5 More Facts About The Strongest Fighter Plane Of WWII

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The P-51 Mustang was the first fighter aircraft invented in the US to fly across Europe after the collapse of the French Republic.ย 

Here are the five interesting facts about WWIIโ€™s strongest fighter plane:ย 

1. This legendary warplane fought and downed every kind of German aircraft

It took down every kind of German war plane, even the sleek twin-jet Messerschmitt 262s during WWII.

2. It was originally meant for the British as a medium-altitude fighter

It proved to be an excellent fighting machine performing long-range escort duties.ย 

It also made quite a name for itself by wrecking trains, warships, and military sites in Western Europe and destroying axis fortifications before the Allied invasion of Italy.

3. The P-51 was the first single-engine plane to infiltrate Germany

It was also the first to reach Berlin and first to go with the heavy bombers over Romaniaโ€™s steel oil fields. It was also the first to make a major scale, all-fighter sweep to hunt down the dwindling Luftwaffe.

4. It played a key role in the Alliesโ€™ victory in WWII

Before the Battle of the Bulge, the Allies were losing hard. However, soon after the P-51 soared through the skies, the Allies secured total air control and swept the Germans out of European skies.

ย 5. The Mustang was a fighter that could go the distance

It escorted B-17s and B-24s on bombing missions in Germany. Although it could fly upwards at 2,000 miles without refueling, its peak speed of 437 miles per hour made it more like a racehorse in these long journeys.

It was also equipped with four Browning 0.50 caliber machine guns (later upgraded to six) making it an extremely deadly dogfighter.ย ย