Contrary to the answer most of the entrants picked, this airplane is not the P-51B Mustang Prototype. The P-51B Prototypes, both shown below, were actually P-51A Mustangs powered by the British-built Merlin engine rather than the Allison used on earlier models. All Merlin-powered Mustangs had to have a large chin cowl under the nose to make room for the engine’s large carburetor intake (see photo 1). Allison-powered Mustangs do not have this cowl. Also, the aircraft pictured has a three-bladed propeller, as did all Allison-powered Mustangs, and the Merlin Mustangs all had four propeller blades.



Not everyone knows that the most famous, and probably the best all-around fighter in WW II, did not start out as a fighter aircraft in the US. You see, the Mustang was not ordered nor wanted by the US Air Corps. Instead, it was designed and built (in just 102 days) to answer a 1939 British request. All the first Mustang fighters, called Mustang I by the British, were sold to Britain. The airframe design proved outstanding but the Allison engine lacked great high altitude performance.

Since this aircraft was available at the time the US was desperately trying to build up its air forces prior to getting involved in the war, our Air Corps decided to take a look at this upstart aircraft. They took the fourth and tenth production Mustang Is and tested them but didn’t hurry about doing it. In September, 1941 they decided to order 150 Mustang Is, calling them Apaches, but again “no rush guys” was the attitude.

This is probably a perfect example of the Not Invented Here Syndrome. But then Pearl Harbor happened and we confiscated 55 Mustang Is from a British order. But still, the NIH Syndrome was operating full force and these 55 aircraft became F-6A Recon airplanes and did good work during the war’s early phases. But we also needed ground attack airplanes. The need was so great that the US Air Corps actually ordered Navy Dauntless Dive Bombers, calling them A-24s. That had not happened before and wouldn’t again for nearly 18 years until the F-4 Phantom.

So for US service, the aircraft destined to greatness as a fighter, had dive brakes and bomb racks installed on the wings, visible in the photo, and entered US inventory as the A-36 Dive Bomber. The A-36 was a good bombing platform and could defend itself as a fighter once the ordinance was released. A-36’s went into action during the invasion of Sicily in July, 1943.

One Squardron, the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, was responsible for halting an attack by three German armored divisions that might have destroyed the Salerno beach head. Just two A-36’s sank a 50,000-ton Italian ship during the same campaign. In all, the 500 A-36’s built , mostly based in North Africa as was the one in the contest photo, performed exceedingly well. But their liquid-cooled engines made them very vulnerable to ground fire. A single rifle bullet in a cooling line could bring one down.

Even the US Air Corps could not ignore the Mustang I’s, F-6A’s and A-36’s tremendous performance and finally ordered the P-51 A, Allison powered Mustang in larger quantities. But these aircraft did not enter service until the F-6As and A-36s had already seen action. Then the Merlin was fitted to the P-51A and history happened. But remember that it was those brave men first flying very vulnerable dive bombers and recon aircraft that helped make history happen as it did.

For future contests remember that clues are located on several Sport Aviator Section Home Pages. These clues can be accessed right from the contest entry page. Read all four clues and the correct answer is always provided. An example:
“Captured aircraft are usually newly repainted.” The A-36 in the photo obviously had not been painted in a while so the “captured Bf-109 K” answer couldn’t be right. BTW – Mustangs were routinely mistaken for the famous Me (Bf) 109’s by friend and foe alike.

“Didn’t know there was a Spitfire Mk VIII.” That’s because there really wasn’t, for all practical purposes, as this clue clearly implies to eliminate this answer. There was a Mk VIII Spitfire, but it was externally identical to the M VII, came after the Mk IX, was built in very few numbers, was used only for very high altitude work and therefore has been generally lost to common knowledge. Even most of us “Airplane Nuts” are not aware of it.

“The Mustang was not always a fighter”. This clue was designed to make everyone consider the possibility that this airplane with “no nose”, that looks so different in the front from the beloved P-51D (see photo 2) but still so much like a Mustang, could be something different from a fighter. The only answer choice not a fighter was the A-36 Dive Bomber.



“Look out below.” Well, what else would a dive bomber pilot be saying to those on the ground?

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