When America entered World War Two it was hopelessly useless. The United States had relied upon isolation while the Europeans killed each other in the continent's national sports, warfare.

With Pearl Harbour two weeks later orders were issued, complete designs for a long range escort fighter will be finalized and on the War Departments desk in SIX WEEKS.

It is simple, you want the contract ??? then have finished and finalized plans completed in six weeks, not six weeks and one day; want the work give us the planes we need for the war effort. No excuses and no extensions.

This left manufactures no option, take existing advanced ideas and produce some plans literally overnight ! ! ! Further to complicate the planes design was it must marry existing technologies with a basic rugged easily produced air-frame.

The P51 was literally far more important to the war, this escort fighter could keep bombers safe on long range missions. Afterwards when the bombers were back over friendly airspace these attack fighters literally destroyed every railway line, bridge, road viaduct or anything they found.

These little fighters sank every single ship sitting around the coast of France, anything and everything that could possibly have a war function was obliterated by these fighters on their return journeys after protecting the long range bombers.

These planes single handedly prevented Germany from reinforcing Western France against a possible allied invasion. D Day ; Normandy, 06 June 1944 . . .

World War Two , Operation Overlord 4,500 ships and the largest seaborne invasion in History ; almost "Game Over " for the European theater of war ! ! !