Book Review of
North American Aviation P-51D/K Mustang
Rediscovered, Includes F-60/K
MMP Books Yellow Series no. 6146
ISBN: 978-83-66549-08-1
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $45.99
ISBN: 978-83-66549-08-1
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $45.99
HISTORY:
Following combat experience the P-51D series introduced a "teardrop", or "bubble", canopy to rectify problems with poor visibility to the rear of the aircraft. In America, new molding techniques had been developed to form streamlined nose transparencies for bombers. North American designed a new streamlined plexiglass canopy for the P-51B which was later developed into the teardrop shaped bubble canopy.
In late 1942, the tenth production P-51B-1-NA was removed from the assembly lines. From the windshield aft the fuselage was redesigned by cutting down the rear fuselage formers to the same height as those forward of the cockpit; the new shape was faired-in to the vertical tail unit. A new simpler style of windscreen, with an angled bullet-resistant windscreen mounted on two flat side pieces improved the forward view while the new canopy resulted in exceptional all-round visibility. Wind tunnel tests of a wooden model confirmed that the aerodynamics were sound.
The new model Mustang also had a redesigned wing; alterations to the undercarriage up-locks and inner-door retracting mechanisms meant that there was an additional fillet added forward of each of the wheel bays, increasing the wing area and creating a distinctive "kink" at the wing root's leading edges. A P-51D-5-NA, assigned to Lieutenant Abe P. Rosenberger, with the "kinked" wing root leading edge and the added fin fillet on the tail present. This aircraft is famous in photos as one of "The Bottisham Four."
Other alterations to the wings included new navigation lights, mounted on the wingtips, rather than the smaller lights above and below the wings of the earlier Mustangs, and retractable landing lights which were mounted at the back of the wheel wells; these replaced the lights which had been formerly mounted in the wing leading edges. The engine was the Packard V-1650-7, a license-built version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin 60 series, fitted with a two-stage, two-speed supercharger.
The armament was increased with the addition of two more .50 in (12.7 mm) AN/M2 "light-barrel" M2 Browning machine guns, the standard heavy-caliber machine gun, used throughout the American air services of World War II, bringing the total to six. The inner pair of machine guns had 400 rounds per gun, and the others had 270 rpg. for a total of 1,880.
The B/C subtypes' M2 guns were mounted with an inboard axial tilt, this angled mounting had caused problems with the ammunition feed and with spent casings and links failing to clear the gun-chutes, leading to frequent complaints that the guns jammed during combat maneuvers. The D/K's six M2s were mounted upright, remedying the jamming problems. In addition, the weapons were installed along the line of the wing's dihedral, rather than parallel to the ground line as in the earlier Mustang.
The wing racks fitted to the P-51D/P-51K series were strengthened and were able to carry up to 1,000 lb. (450 kg) of ordnance, although 500 lb. (230 kg) bombs were the recommended maximum load. Later models had removable under-wing 'Zero Rail' rocket pylons added to carry up to ten T64 5.0 in (127 mm) H.V.A.R rockets per plane.
The gunsight was changed from the N-3B to the N-9 before the introduction in September 1944 of the K-14 or K-14A gyro-computing sight. Apart from these changes, the P-51D and K series retained V-1650-7 engine used in the majority of the P-51B/C series. P-51K 44-15672 (Lt. Jessie R. Frey of the 362nd FS, 357th FG) shows the Aeroproducts propeller unit with the "uncuffed" blades and integral fin fillet on the tail. The addition of the 85 US gallon (322 l) fuselage fuel tank, coupled with the reduction in area of the new rear fuselage, exacerbated the handling problems already experienced with the B/C series when fitted with the tank, and led to the same fillet being added to -B, -C and initial -D-series versions in the field, to be quickly standardized as a normal rear-fuselage airframe component on later production blocks of the -D version.
P-51Ds without fuselage fuel tanks were fitted with either the SCR-522-A or SCR-274-N Command Radio sets and SCR-695-A, or SCR-515 radio transmitters, as well as an AN/APS-13 rear-warning set; P-51Ds and Ks with fuselage tanks used the SCR-522-A and AN/APS-13 only. The P-51D became the most widely produced variant of the Mustang.
A Dallas-built version of the P-51D, designated the P-51K, was equipped with an 11 ft. (3.4 m) diameter Aeroproducts propeller in place of the 11.2 ft. (3.4 m) Hamilton Standard propeller The hollow-bladed Aeroproducts propeller was unreliable, due to manufacturing problems, with dangerous vibrations at full throttle and was eventually replaced by the Hamilton Standard.
By the time of the Korean War, most F-51s were equipped with "uncuffed" Hamilton Standard propellers with wider, blunt-tipped blades. The photo reconnaissance versions of the P-51D and P-51K were designated F-6D and F-6K respectively. The RAF assigned the name Mustang Mk IV to the P-51D model and Mustang Mk IVA to P-51K models.
The P-51D/P-51K started arriving in Europe in mid-1944 and quickly became the primary USAAF fighter in the theater. It was produced in larger numbers than any other Mustang variant. Nevertheless, by the end of the war, roughly half of all operational Mustangs were still P-51B or P-51C models.
THE BOOK:
MMP Books (Mushroom Model Publications) is based in the UK. All their books are printed in English by their associate Stratus Books, located in Lublin, Poland. Stratus also does their own line of books in both Polish and English.
This book is soft-cover of 288 pages in 8” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a black and white photo of 3 showing changes during the P-51’s production. The 1st version of the canopy and no dorsal fin and one with the fin and the 2nd version of the canopy.
The book contains 317 black and white photos and 63 color photos.
Color profile illustrations show:
30 side-views, three 2-views and one 3-view.
Aircraft shown are:
9 with USAF markings
4 with RAF markings
2 with RAAF markings
1 with Haitian AF markings
3 with Swedish AF markings
1 with Nicaraguan AF markings
1 with Israeli AF markings
1 with Uruguayan AF markings
2 with S. Korean AF markings
1 with French AF markings
1 with Royal Canadian markings
1 with Swiss AF markings
1 with Czech AF markings
1 with Texas National-guard markings
1 with Royal New Zealand AF markings
1 with Italian AF markings
2 with Bolivian AF markings
1 with Guatemalan AF markings
There are 29 black and white line drawings in 1/48th scale of P-51 variants. Three 2-view, Five 3-views and 8 1/72nd scale side views.
An information list of P-51 serial numbers that spans 2 pages,
5 black and white illustrations of the dashboard and 4 black and white photos of it. Black and white photos of weapons and drop-tanks and many illustrations of the anatomy of P-51’s showing details of exteriors and interiors. 10 photos are of the walk around type.
This is one neat-book. It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a kit of a P-51 and to aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of MMP Books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web-site at:
Following combat experience the P-51D series introduced a "teardrop", or "bubble", canopy to rectify problems with poor visibility to the rear of the aircraft. In America, new molding techniques had been developed to form streamlined nose transparencies for bombers. North American designed a new streamlined plexiglass canopy for the P-51B which was later developed into the teardrop shaped bubble canopy.
In late 1942, the tenth production P-51B-1-NA was removed from the assembly lines. From the windshield aft the fuselage was redesigned by cutting down the rear fuselage formers to the same height as those forward of the cockpit; the new shape was faired-in to the vertical tail unit. A new simpler style of windscreen, with an angled bullet-resistant windscreen mounted on two flat side pieces improved the forward view while the new canopy resulted in exceptional all-round visibility. Wind tunnel tests of a wooden model confirmed that the aerodynamics were sound.
The new model Mustang also had a redesigned wing; alterations to the undercarriage up-locks and inner-door retracting mechanisms meant that there was an additional fillet added forward of each of the wheel bays, increasing the wing area and creating a distinctive "kink" at the wing root's leading edges. A P-51D-5-NA, assigned to Lieutenant Abe P. Rosenberger, with the "kinked" wing root leading edge and the added fin fillet on the tail present. This aircraft is famous in photos as one of "The Bottisham Four."
Other alterations to the wings included new navigation lights, mounted on the wingtips, rather than the smaller lights above and below the wings of the earlier Mustangs, and retractable landing lights which were mounted at the back of the wheel wells; these replaced the lights which had been formerly mounted in the wing leading edges. The engine was the Packard V-1650-7, a license-built version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin 60 series, fitted with a two-stage, two-speed supercharger.
The armament was increased with the addition of two more .50 in (12.7 mm) AN/M2 "light-barrel" M2 Browning machine guns, the standard heavy-caliber machine gun, used throughout the American air services of World War II, bringing the total to six. The inner pair of machine guns had 400 rounds per gun, and the others had 270 rpg. for a total of 1,880.
The B/C subtypes' M2 guns were mounted with an inboard axial tilt, this angled mounting had caused problems with the ammunition feed and with spent casings and links failing to clear the gun-chutes, leading to frequent complaints that the guns jammed during combat maneuvers. The D/K's six M2s were mounted upright, remedying the jamming problems. In addition, the weapons were installed along the line of the wing's dihedral, rather than parallel to the ground line as in the earlier Mustang.
The wing racks fitted to the P-51D/P-51K series were strengthened and were able to carry up to 1,000 lb. (450 kg) of ordnance, although 500 lb. (230 kg) bombs were the recommended maximum load. Later models had removable under-wing 'Zero Rail' rocket pylons added to carry up to ten T64 5.0 in (127 mm) H.V.A.R rockets per plane.
The gunsight was changed from the N-3B to the N-9 before the introduction in September 1944 of the K-14 or K-14A gyro-computing sight. Apart from these changes, the P-51D and K series retained V-1650-7 engine used in the majority of the P-51B/C series. P-51K 44-15672 (Lt. Jessie R. Frey of the 362nd FS, 357th FG) shows the Aeroproducts propeller unit with the "uncuffed" blades and integral fin fillet on the tail. The addition of the 85 US gallon (322 l) fuselage fuel tank, coupled with the reduction in area of the new rear fuselage, exacerbated the handling problems already experienced with the B/C series when fitted with the tank, and led to the same fillet being added to -B, -C and initial -D-series versions in the field, to be quickly standardized as a normal rear-fuselage airframe component on later production blocks of the -D version.
P-51Ds without fuselage fuel tanks were fitted with either the SCR-522-A or SCR-274-N Command Radio sets and SCR-695-A, or SCR-515 radio transmitters, as well as an AN/APS-13 rear-warning set; P-51Ds and Ks with fuselage tanks used the SCR-522-A and AN/APS-13 only. The P-51D became the most widely produced variant of the Mustang.
A Dallas-built version of the P-51D, designated the P-51K, was equipped with an 11 ft. (3.4 m) diameter Aeroproducts propeller in place of the 11.2 ft. (3.4 m) Hamilton Standard propeller The hollow-bladed Aeroproducts propeller was unreliable, due to manufacturing problems, with dangerous vibrations at full throttle and was eventually replaced by the Hamilton Standard.
By the time of the Korean War, most F-51s were equipped with "uncuffed" Hamilton Standard propellers with wider, blunt-tipped blades. The photo reconnaissance versions of the P-51D and P-51K were designated F-6D and F-6K respectively. The RAF assigned the name Mustang Mk IV to the P-51D model and Mustang Mk IVA to P-51K models.
The P-51D/P-51K started arriving in Europe in mid-1944 and quickly became the primary USAAF fighter in the theater. It was produced in larger numbers than any other Mustang variant. Nevertheless, by the end of the war, roughly half of all operational Mustangs were still P-51B or P-51C models.
THE BOOK:
MMP Books (Mushroom Model Publications) is based in the UK. All their books are printed in English by their associate Stratus Books, located in Lublin, Poland. Stratus also does their own line of books in both Polish and English.
This book is soft-cover of 288 pages in 8” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a black and white photo of 3 showing changes during the P-51’s production. The 1st version of the canopy and no dorsal fin and one with the fin and the 2nd version of the canopy.
The book contains 317 black and white photos and 63 color photos.
Color profile illustrations show:
30 side-views, three 2-views and one 3-view.
Aircraft shown are:
9 with USAF markings
4 with RAF markings
2 with RAAF markings
1 with Haitian AF markings
3 with Swedish AF markings
1 with Nicaraguan AF markings
1 with Israeli AF markings
1 with Uruguayan AF markings
2 with S. Korean AF markings
1 with French AF markings
1 with Royal Canadian markings
1 with Swiss AF markings
1 with Czech AF markings
1 with Texas National-guard markings
1 with Royal New Zealand AF markings
1 with Italian AF markings
2 with Bolivian AF markings
1 with Guatemalan AF markings
There are 29 black and white line drawings in 1/48th scale of P-51 variants. Three 2-view, Five 3-views and 8 1/72nd scale side views.
An information list of P-51 serial numbers that spans 2 pages,
5 black and white illustrations of the dashboard and 4 black and white photos of it. Black and white photos of weapons and drop-tanks and many illustrations of the anatomy of P-51’s showing details of exteriors and interiors. 10 photos are of the walk around type.
This is one neat-book. It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a kit of a P-51 and to aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of MMP Books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web-site at:
Highly recommended.