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 piloted by 1st Lt. William Hovde and nicknamed "Ole-II," which was attached to the 358th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group "Steeple Mrer Strafers," then deployed to RAF Steeple Morden, England, during March 1944. Now in stock!

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

Release Date: September 2024

Historical Account: "Strafers" - William Hovde entered pilot training and received his wings on December 13th, 1942. He was commissioned into the United States Army Air Forces as a second lieutenant on January 19th, 1943. He completed Republic P-47 Thunderbolt training at Spence Field. In May, he was assigned to the 358th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group in England, serving as a flight leader. The squadron deployed to England in July at RAF Steeple Morden.

On February 15th, 1944, Hovde was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, "for extraordinary achievement", completing 50 missions or the equivalent. Hovde claimed his first air victory as a fighter pilot, a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 over the Munster area, on February 22nd, 1944. The 358th Fighter Squadron began converting to the North American P-51 Mustang in March. He was promoted to major on March 9th. On March 18th, Hovde flew a P-51 in a penetration and target support mission for heavy bombers attacking a target in Germany. During the withdrawal from the target, Hovde spotted fifteen enemy Fw 190s attacking the American bombers, leading his flight in the attack and claiming one victory. This enabled the bombers to continue their flight back to England. The German fighters attacked again while Hovde reformed his flight. He then shot down another Fw 190. While returning from this action, he was attacked by two enemy fighters, one of which he heavily damaged before running out of ammunition. On June 5th, he was awarded the Silver Star "for gallantry in action".

On April 4th, Hovde claimed a fourth victory. The next day, he received a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of another DFC for completing forty missions and shooting down the German aircraft. In May, Hovde's first tour of duty ended and he returned to the continental United States for rest and recuperation, and then volunteered for a second tour. Hovde returned to the squadron as its commander on July 10th. On July 19th, Hovde downed a German Messerschmitt Bf 109 over Augsburg, becoming the group's eighth ace. On July 27th, he was awarded a second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster to his DFC, "for heroism and extraordinary achievement", claiming three victories.He commanded the 358th Fighter Squadron until August 2nd, 1944, subsequently serving as the squadron operations officer.

On September 15th, Hovde received a third Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster to his DFC, "for heroism and extraordinary achievement", shooting down three enemy aircraft. On December 5th, during a bomber escort mission over Berlin, Hovde led the group in an attack on more than 100 Bf 109s and Fw 190s, shooting down five and sharing a sixth. In this action, his aircraft developed mechanical difficulties and his fuel reserve became critically short. On March 13th, 1945, Hovde was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism.

On March 30th, he was awarded a fourth Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster to his DFC, "for extraordinary achievement" in combat missions. Hovde was credited with 10.5 victories in air combat and another damaged, as well as two resulting from airfield strafing. Hovde again commanded the 358th Fighter Squadron between 7 May and August 1945.