RAF Mustang and Thunderbolt Aces
By Robert Allen
Aircraft of the Aces 93
Author: Andrew Thomas
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN 13: 978-1-84603-979-9
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 96
With the number of volumes in Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series nearing the century mark, it's not surprising that areas which were touched upon in earlier volumes are being revisited and expanded upon. Recent books on the Fiat CR.42 and Nakajima Ki-43 have superseded the info given in the more generic volumes on Italian and IJAAF aces. The seventh book in the series covered RAF Mustang aces, but only as an adjunct to the story of its use by the USAAF 9th and 15th Air Forces. Only 16 pages were devoted to RAF use of the Mustang in that book; in Andrew Thomas's new volume, the situation is reversed, with RAF Mustangs getting the lion's share of the text, except for eight pages devoted to RAF use of the Thunderbolt.
As is well known, the Mustang was developed for the RAF by North American, but the early Allison-powered versions didn't see service with Fighter Command due to their poor high altitude performance. They were hot rods at low level, though, so they were given to Army Co-Operation squadrons for use as tactical reconnaissance and Rhubarb aircraft. The Mustang drew first blood over Dieppe in August 1942, and appropriately enough, the first Mustang kill was achieved by an American flying with the RCAF, Hollis Hills, who later became an ace flying Hellcats with the US Navy.
With the introduction of the Merlin engine, the Mustang came into its own, and Thomas covers the varied use of RAF Mustang Mk.IIIs and Mk.IVs flying bomber escort, fighting V-1s over southern England, and providing support to the troops in Normandy, Italy, and the Balkans. Only 13 RAF/Commonwealth pilots shot down five or more aircraft while flying the Mustang, but many more scored at least one victory on the type.
This is more than can be said for the Thunderbolt – not only did no RAF pilots score five victories on the type, among the few air-to-air kills it had, only one ace scored a single kill while flying it! That's no fault of the aircraft or its pilots – the Thunderbolt didn't see service with the RAF until September 1944, and then only in Burma. By that time, fighter opposition in the theater was rare. The Thunderbolt was mainly used as a ground attack aircraft, a role that its load carrying ability and long range made it eminently suitable for. The small amount of text devoted to RAF use of the Thunderbolt in an "aces" book is understandable – fortunately, the RAF's use of the Thunderbolt has been better described in an excellent book, Royal Air Force Thunderbolts, by Geoff Thomas, published by Air Research Publications in 1987. That book is really the only one you'll ever need on the subject.
As with all Osprey books, the photos and color plates are as important as the text. While RAF Mustangs did not usually display the nose art seen on USAAF P-51s, there are some very attractive color schemes shown for modelers to consider. There's a shark-mouthed example from No. 112 Squadron, and I especially like the NMF Mk.IV from No. 442 Squadron with a yellow anti-glare panel.
This is a well-written, nicely illustrated book that does justice to its subject. If you have any interest in RAF Mustangs, I'd recommend it.