Legion USAAF North American P-51B Mustang Fighter - Constantin Cantacuzino, "Sweet Clara II," 319th Fighter Squadron, 325th Fighter Group "The Checkertail Clan," Operation Reunion, Romania, 1944 (1:72 Scale)

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USAAF North American P-51B Mustang Fighter - Constantin Cantacuzino, "Sweet Clara II," 319th Fighter Squadron, 325th Fighter Group "The Checkertail Clan," Operation Reunion, Romania, 1944 (1:72 Scale)

Legion USAAF North American P-51B Mustang Fighter - Constantin Cantacuzino, "Sweet Clara II," 319th Fighter Squadron, 325th Fighter Group "The Checkertail Clan," Operation Reunion, Romania, 1944

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Legion LEG14606LE USAAF North American P-51B Mustang Fighter - Constantin Cantacuzino, "Sweet Clara II," 319th Fighter Squadron, 325th Fighter Group "The Checkertail Clan," Operation Reunion, Romania, 1944 (1:72 Scale) "The day I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up."
- Reichmarschall Hermann Goering, Head of the German Luftwaffe

No other aircraft of WWII could fly as high, go as far, or fight as hard as the famed Mustang. Piloted by a record 281 Aces, this agile and ferocious dogfighter tallied more kills than any other Allied airplane. As the bombers of the Eighth Air Force fought their way deep into Hitler's Germany, it was the Mustang that cleared the skies of Luftwaffe fighters. The powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine gave the Mustang a speed of 445 mph. Re-styled with an aerodynamic bubble canopy for greater visibility, and outfitted with 6 fast-firing .50 caliber machine guns, the P-51 became the best fighter of the war. New P-51Bs (NA-102s) would continue with the same armament and ammunition load of the P-51A, while the bomb rack/external drop tank installation was adapted from the A-36 Apache; the racks were rated to carry up to 500 lb (230 kg) of ordnance and were also piped for drop tanks. The machine guns were aimed using the electrically illuminated N-3B reflector sight fitted with an A-1 head assembly which allowed it to be used as a gun or bomb sight through varying the angle of the reflector glass. Pilots were also given the option of having ring and bead sights mounted on the top engine cowling formers. This option was discontinued with the P-51D.

The first XP-51B flew on November 30th, 1942. Flight tests confirmed the potential of the new fighter, with the service ceiling being raised by 10,000 ft (3,000 m), with the top speed improving by 50 mph (43 kn; 80 km/h) at 30,000 ft (9,100 m). American production was started in early 1943 with the P-51B (NA-102) being manufactured at Inglewood, California, and the P-51C (NA-103) at a new plant in Dallas, Texas, which was in operation by summer 1943. The RAF named these models Mustang Mk III. In performance tests, the P-51B reached 441 mph (383 kn; 710 km/h) at 30,000 ft (9,100 m). In addition, the extended range made possible by the use of drop tanks enabled the Merlin-powered Mustang to be introduced as a bomber escort with a combat radius of 750 mi (1,210 km) using two 75 US gal (62 imp gal; 280 l) 2-piece, sheet-metal stamped construction drop tanks.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a USAAF North American P-51B Mustang fighter that was by Romanian ace Constantin Cantacuzino who nicknamed his aircraft "Sweet Clara II," and attached to the 319th Fighter Squadron, 325th Fighter Group "The Checkertail Clan," then flying over Romania during 1944. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 6-3/4-inches
Length: 5-inches

Release Date: September 2024

Historical Account: "We Get Ours at Night" - The 319th Fighter Squadron arrived in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations in February and was established at its first combat station, Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria by March 1st, 1943. It flew its first combat mission on April 17th, a strike against Mateur Airfield. It escorted medium bombers and flew strafing missions and flew sweeps over the Mediterranean Sea from bases in Algeria and Tunisia. The squadron participated in the defeat of Axis forces in Tunisia. It participated in the reduction of Pantelleria and in Operation Husky, the invasion and conquest of Sicily. On July 22nd, near Cagliari, the squadron destroyed 12 enemy aircraft without any loss. On July 30th, the 325th Group used diversionary tactics to lure a superior number of enemy planes into the air over Sardinia, destroying more than half of them. The squadron was awarded its first Distinguished Unit Citation for this action.On August 28th, Lt Collins became the squadron's first ace. In late September 1943, the squadron was withdrawn from combat to convert to Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and prepare to move to the Italian peninsula. Training on the new aircraft was delayed by heavy intermittent rain at its North African base.

By early December 1943, the squadron began to operate its Thunderbolts from Foggia Airfield, Italy, flying its first mission with the new plane on December 14th, escorting Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses on attack on Corfu. However, it only operated the P-47 for a short period, converting to North American P-51 Mustangs in March 1944, and moving to Lesina Airfield, Italy on the 29th of the month. However, on January 30thit flew its "T-Bolts" more than 300 miles at very low altitude to make a surprise attack on German interceptors defending airdromes near Villorba. The severe losses it inflicted on the defending forces enabled heavy bombers to attack vital targets in the area without encountering serious opposition. This action resulted in the second award of the Distinguished Unit Citation to the squadron.