Chris Bucholtz

P-51B/C Mustang (eBook, ePUB)

Northwest Europe 1943-44
Illustrator: Hector, Gareth; Laurier, Jim

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

This new volume straps the reader into the cockpit of the P-51B/C as the Mustang-equipped fighter groups of the 'Mighty Eighth' Air Force attempt to defend massed heavy bomber formations from deadly Luftwaffe fighters charged with defending the Third Reich.

Luftwaffe Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring admitted that the appearance of long-range Mustangs over Berlin spelled the end of the Jagdwaffe's ability to defeat American daylight bombing. But the Mustang was far more than an escort - it was a deadly hunter that could out-perform nearly every German fighter when it was introduced into combat. Entering combat in Europe in December 1943, P-51Bs and P-51Cs had advantages over German Bf 109s and Fw 190s in respect to the altitude they could reach, their rate of climb and top speed. Initially tapped for close bomber escort, Mustangs were quickly turned loose to range ahead of the bomber stream in order to challenge German fighters before they could assemble to engage the bombers en masse. Thanks to the Mustang's superior performance, USAAF pilots effectively blunted the Luftwaffe's tried and tested tactic for destroying B-17s and B-24s. Boldness and aggression in aerial combat meant that P-51B/C pilots inflicted a rapidly mounting toll on their German counterparts in the West during the early months of 1944, contributing mightily to Allied air superiority over northern France on D-Day.

This volume, packed full of first-hand accounts, expertly recreates the combat conditions and flying realities for Mustang pilots (including headline aces such as Don Blakeslee and Don Gentile, as well as lesser known aviators). It is heavily illustrated with photographs, artwork and innovative and colourful 3D ribbon diagrams, which will provide a realistic overview of the most dynamic dogfights in aviation history.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 80
• Erscheinungstermin: 17. Februar 2022
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781472850034
• Artikelnr.: 63024675

Autorenporträt

Chris Bucholtz embarked on a writing career after a six-year stint in the US Navy. His books include bestselling titles for Osprey's AEU and ACE series. He has written about military aviation for Aviation Enthusiast, Flight Journal and Scale Aircraft Modelling. An avid scale modeller, he is the managing editor of the IPMS/USA Journal, and runs his own scale model detail parts company, Obscureco. Chris, a California native, lives with his wife Elizabeth and his daughter Amelia in Alameda.

Inhaltsangabe

Chapter 1 In Battle The story of the Medal of Honor-earning mission of Col
James Howard on 11 January 1944, in which he defended bombers
single-handedly for 30 minutes and scored three victories, plus a probable.
Chapter 2 Setting the Scene The development of the Merlin/Mustang
combination, manufacturing, the P-51B/C's introduction into combat and the
transition of existing USAAF fighter units from the P-47 to the Mustang.
Chapter 3 Path to Combat The careers of two Mustang pilots - Kelly Gross of
the 354th FG, who went five months without a victory (but later became an
ace) and named his plane 'Live Bait!' after the instructions given to him
by his commanding officer, and William Whisner of the 352nd FG, who
destroyed six of his eventual 16.4 German aircraft in a P-51B christened
'Princess Elizabeth' after he met the future monarch. Chapter 4 Weapon of
war A brief technical appraisal of the P-51B/C, detailing its development
and the weaponry it employed, including issues that needed to be resolved
with its 0.50-calibre guns and fuselage tank, and performance differences
between the P-51B/C and the later P-51D/K. Chapter 5 Art of War Examination
of the various co-operative tactics employed for dealing with Bf 109 and Fw
190 escorts, Werfer-Granate 21-firing Bf 110s, Do 217s and Ju 88s, and
Sturmbocke bomber-destroyer Fw 190s; "zoom-and-boom" energy attacks; and
tactics for maintaining formation discipline when opposing high-speed
diving attacks by German fighters. Chapter 6 Combat In this chapter,
Mustang pilots discuss combat against the Bf 109, Fw 190 and
bomber-destroyer types, as well as the declining quality of their
opposition from 'Big Week' through to D-Day. Aftermath Appendices
Acknowledgments Selected Sources Index