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United States' Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter^1,2,3,4

Lockheed P-38 Lightning:	Lockheed P-38 Lightning:	Lockheed P-38 Lightning:	Lockheed P-38 Lightning Reconnaissance plane having film removed after mission: United States Army in World War II, Pictorial Record, The War Against Germany and Italy: Mediterranean and Adjacent Areas, 1951, pg 45
Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter :	Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter :	Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter :	Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter :
Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter, cockpit:	Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter, cockpit:	Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter, cockpit:	Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter, over France in 1943:
Lockheed P-38M Lightning fighter:

Design

The P-38 Lightning was the first military aircraft designed by Lockheed.² It was to meet a 1937 specification for a high altitude interceptor.^2,3

Cockpit

Some pilots complained that in the early models the cockpit was very uncomfortable.¹ At high altitudes some pilots even got frostbit.¹

Nose

On many of the models the nose held a 20 mm cannon and four .50 cal MGs providing a powerful punch.¹

Engines

The Allison engines were sometimes prone to over heat.¹

The engines had the radiators in the twin booms which gave excellent high-altitude performance.¹

To eliminate some of the problems of torque in two engine aircraft, the engines were designed to rotate in opposite directions.¹

Undercarriage

The tricycle undercarriage made the P-38 Lightning easier to land and made the engines easier to maintain.¹

Prototype

The P-38 Lightning prototype (XP-38) first flew on January 27, 1939.^1,2,3,4 It had a 37 mm and four 12.7 mm guns in its nose.² The power plant was the Allison V-1710-27/29 which got it to a top speed of 390 mph / 628 kph.² The first flight had the flaps come loose and the XP-38 almost crashed.⁴ Two weeks later, after a trans America record flight, it landing short because of carburetor icing.⁴

The prototypes had a buffering problem around the tail because of the airflow from the wings.¹ This was corrected in the production models.¹

Production

The first P-38 production model first flew in June 1941.⁴

• XP-38: 1⁴
• YP-38: 13⁴
• P-38: 29⁴
• XP-38A: 1⁴
• P-332: 143⁴
• P-38D: 36⁴
• P-38E: 210⁴
• P-38F: 526⁴
  • Production: February 1942 - September 1942.⁴
• P-38G: 1,082⁴
• P-38H: 601⁴
  • Production: March 1943 - August 1943.⁴
• P-38J: 2,970^3,4
• P-38K: 1⁴
• P-38L: 3,923^2,3,4
• F-4: 99⁴
• F-4A: 20⁴
• F-5A: 181⁴
• F-5B: 200⁴
• Conversions:
  • F-5C: 128⁴
  • XF-5D: 1⁴
  • F-5E-2 and F-5E-3: 205⁴
  • F-5E-4: 508⁴
  • F-5F: unknown⁴
  • F-5G: 63⁴
• Total: 9,394^2,3, 9,924¹, 10,036¹

Variants

• XP-38: Prototype.³ Had Allison V-1710-C liquid cooled V 12 engines (1,150 HP).⁴
• XP-49: Experimental high altitude plane.¹
• XP-58: Experimental bomber escort.¹
• F-4: Photo reconnaissance.^1,2,3
• F-5: Photo reconnaissance.^1,2,3 Had no armament.¹
• P-332 / Lightning I: Had Allison V-1710-33 engines (1,090 HP) with no superchargers.⁴
• P-38D: First version to equip squadrons.^2,3
• P-38E: Had 37 mm gun replaced by 20 mm.^2,3
• P-38F: Could carry up to 2,000 lb / 907 kg of bombs under the wings.^2,3
• P-38G: Minor changes in equipment.^2,3 Engine had increased continuous rating.⁴
• P-38H: Could carry up to 3,200 lb / 1,452 kg of bombs under the wings.^2,3
• P-38J: Radiators were moved to chin fairings behind the propellers.^2,3 With a maximum external fuel load it had an endurance of 12 hours.^2,3 Had Allison V-1710-89/91 engines.²
• P-38K: Used Allison V-1710-75/77 engines.⁴ Larger propellers.⁴
• P-38L: Had Allison V-1710-111/113 engines.^2,3
• P-38M: Night fighter.¹
• P-38N: Night fighter.⁴ Radar equipped.⁴ A revised canopy allowed for a radar operator to be seated behind the pilot.¹ 75 converted from P-38Ls.⁴

Usage

More than 100 United States Army squadrons were equipped with the P-38.¹

Mediterranean Terror

The Luftwaffe pilots named the P-38 the der gabelschwanz Teufel or the fork-tailed devil.^1,4

American Aces

Major Richard I. Bong, with 40 victories³, and Tommy McGuire, with 38 victories, were the top American aces.^1,4

Yamamoto Shot Down

A long range mission to shoot down Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was conducted by the P-38.^1,4

United Kingdom

In December 1941 the 143 P-38s that Britain had ordered started to arrive.³

Was initially called the Atlanta by the British.^1,4

The British ordered 250 in May 1940.⁴ A contract for 417 for France was taken over by the British.⁴ The first shipment of 143 P-38s to England did not have the turbo charges which lead to the P-38 not being well received.^1,2,4

First American P-38 Kill

A P-38F was the first to shoot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor over the Atlantic.⁴

Sources:

1. Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
2. Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
3. The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, General Editor Chris Bishop, 1998
4. Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998

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