The story of the North American Mustangs used for target marking by No 617 Squadron has, to an extent, taken on a life of its own.
Elements as recorded in some accounts are not backed up by official records; those records themselves leave certain questions open. But it is possible to piece together a reasonably comprehensive account of this unusual chapter in 617’s, and the P-51’s, history.
The background, in brief, was the development of new marking techniques by 617, a policy supported by AVM Ralph Cochrane, AOC No 5 Group. It was 617’s CO, Leonard Cheshire, who first put forward a proposal to use Mosquitos for the purpose; the type’s performance was such as to allow more accurate marking from lower altitudes of heavily defended targets.
From this, using a sufficiently long-ranged fighter might be seen as a natural next step.
Papers on the operational role of 617 record how Cochrane floated three types: the Mustang, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the Hawker Typhoon.
In the event, two Mustang IIIs arrived at Woodhall Spa for 617’s use on 21 June 1944, as stated in the squadron’s operations record book (ORB). Both drawn from a larger batch supplied under Lend-Lease, their serials were HB825 and HB837. …
