Lockheed P-38 Lightning in View

P-38 Lightning 42-68008.

Adjusting the nose guns of a P-38.

P-38 “Scrapiron IV”. Assigned to 393FS, 367FG, 9AF. Personal aircraft of Capt Laurence E. Blumer. Transferred to 326 Ferrying Squadron, 1 Transport Group, 9AF USAAF.

P-38 Lightning white 16.

P-38’s being transported on a carrier.

P-38 with drop tanks.

P-38 Lightning cutaway.

P-38H-5-LO 42-66905 “Japanese Sandman II”, pilot Lt. Dolphus Ransome Dawson II.

P-38 on a strafing run.

P-38, Aleutians.

P-38’s under construction at the factory outdoors.

The 5,000th Lightning built, a P-38J-20-LO, 44-23296, was painted bright vermilion red, and had the name YIPPEE painted on the underside of the wings in big white letters as well as the signatures of hundreds of factory workers. This and other aircraft were used by a handful of Lockheed test pilots including Milo Burcham, Jimmie Mattern and Tony LeVier in remarkable flight demonstrations, performing such stunts as slow rolls at treetop level with one prop feathered, to dispel the myth that the P-38 was unmanageable. In-flight footage of the YIPPEE P-38 can be seen in the pilot episode of the Green Acres television series. Completed in May 1944. After publicity photos were taken, "Yippee" was stripped of its red paint and assigned to the 431st Fighter Squadron of the 475th Fighter Group during the summer of 1944, operating in the Pacific Theater. "Yippee" was forced to return early from a mission on December 20, 1944 due to engine trouble. The P-38 was reported damaged in a taxiing accident in January 1945, and was presumably turned over to a training or service unit as not combat-worthy sometime thereafter. "Yippee" was presumably scrapped after the war.

F-5C-1-LO (P-38J) Lightning 42-67128 "Dot+Dash" of the 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group at Mount Farm, Oxfordshire England.

P-38 Lightning.

P-38 with a slightly different external fuel tank.  Some minor testing was conducted as a means to transport a person in these pods.

The crash of the XP-38. The conclusion of the record flight across the country. The loss of the aircraft did set the program back, but the performance of this new design showed much promise.

Scoreboard indicates the number of fighter and bombing missions flown by this P-38.

‘Drop tank car’ with P-38 in background.

F-5 (P-38) "Maxine" on takeoff, part of the 7th PRG, RAF Benson, Mt Farm, England.

P-38J Lightning ‘Moonlight Cocktail’ of the 392nd Fighter Squadron at Juvincourt Airfield, Aisne, France, January 1945.

The P-38 did not have much space in the cockpit for a passenger.  This one, a P-38F, named “Piggyback” (unusually located on the air scoop on the tail boom) was slightly modified to allow an engineer/passenger to ride along with the pilot, as seen in the photo.

P-38 Lightning.

The P-38 was tested as a torpedo bomber.  The lifting capability of the P-38 was impressive, and the tests conducted were very successful.  However, the nature of war in the Pacific really did not allow an opportunity to be used in actual combat situations. This particular aircraft is ex-RAF as indicated by the serial number AF221 and the British style camouflage on the upper surfaces.

Another view of P-38 AF221.

Maintenance on a P-38.

P-38 testing drop tanks and bazooka rocket tubes.

P-38 testing drop tanks and bazooka rocket tubes.

Pilots run to their P-38s, Aleutians.

P-38 'Peg O' My Heart'.

P-38 wartime postcard “Keep ‘em Flying!”

P-38s.

P-38M “Night Lightning”. This angle shows not only the radar operator crammed in the back, but also the radar pod up front.  The airframe was essentially unchanged in other regards. This version of the P-38 did not see actual combat operations, but was deployed late in the war.

A great view of the radar pod of the P-38M “Night Lightning” version.  Modified from a P-38L frame, the night fighter variant P-38 contained the radar pod with a radar operator passenger.

Note the radar operator in the back seat with the protruding radar unit under the nose.

F-4 or F-5 photo reconnaissance Lightning.

Fifteenth Air Force P-38s return to base, Italy, 1944.

P-38 Lightning.

F-5B Lightning 28th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron with modified 310 gallon drop tanks for high speed Medevac.

“The Curtiss Electric Propeller,” informational booklet issued by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation Propeller Division, Caldwell, New Jersey, Third Edition, 1944. Front cover photograph shows pilot standing on left inboard wing of a U.S. Army Air Forces Lockheed P-38 Lightning, several other P-38s visible in background.

DUKWs transporting a P-38.

P-38, 42-12842.

An uncommon sight of a P-38J with skis in place of the wheels.

P-38, 42-6---8.

P-38J with an F-5B (background).

P-38J 42-67557.

P-38 Lightning.

Lockheed P-38H of the AAF Tactical Center, Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, carrying two 1,000 lb. bombs during capability tests in March 1944.

Lockheed P-38H of the AAF Tactical Center, Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, with one propeller feathered during capability tests in March 1944.

P-38H "Katy-Did II".

P-38F Lightning.

Factory maintenance crews working on a P-38.

P-38E.

P-38E.

P-38D.

P-38F “The Bat Out of Hell” with nose art in progress, while ground crew inspect drop tanks. 94th Fighter Squadron, Twelfth Air Force, Tunisia, 1943.

Maintenance crew arming a P-38 prior to a mission.

P-38.

P-38.

Captain Norman Jackson and crew chief Sgt. S. Mamore with P-38 black 131 "Buzz" with two kill markings.

Lt. Murray Shubin with his P-38 white 129 "Oriole" with four Japanese kill markings on the nose.

Lt. Shubin flew one of the most impressive single day missions in the war. June 16, 1943, flying with the 37th Fighter Group, Shubin scrambled from Guadalcanal to intercept a force of Japanese heading for the Russell Islands. Shubin led his flight towards the Japanese at 23,000 ft. He used his height advantage to good effect, and shot down one fighter immediately. During the course of the battle, he was separated from his flight, and was soon alone flying against five enemy fighters. Shubin fought and scrapped for over forty minutes. He managed to shoot down all five enemy fighters attacking him. Capt. F. P. Mueller of G Company, 35th Infantry, witnessed the entire fight, and was able to confirm all five of the fighters destroyed. Overall, Shubin was able to shoot down six Japanese fighters in one mission.

Model 322 Lightning I AF161 Y-10-A originally part of a British order, transferred to the USAAF.

Lockheed test pilot Marshall Headle.

P-38 black 13.

P-38 “Putt Putt Maru” with Charles MacDonald (pilot) and Charles Lindbergh.

Lt. Jim Weir with his P-38.

Lockheed test pilot Jimmy Mattern with the Lockheed YP-38.

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

Lt. Col. Frank James with his P-38 white 27 with nose art 'Thumper' with a machine gun.

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

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

F-4 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. Aircraft in background is an A-20 light bomber.

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.

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 white 20.

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.

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

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

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.

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

Charles W. King on the wing of his P-38.

Captain Daniel “Preacher” Roberts in the cockpit of his P-38. 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.

Capt. Harry Brown in the cockpit of his P-38. 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. Jay Robbins, 22 confirmed kills, 6 probable and 4 damaged, on the wing of his P-38.

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

Maj, James A Watkins. Finished the war with 12 victories. “The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Captain (Air Corps) James A. Watkins (ASN: 0-427786), United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-40 Fighter Airplane in the 9th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group, Fifth Air Force, in action over New Guinea on 26 July 1943. Captain Watkins, leading one of three four-ship flights on a mission north of Lae, sighted an enemy formation of twenty planes. He immediately signaled for attack, and of two enemy planes approaching him head on, he shot one down. After regaining altitude, he dove on two of the enemy which were attacking one of our planes. With superb marksmanship, he sent one of these down in flames. Two other enemy fighters then attacked him from the front, and he shot down the first. Having gained altitude again, and maneuvering with great skill, he attacked still another plane and destroyed it. In this action in which the enemy had numerical superiority of more than two to one, the flight led by Captain Watkins destroyed six enemy planes without loss, and he personally, by his boldness in attack and his brilliant shooting, accounted for four enemy planes. General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Army Forces in the Far East, General Orders No. 62 (1943). Action Date: 26 Jul 43.”

Captain Kenneth G. Ladd, C.O. 36th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, KIA October 15, 1944. P-38 “Nulli Secundus,” Latin for “Second to None.” Took off on a mission to escort B-24 Liberators over Balikpapan. Over the target, the P-38s intercepted Ki-44 Tojos to keep them away from the bombers. One B-24 crew said this Lighting turned into the enemy formation and was overwhelmed and observed spinning downward. Ladd was officially credited with 11 victories: 17 Dec 43, 29 Jul 43, 2 Sep 43, 15 Sep 43, 13 Dec 43, 17 Dec 43, 26 Dec 43 (double victory), 23 Jan 44, 31 Mar 44, 3 Apr 44.

Lt. Monty Powers in the cockpit of his P-38.

Pilot in cockpit of P-38.

Pilot in P-38 preparing for takeoff.

2LT Robert M. Caywood in P-38, CBI.

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.

Lt. Ben Kelsey on the wing of the  XP-38.

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

Capt. Frank Lent. Credited with 11 victories and was a recipient of Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross. Capt. Lent was lost during a test flight on December 1, 1944. In the background is Thomas McGuire.

Charles Lindbergh (left) consulting with Thomas McGuire (center).

The top two U.S. aces of World War II. Maj Richard Bong and Maj Thomas McGuire. McGuire was killed in combat on January 7, 1945 and Bong died in the crash of a P-80 jet he was test flying on August 6, 1945.

P-38 pilot in flight gear.

Left to right: Thomas Fowler, Sidney Woods, Jack Mankin, Dick Bong.

Left to right front row: Charles Sullivan, Tom Lynch, Ken Sparks. Left to right back row: Richard Suehr, John Lane, Stanley Andrews.

Left to right: P-38 pilots Bob Adams, John Johes, Jess Gidley.

Left to right: Dick Bong, Wallace Jordan, Edward Howes, Warren Curton.

Wartime Lockheed P-38 advertisement.

P-38 Lightning.

P-38 Lightning.

P-38 41-7582 UN-Q 63rd FS, 56th FG, North Africa.

P-38 “Glamour-Puss II" nose art.

P-38 pilots leave their briefing tent to be ferried to their aircraft at an advanced field in Belgium.

Lockheed F-5 (P-38) fighter pilots attending operational briefing prior to a mission, part of the 22nd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 7PRG, RAF Benson, Mt Farm, England. The censor has crossed out the writing on the blackboard were the photo to be released for publication during the war.

P-38 Lightning testing nose guns.

Lockheed P-38J Lightning aircraft "Yippee'" circa 1945.