“German Pilots Flew a Captured Mustang—Then Admitted No Luftwaffe Fighter Could Match 444 mph”

When German test pilots took off in a captured P-51D Mustang, they expected to find weaknesses—something they could exploit in future dogfights. But within minutes of flying, they realized the grim truth. The Mustang’s Packard-built Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, equipped with a two-stage supercharger, delivered flawless power at every altitude. Even at 25,000 feet, the aircraft still roared past 440 mph — faster than any Luftwaffe fighter in the sky. The test reports from Rechlin Air Base stunned the German High Command. The P-51 could climb higher, fly longer, and still outfight the vaunted Bf 109 and Fw 190. Its long-range drop tanks gave it the reach to escort bombers all the way to Berlin — and back. For the first time, Luftwaffe pilots faced an enemy that owned both the high ground and the horizon. The Mustang wasn’t just superior — it was the final symbol that Germany’s air superiority had ended.