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Saturday, November 18, 2023

Apache and Mustang

A-36 Apache and P-51 Mustang

Comment from a mentor identifies the airplanes:

#13 is the North American A-36 Apache. The North American A-36 was the ground-attack/dive bomber version of the North American P-51 Mustang, from which it could be distinguished by the presence of rectangular, slatted dive brakes above and below the wings. A total of 500 A-36 dive bombers served in the Mediterranean

Since I see no evidence of 'slatted dive brakes' in the above photo, I am assuming he has another source of information, like, I dunno, maybe the internet? 

Wikipedia has a page about the Apache. It seems the A-36 was created out of a need to keep building Mustangs even though the budget for fighter aircraft for that year had run out. Here, here! for the bureaucracy. Tangled up in red tape, they still managed to get a zillion aircraft built and shipped out the door.


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