The P-51 and Utah’s World War II Ace
The Maneuverable Mustang
In 1940, the Allied forces of World War II needed a more effective fighter aircraft to escort bombers to and from their targets in Europe. To address this need, the British Aircraft Purchasing Commission asked North American Aviation to build a variant of the Curtiss P-40 “Warhawk” under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The fighter that came out of this request, known as the NA-73X prototype, first took to the air in October 1940 and was the precursor to the P-51A. By 1942, North American Aviation had perfected the test aircraft, and the P-51A Mustang began operating in combat as a long-range, single-seat fighter-bomber aircraft. Pilots loved flying the “Rolls Royce of airplanes” because it was fast, agile, more maneuverable, and had a longer combat range than other World War II fighters. Colonel James H. Howard of the Royal Air Force (RAF) called the P-51D Mustang, “a fighter pilot’s dream.”[1]
Utah’s Fighting Ace, Chesley Peterson
Chesley Peterson, P-51 Mustang pilot (photo courtesy of American Air Museum in Britain)
One of the many fighter pilots who put their skills to the test with the P-51 was General Chesley Gordon Peterson. General Peterson was born in Salmon, Idaho, and grew up in the small farming community of Santaquin, Utah. He graduated from Payson High School and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Brigham Young University.
When Peterson first started his military career, he set out to become a pilot but was too young to qualify for pilot training in the United States at the time. He initially joined the US Army Air Corps as a cadet by misrepresenting his age with a forged birth certificate. When his true age of 18 was discovered—too young for him to become a pilot—he was discharged “for lack of inherent flying ability.”
After his dismissal, Peterson went to England and joined the RAF, who did permit him to fly. With the RAF, he was first stationed at the Royal Air Force Howarden Airport and then with Eagle Squadron 71 in 1940. The Eagle Squadron was a group of American volunteer pilots that manned missions with the RAF against the Luftwaffe. By the age of 21, Peterson became the youngest squadron commander in the RAF and was awarded the RAF Distinguished Flying Cross.
Chesley Peterson, P-51 Mustang pilot (photo courtesy of American Air Museum in Britain)
A few years later, when the United States entered the war, Peterson joined the US Army Air Forces again and went on to become an Ace (meaning that he took down at least five enemy aircraft in combat). From 1942 to 1942, Peterson also served as commander of the 4th Fighter Group, whose main task was to provide fighter escorts for the heavy bombers of the Eighth Air Force. By the end of World War II, the 4th Fighter Group had destroyed more enemy aircraft than any other fighter group in the Eighth Air Force.
Between 1940 and 1944, Peterson flew a total of 130 combat sorties over the English Channel into enemy territory. He was awarded the United States Distinguished Service Cross, the Royal Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, five United States Air Medals, and the Purple Heart.
Over the course of his flying career, Peterson scored at least nine enemy kills with nine more probable kills. He was promoted to colonel at the age of 23, the youngest in the history of the US Army Air Forces. Following the war, he rose to the rank of Major General.
Mustang Maintenance in Utah
Michael Peterson, son of P-51 pilot Chesley Peterson, with replica of his father’s Spitfire at RAF Lakenheath, England. (United States Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Abby L. Finkel)[/captionWhile Petersen was flying sorties over Britain in his P-51, several “Mustang” engines traveled to Utah to receive maintenance. Workers at Hill Field repaired and overhauled the Packard-built P-51 engine until the end of the conflict. Hill Air Force Base workers also performed maintenance and repair on the Mustang body after the war and into the 1950s. With the demobilization that followed World War II, Hill personnel prepared and stored various P-51 and V-1650 engines for future use.
Hill Aerospace Museum’s P-51 and Chesley Peterson
The P-51 Mustang on display at the Hill Aerospace Museum represents General Peterson’s contributions, as well as to the hardworking individuals who maintained components of the airframe at Hill Field during its war-time use. The Museum restored the aircraft using parts from multiple P-51s and placed it on display in 1993. Its colors and markings match the Mustang flown by then Colonel Peterson when he flew with the 4th Fighter Group during World War II. The serial number painted onto this aircraft was originally assigned to one of the P-51s in the 4th Fighter Group that was lost during a mission over Europe in 1944. The side of the aircraft is painted with the name “Audrey,” Chesley Peterson’s wife, Audrey Boyes Peterson.
North American P-51D “Mustang”
S/N 44-13371
Crew: One
Engine: One Rolls Royce (Packard) Merlin V-1650-7; 1,720 hp
Wingspan: 37 ft 5/16 in
Length: 32 ft 3 5/16 in
Height: 8 ft 8 in
Weight: empty 6,585 lbs; gross 11,054 lbs
Speed: max 437 mph at 25,000 ft
Range: combat: 1000 miles w/ 2 drop tanks; ferry: 1,600 miles
Ceiling: 42,000 ft
Armament: Six .50 cal machine guns; up to 2000 lbs ordnance
Cost: $51,572 (average P-51 unit cost as of 1944)
