The P-38 Lightning (1): XP-38 Through P-38H

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The P-38 Lightning (1): XP-38 Through P-38H (Detail & Scale 57)

By Bert Kinzey

Publisher: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc. 1998 80 Pages

ISBN: 1888974109

PDF 29 MB

The Germans called it Der Gabelschwanz Teuful or "Forked-tailed Devil," and the Japanese referred to it as two planes with one pilot. But whatever it was called, Lockheed's P-38 was a giant step forward in fighter tech­nology and design. It was faster, bigger, and more heavily armed than anything ever seen previously. In England, early versions in particular were plagued with problems associated with using British fuels in exhaust-driven, turbo-supercharged engines, but in Africa, South­ern Europe, the Aleutians, and throughout the Pacific, it performed admirably. Pilots who could master a twin-engined fighter loved the P-38, while those that couldn't shunned it. America's top two aces of World War II scored their victories in the large P-38 while flying against nimble Japanese aircraft known for their maneu­verability. Although it was controversial, its contribu­tions to America's efforts during the war were undeniable while it served as a single-seat fighter, photographic re­connaissance aircraft, and in several special purpose roles.