Strana 10
HISTORY
damage or aircraft malfunction, they would be
vectored to the nearest rescue station. At the
last rescue station, four P-51s were assigned
on every mission to provide top cover for the
surfaced submarine about 10 miles off the
coast of Japan. The navigating B-29s circled
off the coast and waited until they had between
15 and 20 P-51s before starting their return trip
to Iwo. Once the Mustangs got close enough to
Iwo Jima, P-61s would again be able to assist in
navigation, as well as having Army amphibious
vehicles prowling the Iwo Jima beaches ready
for any pilots having to ditch close to the island.
As for the P-51 aircraft itself, all three fighter
groups flew standard block P-51D-20-NA
and P-51D-25-NA Mustangs, with a few
modifications that were made to enhance the
airplane on the VLR missions. The most visible
and arguably most important modification
was the “Uncle Dog” homing beacon system.
Twin antenna masts for the AN/ARA-8 VHF
homing adapter were installed on the spine
of the fuselage of the P-51s. The normal
AN-104-A radio antenna mast was then moved
to the underside of the aircraft, centered in
front of the wheel wells. The navigator “Mother
Hen” B-29s transmitted a homing beacon
to and from Japan, which the P-51’s system
would pick up and convert to an audio signal
consisting of the International Morse Code
letter’s “U” or “D”. Guided by the transponder
beacon, the pilot turned his aircraft to follow
a steady tone in his headset of both letters to
indicate they were on course. The signal was
also transmitted from Iwo Jima from the top
of Mt. Suribachi to aid with navigation to the
island. The Uncle Dog modifications were done
‘in theater’ by the groups, with the last P-51 on
Iwo receiving the installation in mid-June 1945.
This new system required some training for
the pilots. Also modified was the SCR-695 IFF
(Identification friend or foe) transmitter, which
was placed in the cockpit, behind the normal
SCR-522 radio command set. In doing so, the
battery was moved from its normal placement
behind the SCR-522 to inside the engine
compartment. A small air scoop for cooling
was then added on the port side of the fuselage,
just above and before the leading edge of
the wing. The P-51 was also equipped with
AN/APS-13 Tail Warning system but many
pilots turned it off and some squadrons
removed it altogether. The purpose of this
system was to indicate the presence of aircraft
in the rear, which when detected lit a warning
lamp in the cockpit and rang a bell. Besides
these modifications, crew chiefs found it
necessary to deal with the constantly blowing
dust and dirt by covering up as many of the
openings on the P-51 as possible. Covers were
used on the front cowl vents, machine gun
barrels, as well as on the shell case ejection
chute openings on the underside of the wings.
On the VLR missions, the P-51s always
carried either 110 or 165 gallon drop tanks.
The 110 gallon tanks were used as the main
drop tank for missions, while the 165 gallon
tanks were mainly used for carrying rockets
and Air Sea Rescue top cover sorties. Because
of the oversized nature of both tanks, sway
braces were used to help support them. These
braces were mainly constructed while on Iwo,
initially made out of leftover plywood found on
the island. However, there were problems with
these as some warping or bending of the wood
could cause the tanks to not release properly.
Scrap metal was then used by engineering
sections to furnish proper type braces for the
110-gallon tanks. Because of flying mostly over
water, Capt. Jim Tapp and Capt. Vic Mollan of
the 78th FS constructed a droppable rescue
kit, which was later codenamed “Josephine”.
The kit, which included an A-3 life raft,
survival radio, rations, and visual signal
equipment, was placed into a modified 110
gallon drop tank. The tank would be released,
separate, and parachute the contents to the
downed pilot. In addition to the drop tanks and
Josephine, 500 pound general purpose bombs
were used in attacks on the Bonin Islands and
early on close air support missions. In May
1945, a few squadrons like the 78th and 531st
started installing rocket launchers on their
P-51s. However, due to the lack of available
rocket kits, not every Mustang in all squadrons
were equipped with them by the end of the war.
The P-51s were able to carry a maximum of
three 5 inch rockets under each wing with the
7th Figther Command personnel push a North American P-51 Mustang toward the dispersal area at an airfield on
Iwojima, Bonin Islands. July 1945.
North American P-51 Mustangs, returning from a mission over enemy territory, peel off for a landing
at an airfield on Iwojima, Bonin Islands. Far in the distance, another flight of fighters comes into sight.
Mustangs are parked alongside the runway.
INFO Eduard10
July 2025