North American A-36 Apache

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One interesting thing I discovered that an A-36 unit acquired some P-51-1 aircraft, armed with four 20MM guns, and used them as well to hit suitable targets. I saw a cannon armed P-51 in the video 'A Day with the A-36's" and it turned out that was the reason.

So you could have a diorama with a mix of A-36's and P-51-1.
 
That last one is not an A-36A. It is a P-51-1, known as the Mustang Mk 1A in the RAF. P-51-1's were used with a USAAF tactical recon unit in the Med and the A-36 unit acquired a few to use in strafing targets that needed a little extra punch.

The attached picture is labeled A-36 pilot but in fact he is standing next to a P-51-1 and was assigned to the tac recon unit.

I also have attached a few A-36 photos.

 
MIflyer said:
That last one is not an A-36A. It is a P-51-1, known as the Mustang Mk 1A in the RAF. P-51-1's were used with a USAAF tactical recon unit in the Med and the A-36 unit acquired a few to use in strafing targets that needed a little extra punch.
Click to expand...

Just a wee addition, MIflyer; the first USAAF Mustangs were designated as simply P-51s (Manufacturer's designation NA-91), without a suffix, although almost all but two were designated F-6As for recon, with the fitting of cameras. The British equivalent being, as you state, the Mustang 1A. The next variant the USAAF received was the P-51A (Manufacturer's designation NA-99) from March 1943, which differed from the P-51 in that it had the capacity to carry external stores and had a slightly more powerful Allison under the hood. The Brits called this the Mustang II.
 
MIflyer said:
The A-36A came out well before the P-51A.
Click to expand...

Only by five months, and the A-36 was preceded by the P-51/Mustang 1A.

The P-51A was really built to keep the production line hot until the B model came off the lines.
Click to expand...

...which was delayed owing to overheating in the radiator ducting, among other snags. The two XP-51Bs were in fact the two P-51s initially delivered as Mustang 1As as part of Lend Lease through the RAF order, but diverted to the USAAF and subsequently modified with the Packard V-1650/Merlin 61 engine. It is worth pointing out that it took some time before the USAAF gained real interest in the Mustang because it was a 'British' aeroplane and it wasn't until the Merlin engined models that the USAAF heads really began to take notice. And when I say Merlin engined models, I mean the Mustang Xs modified by Rolls-Royce with RR Merlins, from which the USAAF gained performance data, which convinced them that putting a Merlin engined P-51 into service was the way forward with that airframe.
 
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Very interesting postings. I did the illustrations for the MMP 'Yellow Series' book on the A-36.
I have a suspicion there is more of a story still to be told about the type's use particularly during the Italian campaign when it was being replaced. Suspect it did much more in the recon role than has been documented.

Juanita
 
The British lacked Mustang Mk 1's in the Med and borrowed an A-36 for recon. They tried to escort the A-36 with Spitfire V's and found they could not stay with the A-36. As to why the RAF did not borrow some P-51-1's in the Med, I guess there were just not enough of them available.

The 310 P-51A's began to be delivered in March 1943, following the 500 A-36's that began delivery in Sept 1943.
 
Ref. Apache: you can start a pretty decent cyber food fight on that subject, especially on Facebook. Apparently the OFFICIAL-OFFICIAL name for the 51 herd always was Mustang but wartime publicity and elsewhere (including USAF Museum) used Apache for some early 51s plus the A-36s occasionally as Invaders. My dad's Corpus Christi recognition manual ('43) shows a four-cannon Apache.
 
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