The history of the Swiss Air Force P-51 Mustang - The last piston-engined Fighter and Fighter-Bomber type with frontline units. Initially thought as affordable stop-gap-solution, the Mustang became an important component of the Swiss Defense Forces during the Cold War.

The famous Mustang was well liked with the Pilots, even though some tragic accidents due to engine failures happened. all pilots who had had the chance to fly the Mustang, were proud and happy when they reminisced about their service time., and many also were of the opinion, that the 'magic of flight' was lost when their units converted to modern Jet-types such as the DeHavilland DH-100 Vampire und Dh-112 Venom. 

The Swiss Air Force P-51 Mustang fleet was far from being new aircraft; most of them were veterans from World War 2 in Europe and had seen service and combat with various Fighter and Tactical Reconnaissance units of the 8th and 9th USAAF.
Postwar, most of the P-51's were used by the Occupational units of the USAAF in Germany, but starting in mid-1946, the P-51's were outphased and put into open storage at various airfields in Southern Germany, the last being sent there in September 1947.
From these Airfields, the now retired P-51 Mustangs were sold off to friendly Air Forces, such as Sweden, France, Italy, and Switzerland. The remainder of the Mustangs in storage were reduced to spares or scrapped. -> see Origin USAAF

The first P-51D Mustang 

The first three of ten Mustangs from the first delivery, which remained at Dübendorf for overhaul, received the numbers J-901 through J-903. Only a few days later, the assigned number range was changed to J-2001 through J-2130 and the a/c had to be repainted. -> see Purchasing and delivery 1948

New aircraft Numbers !

 J-2001 after the application of the new Number. The Nationality Markings (Red Bars on the wing surfaces, red rudder with Swiss Cross) were only applied on aircraft J-2001 through J-2010 (again the first 10 aircraft that remained at Dübendorf). -> see Colours & Markings

Flight Operations

After delivery, the Mustangs were assigned to the Fighter Squadrons of Flight Regiment. 3 (Fl.St. 18, 19, 20 & 21) and the Surveillance Wing Ue.G. Staffel IV (later Fl.St. 16). -> see Service Years 1948 - 1958

Fighter-bomber with rockets

Initially, the  Mustangs were used as replacment fighters for the obsolete Messerschmitt BF-109 und K+W D-3800/D-3801 Morane, but after the introduction of the DeHavilland Dh-100 Vampire Jets the P-51's were relegated to the Fighter-Bomber rôle, for which Swiss developed Rocket launchers for unguided 8 cm WMO-Rockets (WMO = Waffenmanufaktur Oerlikon) ere installed.  -> see Armament.

Header Photo: The sole surviving Swiss Air Force P-51D, J-2113, seen here at Buochs Airfield in 1972, before going on display at the Swiss Transport Museum in Lucerne.