Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Model by Ross Kelley-Vincent
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was one of the most versatile aircraft used in World War II.
It filled multiple roles and was known as the Fork-Tailed Devil by German pilots- "Der Gabelschwanz Teufel"....
"It was a marvelous aircraft! It was the best aircraft I flew in the war by far. I never flew the P-51 Mustang, and its been one of my life regrets, but I flew just about everything else. I liked the P-38s rate of climb, its speed, the way it handled, and its firepower directly out the nose. The P-38 would turn with almost anything, in fact it would out turn the P-47, out climb it, and out maneuver it. The P-38 was one of the great aircraft of WWII."...
Charles MacDonald, P-38 Ace
"On my first confrontation with the P-38, I was astonished to find an American aircraft that could outrun, outclimb, and outdive our Zero which we thought was the most superior fighter plane in the world. The Lightning's great speed, its sensational high altitude performance, and especially its ability to dive and climb much faster than the Zero presented insuperable problems for our fliers. The P-38 pilots, flying at great height, chose when and where they wanted to fight with disastrous results for our own men. The P-38 boded ill for the future and destroyed the morale of the Zero fighter Pilot."...
Saburo Sakai, Japanese Ace
"Mechanically, it was a damn nightmare!"
TSgt. Stephen Graham. USAAF.
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