P-51 Contract Numbers

[Ryan Harris]

I'm having trouble finding contract numbers for P-51's of any make or plant, but I specifically need to know which one P-51D S/N 44-73990, M/N 122-40530 falls under. Can anyone help?

The info is needed to make the data block correct on the airframe's new paint job.

[CraigQ]

Ryan

Need to double check to verify but what I have found the contract # would be AC-2378 date 3-11-44

Craig

[JohnTerrell]

Ryan, the contract number was never part of the data block - what I believe you're looking for is the "Special Project Number", as in:

AAF. SPEC. PROJ. NO. XXXXX
U.S. ARMY P-51D-25-NA
SERIAL NO. AAF 44-73990

The special project numbers were assigned, and varied, based on which Theatre of Operation the aircraft was shipped/transported to - a period military equivalent of a modern day order tracking number. As I recall, a special project number was usually assigned to a batch of aircraft, shipped/transported overseas together - sometimes with an extra addition to the number, such as "-R" for "replacement".

If the aircraft was never shipped out of the US (as I believe the case to be with this particular aircraft), I don't believe it would ever have had a project number assigned, and thus that portion of the data block would likely have remained empty, with just the initial/default "AAF. SPEC. PROJ. NO.", with no corresponding number.

If you were to have the data block portray that of the original "Alabama Rammer Jammer", however, its project number *may* have been 92835-R


(BTW, if the aircraft still has its original data plates, the original contract number can be found on those.)

[CraigQ]

Ryan

Did this aircraft get assigned to the USAAF or go to the RAF? According to Joe Baughers datasite on serial numbers for US WW2 aircraft, 44-73990 was sent to the RAF. If it was, there is a chance that a special project number was not assigned to it.



Craig