Trying again

 

  http://spitfiresite.com/histor...

Interesting piece.  I'd read something about it, but much less detailed.  By mid-'44 the RAF had converted their squadrons almost totally to MkVIIIs and IXs and so had a fair number of surplus Vs that could be put to such use.

 

At one point Bell actually built a prototype of a navalized P-39.  It went nowhere for obvious reasons.

 

There was consideration of equiping Marine fighter squadrons with P-51s that went as far as a comparative flight test program between a P-51C and an F4U-1A.  Results were that the Corsair was the better fighter unless you got above 25,000 ft, besides the better external bomb load, so that didn't go anywhere either.