Strana 11
HISTORY
165 gallon drop tanks to account for the extra
drag. Another obstacle to overcome was the
introduction of the new K-14A gunsight. Pilots
had no previous training on how to use it and
parts for the gunsights were not in supply until
late summer 1945.
Between April 7th and August 14th, 1945,
a total of 51 Very Long Range missions were
flown with 41 being effective. There were
9 non-effective weather aborts and 1 missed
escort meeting. Weather was a major factor,
and besides the 9 mission aborts, many other
missions were delayed or changed before the
P-51s ever took off. While each effective VLR
mission had an average flight time of 7.3 hours,
reports of pilots flying more than 8 hours and
landing with only several gallons of fuel left
was common. When the 7th Fighter Command
was given the directive that they would be
tasked with escorting the B-29s from the
Marianas, that is exactly what they prepared
and planned for. However, it was soon apparent
once the VLR missions started that escorting
the B-29s would not be needed as the
Japanese began to keep most of their aircraft
on the ground, hidden and safe, realizing the
strong possibility of a full US invasion of their
homeland. The 506th FG, for example, had only
seen a maximum of 40 enemy aircraft in the
air at one time and that was in the beginning of
June. Out of the 51 VLR missions only 14 were
of the escort type with only 3 occurring in July
and August. The 7th Fighter Command then
turned to having the P-51s attack targets of
opportunity in Japan on the surface. And while
not the most ideal platform for ground attack,
the P-51 performed admirably in the 39 VLR
strike missions to Japan. In their somewhat
short participation in the war, 7th Fighter
Command racked up an impressive tally of
225 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air, with
56 probable and 119 damaged. On the ground
they claimed 219 destroyed and 450 damaged,
as well as hundreds of surface vessels,
locomotives and railroad cars, buildings and
hangers, and radio/radar stations. Those
numbers, however, did come with a cost of the
lives of 107 pilots.
A North American P-51 Mustang comes in for a landing
on a runway at an airfield on Iwojima, Bonin Islands, after a mission
over enemy-occupied territory. July 1945.
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11
July 2025