Not just another book on the P-51 Mustang - one of the finest aircraft to fly during the Second World War - this detailed and often controversial book, forms an investigative analysis into the often troubled design and development history of America's premier piston-engined fighter aircraft - a machine that would later become famous as the scourge of the Luftwaffe.
Having spent years researching in American and British archives and conducting interviews with many of the most influential figures involved in the P-51's development, author Paul Ludwig presents a fascinating account of the US Army Air Corps initial resistance during the early years of the Second World War to the concept of the escort fighter in favour of operations by self-defended heavy bomber formations. The author also studies those aircraft - many of them weird and wonderful - which were viewed as serious contenders for an American 'pursuit' aircraft.
Supported by hundreds of rare photographs and superb colour artwork, Ludwig weaves a carefully crafted story around the concept of the escort fighter leading to the Mustang's eventual appearance in the skies over Berlin in March 1944 and some remarkable conclusions...