- Introduction & Background
The P-51 Mustang was the Allies' best all-around piston-powered fighter in World War II and a symbol of Allied air power. It shot down 4,950 enemy aircraft, accounting for 48.9% of the total number of USAAF (United States Army Air Forces) shot down over Europe. It destroyed 4,131 ground targets, also shot down more than 230 V-1 missiles, and even shot down the Luftwaffe's most elite jet fighter.