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Britain's Air Ministry were quick to order the new P-38 and three arrived at Bascombe Down in 1942 for trials. These aircraft, known as Lightning Is were never accepted by the RAF and the craft were hampered by the lack of superchargers, chronically affecting performance at altitude. (Lockheed)
Profile-P-38 Lightning
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The Fork Tailed Devil Part I
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
The contribution of Lockheed’s twin boom P-38 Lightning fighter to the crucial air battles of World War II has been consistently understated for the last four and a half decades.
Receiving far less publicity than its single engined stablemate, the P-51 Mustang, the big twin fought the most important air battles of the 1943 to 1944 period and was a key element in breaking the back of Axis air power in the Mediterranean and the Pacific.
The P-38 excelled in that design parameter which is pivotal to :fighting a strategic air war, its combat radius in excess of 700nm had no equivalent in either camp. The Lightning’s combat radius was exploited repeatedly and surprisingly, the Lightning consistently succeeded in catching its opponents off guard. Both in the Pacific and the Mediterranean, the P-38 provided long range escort for heavy bombers, long range :fighter sweeps deep into hostile airspace and interdiction of surface targets.
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