the p51 d20 / d30

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stuffy

Recruit
6
1
Jul 15, 2022
im trying to find information on the p51 and i cant find info on when the d20 or d30 entered service do anyone know anything about it (sorry if its a strange question)
 
P-51D-20 to -30. Dallas tended to switch straight between production blocks, Inglewood tended to complete a couple from each new block around 4 to 5 weeks before switching production to the new standard. Dates according to the USAAF,

Dallas,
first P-51D-20-NT factory completed 8 March 1945, 13 P-51D-20-NT accepted 16 March, 8 delivered the same day.
first P-51D-25-NT factory completed 11 April 1945, accepted 20 April, delivered the same day.
first P-51D-30-NT factory completed 27 June 1945, first acceptance 17 July, delivered the same day.

Inglewood,
first P-51D-20-NA factory completed 11 September 1944, accepted 28 September, delivered 2 October, series production from late October.
first P-51D-25-NA factory completed 20 December 1944, first acceptance 9 January 1945, delivered 11 January, series production from mid February
first P-51D-30-NA factory completed 21 March 1945, first acceptance 5 April, delivered 6 April, series production from mid May

After this comes what the definition of entered service is.
 
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So neither one saw combat in ww2?
 
There are a number of 8th Air Force Missing Air crew Reports for pilots flying P-51D-20 and D-25. The earliest D-20 related one I know of is dated 29 December 1944, over 2 months after production switched.

Does see combat mean flew a sortie, or at least shot at or was shot at?

The D-30 came into full production in mid May 1945, add 2 months and it is mid July. So it is possible a D-30 was shipped to one of the units of the 5th, 7th or 20th (or even 10th or 14th) Air Forces equipped with P-51 in time to be used on at least one combat mission. To be sure you would need a combination of the unit and individual aircraft histories.

The serial numbers for Inglewood produced P-51D-30 are 44-74227 to 75026 http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_5.html

There are a number of Missing Air Crew Reports available online, for example.

no P-51D-30
 
So neither one saw combat in ww2?
The P-51D-20-NA and -25-NA both flew combat in ETO, but D-25-NA deliveries into ETO ops just about a month before VE-Day. My father flew both before April 25, 1945 when 8th AF suspended combat ops. I don't believe that second block of D-25-NA, nor any D-30-NA, were ever delivered to Europe after VE-Day. All remained in ZI or shipped tp Pacific in prep for invasion of Japan

I know D-20-NT and first block of D-25-NT flew in Pacific before VJ-Day. No -30's before VJ Day in combat ops AFAIK.

That said, my father also flew -30-NA and -NT post WWII when he commanded 35FG in Japan.
 
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Double post
 
For what it's worth and after just a very brief look, I found that Iwo Jima based Mustang units were equipped with P-51D-20 in April 1945. See attachments from 531st FS and 72nd FS as examples.
 

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So was the d30 the main p51 in Korea or was that the d25?
 
I would define it as the date on which the aircraft model flew its first wartime operational mission with a squadron or group.

As to how the original poster defines it, I cannot say.
Yeah that sounds right.
I'm surprised people still come to this thread as it was really just a question for war thunder trying to find out when the p51 d30 was used lol
 

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