Fate of RAF Mustang Mk.III/IV (P-51B/C/D/K) after WW II

[Faenor]

Hi all,

what is the fate of RAF P-51 Mustang Mk. III/IV after WW II ?

In his time I have Osprey Aircraft of The Aces No 93, where is some little info about servicing this types in RAF, but with no info about my question.

Thanks Faenor

[Graham Boak]

Looking in the the Air Britain books for the KH range, they seem to have been struck off charge in the last quarter of 1946 and the first two months of 1947. This is consistent with large-scale scrapping because they were not needed by the USA, but could not be retained under Lend-Lease rules. I have seen something similar with reference to the large stocks of P-51s built up in India late in 1945 but never issued to RAF squadrons.

Large numbers of USAAF P-51s were flown back to the USA - there's a well-known photo of aircraft, from a mix of fighter groups, at Speke Airport before such a return. Some of these feature in postwar sales to Latin America or Sweden. However, I can recall no reference to ex-RAF aircraft in these lists, which would again imply scrapping in situ.

[Faenor]

Hi Graham,

thanks for your reply . In this topic (service and fate of Mustang Mk.III/IV in RAF ) I have so many questions

Thanks again Faenor

[Graham Boak]

If you wish to follow the service history of each delivered aircraft, then the only published source is the Air Britain series of histories. You will need to know which serial batches the Mustangs belonged to: for example FA100 to FZ999, KA100 to KZ999, and then obtain the appropriate books. This will tell you which operational units each aircraft was allocated to, but not the appropriate dates, and does not cover the Maintenance Units or Storage centres where the aircraft will have been when not on a squadron. Fuller information is available at the National Archives (I understand this is the correct place now) where individual record cards for each aircraft are retained.

If you are interested in the servicing, that is the maintenance procedures, of this type, then I don't know where you will find help. The Air Publications covering this may be available in the NA, but has not been published.

[Faenor]

Hi Graham,

I found this link and you are right about the place with information :
http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research...20Aircraft.pdf
http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/c...ft_records.cfm

In searching in internet, I found this topic in thi forum :
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showth...t=122+squadron
and this link:
http://www.icon.co.za/~pauljnr/5squadron.htm

....and there are some dates of scrapped Mustangs (S.O.C.) after war.

Faenor