Aviation historian Ray Wagner is the author of American Combat Planes (1960) and North American Sabre (1963), which was the first book-length history of an Air Force fighter. A retired history teacher, he is an archivist for the San Diego Aerospace Museum.
“North American’s P-51 Mustang has consistently been regarded by
many as the best propeller-driven fighter ever produced. What few
people know, however, is that this exceptional plane, which
protected Allied bombers and established dominance in the skies
over Europe by defeating Germany’s legendary Messerschmitts and
Focke-Wulfs, was designed by a self-taught German immigrant. Noted
aviation historian Ray Wagner documents the professional life of
Edgar Schmued, North American’s star design engineer and Mustang
creator. . . Mustang fans will find little to fault in Wagner’s
history. [The book] is a successful blend of engineering
documentation and personal history, and aviation readers should
thoroughly enjoy [it].”—Aviation Heritage
“The P-51 Mustang is a legend. Many knowledgeable observers
consider it to be the premier long-range fighter of World War II,
and those who have flown it call the Mustang one of the finest
single-seat aircraft ever built. . . Drawing upon a wide variety of
neglected sources, including original procurement and flight-test
records, and especially Schmued's personal papers, Wagner has
crafted a well-written and beautifully illustrated account that
chronicles the Mustang's design history in rich and exacting
detail.”—Air Power History
“This fascinating, well illustrated book . . . brings alive the
struggles and triumphs of all [the] competing aircraft factories
and their products in the World War II days. . . . The style is
straightforward, livened up with reminiscences from many interviews
and Schmued's own notes. . . . Ray Wagner has done a remarkable
job.”—WASP News
“Mustang Designer is a milestone in aviation historical writing
because the author [looks] at aircraft design in the context of its
history. . . . A must for serious readers.”—Skyways
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