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Aviation In Wwii

Aviation in WWII

Abstract
Since the end of the Second World War, a contentious debate has churned over which aircraft was the best overall fighter aircraft to emerge from the global conflict. There are various ideas and declarations on how the Allies achieved victory over the mighty Luftwaffe and destroyed the entirety of the Third Reich. Some experts believe that strategic and massive bombing campaigns were the key to dismembering the Luftwaffe and the Axis while, others believe that it was the eventual dominance of Allied bomber escorts that forced the Germans into submission. To this day the persistent argument shows no sign of abating, from the infantry soldiers of the 65th Infantry Division to the aviation scholars of the 1990’s. The case is argued as to who was most valuable and why. I believe that everyone involved contributed significantly to winning the war, from the grunts on the ground to the people funding war bonds here on the home front. Americans fought and Americans won the Second World War. This is a subject I shall never debate, but the tactical advantages of escort fighters, the P51 in particular, is a highly controversial topic that I shall dissect and explore. This is not to ignore the advantages of the P-51 in the Pacific theater but, for the purpose of focus I am limiting my comments and research to the European front. I believe that the evidence will prove the tactical fighter to be the sacrament of the war that led to the downfall of the Luftwaffe and victory for the Allies in WWII.

The research that has been gathered and explored in this paper focuses on the contributions of the P-51 Mustang to the unconditional victory, of the Allies in Europe during World War II. It was not until the North American P-51 Mustang fighter arrived in the theater of war that the Allies were able to penetrate the German interior and achieve air superiority, which was their backbone of combat in WWII. The debate among military historians is...