Changes

Equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks that were jettisoned when empty, the combat radius widened to 850 miles. Mustangs in March, 1944, began escorting [[B-17|B-17 heavy bombers]] at high altitude to all European targets and back, repelling any Luftwaffe fighters that dared to challenge. Actually shooting down an enemy fighter required rare skills that even the best pilots seldom had. Of the 5,100 fighter pilots who escorted the bombers of the 8th Air Force, only 300 shot down 5 or more planes and became "aces"; however, these 300 aces accounted for half of the 5,300 kills made by escorts.<ref> Weigley, ''American Way of War'' p. 342; Mike Spick, ''The Ace Factor: Air Combat and the Role of Situational Awareness'' (1988) </ref>  

Equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks that were jettisoned when empty, the combat radius widened to 850 miles. Mustangs in March, 1944, began escorting [[B-17|B-17 heavy bombers]] at high altitude to all European targets and back, repelling any Luftwaffe fighters that dared to challenge. Actually shooting down an enemy fighter required rare skills that even the best pilots seldom had. Of the 5,100 fighter pilots who escorted the bombers of the 8th Air Force, only 300 shot down 5 or more planes and became "aces"; however, these 300 aces accounted for half of the 5,300 kills made by escorts.<ref> Weigley, ''American Way of War'' p. 342; Mike Spick, ''The Ace Factor: Air Combat and the Role of Situational Awareness'' (1988) </ref>  

Some 15,600 P-51s were produced at an average cost of $50,000--versus $80,000 for the bigger Thunderbolt and $150,000 for the B-17. The slower, shorter-range [[P-47]] was already escorting bombers part of the way into Germany; in a reversal of roles, that mission in January 1944 went to the P-51 while the P-47 was assigned to tactical targets on the ground. The Thunderbolt's air-cooled engine was less vulnerable to ground flak; one bullet hole in the plumbing of a water-cooled Merlin engine would drain off the coolant and crash the Mustang. In early 1944 the Mustangs cleared the skies of the Luftwaffe--it was 30-70 mph faster than the Focke-wolfe FW-190 and Messerschmitt [[Messerschmitt Bf 109|ME-109]], could climb at the same rate, dive faster, and turn more sharply. From mid-1944, American pilots began wearing the Berger G-suit, which automatically constricted blood flow to the lower body during high rate maneuvers, enabling the pilots to engage in more extreme maneuvers without blacking out. Mustangs claimed 4,950 kills in the air and 4,100 on the ground (plus some V-1s), while losing 2,520 planes in combat. The [[Me-262|Messerschmitt 262]] jets were faster and more maneuverable than the Mustangs, but they were few in number, and suffered from lack of resources due to constrained supply lines. They rarely challenged the Mustangs. Many of the jets were destroyed while they were taking off, landing, or parked on the ground. Luftwaffe boss [[Herman Goering]] admitted that when he saw the American bombers over Berlin in March, 1944, escorted by fighters he knew the war was lost.

Some 15,600 P-51s were produced at an average cost of $50,000--versus $80,000 for the bigger Thunderbolt and $150,000 for the B-17. The slower, shorter-range [[P-47]] was already escorting bombers part of the way into Germany; in a reversal of roles, that mission in January 1944 went to the P-51 while the P-47 was assigned to tactical targets on the ground. The Thunderbolt's air-cooled engine was less vulnerable to ground flak; one bullet hole in the plumbing of a water-cooled Merlin engine would drain off the coolant and crash the Mustang. In early 1944 the Mustangs cleared the skies of the Luftwaffe--it was 30-70 mph faster than the Focke-wolfe FW-190 and Messerschmitt [[Messerschmitt Bf 109|ME-109]], could climb at the same rate, dive faster, and turn more sharply. From mid-1944, American pilots began wearing the Berger G-suit, which automatically constricted blood flow to the lower body during high rate maneuvers, enabling the pilots to engage in more extreme maneuvers without blacking out. Mustangs claimed 4,950 kills in the air and 4,100 on the ground (plus some V-1s), while losing 2,520 planes in combat. The [[Me-262|Messerschmitt 262]] jets were faster than the Mustangs, but they were few in number, and suffered from lack of resources due to constrained supply lines. They rarely challenged the Mustangs. Many of the jets were destroyed while they were taking off, landing, or parked on the ground. Luftwaffe boss [[Herman Goering]] admitted that when he saw the American bombers over Berlin in March, 1944, escorted by fighters he knew the war was lost.

==The Pacific Theater==

==The Pacific Theater==