Fighter Mustang P-51. Killer "Messers" Bashny.Net

Americans love to admire their achievements, country, military power. It always has been.
One of the objects of their admiration is a fighter since the 2nd World War II Mustang P-51.
With someone's light hand of the aircraft even he got the proud nickname "Killer Messers." This was told the owner of one of the machines (the one on the picture below) Rob Lamplou - aviakluba member of the British «The Air Squadron». But during the preparation of the text for the post turned out quite different ...
Yes, Mustangs shot down during the war, many German planes, but they ... themselves sometimes became victims simply ridiculous.
For example, during the war, two Mustang P-51 locomotives were destroyed ... (!!!)
But more on that below.
20 photos via Sergei Anashkevich

2. First, a bit about the plane.
Mustang Americans developed specifically for participation in World War II by order of the British.
The first prototype took to the air at the end of 1940.
But the plane, which was conceived as a fighter-bomber, long range anywhere unfit. He had a pretty mediocre engine power, which is not allowed to fly above 4 thousand meters.
In 1942, the British, unable to stand, and would completely abandon its use

3. But they held back a pretty strong argument - Mustang perfectly behaved at low altitudes.
The result was a compromise solution, and the fighter just started to put a different engine. The miracle happened after it "stuck" the British Rolls-Royce. That's when he flew. Get the code modification P-51C. And when removed gargrot (fairing for glazed cab) and put teardrop lamp (F-51D) was very good.

4. And, since 1942, the Royal British Air Force Mustangs are beginning to use in combat.
Their task was to patrol the English Channel and the German ground attack ground targets in France.
27 July 1942 Mustang P-51 first enters into a dogfight at Dieppe and ... die. He piloted his American Hollis Hillis.

5. Soon, August 19, 1942 took another fight in which "distinguished" Mustangs. During one of the operations of the landing of British troops in all in the same Dieppe, Squadron Mustag with Spitfires covered the landing and entered into battle with the German planes. At the same time, two enemy aircraft were shot down.
After the fight at the airport did not return home 11 Mustangs ...

6. It is more efficient to use these planes began towards the end of the war - when the Germans ran out of planes, pilots and gasoline. Here then began locomotives of attack, convoys and cartage. And such exotic tasks like hunting for jet type ME-262. "Mustang" guarded their landing, when he is helpless.
And so it is with the locomotives at the Mustangs were real problems. Significantly, two facts are known, when the Mustangs were killed attacking w / d target.
The most unlucky driver in the P-51D Mustang found some w / d, well part of it to pick guns. And there appeared warheads for ballistic missiles V-2. Gasped so that a pillar of the explosion rose to 5 km. It is clear from the "Mustang" is nothing left.
The second unfortunate pilot decided to rehearse an attack on his Mustang locomotive head-on. Well, something not thought it smeared on the tracks somewhere in the 800 meters to the engine. Locomotive crew escaped with slight shock.

7. Of course, there have been successful drivers on the Mustang. Highest Air Force pilot George Preddy knocked in one go 5 or 6 messershittov. By the way - he has a short but fascinating biography.
His wingman was famous as "the killer hornets," he knocked a lot of the Me-410 "Hornisse" ("Hornet"). But in the eighties ... slave died from the sting of a hornet!

8. The aircraft served for a long time in different countries.
For example, in Israel, he served as a wing to wing with Messer Czech production were cut, and they are fun to Egyptian Spitfires and Mosquito.
After the Korean War, a large number of Mustangs moved to civilian use to take part in air shows and various competitions.
A completely withdrawn from service in 1984 Mustang.

9. Two of the Mustang P-51 British club «The Air Squadron» recently visited, and in Sevastopol, where I was able to talk a little bit with their pilots and mechanics.
For example this copy (tail number 472 216) had to do some fighting on the fronts of World War II. British pilots shot down on it 23 German fighters. As a reminder of this - 23 swastikas around the cockpit. The victims of "Mustang" was mainly Nazi "Messerschmitt Bf.109». Despite his advanced age, the plane in good condition - can accelerate to 700 kilometers per hour.

10. The owner of the Mustang Robs Lamplou, a veteran of the British Royal Air Force. He found it in 1976 in Israel. The plane was polurazobrannom local "farm" and served as a toy for children. Robbs bought it, is completely renovated and has nearly 40 years of flying on Mustanshe. "I have 73 aircraft - 70 to fly. Sand of us until pours "- says Robbs.

11. How much is now such a plane, its owner does not speak. In 1945, "Mustang» P-51 was worth 51 thousand dollars. For this money, in the fifties of the last century it was possible to buy a 17 car "Chevrolet Corvette". If you take into account inflation, 51 thousand dollars in 1945 - is the current 660,000.

12. The aircraft features a spacious cabin and the complexity of piloting with full fuel tank (center of gravity slides ago). By the way, it was first applied compensatory antigravity suit that allowed to perform aerobatics and shoot at high accelerations.
Mustang is quite vulnerable rear-bottom - there is virtually covered with water and oil radiators, one rifle chamber and "yndeytsu" not to fight - to hang on to the front line.