The Contributions of the P-51 Mustang to the Victory of the Allies
This paper deals with the contributions of the P-51 Mustang to the
eventual
victory of the Allies in Europe during World War II. It describes the
war
scene in Europe before the P-51 was introduced, traces the development
of
the fighter, its advantages, and the abilities it was able to contribute
to
the Allies' arsenal. It concludes with the effect that the P-51 had on
German air superiority, and how it led the destruction of the Luftwaffe.
The thesis is that: it was not until the advent of the North American
P-51
Mustang fighter, and all of the improvements, benefits, and side effects
that it brought with it, that the Allies were able to achieve air
superiority over the Germans.
This paper was inspired largely by my grandfather, who flew the P-51 out
of
Leiston, England, during WW II and contributed to the eventual Allied
success that is traced in this paper. He flew over seventy missions
between
February and August 1944, and scored three kills against German
fighters.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Reasons for the Pre-P-51 Air Situation
The Pre-P-51 Situation
The Allied Purpose in the Air War
The Battle at Schweinfurt
The Development of the P-51
The Installation of the Merlin Engines
Features, Advantages, and Benefits of the P-51
The P-51's Battle Performance
The Change in Policy on Escort Fighter Function
P-51's Disrupt Luftwaffe Fighter Tactics
P-51's Give Bombers Better Support
Conclusion
Works Cited
Introduction
On September 1, 1939, the German military forces invaded Poland to begin
World War II. This invasion was very successful because of its use of a
new
military strategic theory -- blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg, literally
"lightning
war," involved the fast and deadly coordination of two distinct forces,
the
Wermacht and the Luftwaffe. The Wermacht advanced on the ground, while
the
Luftwaffe destroyed the enemy air force, attacked enemy ground forces,
and
disrupted enemy communication and transportation systems. This setup was
responsible for the successful invasions of Poland, Norway, Western
Europe,
the Balkans and the initial success of the Russian invasion. For many
years
after the first of September, the air war in Europe was dominated by the
Luftwaffe. No other nation involved in the war had the experience,
technology, or numbers to challenge the Luftwaffe's superiority. It was
not
until the United States joined the war effort that any great harm was
done
to Germany and even then, German air superiority remained unscathed. It
was
not until the advent of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter, and all
of
the improvements, benefits, and side effects that it brought with it,
that
the Allies were able to achieve air superiority over the Germans.
Reasons for the Pre-P-51 Air Situation
The continued domination of the European skies by the Luftwaffe was
caused
by two factors, the first of which was the difference in military theory
Airmen: An Illustrated History: 1939-1949.” Oct. 2012. Vol. 65 Issue 4, pg. 316-319. 4p. Ebsco Host. Tucker, Phillip Thomas, 1953. Web.2014.
Alex Kershaw’s “The Few The American ‘Knights Of The Air’ Who Risked Everything To Fight In The Battle Of Britain” doesn’t just tell the story of the seven American aviators who flew for the British as but also their enemies, the Luftwaffe’s point of view. This book is told through this group of Americans and from the viewpoint of the Royal Air Force pilots they fought with but also the perspective of the Luftwaffe fliers that they fought against during the battle. For example, in one part of the book, there was this one German lookout who had commented on how much of an advantage the British had because of their radars that could locate enemy planes while they crossed the English Channel; the lookout considered the radar an “unfair” tool.
From the book the admirals I picked up a lot of knowledge and interesting facts that I was unaware of before I had read it. The Admirals takes place before, during and after World War II which goes on to explain how four different men who were enlisted in the navy were promoted to become the only Five-Star Fleet Admirals in American history. These four men were perhaps one of the biggest, if not the biggest reason that the Allied forces had won the war. The four men that received the honor and rank of Five-Star Fleet Admiral were “William D. Leahy, Ernest J. King, Chester W. Nimitz, and William F. Halsey”.
Germany developed a 'night fighter' force to counteract the bomber fleet. They were equipped with an on board radar, which enabled them to locate the bombers in the darkness. The German industry was sub-divided in an attempt to minimise the effectiveness of bombing raids.
To some, World War II may seem like a great war that happened a long time ago, a war where however great the innovations during the war were, they are much out of date now, and so they have no impact on today’s world. But to another, who understand the world and how it grows, realize that wherever a nation is, it is in that position because of its history. This means that without all of the improvements of technology during World War II, the world as we know it today would be very much different on many levels. One of the levels which has a great impact on today’s world would be the improvements of technology. But as what was said before, almost anything new cannot be created without first developing the old. Therefore, one must look back at the past to not only find the origins of World War II, and its impact, but also to World War I, and not only did it set the groundwork this massive growth of advancement, but without these technologies, then those who won, may have lost, therefore altering history.
In 1957, the army began developing a new fighting force based on the helicopter. ...
Operation Overlord, or more commonly known as D-Day, occurred on June 6, 1944; it was the immediate aftermath of America’s entry into the Second World War. Under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, over 160,000 troops landed upon the shores of Normandy, France, with the support of the air force (Why D-Day Was So Important To Allied Victory). However, before the arrival of the troops, General Eisenhower and other prominent military leaders had planned Operation Overlord over the course of several days. Eisenhower had insisted on conducting this mission on a day with a late rising moon and a low tide. This was so that the Higgins boats, landing crafts for vehicles and troops, would not be swept away by the waves. The primary goal of
320 airplanes storm over like a bundle of bees bombing pearl harbor with no warning. Nearly 2,500 deaths with many injuries and a giant step back in our naval forces. The U.S. wanted revenge according to Kennedy Hickman the President at the time Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a directive to attack Japan as quick as possible (Hickman 1). The attack ended up being a success but with some obstacles in the way.
World War II was one of the biggest wars in history for the U.S. and the world. Our world was divided between two sides. Axis(Bad Guys) and Allies(Good Guys).The world was in turmoil for six straight years. However, technological advancements helped to ensure allied victory in World War II by helping to gain tactical advantages in combat and providing a sense of fear to the Axis forces.
In the early 20th century, the world never had a “Great War”. Wars always involved a few countries or areas, but, never had the whole world participate1. Before World War One, militaries traveled by foot or upon horses. They had to recoil or reload their guns before firing. Also, they had to reload the heavy cannons with massive cannonballs. They never had the luxury of air travel, machine guns, or even artillery shells like we have today.
Who would you like to see being the next leader of our country? Personally, Donald J. Trump would be the best fit for the leader of our country. He is an experienced businessman who is highly qualified for the leader of this country and the person who is in control of our country. Our country needs someone who is experienced in money to get us out of all the debt that we are in 22.5 trillion dollars.Our country need someone who can balance all of these things,and make the country safe, make it reasonable to go to the doctor, as well as give everyone that deserves that right to an education beyond high school receives one. Donald Trump is wanting to decrease the the amount of collage in order to make it easier to pay for colleges and debt ,he wants to make our country safer and clean up our cities also, he wants to have high quality affordable insurance, lastly but not least he doesn't support government funding for abortion. The well being of our country right now is awful Donald J. Trump can get us out of that.
It's an unwritten rule that past Presidents of the United States don't interfere in the affairs of a sitting POTUS or predecessor. However, media pundits believe that during a recent speech, George W. Bush ripped apart Donald Trump and "Trumpism" without mentioning him by name.
I consider myself a Democrat so I have always seen the Republican party in a bad light. This past year as I have started to pay even more attention to politics since I will be voting for the first time this year and I would like to be informed when I do. If you're following the campaigns, or even if your not then it is impossible not to miss the train wreck that is Donald Trump. I will never understand how he made it so far when he is the punchline of every political joke. Even with his bigoted views, extreme ignorance of his own privilege, as in the case of (“my father gave me a small loan of a million dollars,"(Diamond). and total lack of government experience he is still seen as a plausible option for president. In Nate Silver's article,
Donald Trump, a famous billionaire and a Hollywood actor whose personality as well isn’t exactly as well matured as you would think leaving
While Donald Trump has contributed to many, MANY negative issues in society the past 3 weeks, however he has done one positive thing; he has united America… against him.