P-38 Lightning

Lockheed P-38 Lightning

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was an American long-range fighter-bomber in World War II, which served notably in both the Atlantic and Pacific theatres.

## Contents

* 1 Design
* 2 Service
* 3 See also
* 4 Further reading
* 4.1 notes

## Design[edit]

The P-38 had an unusual "twin-boom" design and two engines. Although the first prototype flew in early 1940, the first production aircraft were not delivered until October 1941, because its unorthodox design provided many design problems.

## Service[edit]

The British were the first to order the P-38, although they were only used for training purposes. The P-38F was the first model to see combat—it was used extensively in North Africa and the Southern Pacific. The P-38G and H also served notably as bomber escorts in Europe, although with the development of the P-51 Mustang and the P-47 Thunderbolt they were almost phased out. They were used throughout the Pacific theatre, as their long range, bomb capacity, and speed made them superb choices for land-based aircraft. In April 1943, 18 Guadalcanal-based Lightnings were sent on a secret mission to intercept and shoot down the plane carrying top Japanese commander Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.[1]

## See also[edit]

* World War II in the Air

## Further reading[edit]

* Martin Caidin. Fork-Tailed Devil: The P-38 (2003) excerpt and text search
* Michael O'Leary. Lockheed P-38 Lightning (1999) excerpt and text search
* John Stanaway and Tom Tullis. P-38 Lightning Aces of the ETO/MTO (1998) excerpt and text search

#### notes[edit]

1. ↑ Donald A. Davis, Lightning Strike: The Secret Mission to Kill Admiral Yamamoto and Avenge Pearl Harbor (2005)