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The Air Corp Generals did not want the P-51 Mustang when it first came out.

Right. They put their bets on the P-47 and P-38.

It's a real shame that the USAAF brass didn't provide long range escort for the bombers over Europe from the very first. They thought the B-17s could get to their targets okay and buzz saw the German fighter force too. They had some early sucesses, but the Germans adapted and General Eaker did not. The average B-17 was only lasting 11 missions at one point.

The P-38 had a lot of problems but those could have been smoothed out. It was shown that even a few P-38's could disrupt Lutwaffe defensive efforts. There should have been a lot more a lot sooner. In 1942 the brass transfered the one P-38 group in England to Africa any way.

Walt

From what I have read, the P-38 engines had some oil problems at low temperatures. A high percentage of those assigned to northern Europe during the winter were forced down due to engine failure. They did not have the same problem in hotter weather. They were a big success in Africa and the southern Pacific.

"The P-38 had a lot of problems but those could have been smoothed out. It was shown that even a few P-38's could disrupt Lutwaffe defensive efforts. There should have been a lot more a lot sooner. In 1942 the brass transfered the one P-38 group in England to Africa any way."
One of the biggest problems with the P38 was the way it was used when the US first got to England. The P38 was the fastest plane in the sky when it came out, but the Air Force tactics were that they had to fly close escort with the much slower bombers. This threw away their biggest advantage to the more maneuverable Me109's and FW190's. The pilots in the Pacific were not hamstrung by this requirement and used that speed to their advantage. The top 2 highest scoring fighter pilots of the war, Dick Bong (40 confirmed kills and Tommy Mcguire (38 confirmed kills) got all their kills in P38's against the Japanese. The P47 was the aircraft that allowed new American fighter pilots over Europe to make it back to England after being shot full of holes while getting their combat flying lessons from the Luftwaffe. The P47 pilots were then able to make use of these "lessons" in subsequent missions rather than being dead or in prison camp. In early 1944, Jimmy Doolittle rescinded the requirement that all the fighters had to fly close escort. The first 6 months of 1944 is what broke the back of the Luftwaffe fighter arm because the US fighters were able to go on offense against the German fighters. The Mustangs took the bomber escort role from the P47 because they had enough range to make it all the way to Berlin or farther, and the P47 did not. The P47's ruggedness also made it ideal for close air support to ground troops after the Normandy invasion.

The Army Air Forces had by far the highest casualty (death) rate of all the services in WWII.

"In 1942 the brass transfered the one P-38 group in England to Africa any way.

Yet, the P-38, after considerable modification, became THE Zero killer in the Pacific. What it lacked in manuverability it more than made up for in speed and range.