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

[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.