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January 1940
First contact between British Purchasing Commission and North American Aviation over purchase of a fighter aircraft
10 April 1940
BPC agree to development of a new fighter
24 April 1940
BPC approve the first design drawings
5 May 1940
US Government officially approves the new North American design for export.
29 May 1940
British place an order for 320 Mustang Is
9 September 1940
First prototype Mustang rolled out, although without the engine.
11 October 1940
First taxi tests
26 October 1940
First test flight
April 1941
First Mustang Is leave production line
September 1941
RAF flight testing of Mustang I begins in Britain
February 1942
No. 26 Squadron first to go operational, with Mustang I
16 April 1942
Order placed for 500 A-36A dive bombers based on the Mustang
10 May 1942
First mission for the Mustang, when No. 2 Squadron attacked a German airfield in northern France.
27 July 1942
First RAF Mustang missions over Germany, an attack on the Ruhr.
19 August 1942
Mustang scores its first confirmed victory, over Dieppe.
October 1942
First flight of a Rolls Royce Merlin powered Mustang
30 November 1942
First flight of the XP-51B with Merlin engine
April 1943
First US Mustang missions, by 154th Observation Squadron based in Tunisia
5 May 1943
First flight of a production P-51B
6 June 1943
First A-36A mission; by 27th FBG from Rasel Ma, French Morocco
November 1943
354th FG receives its first P-51Bs
December 1943
First P-51B mission, flown by 354th FG over France
February 1944
No. 19 Squadron flies first RAF mission with the Mustang III (Rolls Royce powered)
4 March 1944
4th FG takes Mustangs to Berlin for the first time.
3 February 1945
First flight of the P-51H.