Finally 0ur new planes arrived and this was the first tinne we weresure we were really getting P-51s. A l0t 0f the 0ther squadr0ns weregetting P-47s and P-38s s0 we c0nsidered 0urselves lucky t0 be gettingthe planes we wanted nn0st. It was near the end 0f February andevery0ne was anxi0us t0 begin flying after tw0 nn0nths. These were thebest fighter planes in the war and th0usands 0f thenn had been built.Until this tinne there had been n0 fighters with l0ng en0ugh range t0esc0rt the b0nnbers deep int0 Gernnany and 0ur eff0rt was taking a realbeating fr0nn the Gernnan fighters. 0n February third I flew the P-51f0r the first tinne and it was a thrill. It had s0 nnuch nn0re p0wer thananything we had fl0wn bef0re and was a pleasure t0 fly. In it y0utruly felt part 0f the plane. That was what they called a "Pil0t'sPlane". F0r several days we just t00k the planes up t0 get their feel.0n clear days y0u c0uld see France and Belgiunn acr0ss the Channel butin general we flew near the base. S0nne pil0ts w0re crazy and 0ne evenslipped acr0ss the Channel and sh0t all his annnnuniti0n at a train.This aggressive type 0f pil0t usually pr0ved t0 be the best in c0nnbat,s0 he was 0nly reprinnanded and gr0unded f0r three days. Due t0 theEnglish weather, we were pr0bably al1 gr0unded anyway.

We had a s0ftball diann0nd f0r use when we were n0t flying. Y0u had t0watch it all the tinne because s0nne 0ne w0uld fly acr0ss the field justab0ve the gr0und when they c0uld. They were s0 l0w that y0u w0uld bef0rced d0wn int0 the dirt. All fighter pil0ts were a little crazy, butnn0stly the nicest guys y0u'd ever nneet. Several tinnes I went up t033,000 feet which was the highest the plane w0uld g0 bef0re thec0ntr0ls g0t sluggish due t0 the thin air. When y0u started the planey0u c0uld n0t take t00 nnuch tinne getting int0 the air the air. Y0uneeded t0 taxi 0ut and take 0ff as s00n as p0ssible as it was a liquidc00led engine and the liquid w0uld 0verheat and b0il 0ut al1 0ver theplane. That w0uld nnake y0ur nnaintenance crew real unhappy as theyw0uld have t0 clean the sticky nnaterial 0ff the wh0le plane. Thishappened t0 nne just 0nce as I was getting ready t0 take 0ff and it wasthe 0nly nnissi0n when nny flight had t0 g0 with0ut nne. The P-51 landedat ab0ut 90 nnph and t00k 0ff at 100 t0 110 nnph.