P-38 Lightning At War

77 Pages·1978·56.857 MB·English

by  Joe Christy, Jeffrey Ethell

Joe Christy &.
Jeff Ethell
Contents
Acknowledgements
Prelude: TheCompany 8
A work of this kind is hardly po ible E pecially, it is dedicated to the ex
P-38Development 12
without the aid ofa great many people. The Lightning commanders and pilot who
authors cannot adequately thank all tho e contributed: Oliver B.Taylor, John Tilley, The Aleutian and North AtlanticFerry 28
o
who helped, but we can dedicate thi book to ug Canning, Hank Schneider, Carroll North Africa 46
them. 'Andy' Ander on, Jack Lenox, Lee Carr,
South-West Pacific1942-1943 64
So, we tru t that you will approve ofthe Sidney Inglet, Sterling Winn, Warren
use we made ofyour help, Ginny Fincik, and Campbell, George Laven, ArtBeimdiek, Bill Sicily and Italy 82
Maj Shirley Bach ofthe USAF 1361stPhoto Hoelle, Frank Barnecott, corgc Europe 100
Squadron; and Wayne Pryor at Lockheed, Fleckenstein, Jack Curti, Downey linch, FarEa tVictory1944-1945 122
James Knott of the Allison Division of Guy Watson, NormJackson, Frank Lawson,
P-38Production 142
GeneralMotors, and General BenKel ey. Jack Fehrenbach, Tom Jone, Dick Burn,
This book i also dedicated to 0 amu Revis Sirmon,. Ben Mason, Ray Toliver,
Tagaya who unearthedJapanese records, and Robbie Robert on, Jules Hymel, Frank
Arno Abendroth who delved into Luftwaffe Shearin, Ross Humer, Richard Bracey, Hugh
files; to Bruce Hoy of the Air Museum, Bozarth, Jack Goebel, Carroll Knott, Harry
Papua, New Guinea; our fellow researchers Brown, Don De sert, Nick Zinni,JackJone
in Australia, T. R. Bennett and Frank Bob Margison, Carl Gardner, Sherrill Huff,
F. Smith; and to Dennis Glenn Cooper, Ira Bill Caughlin, Franci Pope, BillyBroadfoot,
Latour, Wayne Sneddon, Ralph P. Willet, John Stege, Erv Ethell, J. B. Wood on,
and William Carter. George O. Doherty, Robert H. French,
It is also for Carl Bong, brother of Noah Ray Tipton, James E. Kunkle, Fredric
America's Ace of Aces; authors Kenn Arnold, D. A. Suddeth, Bob Woodard, and
C. Rust, Roger A. Freeman who opened his Royal Frey. Again, oursincerethanks...
extensive P-38 file to u , and the generous
Edward Jablon ki, along with Mitch
Mayborn, John Stanaway, Merle Olmsted,
T. R. Bennett, and Glenn Bavou ett. And for Joe ChristyandJeffEthell
J.
Ken SumneyandEmery Vrana.
CopyrightundertheBerneConvention
Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthisbook
maybereproducedinanyfrom withoutthe
permisionofCharle cribner'sSons.
Deign byAnthonyWirkusL lAD
PRINTED I THE U.S.A.
The following was originally printed in the
us
Army paper, tarsand Stripes in 1943,and
was written by a B-17 gunner in North
Africa. It was forwarded by ex-Liberator
pilot, FredBowen, CanogaPark, California.
Oh, Hedy Lamarr is abeautifulgal
AndMadeline Carroll is, too;
But you'llfind, ifyou query, adifferent
theory
Amongst any bomber crew.
For the loveliest thing of which one
couldsing.
(This side ofthe Heavenly Gates)
is no blonde or brunette of the
Hollywoodset,
But an escort ofP-38s ...
Sure, we're braver than hell; on the
groundall is swell-
In the air it's adifferent story.
We sweat out our track through the
fighters andflak;
We're willing to split up theglory.
Well, they wouldn't reject us, so
Heaven protect us
And, until all this shooting abates,
Give us the courage tofight 'em - and
one othersmall item -
An escort ofP-38s.
7
Prelude:The Company
us
In February 1937 when me Army Air and Fred Keeler. Eight ofthose designs had
Corps asked America's struggling aircraft beenproduced for atotalof277airplanes, 196
industry to submitdesign proposals for anew of which were the wooden Lockheeds, such
'interceptor', Lockheed Aircraft Corporation asthefamed Vega ,Orions, and Altair .
was a small company. Its cash on hand was In 1929 the company founders had sold out
approximately equal to one month's to a Detroit group, which in turn allowed
operating expenses; and its sole product, the Lockheed to lip into receivership a the
twin-engined Electra, aimed at the feeder commercial aircraft market dwindled during
airline market, could claim a production run the Great Depres ion. Then, in 1932,
ofIe sthan 80machine during the preceding company aset were purcha ed for 40,000
three year. by a group b ought together by investment
Nevertheless, Lockheed made a bold banker Robert E. Gross (who had previously
responseto the Air Corps'request, submitting backed Lloyd Stearman in Wichita). The e
drawings ofan airplane 0 advanced that, if people originally included airline pioneer
built, it would demand answers to Walter Varney, Lloyd Stearman (who had
engineering and aerodynamic questions for old out to United Aircraft three years
which no answer yet exi ted. Lockheed earlier), Thomas F. Ryan III of Mid-
called the design 'Model 22'. The Air Corps Continent Air Line, broker E. C. Walker,
BeloUl:The10-passengerModel10 wouldcallitthe P-38Lightning. and Mrand MrsCyril Chappellet.
Electra,introducedin1934,cruised 'Model 22' represented the 22nd design Gros also brought in engineer Hall
at1 Smph,andenjoyedimmediate proposed by Lockheed engineers since the Hibbard, who had begun his career with
uccesswithairlineoperators
company was founded 11 years earlier by Stearman in 1927, after earning his degree at
aroundtheworld.
./LockheedCaliforniaCompany Allen Lockheed, John Northrop, W. K. Jay MIT. Hibbard was respon ible for
Above:Keyexecutive who
providedthefoundationfor.
LockheedAircraftCotporanon
werephotographedtogetheron
26July1934.Lefttoright: Lloyd
tearman, RobertGros,Cyril
Chappellet,andHallHibbard.
/LocklzeedCalifortliaCompany
Left: ClarenceL.'Kelly'Johnson,
fatheroftheP-38(andmany
advancedde ign tofollow), was
discoveredbyChiefEngineerHall
HibbardattheUniver ityof
Michiganin1933whenJohn on
wroteareportcriticalofthe
Electra' initialtaildesign.
/LockheedCalifortliaCompany
9
Left: FinalassemblyoftheXP-38
atBurbank.Lockheedsecuritywas
tightandphotosforbidden, which
explainspoorqualiryofthissneak
shotbyLtBenKelsey./ BenKelsey
Right:Sketchesof ixdesigns
roughedoutbyKellyJohnsonfor
the1937AirCorp fighter
competition. Numberfour wa
selected.
/LockheedCalifortliaCompany
Below:Originalpatentdrawingof
theXP-38,filed27June1939,Ii ts
HallL.HibbardandClarenceL.
John ona inventors.
/LockheedAircraftCorporation
lt40.
H L HI. A 0 n AI. 0... 11••71.
AIJrl.AII.
I developmen.t ofthe Model 10 Electra, which rporation) for itsV-1710 projectasearly as mounting aggressions. A Cyril Chappellet
fir. t flew In February 1934, and it was mber 1932; and when the Lockheed later told it, 'Ifwe hadn't had this Qapane e)
HIbbard who first recognised the design del 22 drawings were completed in business, our factory would have been empty
genius of the man who would become bruary 1937, the Allison V-1710-C8 was and the British would hardly have dared to
Lockheed's most famous engineer Clarence t a few weeks away from its first succe sful place contracts with aconcernthat was not in
L. 'Kelly'Johnson. ' t at 1,000hp. It was America's only production.'
J~hnson was doing graduate work at the , liquid-cooled engine near production Although Lockheed had but five days'
UnIVersIty ofMichigan when a scale model tu . notice to prepare for the British visit, a
ofthe Electra was sent there for wind tunnel ockheed Pre ident Robert Gross combination oflong hours and frantic effort
tests early in 1933. When John on wrote a r nally delivered the Model 22 drawing during that time produced a full-scale
report critical.ofthe Electra's tail as embly, Wright Field, Ohio, and, four month wooden mock-up ofaModel 14convertedto
HIbbard was Impressed. He promptly hired I r, the Army indicated its approval ofthe a medium reconnaissance bomber. The
Johnson; and thus laid the cornerstone for 'gn. Air Corp Contract 9974, dated British liked it; and the Air Ministry soon
Lockheed's well known 'SkunkWorks'. June 1937, authorised construction of one approved an order for 250 such machines,
Preliminary drawings of the Model 22 lane. It would be designated XP-38, which they designated the Hudson, at a total
wer prepared in a matter of days starting J asigned Air Corp erial number cost of 25million. It wa the largest single
w~th freehand sketchesbyKellyJoh~son. The 57. order ever received by any US aircraft
AIr Corps wanted a craft for the 'tactical onstruction of the XP-38 did not begin builder. It allowed Lockheed to market
mission of interception and attack ofhostile til 13 months later, and delivery to the Air 4.25million in stock, and beginan expansion
aircraf~ at high altitudes.' Specifics included a rp was made on New Year' Day 1939. programmethatsawthecompanygrowfrom
tr~e aIr peed of 360mph at altitude, and I sembled, it wa loaded on three trucks, 2,500 employees in January 1939, when the
chmbto 20,000ft withinsixminutes. ncealed by canvas, and taken from the XP-38 was delivered, to 50,000 workers in
~, r~ J T~ese figures imposed a power kheed plant at Burbank to March Field, January 1941, when the first YP-38 service
reqUIrement that dictated the use of two rRiverside, California. testmachine wasdelivered.
engines, since no single engine of sufficient eanwhile, events had conspired to place It would be yet another year before P-38
power then existed. Also inherent in the heed in a more favourable financial production reached 150 units per month; and
request. was the obvious necessity of Irion. The Electra had been caled-up to a although the Lightning entered combat quite
emplOying Allison liquid-cooled engine. place midwing transport for which the early, F-4 versions went to Australia in April
The AIr Corps had becomeconvincedseveral n Air Line Company (Oai Nippon) 1942 and P-38E models were ent to the
years before that the high-hor epowerliquid ed a timely order. It was timely because Aleutians in June of that year, still another
cooled engIne offered more possibilities with craft werecomingdown theproduction year would pass before this unique and
. turbo ~upe~chargingat high altitudes than did when a British purchasing commission deadly craft could honestly be called 'combat
the bIg aIr-cooled radial. Therefore, the ,ved in the US in April 1938, in search of ready'. But that didn't matter. The enemy
Ar~y had contributed development funds to lane to belatedly bolster Britain' was upon us, and we were obliged to ftght
,
Alltson (a small subsidiary ofGeneral Motors nee in the face of Adolf Hitler's with what wehad.
11
PJ8 Development
III I t braking power. I went into a 'I landed without using the flaps, and when
hutdtdn'tdamage the airplane. we made an inspection wefound thatthree of
I
u d a hand braking system finally, the four aluminium flap-control link rodshad
put together from a cylinder taken broken, allowing the flaps to run out to the
orthrop A-17, and an extra end of their travel and whip up over
oil tank. The idea behind the extra the trailing edge. These were replaced
w to allow the pilot to pump more oil with teel link rods, which solved that
the y tern after he ran out of brake. problem.
nabled me to keep the pressure up, but 'Later, we found that this flap arrangement
u cd brakes, they would be gone after was ubject to buffeting in the take-offspeed
) normal landing. Therefore, the range at the half-flap setting, and also at the
Nine days after the XP-38 arrived at March
Fi~ld, it was ready to fly; in the quiet, hazy It was indeed big for afighter'" airplane. Its I u technique with this prototype full-flap etting during landing approach at
wings panned 52ft, and its weight exceeded l r ft would be to land it without wheel minimum peed. We soon discovered that
chtll of a Southern California winter
15,OOOlb. Its Allison V-1710-C9 engines, kc. this resulted from insufficient tolerance at the
morning, the man who would fly it tood for
V-171D--ll and -15 Air Corps designations, fhi called for dragging-in low, in landing flaps' leading edge which was pinching-off
a time, silently looking at this ominously
were rated at 1,090hpat 13,200ft. The leftone mfiguration, and using ju t enough power the airflow. Kelly Johnson cut holes in the
beautiful craft. Lt Benjamin S. Kelsey was
rotated cl.ockwi e.(a viewed from the rear), I hold the plane lightly above tall. Then, kin ofthe well the flaps wentintoandsolved
not a talkative man, but hi thought would
and the right engine coumer-clockwise, thus hop power as soon as the runway lid under this on the YP models that followed. But,
not be difficult to gue s. The XP-38
countering the effects of torque and the h. nose. Thi is what led to loss ofthe plane meanwhile, it meant we had to cut the
repre ented a quantum advance in fighter
piralling propeller wa h. tcr at Mitchel Field; I'll return to that in a engines to get the flap down prior to
aircraft design, and it urely po sessed ecrets,
Now, General (retired) Ben S. Kelsey oment. landing. It was a bad way of doing things,
perhap dangeroussecrets.
picks up the story and recalls for us the • n the first test flight, which was delayed but did allow us to go forward with the
Kel ey, however, was an experienced and
significanteven in the XP-3 ' shortlife: mtil 27January because of the braking initial tests.
highly proficient pilot. He had received his
'During the taxi tests, everythingseemedto r blem, I had a Ford Trimotor a a chase 'The e tests, during the next couple of
commission in the US Army Air Corps 10 work well except the wheel brakes. We pI ne, which may help put this in per pective weeks, whichtotalledaboutfive hours' flying
years before (promotion in rank wa
didn't have an airplane then that landed as tllnewi e. Just after I lifted the wheel, the time, did e tablish that the plane handled
agonisingly slow in the US Army during the
fast as the XP-38, and of cour e it wa plane developed a very evere flutter, wing well, and that its performance would easily
twenties and thirties), and his record wassuch
necessary to establish that its brake were Hutter. It wasn't mild; the amplitude of the fall within the parameters we had calculated.
that it had earned him the job of XP-38
adquate. On a high-speed taxi run, I ran out tlutter at the tip was ofthe order oftwo or We had only minor problems. There was no
projectofficer.
of runway after the wheels expanded with hree feet. There wasn't enough runway left trouble with the control; rigging wa
Below:TheXP-3 wa powered
. Th<: twin Allisons were grumbling
t land on and, looking at the wing and excellent, and the engines performed well, withAliionV-171D-11/15(C-9)
unpatJ_ently, and at last Kelsey climbed
Below: Boldlydesigned, theXP-38 wondering what to do, I saw a piece ofthe except for some concern that the early turbo enginesratedat1,000hpeachat
reachedbeyondtheknowledgeof aboard. The XP-38's cockpit was a familiar ·The term 'interceptor', along with the manner in flap bouncing up, 0 I retracted the flaps; supercharger systems would not produce 13,200ft.Itwaseasilycapableof
thebestaerodynamicist .Atrightis place, because he had spent countless hours whIch XP-38 ~pecification were originally drawn, ockheed you ee, had aid to use half-flaps enough carburettor heat at low rpm to 400mphabove15,OOOft.Itwasfirst
aDouglasB-1 Bolob mber. there during construction and assembly ofthe were largely dictated by the need to present it as a Rown9January1939,withLt
ILockheedAircr~(r CompallY bigfighter. purely defen I.ve weapon; the only kind the US or take-off. As the Fowler flaps came back combat carburettor ice under some Benjamin .Kelseyatthecontr Is.
Congres waslIkelytoapproveorpayforatthetime. mto the wing, the flutter stopped. condition. ILockheedAircraftCorporatioll
13
BATH ruB FITTINGS SY TEM INSTALLATION SUPERCHARGER-TYP B-2
GENERAL ELECTRIC~
NO W-4868825
FLAP PUSH-PULL TUBE INTERCOOLER 245437 ARMOR PLATE ,
(245436 RH) OIL TANK VENT LINE
,
230101 SlAI LESS
SlRUCTURE
CENTER SECTION
SUPERCHARGER TO
REAR SHEAR BEAM
-
ATTACHM
PINS UPERCHARGER REGULATOR- TYPE A-7
INTERCOOLER TO MOTOR MOUNT
CARBURETOR DUCT ATTACHMENT
TO ENGINE OIL SYSTEM
AIR OUTLET
"'0 r iR or INTERCOOLER
ATTACHMENT
BOLTS 223557 SCOOp
AIR I TAKE ,
BATHTUB FITTING ATTACHMENT
Above: Superchargerinter-eooler 'Now, there has been a lot of comment Hughe 's record. But in terms offlying time, engines failed to respond. Both 'And within 60 days, that's 60 days mind Above:Turbosuperchargersystem,
formedpartofthewings'leading about us losing the XP-38 at Mitchel Field we could do considerably better because his ntinued to idle nicely; but wouldn't you, Lockheed had acontract for service-test beginningwiththeP-38Jmodel ,
edgesinearlyP-3 andwerea after a transcontinental flight; but the point had been a non-stop flight. It was ju t a lerate. I was low and low on final quantities of the YP-38. There's no way in movedinter-eoolersbeneaththe
continuingsourceoftrouble. engines(increasinginternalfuel by
was that General Arnold, ChiefofAir Corps, question of whether we wanted to go to roach. Without power, there wasnothing the world that Lockheed couldhave received llOgal).Thi improved
was being very hard pressed in Washington Mitchel and back, or call it a day with the uld do to add a single inch to that such a contract that soon, had the XP-38 superchargerefficiency,but
about such things as record-breaking German planneddelivery. roach. I struck the ground short of the remained in existence, because then it would ometimesallowedengineoilto
airplane, and the new British Spitfire... 'Then, in hi ort ofbrusque way, General nway. The aircraft was a total loss; I was have been necessary to validate all it over-eoolifnotproperlymonitored
bythepilot.
Since it was apparent that, when we Arnold aid, "Go ahead, Kel ey. Takeit." mjured. performance e timates, write-in a lot of
delivered the XP-38 from March to Wright 'I averaged 360mph true air speed, and it 'Tom McRae and hi crew from Alli on specific, and probably wait while it was
Field in Ohio, we'd be flying it at it normal was clear to me that the XP-38 would easily t d nine possible causes for the engine' returned to the factory for modifications.
cruising speed, substantially the samespeed as do 400mph if pressed. My flying time llure to accelerate. I had eliminated Therefore, we significantly cut time between
Howard Hughes' cross-country record in a between March and Mitchel Fields was 7hr c: of them prior to the crash, fuel the X model and the Y models as a result of
specially designed racer, we felt that this 2min. I ctor switch, boost pumps, etc, and losing the first one. The same thing happened
would give General Arnold some impressive 'Descending into Mitchel, I think I four remaining possibilitie were when we lost the first B-17 at Wright Field.
figures to use in hisappropriationsbattle with probably picked up carburettor ice. This was Iminated by re-design of the fuel and It was tragic; butnot having the prototypeto
the Congress... a problem that had not been olved, and the rburettor system on the follow-on YP nit-pick for a contract, which you must do,
'I was ordered to deliver the plane to early B-17s had the arne trouble. There dels... you simply go ahead with a design that has
Wright Field on 11 February 1939....it wa simply wasn't enough heat available via the 'The next day, I was in Wa hington to already demonstrated certain basic things
strictlyadelivery flight atstandardcruise... I superchargers at low rpm to handle plain why I'd busted our new airplane. beforeitsloss.'
landed at Amarillo 2hr 48min after leaving carburettor ice. Ihad to throttle way back to neral Arnold Ii tened to my account, then
I
March Field. Another 2hr 45min put me lower the flaps; and then, since I was faced k me around with him to the Secretary of The order for 13 service-test YP-38s was Air
down atWright Field. with a landing without wheel brake, it wa ar, and to the Bureau ofthe Budget; and I Corps Contract 12523, dated 27April 1939.
'When Iclimbed from the plane at Wright necessary to "drag it in" under power at low ue s we went to four or five top level However, the first YP-38 did not fly until
Field, there was a discussion concerning the speed. But the flap problem and the brake pie. In each case, the General would ax 16September 1940, and the last one was not
time I had made, and it wa noted that, with problem werejust waiting for one additional )me, "Kel ey, tell him about that new '38. ' delivered until eight months after that.
the time on the ground at both Amarillo and problem, lack ofpower at a critical time, to I'd tell each how fast it was, how nicely it During those critical 25 months, the 'course
Dayton, there was no possibility ofbettering produce disaster. As I attempted to ease-in h ndled, andsoon. ofhuman events' was altered for generations
14 15
/
me. Still, another nine months would Lockheed, as the rest of the US, British,
before Lockheed achieved anythin:; and Commonwealth industry, did the best it
nbling mass production of the P-38. could with what it had when there wasn't
I production for 1941 would amount to eno~ghofanything, from metal to money to
units (exclusive of the YPs), none of manpower, to go around; and did so
I h were fit for combat. Meanwhile, according to assigned priorities. In additionto
\' r te orders piled up. Britain ordered667 P-38s, Lockheed was building Venturas,
in March 1940; and the US Army Air Hudsons, and Boeing B-17sin largenumbers.
rp • contractedfor 673five monthslater. Meanwhile, the financing of plant
lthough we may tend to fault Lockheed expansion programmes in America had
taking so long to get the P-38 into to depend upon private money sources
ningful production, any of us who are until the US Congress at last enacted the
enough to recall tho e fearful times, the Lend - Lease Bill (HR1776) on 11 March
II u ions, the shortages, the frustrating 1941.
ncy to do athousand thingsat onceto f111 There were other factors that slowed P-38
1 U and pressing needs, will be able to put development and production. The YP-38's
I, and other 'failures' into proper internal structure was practically designed
r pective. Attempting to arm ourselves and from scratch, because the XP-38 had been
nd our freedom, we demanded handbuilt by the 'cut and fit' method, and its
uction miracles of our often poorly airframe did not lend itselfto efficient mass
nded industries to make up for 20 years of production techniques. The Army also
Be!OlV: FirtYP-38madeitsJl1aiden
mplacency, incompetency, and wishful demanded that the YP models be at least
flight16 eptember1940,with
mkingonthe partofourleaders. 1,SOOlb lighter than the experimental model. LockheedChiefPilotMarshall
Finally, there were some important Headleatthecontrol.Counter
aerodynamic lessons to be learned, and a rotatingpropsrurnedolltwards.
Propellercuffswerelarerremoved.
number of detail improvements to be made
heUSArmyAirCorpsbecametheUS ArmyAir Notelackofwing-fuselagefillet.
ree on20June1941. before the P-38's true potential could be ILockheedAircraftCorporation
Above:XP-38isrefuelledatWright
FieldpendingdecisionbyGeneral
Arnoldastothefeasibilityof
extendingKelsey'scross-country
dashtoMitchelField,NewYork.
Right:GeneralHenryH.'Hap'
Arnold,ChiefofAirCorps,orders
LtKelseytocontinueflightto
MitchelField.I&nKelsey
16