Lockheed P-38 Lightning Photos (Continued)

Lockheed test pilot Jimmy Mattern with YP-38.

P-38 pilots Lt.Col. Jack Jenkins and Lt. Russell Gustke.

Lt. Jay Robbins, 22 confirmed kills, 6 probable and 4 damaged.

James Hagenback, P-38 UN-C, 63rd FS, 56th FG, 'Bat Out Of Hell'.

Lt. Herbert “Stub” Hatch with his P-38 'Mon Amy'.

Capt. Harry Brown. Brown was one of five pilots to score victories during the attack on Pearl Harbor, shooting down one Val and damaging another while flying a P-36.

Lt. Col. Frank James with his P-38.

The concept for a P-38 that would have floats was an idea that never got off the drawing board.

Pilots run to their P-38’s, Aleutians.

F-4 or F-5 photo recon Lightning.

F-5 (P-38) "Tough Kid", 22PRS, 7PRG, RAF Benson, Mt Farm, England.

F-5B photo recon Lightning with P-38 escort.

F-4 ('Fainting Floozie II') reconnaissance version of the P-38. When the guns were removed, cameras could be placed in the nose. The glass window seen in this photo would allow pictures to be taken.

P-38 Droopsnoot. This variation of the P-38 pulled out the guns and ammunition in the nose, and had a Plexiglas window in its place.  A lone bombardier would lay down, and through the use of a bomb sight, could transform the P-38 into a quality level bomber.  The lifting characteristics of the P-38 were very good and was able to hold two 2,000 lbs.  The 4,000 lb. load was actually similar to the B-17 Flying Fortress.

P-38 Droopsnoot.

Introduced in later variants of the P-38, a pilot could deploy the flap and execute a high speed dive without any concerns or fears of the dreaded compressibility problem.  This problem was common in early P-38s and was characterized by the airflow over the wings approaching and passing the speed of sound (not the aircraft speed, as no World War II aircraft was supersonic), causing the control surfaces to lose effectiveness.  This was one of the first problems associated with the sound barrier, hence the reference to a “barrier.”  In some instances, structural failure resulted and several crashes were directly associated with compressibility.  The photo shows one of the test pilots, Tony Levier, who was very key in testing the aircraft as well as traveling into war zones to demonstrate P-38 handling characteristics.  To the right, Kelly Johnson who would later be instrumental in the design of the F-104, U-2, and the SR-71.

Captain Daniel “Preacher” Roberts. Capt. Roberts was killed in action on November 9, 1943.  At the time, he was among the leading American aces in the Pacific with 14 confirmed victories.

A lone P-38 Droopsnoot variant would lead a formation of regular P-38s with bombs and could deliver their ordnance with the same amount of precision as any large bomber.  Unlike heavy bombers, the P-38s could act as fighters on the way home.  This original and excellent idea did not gain traction due to the prevailing bomber first mindset in the leadership in the ETO.

Maj. Cy Homer with his P-38 “Uncle Cy’s Angel”. Homer was a recipient of the Silver Star and Distinguished Service Medal and finished the war with 15 confirmed victories.

Curran Jones with his P-38.

P-38 cockpit.

Pilot entering P-38 cockpit.

Charles Lindbergh, in the cockpit of Bong’s P-38, was an important figure in the Pacific Theater of Operations.  Through his instruction, P-38 pilots learned valuable fuel saving measures.  Missions could now cover longer distances, and also saved lives with more pilots returning back to home base.  He also shot down one Japanese aircraft, in spite of strict orders to keep Lindbergh far removed from any combat operations or encounters.

Charles W. King with his P-38.

Camera installation on the F-4/-5 photo reconnaissance variant of the P-38.

Lt. Col. Besby Holmes with his P-38.

Early P-38 with the new 300 gal. drop tanks.

Group of P-38 pilots, including Dick Bong (third from right) and Thomas McGuire (second from right).

Lt. Ben Kelsey with XP-38.

Colonel Charles Henry “Mac” MacDonald. MacDonald commanded the 475th Fighter Group for 20 months in his P-38 Lightning "Putt Putt Maru" with the aircraft number “100," becoming the third ranking fighter ace in the Pacific during World War II.

P-38.

Lieutenant Virgil H. Smith, 48th Fighter Squadron, 14th Fighter Group, scored five aerial victories during his first month in combat over North Africa. Smith became the first P-38 Ace of the war when he shot down his fifth enemy aircraft on December 12, 1942.

P-38 pilot Lieutenant Mark Shipman (center) upon his return to Berteaux after a 250-mile walk through enemy territory. At one point in his journey he strode boldly through an Italian encampment.

P-38 “Glamour-Puss II.”

American ace Richard Bong. Richard Ira Bong (September 24, 1920 – August 6, 1945) was a United States Army Air Forces major and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II. He was one of the most decorated American fighter pilots and the country's top flying ace in the war, credited with shooting down 40 Japanese aircraft, all with the Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter. He died in California while testing a Lockheed P-80 jet fighter shortly before the war ended.

Richard I. Bong with his girlfriend Marge in the cockpit of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning.