Original subtitles

Narrator: IT'S AN ALL-AMERICAN FIGHTER PLANE

THAT ROMANCES THE SKIES.

Man: THE SOUND OF A MUSTANG IS UNMISTAKABLE

WHEN YOU HEAR ONE FLYING OVER.

[ROARING]

Man: IT WAS A HOT LITTLE BABY.

IT COULD REALLY GO.

Narrator: THE P-51 MUSTANG'S UNRIVALED STAMINA

WAS A GAME-CHANGER.

Man: ONE OF THE MOST CRUCIAL MOMENTS IN WORLD WAR II

WAS WHEN THIS AIRPLANE CAME ON THE SCENE.

Man: THIS WAS THE AIRPLANE OF AIRPLANES.

IT JUST WAS THAT POWERFUL,

THAT QUICK.

Narrator: DESPERATE INNOVATIONS...

Man: YOU'D LIKE TO THINK IT WAS BY BRILLIANT PLANNING,

BUT IT WASN'T.

Narrator: AND FATAL FLAWS.

Man: ONE LUCKY HIT TO THE BELLY OF THIS AIRPLANE,

AND YOU'RE DONE.

Narrator: BUT AN ICON THAT BREAKS RECORDS EVEN TODAY.

MAY 23, 2013.

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA.

A LONE PILOT WILL ATTEMPT THE UNTHINKABLE...

A FLIGHT TO 41,000 FEET IN A SINGLE-ENGINE PROP PLANE.

THAT'S TWO MILES HIGHER THAN MOUNT EVEREST

IN AN UNPRESSURIZED COCKPIT.

IT'S A DANGEROUS ENDEAVOR.

AVIATION AUTHORITIES KEEP CLOSE WATCH.

ON MEDICAL ADVICE, THE PILOT BREATHES PURE OXYGEN

FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF BEFORE THE FLIGHT.

Man: WE'RE TRYING TO GET UP TO AT LEAST 38,000 FEET

TO BREAK, UH, FOUR DIFFERENT RECORDS.

Narrator: THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK...

FORMER NAVY OFFICER AND STUNT PILOT DOUG MATTHEWS.

Doug Matthews: WE'RE TRYING TO SEE

HOW HIGH WE CAN REALLY GO WITH THIS AIRCRAFT

BEFORE THE ENGINE JUST, NOT FAILS,

BUT FAILS TO PRODUCE SUFFICIENT POWER TO SUSTAIN A CLIMB SAFELY.

Narrator: MOST REMARKABLE IS MATTHEWS' CHOICE OF AIRCRAFT...

A P-51 MUSTANG FIGHTER PLANE FROM WORLD WAR II.

BOTH THE PILOT AND THE AIRCRAFT ARE 68 YEARS OLD.

Matthews: SOMETHING MORE SAFE? WHERE'S THE SPORT THERE?

Narrator: MATTHEWS HAS FLOWN THIS P-51 MUSTANG

FOR NEARLY A DECADE.

HIS AIRCRAFT HAS HAD NO SIGNIFICANT MODIFICATIONS,

AND IT CARRIES MORE THAN 200 POUNDS

OF REPLICA WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION.

Matthews: THERE'S NO ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEM,

MEANING THERE'S NO PRESSURIZATION,

THERE'S NO HEAT.

AM I GOING TO START FREEZING SO BADLY

AND SHAKING SO BADLY, I CAN'T CONTINUE?

WE'RE USING THE ORIGINAL OXYGEN SYSTEM.

IS THE 1941 OXYGEN REGULATOR GONNA STOP FLOWING OXYGEN TO ME,

AND AM I GONNA PASS OUT?

BUT I HAD ABSOLUTE TRUST IN THE MACHINE.

Narrator: IF SUCCESSFUL,

MATTHEWS WILL MAKE HISTORY IN A PIECE OF HISTORY...

THE P-51 MUSTANG.

[ENGINE SPUTTERS]

[ENGINE STARTS]

MATTHEWS FIRES HER UP.

HE'S SPENT HUNDREDS OF HOURS RESEARCHING AND PREPARING

FOR THIS MOMENT.

ALL RUNS SMOOTHLY

AS MATTHEWS SOARS ABOVE 30,000 FEET.

Narrator: HIS MODERN-DAY CHASE PLANE

CAN'T KEEP UP.

IT CAN ONLY RELAY MESSAGES TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL.

Matthews: ...EIGHT-FIVE. FUEL LOOKS GOOD.

ALL THE INSTRUMENTS LOOK GOOD.

THAT IS JUST AMAZING,

500 FEET PER MINUTE ALL THE WAY UP THERE.

Man: HE'S KILLING US.

Matthews: HOLY [BLEEP]

Narrator: THEN, SUDDENLY,

MATTHEWS' CONTROLS START TO FREEZE.

HE'S IN TROUBLE.

Matthews: THEY FROZE TO THE DEGREE

THAT I COULDN'T MOVE MORE THAN PERHAPS A HALF-INCH IN ANY AXIS.

I'M RETHINKING MY ENTIRE STRATEGY

AS WELL AS MY LIFE EXPECTANCY.

Narrator: A MUSTANG HASN'T BEEN PUSHED TO THE BRINK LIKE THIS

SINCE WORLD WAR II,

WHEN THERE WERE JUST AS MANY QUESTIONS

ABOUT ITS CAPABILITIES.

TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MAY OR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO TODAY,

YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WAS UP AGAINST IN THE PAST.

[SIREN BLARES]

JANUARY 1944.

WORLD WAR II RAGES ON.

LUFTWAFFE, THE GERMAN AIR FORCE,

IS AS STRONG AND AS EXPERIENCED AS EVER.

THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT THEIR ABILITY IN THE AIR

WILL COMPROMISE THE PLANNED D-DAY INVASION.

Jeremy Kinney: THE GERMANS HAD WORLD-CLASS FIGHTERS.

Narrator: DR. JEREMY KINNEY IS THE CURATOR

FOR AMERICAN MILITARY AVIATION FROM THE 1920s TO WORLD WAR II

AT THE NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM.

Kinney: THEY HAD THE BF 109.

AND IT'S LEGENDARY.

IT'S CAPABLE OF CLIMB, DIVE,

IT HAS CANNONS, IT HAS MACHINE GUNS.

IT'S BEEN DEVELOPED AND MODIFIED AND IMPROVED,

SO THE BF 109 IS NOW

A HEAVILY ARMED, MANEUVERABLE FIGHTER

THAT THE BEST LUFTWAFFE PILOTS FLY.

Narrator: THE ALLIES DESPERATELY NEED

TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE SKIES.

THE BRITISH RECOGNIZED THE NEED FOR AN AIRCRAFT

TO MATCH OR BETTER LUFTWAFFE FIGHTERS

AS EARLY AS MARCH 1938,

AND THEY TURNED TO AMERICA FOR HELP.

MOST MANUFACTURERS ARE ALREADY TOO BUSY

BUILDING WAR AIRCRAFT USING EXISTING DESIGNS,

BUT A NEW COMPANY, NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION,

TAKES THE REQUIRED SPECIFICATIONS

AND ROLLS OUT A PROTOTYPE ON SEPTEMBER 9, 1940...

JUST 102 DAYS AFTER SIGNING A CONTRACT.

FOR A SHORT TIME, A VERSION OF THIS NEW AIRCRAFT

IS CALLED "INVADER" AS WELL AS "APACHE."

BUT SOON IT'S UNIVERSALLY KNOWN AS THE MUSTANG.

John Davidson: THERE'S NO ARGUING

WITH THE RESULTS OF WHAT THE AIRPLANE DID.

YOU JUST HAD AN AIRPLANE

LIKE THE WORLD HAD NEVER REALLY SEEN BEFORE.

IT WAS JUST A PHENOMENAL MACHINE.

Narrator: PILOT JOHN DAVIDSON ALSO FLIES MUSTANGS TODAY

AND GIVES PUBLIC TOURS FOR THE COLLINGS FOUNDATION.

THE MUSTANG'S ALL-ALUMINUM FUSELAGE MAKES IT LIGHT,

EVEN BY TODAY'S STANDARDS.

AND SOME OF ITS FEATURES WERE AVIATION FIRSTS,

INCLUDING THE SHAPE OF ITS WINGS.

Davidson: AS THE WING COMES BACK,

YOU'LL SEE IT GETS THICKER AND THICKER,

AND RIGHT ABOUT HERE IS WHERE IT'S THICKEST.

A TRADITIONAL AIRFOIL

THAT PRETTY MUCH EVERY AIRPLANE USED PRIOR TO THAT

WOULD HAVE BEEN THICKEST SOMEWHERE IN THIS VICINITY.

IT WAS VERY UNIQUE.

NO FIGHTER BEFORE HAD EVER HAD A WING LIKE THIS INSTALLED.

Narrator: IT WAS A SUBTLE CHANGE,

BUT A FIRST-OF-A-KIND INNOVATION THAT GIVES THE MUSTANG AN EDGE.

THIS SHAPE MAKES THE MOST OF A PHENOMENON

CALLED LAMINAR FLOW.

PREVIOUS WING PROFILES CREATED TURBULENCE

WHERE THE WING STARTED TO THIN.

THAT TURBULENCE MEANS LESS LIFT AT HIGH SPEEDS.

MOVING THE THICKEST PART OF THE WING FURTHER BACK

MAKES IT MORE STREAMLINED AND MEANS LESS TURBULENCE,

AND THEREFORE MORE LIFT.

THE MUSTANG'S WING IS THE FIRST TO BE MATHEMATICALLY DESIGNED

TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFITS OF LAMINAR AIR FLOW.

Davidson: AND THIS WING MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE

IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THIS AIRPLANE.

HAD THIS PLANE NOT HAD THIS WING,

IT PROBABLY NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN THE PLANE THAT IT WAS...

THE LEGEND THAT IT BECAME.

Dick Anderegg: THE AIRPLANE CAME OFF THE PRODUCTION LINE,

AND IT WAS A HOT LITTLE BABY.

IT COULD REALLY GO.

Narrator: DICK ANDEREGG SERVED AS A FIGHTER PILOT FOR 30 YEARS

AND WAS THE DIRECTOR

OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE HISTORY AND MUSEUMS PROGRAM.

Anderegg: THOSE ORIGINAL AIRPLANES

WENT OVER TO GREAT BRITAIN.

THE RAF WAS PLEASED WITH THE AGILITY,

THE MANEUVERABILITY,

AND THE RANGE OF THE AIRPLANE,

BUT THEY WEREN'T PLEASED

WITH THE ALTITUDES THAT IT COULD ATTAIN,

PARTICULARLY ITS PERFORMANCE ABOVE 15,000 TO 20,000 FEET.

Narrator: BRITISH ENGINEERS

SUGGEST SWAPPING ITS ALLISON V-1710 ENGINE

FOR THE MORE POWERFUL ROLLS-ROYCE MERLIN ENGINE

THEY USE IN SPITFIRE AIRCRAFT.

Kinney: THE DIFFERENCE IS THE USE OF A SUPERCHARGER

THAT INCREASES THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MERLIN

AT ALTITUDES ABOVE 15, 20, 25,000 FEET.

AND SO THE MERLIN PROVIDES BETTER ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE,

ESPECIALLY AT HIGH ALTITUDES.

Narrator: THE MERLIN ENGINE

MAKES THE MUSTANG MORE FUEL-EFFICIENT,

AND IT INCREASES THE PLANE'S SPEED

FROM 380 MILES AN HOUR TO 440.

THE ONLY DRAWBACK...

NOISE.

[ROARING]

Anderegg: THAT MERLIN ENGINE HAS A SOUND LIKE NO OTHER ENGINE.

IT'S JUST A VISCERAL, PURE SOUND,

AND IT JUST SAYS, "POWER, POWER, POWER."

Narrator: MUSTANG MAKER NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION

ALSO EQUIPS THE MUSTANG WITH BROAD 11-FOOT-LONG PROPELLERS

FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE AT ALTITUDE.

AND THEY ARM IT

WITH SIX .50-CALIBER M2 BROWNING MACHINE GUNS, ALL IN THE WINGS...

TWO OF THEM CLOSE TO THE COCKPIT

FOR INCREASED ACCURACY IN DOGFIGHTS.

[GUNFIRE]

BY LATE 1943, BRITISH AND AMERICAN FORCES

HAVE MORE THAN 4,000 MUSTANGS AT THEIR DISPOSAL.

BUT HOW WILL THE MUSTANG HOLD UP IN COMBAT?

ONE MAN IS ABOUT TO FIND OUT.

JANUARY 11, 1944.

LEGENDARY AMERICAN PILOT MAJOR JAMES HOWARD

FINDS HIMSELF THE SOLE DEFENDER OF A BOMBER FORMATION...

WHEN SOME 30 ENEMY FIGHTERS BREAK THE HORIZON.

WITHOUT HESITATION, HOWARD ZOOMS IN.

THE ODDS OF HIM SINGLEHANDEDLY SAVING HIS BOMBERS

FROM AN ENTIRE NAZI ARMADA, AND SURVIVING,

ARE ASTRONOMICAL.

IT'S A SUICIDE MISSION.

HIGH OVER NAZI GERMANY,

JAMES HOWARD'S P-51 MUSTANG

SINGLEHANDEDLY FACES SOME 30 ENEMY FIGHTERS.

HOWARD CHARGES, GUNS BLAZING.

SOMEHOW HE MUST PROTECT THE BOMBERS BEHIND HIM

FROM ATTACK.

BUT HE'S A LONE PILOT IN AN AIRCRAFT NEW TO COMBAT.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, AS DOCUMENTED BY BOMBER CREWS,

HAS BEEN CALLED THE GREATEST FIGHTER PILOT STORY

OF WORLD WAR II.

Kinney: THESE B-17 CREWS ARE WATCHING THIS ONE MUSTANG

GO AFTER UPWARDS OF 30 LUFTWAFFE FIGHTERS.

[GUNFIRE]

Narrator: HOWARD'S SOLO BATTLE RAGES ON FOR HALF AN HOUR

AS HE PLUCKS OFF ENEMY FIGHTERS ONE BY ONE.

[GUNFIRE]

WHEN HE RUNS OUT OF BULLETS,

HE CONTINUES TO USE THE P-51'S SPEED AND AGILITY

TO BLUFF THE GERMANS AND FORCE THEM TO RETREAT.

HE DOWNS AT LEAST SIX AIRCRAFT,

SAVES THE BOMBERS,

AND SUFFERS ONLY ONE BULLET HOLE IN HIS WING.

Kinney: HE IS AWARDED THE MEDAL OF HONOR

IN RECOGNITION OF THAT ONE FLIGHT ON JANUARY 11th.

IT'S INDICATIVE OF THE ABILITY

OF A GOOD PILOT AND THIS GREAT AIRPLANE...

WHAT THEY CAN DO AGAINST THE ENEMY.

Narrator: HOWARD GIVES THE MUSTANG AN A-OKAY,

BUT HE HAS TWO COMPLAINTS.

THE MUSTANG CANOPY IS TOO LOW AND FORCES HIM TO BEND HIS NECK.

Kinney: THEY'RE CALLED RAZORBACK AIRPLANES.

THEY HAVE WHAT'S THE CHICKEN COOP CANOPY ON THEM.

Narrator: THE RAZORBACK DESIGN

ALSO CREATES A BLIND SPOT TO THE REAR.

Davidson: WHEN YOU LOOKED BACK, YOU HAD AIRPLANE BEHIND YOU.

THE FUSELAGE WAS STICKING UP AS HIGH AS THE TOP OF THE COCKPIT,

SO YOU DID NOT HAVE VERY GOOD VISIBILITY TO THE REAR.

Kinney: AND WHAT DOES A FIGHTER PILOT NEED TO BE DOING?

LOOKING ALL AROUND ALL THE TIME TO SEE WHERE THE ENEMY IS

AND MAKE SURE HE ISN'T BEING ATTACKED.

Narrator: ENGINEERS RESPOND

AND MODIFY THE AIRCRAFT TO A BUBBLE CANOPY.

THIS GIVES PILOTS MORE SPACE AND ALLOWS THEM A CLEAR VIEW

WHEN THEY LOOK OVER THEIR SHOULDER.

Anderegg: A BUBBLE CANOPY IS CLEARLY AN ADVANTAGE,

AND THAT WAS A SMART THING TO DO ON THE P-51

BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE DOGFIGHTING,

YOU'RE VERY SELDOM LOOKING OUT THE FRONT.

THIS BUBBLE CANOPY WAS A GREAT ADDITION

AND HAS BEEN USED EVER SINCE.

Narrator: THE MUSTANG HAS MADE AN IMPRESSIVE DEBUT.

BUT NEXT TIME THE GERMANS WILL NOT BE SO SURPRISED,

AND THEY STILL HAVE SUPERIOR NUMBERS.

THE ALLIES CANNOT GAIN CONTROL OF EUROPE

UNTIL THEY DESTROY THE VERY WAR MACHINE

THAT KEEPS THE LUFTWAFFE FLYING.

SO THE UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN PLAN SEVEN DAYS OF BOMBING

ON GERMANY'S AVIATION INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX.

THEY CALL THE MISSION "OPERATION ARGUMENT,"

BUT IT SOON BECOMES BETTER KNOWN BY ANOTHER NAME.

Reporter: A SERIES OF OPERATIONS

WHICH FREE PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER AS THE BIG WEEK.

Kinney: BIG WEEK IS A DIRECT LEAD-IN

TO THE INVASION OF NORMANDY IN JUNE 1944.

IT IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS THE GAINING

OF REAL AIR SUPERIORITY OVER EUROPE,

WHICH MEANS, ONCE YOU HAVE CONTROL OF THE AIR,

YOU CAN ACTUALLY INVADE CONTINENTAL EUROPE

AND INITIATE THE ALLIES' PLANS TO DESTROY NAZI GERMANY.

Narrator: ALLIED BOMBERS HAVE THE ABILITY

TO REACH THOSE TARGETS DEEP IN GERMANY,

BUT THEY NEED FIGHTER PLANES TO ESCORT AND PROTECT THEM.

AND NO FIGHTER IN THE FLEET HAS THE RANGE.

THE SOLUTION:

MODIFY A MUSTANG FOR LONG DISTANCE.

THE MUSTANG IS THE LOGICAL CHOICE

BECAUSE IT ALREADY HAS UNIQUE ENHANCED FEATURES...

WINGS THAT MAKES IT MORE FUEL-EFFICIENT,

AND IT ALREADY GETS A SURPRISE BOOST

FROM THE SCOOP UNDER ITS BELLY.

Davidson: THEY DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE...

WITH THE PROPER SHAPE,

YOU WOULD ACCELERATE THE AIR THROUGH THE RADIATOR,

AND WHEN THE HEAT FROM THE RADIATOR WAS ADDED TO THE AIR,

IT EXPANDED THE AIR,

WHICH SORT OF ACCELERATED IT OUT THE BACK,

ALMOST LIKE A VERY CRUDE JET, YOU COULD ALMOST SAY.

AND THIS RESULTED IN THIS RADIATOR ACTUALLY ADDING

A TINY AMOUNT OF THRUST TO THE AIRPLANE.

ALL RADIATORS PRIOR TO THAT

HAD PRETTY MUCH RESULTED IN NOTHING BUT SLOWING YOU DOWN.

THIS RADIATOR ACTUALLY PROVIDED A LITTLE THRUST

WITH NO MOVING PARTS.

Narrator: BUT IT NEEDS MUCH MORE

TO ESCORT ALLIED BOMBERS ALL THE WAY TO GERMANY.

THE ARMY AIR FORCE MUST ADD MORE FUEL TANKS.

Davidson: THE P-51 HAD 92 GALLONS OF INTERNAL FUEL

IN THE INBOARD PORTION OF THE WING, ON EACH SIDE.

IN ADDITION,

THERE WAS AN 85-GALLON FUEL TANK WENT IN THIS VICINITY,

WHERE THE SEAT NOW IS.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, UNDERNEATH THE WINGS

IT WAS CAPABLE OF CARRYING SOME EXTERNAL FUEL.

AS SOON AS THAT WAS DEPLETED,

YOU WOULD DROP THOSE AND GET RID OF THEM

BECAUSE YOU REALLY COULDN'T ENGAGE OR DOGFIGHT OR ANYTHING

WITH THESE TANKS HANGING OFF THE BOTTOM OF THE AIRPLANE.

Narrator: AN EXTERNAL TANK, ONCE DROPPED,

WOULD BE NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO RECOVER.

BUT NO PRECIOUS WARTIME METAL WAS SACRIFICED,

THANKS TO ANOTHER CLEVER INNOVATION.

Bud Anderson: BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THEY'RE MADE OUT OF PAPER.

Narrator: BUD ANDERSON WAS A P-51 FIGHTER PILOT

WHO SERVED OVER EUROPE DURING THE WAR.

Anderson: THE BRITISH MADE THEM.

AND IT'S PAPER AND RESIN...

LIKE GLUE, I GUESS.

AND, UH, THEY WERE PERFECT.

Narrator: WITH THE ADDITIONAL TANKS,

THE P-51 HAS SEVEN OR EIGHT HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME...

ENOUGH TO GIVE IT A RANGE

PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT IMPOSSIBLE FOR A FIGHTER PLANE...

SOME 1,200 MILES.

THE MUSTANG GIVES "THE BIG WEEK" BOMBING MISSION

THE BEST CHANCE OF SUCCESS.

BUT IT MAY NOT BE ENOUGH.

THE GERMANS HAVE RECENTLY MOVED THE MAJORITY OF THEIR FIGHTERS

TO THE WESTERN FRONT TO MEET THE CHALLENGE.

SOME RECENT BOMBING RUNS HAVE BEEN DEVASTATING FOR THE ALLIES.

[GUNFIRE]

Anderegg: SOME OF THE INITIAL RAIDS

HAD 25 TO 30% LOSSES IN THE BOMBERS.

THAT'S A LOT

'CAUSE YOU ONLY DO THAT FOR FIVE DAYS,

5 TIMES 20% IS 100.

YOU'RE OUT OF AIRPLANES.

Narrator: THE THREAT TO ALLIED AIRCRAFT

IS GREATER THAN EVER.

[GUNFIRE]

FEBRUARY 19, 1944.

ALLIED AIR CREWS PREPARE TO BOMB

AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING AND SUPPORT PLANTS

DEEP INSIDE GERMANY.

AMONG THE ESCORT FIGHTERS IS THE NEW WEAPON...

THE LONG-RANGE P-51 MUSTANG,

EXPECTED TO FLY HIGHER AND FARTHER

THAN ANY OTHER FIGHTER PLANE ON THE PLANET.

THE BRITISH LEAD THE FIRST ATTACK OF BIG WEEK AT NIGHT

WITH AN ENORMOUS FLEET OF 823 BOMBERS.

BUT THEY ENCOUNTER A GERMAN FIGHTING FORCE

OF SOME 300 AIRCRAFT

AND LOSE A DEVASTATING 78 BOMBERS.

THE SOBERING NEWS REACHES AMERICAN COMMANDERS

AS THEIR AIR CREWS PREPARE FOR THE OPENING DAYLIGHT ASSAULT.

Reporter: DOUBTFUL WEATHER AND A STRONGER LUFTWAFFE

MADE THIS A BIG GAMBLE.

SOME EXPECTED POSSIBLE LOSSES UP TO 200 BOMBERS AND CREWS.

Narrator: BUT NO ONE IS SHIRKING THE TASK AT HAND.

Kinney: THE HEAVY LOSSES THAT THE RAF EXPERIENCES

ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF BIG WEEK

IS NOT SEEN AS A DETERRENT TO WHAT'S GOING TO OCCUR

OVER THE COURSE OF THE FOLLOWING WEEK.

Narrator: THE AMERICANS DEPART FOR EUROPE

WITH A RECORD-BREAKING FORMATION OF 1,008 BOMBERS

AND 835 FIGHTERS TO DEFEND THEM.

WHEN THE P-38 LIGHTNING AND THE P-47 THUNDERBOLTS

MUST TURN HOME TO REFUEL,

THE MUSTANGS ARE JUST GETTING STARTED.

Kinney: THIS IS A PHASED ESCORT.

P-47s AND P-38s

CAN FLY AT CERTAIN LEGS OF THE BOMBER FORMATIONS,

AND THEN P-38s, BUT ESPECIALLY P-51s,

ARE WAY AT THE FAR EDGE.

Narrator: THE MUSTANG PILOTS DROP THEIR EMPTY EXTERNAL TANKS

AND PLUNGE INTO THE FIGHT,

ALL THE WAY TO THE GERMAN HEARTLAND.

IN UNSEASONABLY CLEAR SKIES,

THERE IS NO HIDING;

ONLY FIGHTING.

Anderegg: IT MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD

HAVING THAT P-51 OUT THERE

THAT COULD GO THE SAME DISTANCE THE BOMBERS COULD GO.

NOW THE GERMAN FIGHTERS

HAD TO FIGHT THEIR WAY THROUGH THE FIGHTERS

TO GET TO THE BOMBERS.

Narrator: THE GERMAN AIRCRAFT

HAVE RECENTLY ADDED MORE FIREPOWER,

BUT THEIR NEW WEAPONS WEIGH THEM DOWN

AND THE MUSTANGS EASILY OUTMANEUVER THEM.

Kinney: IT'S A SURPRISE FOR THE LUFTWAFFE

IN TERMS OF, ONCE AGAIN,

THERE ARE AMERICAN ESCORT FIGHTERS THERE.

AND THE LOSSES START TO BUILD FOR THE LUFTWAFFE

ON THAT FIRST DAY.

SO THEY'RE LOSING FIGHTERS THAT HAVE BEEN MODIFIED AND DEVELOPED

TO ATTACK SLOW, HEAVY BOMBERS,

AND NOW THERE ARE THESE MANEUVERABLE FIGHTERS

GOING AFTER THEM.

[GUNFIRE]

Narrator: WHEN DAY ONE OF THE MISSION IS OVER,

THE STATISTICS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

OF THE 1,008 AMERICAN BOMBERS THAT LEFT,

ONLY 21 DID NOT RETURN...

WHILE THE GERMAN AIR FORCE LOSES AN ESTIMATED 127 FIGHTERS.

OF THE ALLIED FIGHTERS LOST, ONLY ONE IS A MUSTANG.

[GUNFIRE]

THE TIDE BEGINS TO TURN

IN THE BATTLE FOR AIR SUPERIORITY OVER EUROPE,

AND MORE MUSTANGS ARRIVE FROM AMERICA

EVERY DAY OF THE BIG WEEK CAMPAIGN.

Kinney: THE PRESENCE OF THE MUSTANG

IN BRINGING UP THE LUFTWAFFE AND DESTROYING THEM

AND PROTECTING THE BOMBERS

HAS AN IMMEDIATE PAY-OFF.

Anderegg: AND THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR THE AIR FORCE...

BEING ABLE TO HAVE LOSSES SUCH THAT THEY WERE LIVABLE LOSSES.

Narrator: MOST DEVASTATING TO THE LUFTWAFFE...

THE LOSS OF AIRMEN.

434 KILLED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.

SOME 17% OF THEIR PILOTS.

Anderegg: WE HAD KILLED MANY, MANY, MANY

OF THE EXPERIENCED GERMAN FIGHTER PILOTS,

SO THEIR FORCE BECAME VERY INEXPERIENCED VERY FAST,

AND THE RESULTS SHOWED.

I MEAN, OUR KILL RATIOS

JUST KEPT CLIMBING AND CLIMBING AND CLIMBING

AS WE HAD JUST ATTRITED THOSE EXPERIENCED PILOTS,

WHEREAS WE'RE BRINGING MORE EXPERIENCED PILOTS IN

ALL THE TIME

'CAUSE THEY HAVE LONGER TO TRAIN BEFORE THEY GET IN.

Anderson: THEN ONCE WE KILLED SO MANY OF THEIR PILOTS

THAT WE GOT CONTROL OF THE AIR,

THEN THAT MADE THE BOMBING THAT MORE EFFECTIVE.

Narrator: IT'S A STRONG START FOR THE MUSTANG,

BUT THE ALLIES NEED THE NEW FIGHTER

TO BE EVEN MORE AGGRESSIVE

IF IT'S TO CLEAR THE SKIES FOR THE UPCOMING D-DAY INVASION.

ARMY AIR FORCE COMMANDING GENERAL JIMMY DOOLITTLE

USES THE BIG WEEK CAMPAIGN TO EXPERIMENT WITH A NEW TACTIC.

Man: THE 8th FIGHTER COMMAND

WILL GIVE FIGHTER COVER TO TARGETS.

Anderegg: DOOLITTLE TOLD THEM,

I DON'T WANT YOU TO FLY IN FORMATION

WITH THE BOMBERS ANYMORE.

WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO

IS SWEEP THE SKIES IN FRONT OF THE BOMBERS,

ENGAGE THE GERMAN FIGHTERS

BEFORE THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO EVEN GET TO THE BOMBERS.

Narrator: FROM NOW ON,

THE MUSTANGS WILL TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE GERMANS.

IT'S A BOLD AND RISKY EXPERIMENT.

IT MUST SUCCEED TO MAKE THE SKIES AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE

FOR FORCES LANDING ON D-DAY.

THOUSANDS OF LIVES, AND PERHAPS THE ENTIRE WAR,

HANG IN THE BALANCE.

Anderson: OUR MISSION WAS TO DESTROY THE LUFTWAFFE.

WE DIDN'T JUST DRIVE THEM AWAY AND COME BACK.

WE FOLLOWED THEM

AND TAKE THEM TO THE GROUND AND KILL THEM.

IT WAS CALLED "PURSUE AND DESTROY."

Narrator: MAY 27, 1944.

D-DAY IS JUST TEN DAYS AWAY.

BUD MUST ESCORT A SQUAD OF B-17 BOMBERS

TO LUDWIGSHAFEN, GERMANY.

THEY ALL MAINTAIN RADIO SILENCE.

BUD FLIES JUST ABOVE THE FORMATION

AND SCANS THE SKIES FOR ENEMY AIRCRAFT.

Anderson: NO RADAR WARNINGS OR ANY METHOD

TO TELL US WHEN THEY WERE TAKING OFF,

WHERE THEY WERE,

SO WE WOULD STAY FAIRLY CLOSE TO THE BOMBERS

TO SEE THEM COME IN.

Narrator: THEN BUD SEES IT.

A FORMATION OF FOUR BF 109s

HEADING STRAIGHT FOR HIS BOMBERS.

Anderson: MY WINGMAN HOLLERS OUT,

"HEY, WE GOT BOGIES, UNIDENTIFIED AIRPLANES,

COMING AT US FROM 5 O'CLOCK HIGH,"

SO THEY'RE COMING RIGHT DOWN OUR TAIL.

WE WERE VERY, VERY VULNERABLE.

IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THEY WERE ATTACKING US.

AND AS SOON AS WE SPOTTED THOSE ENEMY AIRPLANES

COMING AT US LIKE THAT,

WE DROPPED OUR TANKS AND MADE THIS STEEP TURN.

WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING ON THE DEFENSE,

OR THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN RIGHT UP OUR TAIL.

Narrator: THE GERMANS HONE IN ON BUD,

WHO DOES THE ONLY THING HE CAN TO STAY OUT OF ENEMY SIGHTS.

Anderson: WE GET INTO A CIRCLE LIKE THIS.

I PRETTY WELL KNEW, AFTER ONE TURN,

THAT WE HAD THE ADVANTAGE.

I COULD SEE WHERE I WAS GAINING ON THEM ALL THE TIME.

THE MUSTANG DEFINITELY HAD A SPEED ADVANTAGE

AND A TURNING ADVANTAGE AT ALTITUDE,

SO AFTER TWO TURNS

I'M GETTING A LITTLE CLOSER TO GETTING ON THEIR TAIL.

THEY SEE THAT, AND THEY ROLL OUT.

THEY'RE IN TRAIL NOW.

YOU KNOW, 1, 2, 3, 4, IN A LINE,

SO WE ROLL OUT RIGHT BEHIND THEM

AND, YOU KNOW, CHASE THEM.

Narrator: BUD CLOSES IN ON AN ENEMY AIRCRAFT

AND SHOOTS.

[GUNFIRE]

Anderson: I GET HITS ALL OVER HIM,

AND HEAVY BLACK SMOKE CAME OUT,

AND HE JUST FELL OUT OF CONTROL.

Narrator: HIS SIXTH CONFIRMED KILL FOR THE WAR.

BUT THEN, A BF 109 LOCKS ON TO HIS TAIL.

Anderson: THIS IS NOT TRAINING,

IT'S NOT A VIDEO GAME WHERE YOU CAN SET, RESET,

AND GO BACK AND FIGHT AGAIN.

IT'S REAL STUFF.

Narrator: BUD'S ONLY CHOICE FOR ESCAPE IS A STEEP CLIMB.

THE BF 109 FOLLOWS.

BOTH PLANES PUSH THEIR LIMIT IN A NEAR-VERTICAL CLIMB

ALREADY CLOSE TO SIX MILES HIGH.

Anderson: AND HE'S COMING.

YOU KNOW, HE'S TRYING TO GET UP THERE,

AND SO I'M JUST PULLING.

WE'RE BOTH GOING LIKE THIS.

AND SOMEWHERE IN HERE,

SOMEBODY'S IS GOING TO LOSE THEIR AIRSPEED AND STALL OUT.

AND THE FIRST GUY THAT DOES THAT IS GOING TO BE IN TROUBLE.

Narrator: BUD IS JUST A FEW SECONDS AWAY

FROM TAKING A DIRECT HIT.

JUST THEN, HIS PURSUER'S ENGINE STARTS TO VIBRATE.

IT SPUTTERS AND STALLS.

THE TABLES ARE TURNED,

WITH BUD NOW CHASING THE GERMAN IN A SIMILAR VERTICAL CLIMB.

BUT THIS TIME, BOTH PILOTS KNOW WHO HAS THE BETTER AIRCRAFT.

Anderson: BOOM, I'M RIGHT BACK ON HIS TAIL.

I FIRE A BURST,

AND I SAW A TRACER KIND OF GO OFF HIS LEFT WING,

SO I GAVE JUST A LITTLE BIT OF LEFT RUDDER,

AND THEN I GOT HITS ALL OVER HIM.

Narrator: THE GERMAN MACHINE PLUMMETS SOME 30,000 FEET.

Anderson: YOU KNOW, IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED,

AND YOU'RE TRYING TO DO THE SAME THING TO HIM

THAT HE'S TRYING TO DO TO YOU.

AND WHEN IT'S ALL OVER, THEN YOU SAY, "OH, MY GOD."

YOUR FEET MIGHT SHAKE ON THE RUDDERS.

Narrator: THE P-51 MUSTANG

HAS PURSUED AND OUTPERFORMED ITS ARCHRIVAL

IN A ONE-ON-ONE BATTLE.

IT'S A GAME-CHANGER.

Kinney: THE ABILITY TO HAVE AN AIRPLANE

THAT CAN RISE TO MEET THE ENEMY,

THAT'S A BASIC TENET OF FIGHTER DOCTRINE

IS DON'T RUN AWAY FROM YOUR ENEMY,

DON'T DIVE AWAY UNLESS YOU NEED TO GET AWAY.

IF YOU WANT TO ATTACK THEM,

YOU RISE TO THEM AND YOU MEET THEM.

AND THAT'S WHAT HE'S ABLE TO DO

ON SEVERAL INSTANCES OVER THE COURSE OF THIS DOGFIGHT

IN WHICH HE GETS THE ADVANTAGE.

Anderson: TWO THINGS HAPPENED IN EUROPE:

THE ARRIVAL OF THE MUSTANG AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME

AND GENERAL JIMMY DOOLITTLE'S DECISION.

I THINK THOSE WERE SIGNIFICANT FACTORS IN HOW THE WAR WAS WON.

Narrator: GERMAN COMMANDERS LATER STATE THE SAME...

THAT THE DAY THE MUSTANGS TOOK AN OFFENSIVE APPROACH

IS THE DAY GERMANY LOST THE AIR WAR.

WITH ITS LONG-RANGE AND HIGH-FLYING DOGFIGHT ABILITIES,

THE MUSTANG IS A PLANE DESIGNED TO DOMINATE THE SKIES

AND HELP END THE WAR IN EUROPE.

BUT IN THE PACIFIC, THE MUSTANGS ARE CALLED UPON

TO DO MORE THAN THEY WERE BUILT TO WITHSTAND.

MARCH 1945.

THE JAPANESE ISLAND OF IWO JIMA.

U.S. FORCES TAKE SOME OF THEIR HEAVIEST LOSSES OF WORLD WAR II.

BUT AFTER FIVE WEEKS OF BATTLE, THEY CAPTURE THE ISLAND.

THERE'S HOT DEBATE OVER IWO JIMA'S STRATEGIC VALUE,

BUT THE ARMY AIR FORCE SEES POTENTIAL.

Kinney: THE PROXIMITY OF THE IWO JIMA,

BETWEEN THE MARIANAS AND THE JAPANESE HOME ISLANDS,

MAKES IT A VITAL ASSET IN TERMS OF HAVING A FLOATING AIR BASE.

Narrator: IWO JIMA IS A DOT IN THE OCEAN

SOME 760 MILES SOUTH OF TOKYO.

THE LARGER BOMBERS CAN MAKE THAT DISTANCE AND RETURN,

BUT EXPERIENCE IN EUROPE

PROVES THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE FIGHTER PLANE

CAPABLE OF ESCORTING THOSE BOMBERS THE ENTIRE WAY AND BACK.

Kinney: P-51s ARE INTRODUCED IN THE PACIFIC IN A LARGE SCALE

AT IWO JIMA

SO THEY CAN FLY ESCORT MISSIONS FOR THE B-29s OVER JAPAN.

OPERATING FROM IWO JIMA WAS VERY DANGEROUS

IN THE SENSE THAT YOU HAVE LARGE POCKETS OF JAPANESE

WHO COULD ATTACK THE AIRFIELD AT ANY TIME,

AND WHICH THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

AND SO IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS EXISTENCE FOR THESE PILOTS

WHO ARE FLYING OVER LONG STRETCHES OF THE PACIFIC,

FLYING OVER JAPAN, COMING BACK,

AND THEN THEY COULD BE ATTACKED ON THE AIRFIELD ITSELF.

Jerry Yellin: WE LANDED ON A DIRT AIRSTRIP

THAT HAD POCKMARKS OF BOMBS,

AND THEY REPAIRED THAT AIRSTRIP SO THAT WE COULD LAND.

Narrator: FORMER MUSTANG PILOT CAPTAIN JERRY YELLIN

WAS STATIONED ON IWO JIMA WITH MORE THAN 500 OTHER PILOTS.

Jerry Yellin: IT JUST FLASHED THERE...

THIS IS JAPAN!

YOU KNOW, I'M OVER THE HOMELAND OF OUR ENEMY.

I WAS PART OF A FORCE THAT WAS GOING TO DESTROY JAPAN.

Narrator: THE FLIGHTS TO JAPAN AND BACK

ARE ALMOST ENTIRELY OVER WATER

AND MORE THAN EIGHT HOURS LONG,

PUSHING THE MUSTANG'S RANGE TO THE ABSOLUTE LIMIT.

Yellin: 8 HOURS AND 3 MINUTES UP AND BACK.

WE RAN INTO HEADWINDS.

THERE WERE ONE OR TWO GUYS THAT BAILED OUT ON THE APPROACH.

I HAD SEVEN GALLONS OF FUEL LEFT...

ENOUGH TO GO AROUND IF I MISSED A LANDING.

IT WAS VERY, VERY TIGHT.

Narrator: THESE ARE THE LONGEST FIGHTER MISSIONS OF THE WAR

AND TOUGH ON THE PILOTS, WHO MUST ALL FLY SOLO.

THEIR BATHROOM IS A TUBE.

THEY GET NO RELIEF FROM THE ENGINE'S CONSTANT ROAR,

NOR ANY ESCAPE FROM THE CRAMPED COCKPIT.

Yellin: I COULDN'T GET OUT OF THE AIRPLANE

AFTER SITTING THERE FOR EIGHT HOURS.

I MEAN, YOU'RE JUST FULL OF ADRENALINE,

AND THEN WHEN YOU COME OFF THE TARGET AND YOU COME BACK,

THERE'S A COMPLETE LETDOWN AND A LOW.

THEY GAVE US A BENZEDRINE, WHICH IS AN UPPER,

AND I TOOK THAT EVERY TIME I FLEW A MISSION.

I WENT FROM 155 POUNDS TO 120 POUNDS.

[EXPLOSION]

Narrator: YELLIN WAS IN IWO JIMA

WHEN THE U.S. DROPPED NUCLEAR BOMBS ON HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI.

BUT A WEEK AFTER THE ATOMIC DEVASTATION,

THE JAPANESE STILL HAD NOT SURRENDERED.

Yellin: THE JAPANESE WERE NOT RESPONDING AT ALL

TO THE NEGOTIATIONS,

SO THE MISSION WAS TO SHOW THEM THAT THE AMERICAN MILITARY

WOULD CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THEM AS THE ENEMY

UNTIL THEY SURRENDERED UNCONDITIONALLY.

THAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE MISSION ON AUGUST 14th.

Narrator: AUGUST 14th.

YELLIN COMMANDS A SORTIE OF FOUR MUSTANGS.

BUT THIS TIME, THEY WILL NOT BE ESCORTING BOMBERS.

IT'S AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT KIND OF MISSION.

THEIR ORDERS ARE TO FLY LOW AND FAST

AND USE LOW-LEVEL STRAFING FIRE TO DESTROY A JAPANESE AIRFIELD.

Yellin: WE WERE SHOWN HOW TO PUT EIGHT ROCKETS ONTO OUR WINGS.

SO WE COULD CARRY EIGHT ROCKETS

AND SHOOT THE ROCKETS FOUR AT A TIME OFF OF OUR WINGS,

OR ALL EIGHT AT ONE TIME.

SO WE WENT IN ON STRAFING MISSIONS,

AND WE ROCKETED FACTORIES,

AND WE STRAFED SHIPPING AND WE STRAFED AIRFIELDS.

WE STRAFED ANYTHING THAT MADE JAPANESE WAR MATERIALS.

[GUNFIRE]

Narrator: THE FOUR PILOTS TAKE OFF,

HOPING AT ANY TIME TO HEAR THE CODE WORD "OHIO"

OVER THEIR RADIOS.

THIS WOULD BE THE SIGNAL FROM BASE

THAT JAPAN HAD SURRENDERED AND THE WAR IS OVER.

BUT THE CODE WORD NEVER COMES.

Yellin: WE CAME IN FROM 8,000 FEET

AT AN ANGLE, A VERY SHARP ANGLE.

WE WERE STRAFING EVERYTHING...

AIRPLANES ON THE GROUND,

HANGARS AND ALL OF THE THINGS, SMOKESTACKS.

WHATEVER WAS AROUND THERE, WE WERE STRAFING.

Narrator: THEY PASS OVER TARGETS EXTREMELY FAST AND LOW...

WELL WITHIN RANGE OF AN ENEMY DETERMINED TO BRING THEM DOWN.

Yellin: WE HAD GROUND FIRE

FROM THE MOMENT WE STARTED OUT ON OUR STRAFING RUNS.

YOU COULD SEE THE BULLETS COMING UP AT YOU, THE TRACERS,

YOU COULD SEE PUFFS OF SMOKE.

YOU'RE GOING VERY FAST... 400 MILES AN HOUR.

AND YOU JUST HAD FRACTIONS OF SECONDS TO SHOOT AT THE TARGET.

YOU GAVE THEM QUICK BURSTS...

A TWO- OR THREE-SECOND BURST,

AND YOU HAD THOUSANDS OF ROUNDS OF BULLETS

GO OUT OF YOUR SIX .50-CALIBER MACHINE GUNS.

Narrator: ONCE OUT OF AMMUNITION,

YELLIN AND HIS WINGMAN CLIMB FAST TO ESCAPE THE GROUND FIRE.

AROUND 14,000 FEET,

THEY GIVE EACH OTHER THE THUMBS UP,

AND SIDE BY SIDE, ENTER A CLOUD BANK.

Yellin: WHEN WE CAME OUT OF THE CLOUDS,

THERE WEREN'T FOUR AIRPLANES IN MY FLIGHT;

THERE WERE THREE AIRPLANES.

ONE GUY WAS GONE.

HE WAS FLYING ON MY WING,

AND WHETHER HE SPUN OUT

OR WHETHER HIS AIRPLANE WAS HIT OR WHETHER HE WAS HIT,

NOBODY WILL EVER KNOW.

IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE VERY LAST MISSION

FLOWN IN WORLD WAR II.

WHEN WE LANDED ON IWO JIMA,

WE FOUND OUT THAT THE WAR HAD BEEN OVER FOR THREE HOURS,

WHILE WE WERE STRAFING THE AIRFIELDS NEAR TOKYO.

Narrator: THE TRAGIC LOSS OF YELLIN'S WINGMAN,

19-YEAR-OLD SECOND LIEUTENANT PHILIP SCHLAMBERG,

IS GIVEN LITTLE ATTENTION.

THE WAR IS OVER.

MUSTANGS HAVE FLOWN MORE THAN 200,000 SORTIES

AND DESTROYED MORE THAN 9,000 ENEMY AIRCRAFT,

WITH ALLIED LOSSES OF LESS THAN A THIRD OF THAT.

IT'S AN AIRCRAFT TO BE CELEBRATED.

NOW THE MUSTANG HAS NEW FRONTIERS TO CONQUER.

AND AFTER THE WAR, SURPLUS MUSTANGS GO CHEAP.

Anderegg: DURING THIS WHOLE TIME,

YOU COULD BY A P-51 FOR A DOLLAR.

AND SO A LOT OF THOSE AIRPLANES

WERE BOUGHT BY AVIATION ENTHUSIASTS

WHO WANTED TO FLY P-51s.

THEY BECAME THE AIRPLANE OF CHOICE FOR AIR RACING...

FAST, EASY TO MAINTAIN,

EASY TO SOUP UP AND GET EVEN MORE POWER OUT OF IT.

Kinney: AND THEN THERE'S AN EXTREME SEGMENT

OF THIS WARBIRD COMMUNITY WHO TAKE MUSTANGS,

THEY MODIFY THE MERLIN ENGINE,

CRANKED UP FROM 1,500 TO 4,000 HORSEPOWER.

Narrator: TWO YEARS AFTER THE WAR,

FAMED AVIATOR CHARLES F. BLAIR BUYS A MUSTANG

TO ATTEMPT THE INCONCEIVABLE.

MAY 29, 1951.

BLAIR ATTEMPTS A FLIGHT OVER THE NORTH POLE

FROM NORWAY TO FAIRBANKS, ALASKA.

THE AIR FORCE REFUSES TO LEND HIM SUPPORT,

SAYING THE MISSION IS IMPOSSIBLE.

Anderegg: TO THE UNINITIATED,

THE FIRST PART OF THAT THAT SEEMS SO DANGEROUS IS

IF THE ENGINE QUITS, YOU'RE AT THE NORTH POLE.

THE HARD PART IS COMPASSES DON'T WORK UP THERE

BECAUSE YOU'RE SO NEAR THE MAGNETIC NORTH.

BUT HE HAS A WAY OF MEASURING WHAT THAT ANGLE IS,

OF THE SUN TO THE HORIZON,

AND FURTHERMORE, WHAT THE ANGLE OF THAT SUN IS TO HIS AIRPLANE,

LEFT AND RIGHT.

Narrator: BLAIR MAKES THE FLIGHT IN TEN HOURS.

THE REAL RESULT...

HE SINGLEHANDEDLY UPS THE STAKES

IN AMERICA'S COLD WAR WITH RUSSIA.

Kinney: BOTH NOW REALIZE

THAT IF A SINGLE ENGINE AIRPLANE CAN FLY OVER THE NORTH POLE,

THEN BOMBERS ARMED WITH ATOMIC BOMBS CAN AS WELL.

AND SO IT OPENS UP A VULNERABILITY

AND CREATES A NEW FRONT LINE IN THE COLD WAR OVER THE ARCTIC.

Narrator: WITHIN THREE YEARS, THAT COLD WAR TURNS HOT

AND THE MUSTANG IS AGAIN CALLED TO THE BATTLEFIELD.

NOT OVER ALASKA OR EVEN RUSSIA.

BUT KOREA.

AND THIS TIME, IT'S MISSION WILL PROVE ITS DOWNFALL.

JUNE 25, 1950.

WAR BREAKS OUT IN KOREA

WITH COMMUNIST CHINA BACKING THE NORTH

AND UNITED NATIONS FORCES SUPPORTING THE SOUTH.

U.S. COMMANDERS RECALL MUSTANGS FROM THE COAST GUARD

AND PUT THEM ON ACTIVE DUTY.

Anderegg: SO WE STARTED DRAGGING THEM OUT OF MOTHBALLS,

REFITTING THEM,

AND STARTED USING THEM IN KOREA AS A GROUND, CLOSE AIR SUPPORT,

OR GROUND ATTACK. OR ATTACK AIRFRAME.

IT WAS NOT THE BEST,

NEVER WAS THE BEST KIND OF AN AIRFRAME TO DO THAT,

BUT THAT'S WHAT WAS AVAILABLE.

Narrator: THEY FIT THE MUSTANGS WITH 500-POUND BOMBS,

ROCKETS, AND MACHINE GUNS.

THERE IS NO NEED FOR LONG-RANGE FUEL TANKS HERE.

THE FRONT IS JUST MINUTES AWAY.

Charles McGee: IN THE EARLY PART OF THE WAR,

IT WAS ONLY A 10- OR 15-MINUTE FLIGHT TO THE TARGET AREA.

Narrator: COLONEL CHARLES McGEE

WAS ONE OF THE FAMED TUSKEGEE AIRMEN.

HE FLEW A RECORD-BREAKING 409 FIGHTER COMBAT MISSIONS

IN THREE WARS...

MOST OF THEM IN MUSTANGS.

McGee: IN WORLD WAR II,

IT WAS HIGH-ALTITUDE AND LONG-RANGE FLYING.

IN KOREA, IT WAS LOW-ALTITUDE

TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR OUR TROOPS ON THE GROUND.

Narrator: AT LOW ALTITUDE

THE MUSTANG EXPOSES ITS ACHILLES' HEEL,

PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT AN ASSET.

IT'S THE SCOOP-SHAPED RADIATOR ON THE UNDERCARRIAGE.

Davidson: YOU HAD ALL OF YOUR COOLANT

ON THE BELLY OF THE PLANE,

SO IT WAS VERY SUSCEPTIBLE TO GUNFIRE.

ONE LUCKY HIT TO THE BELLY OF THIS AIRPLANE,

AND YOU'RE DONE

BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THE ENGINE COOL.

IF YOU CAN'T KEEP THE ENGINE COOL,

THE ENGINE WILL NOT KEEP RUNNING.

IT HAD THE POTENTIAL TO GET YOU IN TROUBLE.

Narrator: SEPTEMBER 16, 1951.

CHARLES McGEE'S 40th MISSION.

HE TARGETS A RADAR INSTALLATION

PROTECTED BY A GUN EMPLACEMENT ON THE SIDE OF A HILL.

McGee: IT WAS OUR TARGET

TO JUST DESTROY THOSE DEFENSES

THAT KEPT OUR TROOPS FROM MOVING ON NORTH.

WE'RE FIRING, AND THEY'RE FIRING BACK.

OF COURSE MY CONCENTRATION IS ON THE TARGET THAT I WAS FIRING ON,

AND ONE OF THEIR SHELLS HIT ME IN THE LEFT WING.

IMMEDIATELY, AS I RECALL,

MY REACTION WAS TO GET OUT OF THE LINE OF FIRE.

Narrator: McGEE PULLS UP AND TURNS HOME,

NOT KNOWING THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE,

OR IF HE'LL MAKE IT.

McGee: THE FOCUS IS ALL ON THE JOB

AND NOT SO MUCH OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN.

Narrator: THE SKELETON OF HIS LEFT WING

IS IRREPARABLY SHREDDED,

BUT THE FLIGHT HOME IS SHORT,

AND HE MAKES IT.

McGee: I'M A LUCKY GUY.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN IN A SPOT, SUCH AS THE COOLANT,

THAT I MIGHT NOT BE HERE TO TALK ABOUT IT.

Narrator: OTHERS ARE NOT SO LUCKY.

Kinney: THERE ARE INSTANCES WHERE ENTIRE TAILS

ARE ACTUALLY SHREDDED,

BUT THE AIRPLANES MAKE IT BACK.

WING TIPS ARE HIT, THE AIRPLANE MAKES IT BACK.

BUT USUALLY WHEN THE COOLING SYSTEM IS HIT,

THE AIRPLANE IS GOING TO BE DISABLED

AND WON'T BE ABLE TO GET BACK TO BASE.

Narrator: IN THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR,

THE U.S. LOSES 114 MUSTANGS.

OTHER U.N. FORCES ALSO SUFFER FROM THE SAME FATAL FLAW.

SOUTH AFRICA LOSES 60 OF ITS MUSTANGS

IN JUST A FEW SHORT MONTHS.

Anderegg: ULTIMATELY WE START WITHDRAWING THE P-51s FROM SERVICE

BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE THEY HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO GROUND FIRE,

BUT THEY ALSO ARE OLD AND THEY'D BEEN WELL-USED.

Kinney: THE AIR FORCE IS GETTING NEWER AND BETTER AIRCRAFT,

AND SO THERE'S REALLY NOT A NEED FOR THE MUSTANG.

AND IT'S SLOWLY BEING SEEN AS AN OBSOLETE WEAPON

THAT REALLY DOESN'T HAVE A PLACE

IN THE MODERN AIR FORCE OF THE LATE 1950s.

Narrator: IN A FEW SHORT YEARS, JET TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES.

BY THE TIME OF THE KOREAN WAR,

THE U.S. HAS DEVELOPED THE MUCH-IMPROVED F-86 SABRE.

MUSTANGS MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION IN KOREA

AND FLY MORE THAN 60,000 MISSIONS,

BUT THEIR TIME IN ACTIVE SERVICE FOR THE UNITED STATES

IS THEN DONE.

THE AIR FORCE WITHDRAWS THE MUSTANGS FROM COMBAT

AND AGAIN FLOODS THE MARKET WITH P-51s FOR SALE.

OTHER COUNTRIES SNAP THEM UP.

Anderegg: THE BIGGEST THING

FOR A NATION THAT DOESN'T HAVE A BIG BUDGET

IS NOT ACTUALLY IN FLYING THE AIRPLANE,

BUT IN MAINTAINING IT.

THAT'S THE HARD THING.

AND THE P-51 WAS A VERY EASY AIRPLANE TO MAINTAIN,

VERY SIMPLE, VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD.

SO THIS WAS A VERY ATTRACTIVE AIRFRAME

TO SMALL NATIONS THAT HAD SMALL MILITARY BUDGETS.

Narrator: THE LAST RECORDED USE OF A MUSTANG IN COMBAT

WAS IN EL SALVADOR AS LATE AS 1975.

SOME ARE SOLD TO CIVILIANS FOR AS LITTLE AS $1,500.

BUT IN THE YEARS

SINCE THE AIR FORCE DUMPED THEM ON THE MARKET,

THE P-51'S VALUE HAS SKYROCKETED.

TO BUY A WORKING P-51 MUSTANG TODAY

WILL COST YOU MORE THAN A MILLION.

THE QUESTION NOW...

IS IT STILL ALL THAT IT WAS?

STILL ABLE TO CONQUER THE SKIES?

MAY 23, 2013.

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA.

FORMER NAVY OFFICER DOUG MATTHEWS

IS DETERMINED TO FIND OUT.

HE PUSHES HIS VINTAGE PLANE TO ABOVE 39,000 FEET.

JUST A FEW THOUSAND FEET MORE,

AND HE'LL BREAK THE ALTITUDE RECORD

FOR A NON-PRESSURIZED PROP PLANE.

Matthews: 39-5 IN A P-51!

Narrator: THE ALTITUDE IS GIVING MATTHEWS THE BENDS,

AND HIS CONTROLS HAVE FROZEN.

HIS SITUATION GROWS DESPERATE.

Matthews: I WAS WEARING A PARACHUTE

AND READY TO BAIL OUT.

I'VE DONE SO BEFORE, SO I WAS PREPARED IF I HAD TO.

Narrator: MATTHEWS TOPS OUT JUST ABOVE 42,000 FEET...

WELL ABOVE THE PREVIOUSLY DETERMINED CEILING

FOR THE AIRCRAFT.

A MUSTANG HASN'T BEEN CLOSE TO THIS HIGH SINCE THE 1940s.

MATTHEWS STAYS THERE FOR SEVERAL MINUTES

TO SECURE THE RECORD,

BUT TOO LONG FOR COMFORT.

Matthews: THE CONCERN METER STARTED PEGGING,

OF WHAT AM I DOING UP HERE, YOU KNOW?

SO I DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME TO SAY YEE-HA

AS OPPOSED TO... I JUST WANT TO GET DOWN.

Man on radio: HE NEEDS TO GET HIS ASS DOWN.

Man on radio: HE STARTS HURTING, HE MIGHT START.

HE'S PROBABLY EVOLVING SOME STUFF,

GET SOME PRESSURE ON HIM.

Man on radio: BUT HIM ASKING 90 SECONDS.

HE'S BEEN UP THERE FOR 3 OR 4 MINUTES AT LEAST.

Narrator: AS MATTHEWS DESCENDS, HIS FROZEN CONTROLS FREE UP...

AND HE TURNS TO MAKE HIS FINAL APPROACH.

Matthews: JUST AMAZING.

I MEAN, THE AGE OF THIS AIRCRAFT...

BEING THAT HIGH.

I MEAN, FLYING CORPORATE JETS AND AIRLINERS,

YOU'RE NEVER AT THAT ALTITUDE.

AND HERE I AM IN A RECIPROCATING ENGINE-POWERED

PROP-DRIVEN AIRCRAFT

WITH NO ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEM.

YOU KNOW, JUST AMAZING.

I DON'T SEE ANOTHER AIRPLANE

THAT COULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING ELSE,

AND WE, WE BROKE THE RECORD SUBSTANTIALLY,

NOT JUST BY A FEW SECONDS OR A FEW FEET,

BUT QUITE A BIT OVER THE AIRCRAFT THAT HELD THE RECORDS,

WHICH WERE MORE MODERN AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: IT'S AN INCREDIBLE FEAT

FOR ANY SINGLE-ENGINE PROPELLER AIRCRAFT,

LET ALONE A VINTAGE FIGHTER.

THIS LEGENDARY PLANE IS THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD,

AND STILL CAN.

[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS]

Kinney: THE MUSTANG STILL PERSISTS AS ONE

OF THE FASTEST PROPELLER-DRIVEN AIRPLANES TODAY.

Narrator: THE MUSTANG'S BREAKTHROUGH DESIGN

GAVE ALLIED PILOTS A WINNING EDGE IN WORLD WAR II

AND ELEVATED IT FROM AIRCRAFT TO ICON.

IT REMAINS A LIVING PART OF AVIATION HISTORY.

Anderson: IT WAS JUST A TREMENDOUS AIRPLANE,

AND IT HELPED SAVE THE WAR IN EUROPE.

Anderegg: I'D GIVE IT MORE

THAN JUST THE PERFECT DESIGN OF ITS DAY.

I'D SAY IT'S A TIMELESS DESIGN.

Yellin: BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT AIRPLANE.

Matthews: THIS AIRPLANE CAN STILL OUTPERFORM

THE MOST MODERN AIRCRAFT THERE ARE.

Yellin: THE P-51 WAS THE BEST FIGHTER PLANE

THAT WAS EVER BUILT TO DO THE THINGS THAT YOU HAD TO DO.

THE BEST AIRPLANE EVER.