. The D is recognisable by its bubble canopy.

A fighter for the British

In 1940 the British purchasing commission asked North American to build Curtiss P-40s. The company proposed designing a new fighter instead; the prototype drawn by Edgar Schmued’s team was ready within months. The NACA laminar-flow wing reduced drag, and the radiator under the fuselage, by pushing the heated air out backwards, almost paid for its own drag.

The first Mustangs had Allison engines and were weak at high altitude. In 1942 the British fitted a Merlin, with outstanding results. With the two-stage Merlin built under licence by Packard came the P-51B and C, then the bubble-canopied P-51D.

North American P-51D Mustang, side view
North American P-51D Mustang: the in-game model from the side.

All the way to Berlin

With drop tanks the Mustang had the range to escort bombers from England all the way to Berlin. From early 1944 the escort fighters were freed to hunt German fighters rather than stay close to the bombers, and within months the Luftwaffe lost most of its experienced pilots.

The Tuskegee Airmen, units of Black American pilots, also flew escort missions in P-51s with red-painted tails. The Mustang fought again in the Korean War and flew with many countries into the 1950s and beyond.

In WarSimBox

In the game it is an energy fighter: its two-stage supercharger makes it very fast high up, its range is very long and its bubble canopy gives a good view behind. It has six .50 in guns and, once researched, can carry HVAR rockets. It is one of the best fighters for escorting bomber formations.

Unlocked in the aircraft tree after researching Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6, Laminar-flow wing and Two-stage supercharger. Leads on to: Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a, Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat.

Top speed
701 km/h · 7,500 m
Climb
15.7 m/s
Sustained turn
22.5 s
Stall speed
163 km/h

These figures come from the game’s flight model (climb, turn and stall at sea level).

Fly it in WarSimBox