Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • World War II

    TOP OF THE HEAP

    Jul 06, 2021 2 minutes
    BY JAMES HOLLAND

    I’M GOING TO OFFER A BOLD SUGGESTION—not for the greatest, but for the most decisive aircraft ever built, and by that I mean the aircraft that has had the most impact. For me, it’s the P-51 Mustang.

    I’d reached this conclusion some time ago, but a few weeks back I had the chance to go up in a converted two-seater P-51D. There’s an right, and the Mustang certainly looks the part: sleek but brawny, not the obvious beauty that is the Spitfire, but sturdier and infinitely more refined than a Thunderbolt or a Hurricane, fighters all. It also seems a generation ahead of early-war fighters in development. As I have learned, it certainly was so in construction, which made it quicker and cheaper to build—a massive advantage in a time of total war.

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from World War II

    World War II5 min read
    “You’re Just The Guy We’re Looking For”
    AS ALLAN W. OSTAR approaches his 100th birthday, he can look back with pride on a career as an academic administrator and education consultant. For many years, Allan was president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. But, a
    World War II12 min read
    Fighting For Lafiere Bridge
    On the evening of June 5, 1944, Louis Leroux, his wife, and their six children scrambled atop an embankment near their farm to investigate the sounds of distant explosions. Three miles south, Allied fighter-bombers were attacking bridges over the Dou
    World War II2 min read
    Strangers On A Plane
    AT DUSK ON FEBRUA RY 22, 1943, Pan American Airways’ Yankee Clipper began its long descent to the Tagus River in Lisbon, Portugal. A few moments later, as raindrops pelted the windscreen and lightning lit up the sky, the tip of the left wing caught t

    Related