The Lockheed P-38 Lightning: The Definitive Story of Lockheeds P-38 Fighter

141 Pages·1991·160.16 MB·English

by  Warren M. Bodie

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THE Definitive
StoTyof .
Lockbeed's
P-38 Figbter
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By WARREN M. BODIE
oreword: Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson vii
cknowledgements viii
Prologue: Brig. Gen. Benjamin S. Kelsey, USAF (Ret.) x
Introduction xiv
hapter 1: Prelude to an Air Force: Depression, Isolationism,
Service Rivalry, and Politics 2
hapter 2: A Profound Conception 9
hapter 3: Spectacular Growth and Potential Competitors 21
hapter 4: A Quantum Leap Forward - The Prototype Flies 32
hapter 5: Second Thoughts - The yp 43
hapter 6: At Long Last - Production and Trials 55
hapter 7: The Specters of War and Compressibility 68
hapter 8: Weapons of War and P-38 Spinoffs 78
hapter 9: War! And a North Atlantic BOLERO 88
hapter 10: From the Aleutians to Eagle Farm -
The Fight for Time 104
hapter 11: Experiments Galore 118
hapter 12: Oh, To be in England 132
hapter 13: TORCH Lights the Way to AVALANCHE 161
hapter 14: About Face: The Nazis Head North 173
hapter 15: From Piccadilly Circus
to OVERLORD Via POINTBLANK............................. 190
hapter 16: Tidal Wave Over Festung Europa 205
hapter 17: With Honor, With Distinction 224
ppendices:
A. Comprehensive Table Of Lockheed P-38 Production ....... 246
B. Lockheed P-38 Contract Prices,
with Contemporary Aircraft 256
C. Lockheed Drawing Structure
Breakdown for YP-38 256
D. Lockheed P-38M-6-LO Night Fighters 257
E. 15 Good Points of the
Lockheed P-38 - 15 Bad Points
of the Lockheed P-38 257
Published in the United States of America in 1991 by:
Widewing Publications
Post Office Box 238
lossary.................................................. 258
Hiawassee, Georgia 30546-0238
Registered Office:
Rt 1, Box 255 C
Hayesville, NC 28904
Copyright © Warren M. Bodie 1991
ISBN0-9629359-0-5
LibraryOfCongress CardNumber:91-65419
Bookdesign by Anthony Enyedy
Line drawings by Robert Pike
Printed by Bookbuilders Ltd., Hong Kong
Widewing Publications holds exclusive worldwide distribution rights.
", t,
arren Bodie's book onthe history ofthe Lockheed P-38 fighter
lIe ne ofWorld War II is the most thoroughly researched and well
Ilt n book on such a subject that I have ever read. In spite of my
'lssociation with most aspects ofthe P-38 program throughout
11 e ofthe type, Ilearned a great deal about its operational suc-
e; and problems encountered in the worldwide use ofthe aircraft
s pilots. General Ben Kelsey's role as the Army Air Corps project
n1gerand the first pilot to fly the P-38 is well told and completely
urate. The many modifications developed for the P-38 both at the
ory in Burbank, California, and in the field, are well documented
TO:
clearly shown by excellent photographs. I am proud to have
y d a part in such a vitally impressive program.
My beautiful, faithful, loving, compassionate wife
of nearly a half century, the late, lamented Catherine
Cecelia Larson Bodie ....
She was my best friend,
She was the wind beneath my wings. Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson*
LockheedAircraft Corporation
Only the Good Lord knows how much I miss her.
* The ultimately
remarkable
Kelly Johnson passed
awayaftera long
illness on
December21, 1990.
Themaestro, C.L. "Kelly"Johnson(left)leansonhisprideandjoy, theXP-80A "GrayGhost"
astestpilotAnthony"Tony"LeViertalkstotestpilotJamesWhite. ThefirstXP-80prototypeflight
hadtakenplace5yearstothemonthaftertheoriginalXP-38flight. InJune 1944, LeVier, justreo
turnedfromtheETO, checkedoutontheXP-80andwasthenassignedtomakethefirstflightsinthe
improvedXP-80A. "GrayGhost"madeitsfirsttakeoffonJune 10, 1944,atMuroc, California. The
5,000thP-38hadmadeitsflightjustthreemonthsearlier. KellyJohnson'sothertriumphsinclude
theF-104, T-33, U-2, TR-1andSR-71. (Lockheed)
vi VII
There is some validity to the general beliefthat writing a Fromthere, thetrailsfannedoutlikewildfire. Theyledme corporate raiding had changed organizational structures in a tions, a tremendous slice ofhistory would neverhave come to
bookismuchlikecreatinganoilpaintingora lithograph. Ifone to Cass Hough, a brilliant scientificmanwiththe aeronautical dramatic manner: "junk bonds" and aircraft history do not light: Eric Miller, Robert Ferguson, Glen Sunderland, Eric
only thinks in terms of fiction, that is probably the absolute heartofa fighter ace. Thetotalrecallcapabilitiesofsuchmen II1termingleat all. Historyis somethingto bedredgedup now Schulzinger(allwithLockheed), StephenHudek, AlMeryman,
truth. Eveninwritingabout ancienthistory, thetoneis setby were overwhelming. They were still very close to Lt. Gen. nd then to use in advertising. Facts have little to do with Kenneth Sumney and Ray Bowers.
the author's personal feelings and by the reference material James Doolittle, so it was not long before I was taping his hatisusedintheads. Sooriginalrecordsareoftendestroyed Robert Pike has long put up with my unflinching
that he chooses to employ as his base material; it is always memories. The inherent warmth of Doolittle, Kelsey, Hough, )l storedinobscurewarehouses. To retrieve evenportions of demands for detail accuracy to turn out some remarkably
listed in the "Bibliography," ifone is provided. Craigie, Lt. Gen. John Gerhart, and a dozen or more of the he material becomes expensive; usually it is not "cost effec authentic illustrations over a period of 15 years. Without his
Butwriting modernhistoryis quite a different thing. The same genre was a pleasant surprise. These men had all tive" to locate them. The fate of Republic Aviation and its good work for me, it is most unlikely that anybody would
investigative author soon finds that every trail leads to an enjoyedremarkablecareers,oftengainingagreatdealoffame. hlbtory files is but one sad reminder. ever have published accurate drawings on the XP-58, XP-38,
other, manyofwhichcanbeconsideredas "hot" trails. Ifnew As soon as they learned that this was a serious "crusade" of Attempting to trace military history in the mammoth file and the P-38E seaplane proposal. OnlyBob and Iever uncov
groundisplowed, peoplewhowereabsolutelyunknowna few sorts, not aimed at eking out "a penny a word" (a thing that y tern at Norton AFB after past presidents disbanded the ered the proposed P-38 that was to have a 75-mm cannon
years earlier can suddenly take on hero status or be found to annoyedKelsey, no end), theyallgavegenerouslyoftheirtime u ful Audio-Visual center in Arlington, Virginia, has become installed. He was always good natured about every bitofthe
deserve tremendous personal or philosophical kinds of re and knowledge. I Iculously time consuming and expensive. And Norton AFB relationship, despite his time-consuming liaisons with very
spect. Thewritersoonfindsthatevensmallerrorsinjudgment Having written the true storyofthe final flight ofthe late nowindangerofbeingclosed. Thefate offile access hangs attractive women. Bob was cursed with good looks and a
or interpretation can hurt an innocent person. However, the Ralph Virden, one of Lockheed's most talented test pilots, in n the balance. friendly manner.
same writer can do a great deal ofgood in setting the record ordertocounterallofthe totallyerroneous tales ofhisdemise, Thatisjustonereasonwhytheassistanceofthefollowing Alan Bedford, a quiet and unassuming fighter pilot who
straight where erroneous stories - even falsehoods - have Iproceededto contactKellyJohnsonabout the possibilities of pieandorganizationsbecamesoimportant. Myinterviews was equally good at the controls of an F8F Bearcat or an
distortedtherealtruth. Suchdistortionsareoftenpickedupas an interview. He granted my request promptly. In the course th the late Maj. Gen. James "Buster" Briggs and the late, F3H-2M jet fighter, has been like a brother since we crossed
bibliographical material, being repeated over the years when ofa busy working day as he neared retirement from the daily r t Jimmy Mattern provided material that could come from pathsinconnectionwiththeRadioplaneXKD4R-l rocketdrone.
some writerfinds that itis easierto draw onexistingmaterial activitiesinhis AdvancedDevelopmentProjects (ADP)organi other source. We have done a couple of lengthy articles together. AI
than to get involved in investigative research. zation, he spent several hours of his valuable time discussing My appreciation for the help provided by those listed is flew Panthers (F9Fs) off carriers to bomb bridges (as in the
It may seem odd that my own personal research on the the P-38andhis otherprojects. Itwas a shockto learn that no ndless: (An asterisk ['J indicates that the person is de movies) during the Korean conflict. He has been a supreme
historyoftheP-38Lightning, whenitbecamesomethingmore other history writer had ever interviewed him on this specific d): Maj. Gen. James Briggs', William H. Caughlin, Cass enthusiast who knows his airplanes.
than a research project for the American Aviation Historical subject. Andyet, as thingswere inthe 1930s,hewastheman ugh, Col. Jack S. Jenkins, James Kunkle, Harvey Christen, Gayle O. Glennand Iare a generation apart, but we have
Society Journal, did not have its origins with the airplane whohaddesignedthe airplane. Oh,itwas a complexmachine Gen. James H. Doolittle, Col. Ralph Garman, Col. John shared automotive and aviationinterests for years. He is like
designer, Mr. Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson. Perhaps it was and he had specifications in specific areas of design, but Lt. Weltman, Col. Harold Rau', Col. Chet Patterson, Gayle a proximate son who wants to take the helm. It was Gayle
becauseIwasanemployeeofLockheed,atthattimeinmiddle Ben Kelsey's specifications and Kelly Johnson's design talent ,lenn, Col. Stanley A. Long', James Mattern', Thomas who lit the fuse to launch us on the course to a successful
management at Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. in Sunny made the airplane a reality. I nphier, Jr.', Jack llfrey, W.A. "Dick" Pulver, Col. Harry P-38 Anniversary Symposiumin 1977. We created the Split-S
vale, and I was more than a little bit in awe of the obviously The Clarence JohnsonthatIknowis a remarkablyastute, yhuff, Raymond Crawford, Anthony LeVier, Col. James Societyto organizeand conduct the symposiumandto extend
brilliant top-level executive, Mr. Johnson. meticulous dresser, kindly and ever-encouraging man. Our I rrisIII, ArthurHeiden, George McCutcheon, Col. Sammy the life ofsome historicalmaterials byat least 100 years. The
Eventually,itseemedmorelogicaltocontactthemanwho interview was not just one ofaccommodation and politeness; I ,Col. Robert A. Vrilakas, Kenneth Pittman, A. Kevin symposiumwas so successful that it almost overwhelmedus.
started the ball rolling in 1936, although he lived nearly 3,000 it was enlightening, enjoyable and, above all, friendly. ntham, Dustin Carter', Maj. Gen. Marshall Roth, Col. It is easy to trace the origins of the present P-38 National
milesaway, andwe wereunacquainted. Fateintervened, and Ofcourse Iambiased. AfterdoingseveralP-38 articles in rick G. Hoffman, Joseph Onesty, Col. Raymond Toliver, Association to that September 1977 meeting.
I left the Trident program to become involved in the new a lengthy series, plus articles on the Lockheed XP-49, XP-58, H "Bert" Estabrook, Col. Joseph Kuhn, Denise Henry, Lt. Naturally there are governmental agencies, companies,
L-l0ll commercial venture. Within a short time, I was in and XP-90 - all ofwhich really surprised Mr. Johnson - Iwas L C. "Bill" Craigie,RobertDeHaven, "Stumpy" Hollinger, and manymilitary organizations to which we are indebted for
contact with a special Lockheed employee, retired Lt. Gen. L. mostfortunate to havehimsparkmyP-38Symposiumpanelin I r Boyne, Louis Casey, Roger A. Freeman, Bernard W. photographs and historical/technical data. They include:
C. Craigie. I told Bill Craigie of my interest in the P-38, and 1977 with his presence. The symposium served as a reunion n lell, Lt. Gen. John K. Gerhart, James McM. Gerschler,
especially about my admiration for a largely unpublicized forJohnsonandKelsey. Aboutayearlater,ItransferredtoMr. Homer', Maj. Gen. FrankO'D. Hunter', James D. Hawkins, Lockheed-California Co.
officer, Benjamin S. Kelsey, since age 15. While I admired Johnson's ADP organization after an interview with his long HobertShafer, Col. OliverB. "Obie" Taylor, RalphVirden, (now Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Co.)
Charles Lindbergh in my youth, my respect for Kelsey was time associate, Ben Rich, who succeeded him. The ADP David Tallichet, Neil Harrison', Russ Rajani and James United States Air Force Audio-Visual Service (MAC)
closer to a "hero" status because of all that I learned about "Skunk Works" had always been the most coveted place of my" Haizlip.' USAF Historical Research Center (USAFHRC)
him. For a man who had received so little recognition, he employment in Lockheed. Joseph Mizrahi, Editor/Publisher of Sentry Magazines, United States Army Office ofInformation
appealed to me because he was a real "mover and shaker" in The list of those who gave so freely of their time, knowl rves a special salute. How many publishers or editors USAF Office ofHistory (Pentagon)
the true sense ofthe term. In my opinion, the man had been edge, remembrances, photographs, drawings, and encourage It! commit to a 150,OOO-word series with 1,000 photo United States Air Force Museum
instrumentalin savingAmericafrom some decisive defeats in ment reads like an AviationWho's Who. The people have not h in a non-contiguous series of 13 articles in their (Charles Worman and his staff)
history by his earlier actions. been listed in order of rank, volume of material provided or lines? Most book publishers recoil at the suggestion of National Airand Space Museum -SmithsonianInstitution
Well, GeneralCraigiewastherightmantoputmeintouch evenalphabetically, and that is not accidental. Perhaps most than90,000wordsand200or300photographsina book. National Archives
with retired Brig. Gen. Ben Kelsey. Not many months later, of them realize that if there was to be great accuracy in ·sociation extends back to 1973. I guess Joe has pub Imperial War Museum (London, England)
nearly 20 years ago, I was on my way across America to the presenting a definitive history of the P-38, it was a "now or Iabout a halfmillionofmy written words. He continues Flight magazine (Great Britain)
Kelsey farm in beautiful Virginia. Mrs. Kelsey and Ben were never" proposition. As matters have turned out, the 1980s more than just a little supportive. Pursuits Unlimited (Russ Rajani, Fayetteville, GA)
gracious hosts, and my intensive interviews with the general saw a great change in big corporations. The old core people 'rhe following men were the sources ofsome outstanding
led to a lasting friendship. have eitherretired or have beenlost to us forever. A wave of Jraphs over a period of years; without their contribu- "Great cause to give thanks" - Shakespeare.
l
viii
IX
One cold, crisp day in January 1942, less than a month dvances. The fighter was specifically required to have a planewasintheascendancyandthefighter(stillcategorizedas
aftertheImperialJapaneseNavyhadattackedourkeybaseat omph top speed, whereas its immediate predecessors had the pursuit, a holdover from World War I) was the poor-as-a
Pearl Harbor, I found myself standing in front of Gen. Henry (n obligated to attain 300 mph, a speed that none of the churchmouse relative. Emphasis was placed on observation
H. Arnold's cluttered desk in Army Air Force Headquarters lototypes could even approach. The P-38 was to operate (for the ground army), attack and bombardment. The pursuit
in Washington. We had justendedanintensive meeting, and uccessfullyataltitudesexceeding20,000feet, whereournew was tolerated, not considered to be of much military impor
he punctuated it with "Kelsey, what makes you think this neration ofbombers would be flying. Not even the newest tance, butit had goodpublicrelations value.
P-38 fighter will really be any good?" To make his point, he I I Ignfighters of1936-37wereintendedtofight above 20,000 Buteventhebombardmentelementsufferedfromapenny
said, "The Me 110 (really Bf 110) is a two-engine fighter, but
f t Our new fighter was to employ armament providing pinchingmentality. ThethirteenYIB-l7FlyingFortressservice
it's no good." I powerthatwasthreeorfourtimesthatofwarplanesthenin test articles ordered came close to being the end of the line.
Irespondedwith, "General,tobeginwiththeP-38isavery IVlce. Thearmamentincludeda cannon,somethingthathad Under the circumstances, it is not inconceivable that small
differentkindofairplane. Itisn'ta two seater, itismuchmore ver evenbeen seriouslyconsideredfor anAmericanfighter policy changes would have wound up forcing Boeing to sell
advanced indesign, it'sfaster and it's right." I ne inthe single-seat category. Model 299 prototypes to JapanorRussia. Seversky soldclose
Content that I had made my point, he came back impa
Using a devious approach to avoid the policy roadblocks, cousinsoftheP-35toRussiaandtoJapan, andVoughtsoldits
tientlywithsomethinglike, "Oh,allrightKelsey, allright. Get evenreferredtoitas an "Interceptor." Thatwasactuallya 1936 pursuit plane from the Wright Field competition to a
goingand getonwithit." manticdodgeinworkingwiththe MilitaryRequirementand Japanesebuyer. Itwas evena greatlyimprovedversionofthe
(TherapidlygrowingArmyAirCorpshadbeenreorganized
Type Specifications for the design competition in order to fighter we hadevaluated; allofthe bestNorthrop and Vought
onJune 22, 1941, with all commands being unified under the vlate widely from conventional design and operational phi design data went with it, and it was all sold at a financial
directionofMaj. Gen. H.H.Arnold. Lessthansixmonthslater, ophydictatedbyCongress,theExecutiveBranchappointees loss. So few people were involvedinorinterestedin national
hewasfacedwithcommandingawarmachinewiththegreat
ItheWarDepartment. Atalaterdate,therewasanattempt defense - and the obstacles were so overwhelming- that the
estgrowth rate ofany organizationin history.) nunsophisticatedaviationmediatoreadintothatterminol XB-15, XB-19, XP-39 and XP-38 were procured and manufac
Thatmeetinghad,ineffect,emphasizedjusthowdifferent some mission significance. However, between the Air tured under the tightest securitywe couldmuster. Ofcourse
theP-38wasfromanypriorconcept. Theprimarysubjectofthat
IpSBoardandtheExperimentalEngineeringBranchofGen thisalsotendedtoobscurefromanypotentialenemiesthatour
assembly was concerned with the possibility that we might IEchols' Materiel Division, there was absolutely no confu very restricted activity was really well advanced technologi
havetoferryfighters acrosstheAtlantictoEngland. Ayearor n From the outset, the P-38 was to do anything that any cally.
two earlier, that would have been unthinkable, let alone pos
hter had to do, yet not be constrained by preconceived Austerityapproachingpovertyinfluencedallfacets ofair
sible. I had been called to Washington from Wright Field by Itationsimposedby some hypotheticalmission. craft development and procurement. Design studies for pro
my boss, Maj. Gen. Oliver P. Echols. He took me in to see The procurement system under which the airplane was jected fighter performance requirements indicated a demand
Gen. Arnold. Brig. Gen. Carl Spaatz was in the office with ined was different, too. This particular system applied for powerplant outputs that did not even exist and, with the
him. Iknewthatallmycommitmentshadcomehometoroost. only a very few aircraft, such as the Boeing XB-15, the resources available, could not possibly be developed in the
Thefirstfewminutesofthatmeetinghadgonesomething
uglas XB-19, and the Bell XP-39, for instance. The Type critical time frame. The only viable alternative was to use a
like this: cification - which established the basis for the design multiple-engine configuration, which led directly to our Type
TwounsungheroesofWorldWarIIwereCol. CassHough
Q. "Kelsey,whatcanwedotogetenoughrangeoutofthe petition - included extremely ambitious goals. It set Specification to which the four contenders for a P-38 contract
(DeputyChief)andCol. BenjaminS. Kelsey(Chief)atthe
TechnicalOperationsUnitinBovingdon, notfarfromEighth P-38s to fly themto England?" Imums which expressly precluded any simple extension hadto adhere. Thus the configurationwas as muchbornfrom
FighterCommandHeadquarters(AJAX)andLondon. Thepic A. "Well,General,itcan'tbedonewithoutdroptanks.But xisting designs or service articles. A selected group of compellingnecessityas fromanyconceptualdesires. Frankly,
ture wastakenaboutJune21, 1944. Forvariousreasons, the itjusthappensthatLockheed'sthirteenthdroptankdesignhas tractors, limitedto about four in numberfor eachcompeti- therewasastrongantipathy,ifnotdownrighthostility,toward
organizationhadnolessthanfivedifferentnameswithintwo satisfactorilycompletedtests,includingademonstrationflight n, were invited to bid in this classified competition. These a two-engined fighter as revealed by Gen. Arnold's lingering
years. ItappearsthattheyhadjustinheritedanewP-38to ofmore than 2,200 miles." tractors were, in each case, selected on the basis of dem doubtsaslateas1942. Itmeantventuringintountestedwaters.
addtothestableoftestaircraft. ColonelHoughhadcom Q. "Kelsey,whereinhelldidyougettheauthorityforthis?" tratedcapabilityarisingfrompreviousconstructionexperi However, the remarkableexcellenceofthe designdidmuchto
mandedtheunit'spredecessororganizationsthroughoutmost A. "Therewasn't any, General." using advanced techniques, design studies or related minimize characteristics and maximize some of the inherent
of1943underGen. Hunter. WhenLt. Gen. Doolittlereorga Q. "Okay! Okayl" The Generaltooka longbreaU,. "How Ivities. Lockheed and Bell had been included because of benefits.
nizedtheEighthAirForce, herequestedthatKelseytakecom longwillittake to get the tanks thatwe need?" technologically advanced designs they had submitted In 1936, eventhe liquid-cooledinline engine was suspect
mandandexpandthescopeofoperationswithHoughashis A. "Ifwe cyclethe planesalreadydeliveredbackthrough the Multiplace Fighter competition, which Bell produced andbelittled. Air-cooledradialengineswerefirmlyentrenched
DCO. (AsoriginallycreatedunderDoolittle, theorganization the factory, we shouldbe able·to startinabout 90 days." the XFM-1. Lockheed's XFM-2 design was not as radical inmilitaryandnavalcirclestothevirtualexclusionofatypewe
namewasOperationalEngineering.) Q. "Whyinheaven's name willittake solong?" onceptas the Belldesign, butits realpotentialforultimate hadpioneeredwithso successfullyin the late 1920s and early
A. "Well, General, you know that we have been forbid cesswas greater. 1930s, the monoblock inline engine cooled with an ethylene
den by directive for several years to put external tanks on Any well-researched history will reveal the chronological glycol solution. Thanks to the efforts of Gen. Malin Craig,
fighters, so . statistical milestones as well as the roles played by the absolutely no funds were available for years to develop two
The Generalendedthatmeetingwitha terse, directorder
1I0US personalities and organizations in the drama of the stage,two-speedmechanicalsuperchargersforanyofouraero
to "getthis thingmoving." 8 But the significance of these can only be appreciated engines. Therefore,theAirCorpswascommittedtotheturbo
Although the idea offlying a single-seat fighter for 2,200
h a feeling for the environment in which the specifications superchargerthathadbeenunderdevelopmentforwellovera
miles seemed pretty startling at that time, a slightly later
re created and the actions taken. Isolationism was the decade.
version of the P-38 drop tank provided a 3,300-mile range.
ponderantguidingprincipleinpoliticsandinforeignaffairs While the Navy avoided the liquid-cooled engine like the
Furthermore,aproposedraisedtailmodificationoftheairplane
1936. Defense of our shores was the governing military plague as the carrier-basedairplanecameintoits own, theAir
waspartofa programtogeta 5,000-milerangebyusing floats
losophy in line with isolationist policy. Economically, the Corps applied great effort to development ofthe Allison V-12
inplaceofdroptanksinordertoflytheplanesasfarasAustralia
Ion was justemergingfrom the devastating Great Depres- after being beset with a plethora of engine failures in a wide
ifnecessary. Events in the Pacific Warovertook that require
n, sotherewas littlemoneyavailableforweapons develop selectionofair-cooledenginesduringthe 1935-36pursuitcom
ment, so the experiment was dropped. But the cooperation
nt or procurement. The aeronautical industry could only petition. With intensive development the General Motors
betweenthedevelopmentagenciesintheUSAAFandthemain
ectordersforabout200aircraftofoneoperationaltypeina backedAllisonbecameoneofthebestliquid-cooledenginesof
contractorwas,initself,uniqueinmakingavailableacapability
Ieyear. AtWrightField, justoutsideofDayton,the action all time. Progress by 1941 had been so good that a special
at the timeitwas needed. This was evenmore notable when
ter for engineering and procurement for the Air Corps demonstration flight ofseveral P-38s was quietly arranged to
you consider that it went beyond the limitations of specific
ployedfewerthan100militaryand 1,000civilianpersonnel. demonstrate justhow goodthe airplane andthe enginewere.
authorizationand any contractualprovisions.
was not an area in which anybody had trouble finding a OnlytheJapaneseattackonPearlHarborcausedcancellationof
In fact, all of the performance parameters to which the
king space. thetrans-continentalspeeddash, totallyunknownto the gen
P-38 was designed and built were, at the time, staggering
This was an era- the mid-thirties- inwhichthe bombing eral public, that would have publicly corroborated the claims
x xi
T TRAINING
madeforthecombinationofairplaneandengine. Bythe fallof
1941,theP-38 hadbecomeanoperationalreality. Itwasonlya
few short months earlier that the first XP-51 Mustang was
deliveredtotheAirCorpsandthefirstXP-47BThunderbolttook
to the airfor the first time.
Newtothe realmofservicefighters, andinmanycases of
all aircraft, were characteristics such as heavy weight, high
wing loading, great increases in speed, low drag, all-metal
control surfaces, flush riveting and butt-joint skins, tricycle
landinggear, self-sealingfueltanks, armorplate, high-liftflaps
andtremendousincreasesinfirepower. Whatwasacceptedas
normalwingloadingfortheP-38hadbeen,uptothattime,inthe
exclusiverealmofthemostadvancedracingandrecord-break
ing aircraft. All of these characteristics had appeared in the
P-38. In one detail for instance, the combination of heavy
weight, high landing speed and (frequently) short runways
expeditedthedevelopmentofalloywheels, high-pressuretires
and disc brakes. Initial flights in the XP-38 revealed that
developmentintheseareashadlaggedbehindthedemandsof
modernaircraft performance capabilities.
Because ofits low-dragaerodynamic shape andrelatively
heavyweight,theP-38fighteracceleratedtohighspeedsfaster
than any previous airplane. Coupled with its ability to reach
very high altitudes, it was the P-38 that introduced us to
compressibility,thefrontieroftransonicproblems. Theprecise
speeds reached in dives from altitude is immaterial. Pilots
involvedintesting, exploringthe phenomenaofabsolute con
trol loss due to compressibility and in operational situations,
were frequently engaged in dives to terminal velocity. The
dives revealed extraordinarily fast accelerations, and pilots
experiencedallofthestartlingcontrolandrecoverydifficulties
attendantuponthechangesinairflowasthevehicleapproached
the speed of sound. Our current ability to fly safely at these
speedsandtopenetratetosupersonicspeedswasfacilitatedby
the pioneeringexploits ofthe LockheedLightning.
Inmanyways ...inoperations,design,manufacturingand
progressivedevelopment...theP-38wasthetrailblazerforan
entire new generation ofaircraft. For the era in which it was
designed andbuilt, it was a quantumleapforward in the field
ofaeronautics, justastheLockheedSR-71 wasabouta quarter
ofa centurylater.
AuthorWarrenBodiehasdemonstratedinnumerousprevi
ous writings that he is obviously in the front rank of popular
press aviationwriters. His determinationto delve deeplyinto -TO COMBAT
the underlyingcauses, effects, decisions, capabilities and rea
sonsleadingtotheconceptionofanaircraftwhichadvancedthe
stateoftheartsorapidlyintheaeronauticalfieldisreflectedin ABOVE: Lt. BenKelseyandLockheed
hisproduct. Hisdesiretomaximizetechnicalaccuracywithout XP-38at WrightField.
compromising a story in a popular medium is refreshingly
unique. He has accurately reached independent conclusions LEFTABOVE: Lt. Col. FrankB. James,
about P-38 episodes, advances and successes that I had long C.O. o(the 55FGatMcChordField,
believed would never be acknowledged in historical records. Washington, withP-38G-15-LO.
Thismanuscript,Ihavenodoubt,willbeexpandedsignificantly
by the time it is published. I have no reason to believe that LEFT: AtNuthampstead, Lt. Col. Jack
Warren's continuing research will by any less exacting. The S. Jenkinsdemonstratesatacticto
Lt. RussellGustke. "TexasRanger"
ultimatepublicationwill,therefore,becomeareliablehistorical
wasaP-38H.
benchmarkforthoseseekingknowledgeaboutagreatairplane.
s/BenjarninS. Kelsey
Brigadier General, USAF (Ret)
Sherwoo-dFarm
Stevensburg, Virginia
(Aftera brilliantcareer, this self-effacingprince
ofa mandied at his home inStevensburgonMarch 3, 1981.
His brillianceisnotdiminishedin death.)
XII xiii
u/llmateLockheedLightning
, "·38L-1-LO, demonstrates
, ,ngineasitfliesnearits
, atVanNuys, California,
4 ThatSanFernando Vatley
k'ycomponentoftheFourth
(USAAF)
obt,holderoftitleofbeingthe
,Ight-carryingfighterof
rtI, aLockheedLightning
undersideasitbanksaway.
1D-LOdidnotenjoytheben-
oostedaileroncontrolsand
Ibllltydiveflaps;nevertheless,
topacesgainedtheirvicto-
Isandearliermodels.
d)
WiththeCaliforniasun
gonitsflush-skinstructure,
I"·38J-15-LOwasphotographed
fir"l~,w/llerinDecember1943,just
lir.jIJitD/1yearsafterAmerica'sPacific
rwasatlbutwipedoutbythe
, Amerehandfulofearlier
lightningshadanenormous
t d,terringamajorJapanese
,gainstNewGuineaand
, The YamamotoMission
I,mongtheleastofthose
ntactionsinfarawayplaces.
Itter, Lockheed)
Itwasbeautifultoseeinflight. Ithada distinctive,almost having second-sourced the P-51, P-47, B-24, B-17 and the Cor fore anyone canreally evaluate the aeronauticalcontri case,whatdissentappearedwascenteredoneconomicfactors.
melodicsoundthatwas pleasanttothe senses. As viewedby sair- the War ProductionBoard (WPB) was naturallyopposed 1\oftheLockheedP-38Lightninginitsvariousdeveloped Whilewearenowdeeplyinvolvedinforeignaffairseverywhere
almostanyprospectivepilotsinthesettingofthe 1940-45era, to any change that would seriously reduce production for ndcontents,thatpersonmustunderstandwhatAmerica onthe globeandare sometimes virtuallyoverwhelmedbythe
it was awesome. Althoughit tended to intimidate some who even a short time. What was needed was divine intervention ndeed, the worldwas allabout inthe 1930s, Itis easyto impactofinstantaneousworldwidecommunications,suchwas
sawitasafearsomemachinethatwasbeyondthecapabilityof on the part of someone having real political influence, and t or be unaware of the fact that the P-38 was first con hardlythecaseinthe1930s. Today,vastnumbersofpeopleare
eventhe most advanced flying school pilots to control, it was nobodywas available to playthat role. d, constructed and flown in that much disturbed, yet almost totally aware of world conditions and tensions within
remarkably easyto operate and docile to fly. The destructive Fewpeoplerealizehowtrulyremarkableitwasfornumer Ilylethargic, decade. minutesoftheiractualoccurrence. Itwasaverydifferentworld
firepower and blazing speed characteristics exhibited by the ousengineeringdevelopmentstoreachproductionstatusatthe Mostoftheworldsufferedfromthe GreatDepressionthat before 1939.
aircraft could hardly have been comprehended just five years precisemomentofgreatestneed. Brig. Gen. BenjaminKelsey, II d it as the decade ofthe 1930s unfolded, Anyone who There was a time - a long, drawn-out time between 1930
before PearlHarbor became the target ofthe Japanese. That whoatonetimewastheENTIREFighterProjectsOfficestaffin uffered through significant economic deprivation may and 1940- whenprolonged povertywas a way oflife. Unem
wastrueevenformilitarypilotsflyingfirst-linefightersin1936. theoldArmyAirCorps, made hefollowingstatementin1965, dosetohavingthe "feel" oftheDepressiondecade. Until ployment in the United States affected over 25 percent ofthe
Whatwasthismulti-personalityaircraftthatwassoaweinspir about 10 years after his retirement: pI plungedintowarin1939,openpoliticaldissentorstrife workforce. The actualfigures will never be known for certain
ing? It was, ofcourse, the LockheedP-38Lightning. "Ifthereisa goodstoryintheearlydevelopmentsofWorld ( donlysporadicallyintheUnitedStates. Inalmostevery because the government was small at the time and lacked
Totellthestoryofthe P-38 withouttellingthe full storyof WarI,thereisanevenmoreexcitingoneintheevolutionofthe effectivesystemsandproceduresforaccumulationofsuchdata.
thetwin-engine, single-seat,propeller-drivenfighterwouldbe World War II fighter which came into existence in the mid Oneoutofeveryfouremployablepersonswaswithouthopeof
allbutimpossible. WhiletheLightningultimatelyprovedtobe 1930s. Everything had to happenat once for success." finding work, and that situation persisted for several years.
the onlyfighter inallofWorld WarIIthatwas mass produced Andhappenitdid. TheGeneralElectricturbosupercharger, State and federal funds for social aid simply did not exist.
andcouldmeetallofthoseothercriteria,thereweremorethan under development for a decade and a half, suddenly moved EventuallytheU.S.bankingsystemcollapsed,justasthestock
a dozen other serious attempts by a half-dozen nations to from an experimentaldevice ofdubious value to mass produc and bond markets hadatan earlierdate.
developaviablefighterwiththosespecificqualities. Thatthey tion. TinyAllisonEngineeringcameupwithoneofthefourbest Themoodofthenationwasbleak. Tarpapershackenclaves
allfailed is a matterofrecord. liquid-cooledenginesintheworld. BothEnglandandAmerica sprang up in the shadows of skyscrapers in most of the big
OneperverseelementoftheP-38'sgreatsuccesswasthat were roused from a fitful sleep and overcame strong anti-war cities. Breadlines,soupkitchensandthepitifulapplesellerson
thefighterwasultimatelypenalizedforthatsuccessbythevery and isolationist sentiments to select a new French-developed downtownstreetcornerswerecommonplace. "Buddy,canyou
nation it was serving with distinction. Designer C. L. "Kelly" automatic cannon as a standard weapon, swallowing a lot of spare a dime?" was a national password, and the now nearly
Johnson'searlyproposalstoinstallRolls-Royce/PackardMerlin pride in the process. The British were first to recognize their extinct hobo might, in those days, have been your former
engines featuring mechanical two-stage supercharging in basic shortcomings in weaponry. They put the cannon into employer.
stead of turbosupercharging offered significant performance productionas the cloudsofwarloomedominously. Abitlater, FranklinDelanoRooseveltwaselectedtoreplacea largely
and reliability advantages. Weight and complexity would astheUnitedStatesbecamethe"ArsenalofDemocracy," that hide-bound and ineffective Herbert Hoover in the presidency
have beenreduced, fuels would have become almost no prob weaponwasconvertedtoAmericanstandardsandrushedinto and took immediate and radical steps aimed at putting the
lemat alland all-round performance showedimportant gains. mass production. These were but a few ofthe nearly simulta people backto work or on the road to recovery. The National
Having failed to provide a second production source for the neous developments that were combined in the Lockheed Recovery Act (NRA) was to become a household word within
complicated Lightning at a critical stage in the war - while Model 22 aircraft designthat becamethe potentP-38, months. Eventually, hundreds ofthousandsofmenworkedon
xiv xv
federal programs, with the WPA (Works Progress Administra Europe(theETO),firstinthefallof1942andagainin1943. The reconnaissance aircraft ofthe war years. Attributes included Thousands of miles away in North Africa, Lt. Jack Ilfrey
tion) beingthe largestofthese under Roosevelt's New Deal. mode ofoperationleft much to be desired. Early P-47Ds and range, speed, altitudecapabilityand a podcapableofhousing becameanacewhileflyingtheP-38as1942cametoanend. He
Recovery from that astoundingly deep depression was P-51Bswouldhavefaredpoorlyundertherulesprevailing, but severalcameras. didtoursinLightningsandMustangsthroughoutthewar, and
slow, agonizingly slow. Mistakes were unavoidable. Factory itis necessarytorecognizethatneithertypewasdevelopedor CriticsoftheLightningseemtohavebeenconcentratedin hehas greatadmirationfortheperformanceofthetwin-engine
managements often engaged in lengthy but mostly futile mass produceduntillater. theETOandintheAAFtrainingcenters;therefore,anyrespon battler. By way of contrast, Lt. Leonard "Kit" Carson (later
strugglestoreopen; some neverreturnedto productiveactivi Pilotswithlittlemorethanadvancedflyingtraining,littleif siblerebuttalhastobedirectedatthosesectors. Firstofallwe Colonel), with more than 600 hours ofgood training under his
ties. ItisironiC'thatF.D.R. rode'inanaristocraticPierce-Arrow anygunnerytrainingandnotevena scintillaofpseudocombat must recall that the Eighth Air Force Bomber Command was belt,was withthe secondP-51Bgrouptogooperationalinthe
limousine at his inaugural processionin 1933, onlyto see that training were pitted against some ofthe most competent and desperatelyattemptingtoprovethedoctrineofdaylightbomb EighthAirForce,butthatwasnotuntiltheendof1943. Carson
manufacturer's businessfounder inthesameyear. More than aggressiveLuftwaffepilotsincombat-provenaircraft. Allison's ing. TheRoyalAirForcewasconvincedbyearlierattemptsthat becameamultipleaceontheP-51,developinga highregardfor
5000 banks closed their doors, and the United States Steel newly developed V-1710 engine, heavily boosted with the results would be unacceptable. Germany's Luftwaffe had the type. He has few good things to say about the P-38;
Corporation'snetworthwasonly8percentofwhatithadbeen turbosupercharging, wasfranklypronetoindigestionona diet encounteredevenless success withdaylight bombing. however, since he did not fly one in combat, his comparisons
in1930. ThepopulationoftheU.S.atthetimeRooseveltbecame ofBritishaviationfuel. (The reliable Merlin engine responded When USAAF Boeing B-17s in large numbers struck at may be somewhat biased. Both Long and Ilfrey did go opera
president was about 125 million, with an active laborforce of poorly to any attempts to boostit with turbosupercharging.) targets deep inside the Continentwithout escorts inthe sum tional on the later Mustangs. To be objective, much as in
about 45 to 50 million. By the best estimates, as many as 17 GeneralDoolittle expressedthe opinionthat the P-38 was mer of 1943, the daylight bombing doctrine was tested to the choosingcarsorpoliticalcandidates, eachpersondefends that
millionpeoplewereunemployedatthetime,orpossiblya third surely at its very best when operating in the various Pacific breaking point. VIIIth Fighter Command had long since been choice. Soitis withfighter aircraft.
ofthe laborforce. theaters of operation and in the lower combat altitudes and stripped of its P-38 groups for North African operations, and Harking back to Army Air Force's expansion days in the
Itisnothingshortofremarkablethatasmall,barelysurviv warmer climes of the Mediterranean Theater (MTO). On external fuel tanks for P-47s were mostly in the unpopular early 1940sitis necessary to recall that there were few pilots
ing aircraft company, which had never even attempted to balance,theLightning-inhispersonalopinion-was far ahead planningstage. Rolls-RoyceMerlins andNorthAmericanMus qualified to fly high-performance multiengined aircraft. Quite
produce any purely military aircraft, should conceive and con ofallbutone ortwo ofthe mostoutstandingfighters ofWorld tangs wereonlybeingmatedat Hucknallby the fall of1942; a logically,whenyounginexperiencedpilotswereassignedtofly
structanoutstandingadvancedfightingmachinethathastobe WarII. Itwascertainlythemostversatile,outstrippingevenits few energetic BritiSh engineers and pilots shotgunned the a 400-mph twin-engine fighter, not a few of them quickly
lookedupon as one ofthe most underratedaircraftofalltime. contemporaries ofthewaryears becauseit servedwidelyand marriage of high-altitude Merlins to Mustang I airframes and discoveredthattheywereovermatched. Asifthatwasnotbad
That was the Detroit-Lockheed YP-24, first flown in the late effectivelyincombatasanair-to-aircombatfighter, long-range reported the marriage to Maj. Thomas Hitchcock. His "pipe enough,trainingcommandpersonnelwerefrequentlynotupto
summer of 1931. Potential success was effectively blocked escort fighter, dive bomber/skip bomber, strategic (pinpoint line" to the White House lit a fuse in Washington and at thejob. Ifpilotswereassignedtowarzones withasfew as 10
when Detroit Aircraft skidded into bankruptcy, dragging the and saturation) bomber (with bombardier), tactical (ground Inglewood, buteventhenthe firstMerlin-poweredP-51swere to15hoursloggedinaP-38,orhadneverfiredthegunsorbeen
California-basedLockheedwithit. attack) fighter-bomber, photographic reconnaissance aircraft not readyfor combatuntil more than 12 months later. throughanOTU(OperationalTrainingUnit),itiseasytoimag
Evenmore remarkable is the fact that Lockheed rose from and radar-equipped nightfighter. What is evident here is that some luck, a few aggressive ine what might happen ifa prop was to run away on take-off.
an early grave to enjoy modest success in commercialaircraft Lockheed P-38s have been credited with many "firsts," engineers and potent political connections played a massive Many youngsters were killed as a result of panic before Gen.
productionandthenwinahard-foughtcompetitionfordevelop often at the expense of credibility. As an example, public part in the ultimate success ofthe P-51 fighter. Had the RAF BarneyGilescommissionedaseniorLockheedtestpilot,Jimmy
mentandproductionofthemostadvancedfightingaircraftbuilt relations officials andsomemediamembers statedthat it was taken delivery of half a dozen or more Lightning I fighters in Mattern,todemonstrateP-38flightcapabilitiesbeforestudents
in America before the outbreak ofWorld War II. When it was theonlyU.S.militaryaircraftinproductiononDecember7,1941, 1941, had even one aircraft been sent to Rolls-Royce Hucknall throughout the United States. Witha concerted trainingsylla
designed, the Lockheed Aircraft Corporationwas again going thatwas continuinginproductiononVJ Day, 1945. However, and had a couple of high-altitude Merlins been available for bus approved and placed in effect, accident rates dropped
against the grain-the completelyrestructuredfirm had never itcanlayclaimtobeingtheonlyAAFfighteractuallyinvolume installationthen,P-38smightwellhavebeengivenaninjection appreciably even as the number oftrainees increased rapidly.
produced a single military combat-type aircraft. Although it production status for first-line squadron service on that infa ofnewlife.AllmodelsoftheP-38fromtheFmodelonhadrange Despiteadearthoflong-rangeescortfightersintheUnited
could notbe saidthat 1936or 1937were inspirationalyears in mousdateandwascontinuouslyinproductionwhenhostilities capabilitiesthatcouldnotevenhavebeenforeseenintheP-47 Kingdom in the summerof1943, Bomber Commandmade the
the U.S.A., the minuscule design staffat Burbank managed to ceasedin the FarEast. andP-51inlate1941. HadtherebeenaP-38liaisonlikeTommy greatdecisiontoattacktargetsinSchweinfurtandRegensburg,
conceive and design the most totally radical and advanced No otherfighter anywhere on the globe was flown witha Hitchcock,thecourseofhistorywouldsurelyhavebeenaltered deepinsidetheThirdReich. Massedbomberformationshadto
fighting aircraft built anywhere in the 1930s. That was tricyclelandinggearbeforetheP-38demonstratedthatfeature. significantly. perform perfectly iflosses were to be kept within acceptable
Lockheed'sModel22,farmorewidelyrecognizedastheXP-38. It was the first aircraft known to have encountered the Inthemeantime,whereweretheP-38s? Theywerewhere limits. Timing errors, weather and a host ofother "Gremlins"
Theformatadoptedwasbrazenlyradicalinaworldthatallbut phenomenon of compressibility. The airplane's high-flying the P-47s and P-51s weren't! They were successfully com conspired to sabotage perfection, so fierce and relentless at
ignored single-seat, twin-engine fighters. That alone set the capabilitycoupledwithapredispositiontoacceleraterapidlyin bating the Nazis in North Africa, Sicily and ultimately in tacks by home defense fighters and flak took a terrible toll of
XP-38 apart. But that was only a tiny part of its advanced adivecausedittoreachalimiting"Mach'snumber" longbefore Italy. Defense of Alaska and the Aleutians was almost en B-17bombersandcrewmen;thedaylightbombingdoctrinewas
concept. anyothertypeencounteredthatalmostunknownphenomenon. tirely in the hands of P-38 and P-40 pilots. A thin line of severelywounded.Itwastimetoeitherabandonthedoctrineor
Ina worldwide industry stilladdicted to metal tube (and, Taken individually or collectively, the P-38 Lightning was defense in Australia and New Guinea consisted entirely of toprovidesomeeffectivefighterprotection... athingthathad
yes, even wood frame) structures covered with fabric, the the first fighter-type aircraft to demonstrate the capability of P-38s and the outclassed P-40s. Oh, there were some P-39s not been foreseen when the concept of precision daylight
Lockheed design featured butt-jointed metal skins with flush flying across the North Atlantic Ocean for delivery to Europe and P-40s, but any success the Allies may have enjoyed bombingwas developing inthe latter halfofthe 1930s.
rivetingthroughout. Externalbracinghadbeenavoided likea (accomplished "inspades" aspartofOperationBOLEROinthe would have been far more difficult to attain if at least a Atleastthreecommanddecisionsweremadewithrespect
plague; it was the first fighter anywhere to feature a tricycle summerof1942.) handful ofP-38s was not available. to the escort fighter. New long-range fighters would be de
landinggearthatwasfully retractable, and everywheelopen Nootherfighter(oranyotherknownaircraftforthatmatter) Maj. Gen. George C. Kenney, formerly a dynamo with the signedandproduced. Fromtheoutsetithadtobeobviousthat
ingwasalsototallyfairedinwithtight-fittingcovers. Extremely was everequippedwithirreversiblepower-boostedflight con Materiel Command and then commander of the Fourth Air suchanapproach, atbest, wouldmeanlongdelaysincarrying
heavyarmamentwasfullyconcentratedinthe centralnacelle. trols before late-series P-38s adopted them as standard (all Force, was placedincommand ofthe SouthwestPacificAllied out the mission of destroying German production facilities.
Allcontrolsurfaceswere metalcoveredat a time whenfabric modernhigh-performanceaircraftarenowequippedwithpower AirForcesunderGeneralMacArthurinmid-1942. Alliedforces Nevertheless,theeffortwasinitiated. Theseconddecisionwas
coveredcontrolsurfacesdominatedthescene. Thelistofother boostedcontrols). were in peril of losing control of the entire area, including aimed specifically at fighter range extension, which meant
advancedfeatures wouldbe extremelylong. A P-38 was the first fighter anywhere to fly with two full Australia, and the air force was virtually inept in combating reversalofa long-standingattitudethat hadexistedfor years.
All of this came about in a nation overwhelmingly size aerial torpedoes ... in fact, no other fighter ever demon ImperialJapanese airpower. Air Technical Service Command, affected manufacturers and
isolationist and, therefore, bitterly opposed to war in any strated such a capability; it was evidently the first fighter Before leaving for Australia, (then) Maj. Gen. Kenney Col.CassHough'sTechnicalOperationsSectioninVIIIthFighter
form. That such a combat machine should even survive in the aircraft ever to carry andlaunch sucha weapon. knowing that Gen. Hap Arnold, a proponent of lightweight Command were virtually given carteblanche authorization to
prevailing political and financial environment is truly another Early in the war, a production P-38 was the first - if not fighters and bombers with long range, was no real admirer of proceedapace to develop andproduceviable range extension
remarkable happening. To have itgoonto become oneofthe only - fighter type able to demonstrate a nonstop, unre the P-38 Lightning - got Arnold to commit 50 new P-38s and systems. (One schemeinvolvedtowingP-47s to combatareas
world's great combat aircraft of all time nearly boggles the fueled range capability of more than 3,000 miles, and within an appropriate number of Fourth Air Force pilots to his new behind bombers, then releasing the fighters to defend the
senses. Later versions of the XP-38 may not have been as months of that demonstration, any production P-38 had the command. Sufficeittosay,Kenneybecameagreatadvocateof bombers.) As an interim measure, every P-38 group that had
pleasing to the visual senses, but the demands of warfare inherent ability to challengethat mileage. theP-38,demandingdeliveryofmoreandmorethroughoutthe adequatetrainingwaspulledoutoftheContinentalAirDefense
are not-as wellserved bybeautyas they are by efficiency. No other fighter, including the Mustang or Thunderbolt, war. Afterall, you don't argue with success. Command and sent to the United Kingdom for escort duties,
In the eyes of one special aviation great, Gen. James ever toted a 4,000-pound bomb load in combat in the war WarintheAleutianswasnopicnic. Whiletherewas nota beginninginlate summer 1943. (It was longoverdue.)
Doolittle, a man with tremendous knowledge relating to the Lightnings demonstratedthat feat onnumerous missions. greatdealofraucousaircombatofthetypemoreindigenousto Few, if any, of the critics have ever looked objectively at
necessitiesbestsuitedtothe conductofeffectivewarfare, the Most importantly, it was exclusively the only mass-pro theETO, flying conditionsandoperationsovergreatdistances the fight-at-odds into which the Lightnings were catapulted
P-38LightningmaynothavebeenthebestfighterofWorldWar ducedtwin-engine,single-seat,propeller-drivenfighterofWorld of largely unmapped territory made the P-38 a more than in 1943. Thrown into the breech at a time when the bomber
II, buthe does concedethat this canprobablybe attributedto WarII. welcome additionto the Alaskan Command. Lt. StanleyLong force was reelingfrom unacceptablelossesandwhenno other
factors unrelated to the aircraft's capabilities. Strategic and WhiletheP-38 possessedsuperbfighting capabilities, the (laterCol.Long),oneofthefirsttofightwayoutthereattheend fighter - American or British - could penetrate continental
tacticaldoctrineprovedtobea severehandicaptoutilizationof F-5 versions that were developed from the pre-war F-4 for of the Aleutian chain, loved the P-38 and continued to love it air space by more than 100miles, more orless, the Lightnings
thetypeatthetimethefirst groupsweredeployedinnorthern photographicwork were, withoutany doubt, the finest photo- long afterhe was assignedto fly more modern types. carried the full load. Facilities were not prepared, the new
XVI
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