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The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed.
Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and
a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Named "fork-tailed devil" by the
Luftwaffe and "two planes, one pilot" by the Japanese, this unique aircraft was used in a number of
different roles including dive bombing, level bombing, ground strafing, photo reconnaissance
missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its
wings.
The P-38 was used most successfully in the Pacific Theater of Operations and the
China-Burma-India Theater of Operations as the mount of America's top aces, Richard Bong (40
victories) and Thomas McGuire (38 victories). In the South West Pacific theater, the P-38 was the
primary long-range fighter of United States Army Air Forces until the appearance of large numbers
of P-51D Mustangs toward the end of the war. The P-38 was probably the quietest fighter in history,
the exhaust merely whispering out of the turbo exits. It was extremely forgiving, and could be
mishandled in many ways, but the rate of roll was too slow for it to excel as a dogfighter. The P-38
was the only American fighter aircraft in active production throughout the duration of American
involvement in the war, from Pearl Harbor to VJ Day.
Pacific theater
The P-38 was used most extensively and successfully in the Pacific theater, where it proved ideally
suited, combining excellent performance with very long range. The P-38 was used in a variety of
roles, especially escorting bombers at altitudes between 18-25,000 ft (5,500-7,600 m). The P-38
was credited with destroying more Japanese aircraft than any other USAAF fighter. Freezing
cockpits were not a problem at low altitude in the tropics. In fact, since there was no way to open a
window while in flight as it caused buffeting by setting up turbulence through the tailplane, it was
often too hot; pilots taking low altitude assignments would often fly stripped down to shorts, tennis
shoes, and parachute. While the P-38 could not out-maneuver the A6M Zero and most other
Japanese fighters, its speed and rate of climb gave American pilots the option of choosing to fight
or run, and its focused firepower was even more deadly to lightly-armored Japanese warplanes
than to the Germans'. The concentrated, parallel stream of bullets allowed aerial victory at much
longer distances than fighters carrying wing guns. It is therefore ironic that Dick Bong, the United
States' highest-scoring World War II air ace (40 victories solely in P-38s), would fly directly at his
targets to make sure he hit them (as he himself acknowledged his poor shooting ability), in some
cases flying through the debris of his target (and on one occasion colliding with an enemy aircraft
which was claimed as a "probable" victory). The twin Allison engines performed admirably in the
Pacific.
On 2-4 March 1943, P-38s flew top cover for 5th Air Force and Australian bombers and
attack-planes during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, a crushing defeat for the Japanese. Two P-38
aces from the 39th Fighter Squadron were killed on the second day of the battle: Bob Faurot and
Hoyt "Curley" Eason (a veteran with five victories who had trained hundreds of pilots, including Dick
Bong).
General George C. Kenney, commander of the USAAF Fifth Air Force operating in New Guinea,
could not get enough P-38s, though since they were replacing serviceable but inadequate P-39s
and P-40s, this might seem like guarded praise. Lightning pilots began to compete in racking up
scores against Japanese aircraft.
Service record
The P-38's service record shows mixed results, but usually because of misinformation. P-38s
have been described as being harder to fly than single-engined planes, but this was because of
inadequate training in the first few months of the war. The P-38's engine troubles at high altitudes
only occurred with the Eighth Air Force. One reason for this was the inadequate cooling systems of
the G and H models; the improved P-38 J and L had tremendous success flying out of Italy into
Germany at all altitudes.Up until the -J-25 variant, P-38s were easily avoided by German fighters
because of the lack of dive flaps to counter compressibility in dives. German fighter pilots not
wishing to fight would perform the first half of a Split S and continue into steep dives because they
knew the Lightnings would be reluctant to follow.
On the positive side, having two engines was a built-in insurance policy. Many pilots made it safely
back to base after having an engine fail en route or in combat. On 3 March 1944, the first Allied
fighters reached Berlin on a frustrated escort mission. Lieutenant Colonel Jack Jenkins of 55FG
led the group of P-38H pilots, arriving with only half his force after flak damage and engine trouble
took their toll. On the way in to Berlin, Jenkins reported one rough-running engine and one good
one, causing him to wonder if he'd ever make it back. The B-17s he was supposed to escort never
showed up, having turned back at Hamburg. Jenkins and his wingman were able to drop tanks
and outrun enemy fighters to return home with three good engines between them.
In the ETO, P-38s made 130,000 sorties with a loss of 1.3% overall, comparing favorably with ETO
P-51s which posted a 1.1% loss, considering that the P-38s were vastly outnumbered and
suffered from poorly thought-out tactics. The majority of the P-38 sorties were made in the period
prior to Allied air superiority in Europe when pilots fought against a very determined and skilled
enemy. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Hubbard, a vocal critic of the aircraft, rated it third best Allied
fighter in Europe. The Lightning's greatest virtues were long range, heavy payload, high speed, fast
climb, and concentrated firepower. The P-38 was a formidable interceptor and attack aircraft and,
in the hands of any pilot, dangerous in air-to-air combat.
In the Pacific theater, the P-38 downed over 1,800 Japanese aircraft, with more than 100 pilots
becoming aces by downing five or more enemy aircraft. American fuel supplies contributed to a
better engine performance and maintenance record, and range was increased with leaner
mixtures. In the second half of 1944, the P-38L pilots out of Dutch New Guinea were flying 950 mi
(1,530 km), fighting for 15 minutes and returning to base. Such long legs were invaluable until the
P-47N and P-51D entered service.
course of their official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the media is in the public
domain.
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed.
Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and
a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Named "fork-tailed devil" by the
Luftwaffe and "two planes, one pilot" by the Japanese, this unique aircraft was used in a number of
different roles including dive bombing, level bombing, ground strafing, photo reconnaissance
missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its
wings.
The P-38 was used most successfully in the Pacific Theater of Operations and the
China-Burma-India Theater of Operations as the mount of America's top aces, Richard Bong (40
victories) and Thomas McGuire (38 victories). In the South West Pacific theater, the P-38 was the
primary long-range fighter of United States Army Air Forces until the appearance of large numbers
of P-51D Mustangs toward the end of the war. The P-38 was probably the quietest fighter in history,
the exhaust merely whispering out of the turbo exits. It was extremely forgiving, and could be
mishandled in many ways, but the rate of roll was too slow for it to excel as a dogfighter. The P-38
was the only American fighter aircraft in active production throughout the duration of American
involvement in the war, from Pearl Harbor to VJ Day.
Pacific theater
The P-38 was used most extensively and successfully in the Pacific theater, where it proved ideally
suited, combining excellent performance with very long range. The P-38 was used in a variety of
roles, especially escorting bombers at altitudes between 18-25,000 ft (5,500-7,600 m). The P-38
was credited with destroying more Japanese aircraft than any other USAAF fighter. Freezing
cockpits were not a problem at low altitude in the tropics. In fact, since there was no way to open a
window while in flight as it caused buffeting by setting up turbulence through the tailplane, it was
often too hot; pilots taking low altitude assignments would often fly stripped down to shorts, tennis
shoes, and parachute. While the P-38 could not out-maneuver the A6M Zero and most other
Japanese fighters, its speed and rate of climb gave American pilots the option of choosing to fight
or run, and its focused firepower was even more deadly to lightly-armored Japanese warplanes
than to the Germans'. The concentrated, parallel stream of bullets allowed aerial victory at much
longer distances than fighters carrying wing guns. It is therefore ironic that Dick Bong, the United
States' highest-scoring World War II air ace (40 victories solely in P-38s), would fly directly at his
targets to make sure he hit them (as he himself acknowledged his poor shooting ability), in some
cases flying through the debris of his target (and on one occasion colliding with an enemy aircraft
which was claimed as a "probable" victory). The twin Allison engines performed admirably in the
Pacific.
On 2-4 March 1943, P-38s flew top cover for 5th Air Force and Australian bombers and
attack-planes during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, a crushing defeat for the Japanese. Two P-38
aces from the 39th Fighter Squadron were killed on the second day of the battle: Bob Faurot and
Hoyt "Curley" Eason (a veteran with five victories who had trained hundreds of pilots, including Dick
Bong).
General George C. Kenney, commander of the USAAF Fifth Air Force operating in New Guinea,
could not get enough P-38s, though since they were replacing serviceable but inadequate P-39s
and P-40s, this might seem like guarded praise. Lightning pilots began to compete in racking up
scores against Japanese aircraft.
Service record
The P-38's service record shows mixed results, but usually because of misinformation. P-38s
have been described as being harder to fly than single-engined planes, but this was because of
inadequate training in the first few months of the war. The P-38's engine troubles at high altitudes
only occurred with the Eighth Air Force. One reason for this was the inadequate cooling systems of
the G and H models; the improved P-38 J and L had tremendous success flying out of Italy into
Germany at all altitudes.Up until the -J-25 variant, P-38s were easily avoided by German fighters
because of the lack of dive flaps to counter compressibility in dives. German fighter pilots not
wishing to fight would perform the first half of a Split S and continue into steep dives because they
knew the Lightnings would be reluctant to follow.
On the positive side, having two engines was a built-in insurance policy. Many pilots made it safely
back to base after having an engine fail en route or in combat. On 3 March 1944, the first Allied
fighters reached Berlin on a frustrated escort mission. Lieutenant Colonel Jack Jenkins of 55FG
led the group of P-38H pilots, arriving with only half his force after flak damage and engine trouble
took their toll. On the way in to Berlin, Jenkins reported one rough-running engine and one good
one, causing him to wonder if he'd ever make it back. The B-17s he was supposed to escort never
showed up, having turned back at Hamburg. Jenkins and his wingman were able to drop tanks
and outrun enemy fighters to return home with three good engines between them.
In the ETO, P-38s made 130,000 sorties with a loss of 1.3% overall, comparing favorably with ETO
P-51s which posted a 1.1% loss, considering that the P-38s were vastly outnumbered and
suffered from poorly thought-out tactics. The majority of the P-38 sorties were made in the period
prior to Allied air superiority in Europe when pilots fought against a very determined and skilled
enemy. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Hubbard, a vocal critic of the aircraft, rated it third best Allied
fighter in Europe. The Lightning's greatest virtues were long range, heavy payload, high speed, fast
climb, and concentrated firepower. The P-38 was a formidable interceptor and attack aircraft and,
in the hands of any pilot, dangerous in air-to-air combat.
In the Pacific theater, the P-38 downed over 1,800 Japanese aircraft, with more than 100 pilots
becoming aces by downing five or more enemy aircraft. American fuel supplies contributed to a
better engine performance and maintenance record, and range was increased with leaner
mixtures. In the second half of 1944, the P-38L pilots out of Dutch New Guinea were flying 950 mi
(1,530 km), fighting for 15 minutes and returning to base. Such long legs were invaluable until the
P-47N and P-51D entered service.
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