Cory Graff

When readers think of World War II fighter aircraft, the P-51 Mustang is often the first one that comes to mind. In 2015 the P-51 celebrated the 75th anniversary of its first flight. Cory Graff’s P-51 Mustang: Seventy-Five Years of America’s Most Famous Warbird is a wonderful celebration of this aircraft’s illustrious history.

The iconic P-51 was born from Britain’s desperate need for more platforms to fight the German Luftwaffe. When the British Purchasing Commission approached show more North American Aviation about manufacturing the P-40 under license, that company’s leader, “Dutch” Kindelberger, responded that North American could make a better aircraft faster than it could begin production of the P-40. Equipped with an Allison engine, the initial P-51 proved a bit anemic in performance, but when mated with the Rolls Royce Merlin engine, it became one of the Allies’ most capable—if not the most capable—and versatile aircraft: the lead horse in the American fighter stable. As the long-range escort for American bombers on missions across the European continent, the P-51 played an essential part in winning the air war there. The Mustang proved its versatility by serving not only as an escort but also as a reconnaissance and ground-attack aircraft. Further, it performed admirably in the Pacific theater, continued to serve as a dedicated ground-attack platform in the Korean War, and, after retiring from military service, became a prized icon among civilian warbird owners as well as air racers.

To tell the story of the P-51, Cory Graff has pulled out all the stops, combining detailed yet easy-to-read text with a multitude of photographs and period advertisements to bring the tale to life. The book is a 60-40 split between images (photographs, drawings, and period advertisements) and text, respectively. Throughout, the author includes two-page vignettes of the Mustang and the men who flew her, such as the Tuskegee Airmen.

Although most readers interested in the P-51 have probably seen countless numbers of photos of the plane, Graff seems to have uncovered a heretofore unknown treasure trove of seldom-seen, well-captioned images. Particularly interesting are all of the many period P-51 advertisements. Rather than confine himself to historical photographs, Graff also includes images (mostly air-to-air) of today’s surviving P-51s.

Although researchers would find a list of his sources useful, Graff’s purpose is to tell the story of the P-51 in an enjoyable fashion, utilizing broad history, focused vignettes, and a wonderfully robust collection of photographs and images. Printed on thick, high-quality paper, P-51 Mustang: Seventy-Five Years of America’s Most Famous Warbird is best described as “meaty” coffee-table book for fans of both this aircraft and other World War II warbirds. This book will easily earn a prime spot on readers’ shelves or coffee tables.

This review was originally published in the Air and Space Power Journal show less

Photo history of the Flying Heritage Collection, Everett, Washington. Concise with great pictures. Excellent souvenir for my visit to this small but outstanding museum. Brief but quite adequate collection of photos and notes about many of WW2 famous warplanes. And, they still fly.

I was looking for more information on these planes after reading James Holland's The Battle of Britain. Nice photographs, interesting history of each individual plane and how the FHC acquired it, and some unusual information about the planes, e.g. that the landing gear for the Me 109 had such a narrow profile that you could flip the plane during take-off and landing.

After living in Seattle for my growing up years and driving through Bremerton many times, it was neat to see some of the naval history in this book.