Hello and welcome to World War 2 Stories. I'm your host, Steve Matthews. Today, we're taking to the skies to explore the story of an aircraft that changed the course of the air war over Europe – a fighter plane whose arrival struck fear into the hearts of the Luftwaffe and gave Allied bomber crews a fighting chance at survival. I'm talking about the legendary P-51 Mustang.

Imagine you're a B-17 bomber pilot in early 1943. You're flying deep into German territory to strike at the industrial heart of the Nazi war machine. You've watched helplessly as enemy fighters torn through your formation, picking off your fellow bombers one by one. Your escorts – P-47 Thunderbolts and P-38 Lightnings – have turned back long ago, their fuel tanks running dry while you still have hundreds of miles to go. Then, as 1944 dawns, something changes. Sleek, agile fighters with distinctive silhouettes appear alongside your formation, staying with you all the way to Berlin and back. For the first time, you feel you might actually survive this war.

The P-51 Mustang wasn't just another fighter aircraft. It was the missing piece in the Allied air campaign – the long-range escort that could take the fight to the enemy's doorstep. Its arrival transformed the strategic bombing campaign from a costly war of attrition into the spearhead of Allied victory. General Jimmy Doolittle, commander of the 8th Air Force, put it simply: "The Mustang won the air war over Europe."