F-51D Mustang

The F51D was a propellerpowered fighter plane developed by North American Aviation. It was first deployed in 1942 and fought in various battles of the Second World War. The Korean Air Force acquired 10 F51D planes from the US Forces on July 2, 1950, immediately after the outbreak of the Korean War. These planes flew their first sorties out of Daegu Airbase the very next day, on July 3. A total of 130 units were acquired from the US in the course of the war, and these planes few approximately 8,500 combat sorties. The F51D distinguished itself in combat many times during the Korean War. Twentythree Korean F51D planes destroyed the Seunghori Rail Bridge, a key strategic point for enemy supply lines 10 kilometers west of Pyeongyang that UN bombers had failed to bring down even after hundreds of sorties, and Korean F51Ds participated in the bomb raids over Pyeongyang on August 29, 1952. Korean Mustangs also provided air support during the Battle of 351 Hill, which dragged on from October 1952 to July 1953. Although instrumental in the Allies winning the Korean War, the F51D was soon retired with the advent of the age of the jet fighter.