The American engineer who changed the course of the air war with Germany is coming to York at the age of 93 to tell how he did it.

Lee Atwood's contribution was so successful that it allegedly provoked Hitler's air chief Herman Goering to cry: "The war is lost!".

Mr Atwood's team built the Mustang P51, which was the first fighter plane with sufficient range to reach Berlin.

Dave Tappin, events co-ordinator at the Yorkshire Air Museum, where Mr Atwood is speaking next week, said: "When the Americans started daylight bombing in Germany, in 1942, their fighters couldn't accompany the bombers all the way there.

"The Luftwaffe simply waited until the fighters turned back and then laid into the bombers. The American casualties were horrendous. They were losing about 25 per cent of their planes per mission. It couldn't go on."

Then, Mr Atwood, who was chief project engineer for North American Aviation, came up with the Mustang P51.

"He saved their bacon," said Mr Tappin. "It could make it all the way.

"They sent 800 Mustangs over with about 1,500 bombers and saturated the Germans. When Goering first saw them over Berlin he reputedly said 'The war is lost!' - and how right he was.

"It is not possible to overstate the importance of Mr Atwood or his contribution to the outcome of the air war of 1943 - 1945."He said Virgin Atlantic boss Richard Branson had immediately upgraded Mr Atwood's ticket from California to business class when he heard of his war contribution.

The Yorkshire Air Museum is hoping to arrange an air display of the Mustang P51 on the day of Mr Atwood's talk, but only if sufficient seats are sold.

A wartime Mustang ace, Colonel James Goodson, and the historian and author Roger Freeman, will be guests of honour at the lecture, at Elvington, on Saturday, June 13, at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £15 and can be booked on 01423 887313.

See WEBSITE Yorkshire Air Museum

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