Battle Stations II
Lockheed
P-38 Lightning
Engines 2
x Allison V-1710 vee-12 liquid-cooled turbo-charged piston engines
Dimensions Span 52ft (15.86m), length 37ft
10in (11.53m), height 12ft 10in (3.9m), wing
area 327.5 sq ft (30.43 sq m)
Weight Varied from 11,000 lb (4,990kg) empty in
the early YP version to 14,000 lb (6,350kg) in heaviest subtypes
and, in the L and M versions, a maximum load of 21,600 lb (9,798kg)
Performance Maximum speed 391-414mph
(630-666kmh); service ceiling G version:
40,000ft (12,190m), H, J, L versions: 44,000ft (13,410m); range
on internal fuel 350-460 miles (563-740km); range
at 30,000ft (9,150m) with maximum fuel (late models)
2,260 miles (3,650km)
Armament (typical) 20mm cannon, 4 machine guns,
4,000 lb (1,800kg) of bombs or 10 x 5in rocket launchers
The P-38 was Lockheed's first purely military design. It was born as a response to a US Army Corps specification of February 1937 for a long-range interceptor and escort fighter with a speed of 360mph at 20,000ft and endurance at this speed of one hour.
Lockheed produced a highly innovative aircraft powered by two untried Allison liquid-cooled engines with GEC turbo-chargers recessed into the tops of the Lightning's tail booms. It had tricycle landing gear, a small central nacelle mounting a 23mm Madsen cannon and four 0.5in Brownings firing directly ahead of the pilot, twin fins, Fowler flaps, cooling radiators on the flanks of the booms and induction intercoolers in the wings' leading edges. In 1939, the prototype flew from Burbank, California, to New York City in 7 hours 2 minutes, with two refuelling stops – an almost incredible performance at the time.
The name 'Lightning' derives from a British purchasing order of March 1940 for 143 aircraft. The resulting Lightning I, powered by early C15 engines without turbo-chargers (there was a US embargo), performed poorly at altitude and was rejected by the RAF. Nevertheless, the name stuck to the American E version (which also adopted the RAF's 20mm Hispano cannon) and subsequent models. The rejects were later brought up to US standard, designated P-322s and used as trainers.
Within minutes of the US declaration of war on 7 December 1941, a P-38E shot down a German Fw 200C Condor maritime patrol bomber off the coast of Iceland. Subsequently the P-38 played a significant role in the aerial war in north Africa, north-west Europe and the Pacific.
In April 1943, in the Pacific, where the Americans had broken Japanese naval codes, 16 Lightnings of 339th Fighter Squadron intercepted and shot down a G4M bomber carrying Admiral Yamamoto, commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet – his death dealt a severe blow to Japanese morale. The Lightnings, flying from Guadalcanal, were operating off Rabaul, some 550 miles from their base. In this theatre, the P-38's relatively poor manoeuvrability was more than offset by its range and reliability.
By late 1943,modified G models were being flown to Europe across the north Atlantic. There, the Lightning flew as a target leg escort to the US 8th Air Force's bomber streams attacking occupied Europe and Germany. The Lightning had a longer range than the P-47 Thunderbolt, but its performance fell away above 20,000ft (6,100m), and much of the aerial combat over Germany was fought well above that height. By mid-1944, the Lightning was being replaced by the P-51 Mustang or assigned to ground-attack duties.
The P-38L could carry 4,000 lb (1,800kg) of bombs or 10 rockets. Formations would often bomb under the direction of a lead aircraft converted to drop-snoot configuration with a bombardier in the nose.
The P-38 was also built as a photo-reconnaissance aircraft (F-4 and F-5), and the two-seater M version flew as a radar-equipped night fighter. Lightnings also towed gliders, acted as fast ambulances (carrying two stretcher cases) and flew specialist ECM missions, underlining the aircraft's multi-role effectiveness.
The P-38L version was built in massive quantities, some 3,810 coming off the Lockheed production lines in just a few months in 1944. The final P-38 delivery was in September 1945. Total production was 9,942.
