America's Scariest Flying Killer That No One Was Prepared to Face

Like a true force of nature, a new American fighter peeled down from the Icelandic skies on August 14, 1942. The aircraft was chasing a Focke-Wulf Fw-200 Condor, and the German crew watched in disbelief, as they had never come across such an impressive machine. Its airframe was sleek, but its twin tails gave the warbird a radical appeal.
Before the Germans could react, Second Lieutenant Elza Shahan fired at a rate of 409 rounds per minute from the aircraft’s innovative nose-mounted machine guns, and the Condor was dispatched in seconds.
It was the first successful American engagement with the Luftwaffe during World War 2.
Less than six months later, the fighter was taking advantage of its versatility in North Africa when a lone German pilot surrendered to Allied soldiers at a camp near Tunisia. Agitated, he pointed to the sky and grumbled over and over: (QUOTE) “Der Gabelschwanz Teufel.”
He was referring to the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, and called it “The fork-tailed devil.”
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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

[@kentswan3230]

My father flew P-38L's out of Sicily escorting B24's on the Polesti Oil Field raids. He was shot down on his first mission by flac and escaped back to allied lines subsequently flying over 30 combat missions before returning to the US as a fighter instructor. He loved the airplane. One of his favorite assignments was chasing german trains into tunnels in Italy then skip bombing into the tunnel. His accuracy was apparently legendary. He retired in 1964 as a full colonel commanding a F100 fighter bomber squadron.

[@RivetGardener]

Your dad is a hero of heroes!

[@localcrew]

That’s outstanding.

[@herodlowery9923]

What a great man your dad is! Fantastic story.

[@theshoeman7044]

Hi Kent. My Dad flew the P-38 out of England on Photo Reconnaissance (F-4 and F-5 models). Flew alone. Tree-top level. No guns: just cameras. Climb to altitude. Takes pictures. Run like crazy back to England. Shot down at least once (maybe twice). I was told the French helped him escape to fly another day. I have seen and heard one in low level flight once. Two growling Allisons. Beautiful aircraft.

[@kentswan3230]

@@theshoeman7044 Concur opinion on P38. I can appreciate what your Dad did. This was a tough, dangerous, and essential assignment. From your description of your Dad's experiences, I just recalled one of the details Pop told us about his shootdown. Apparently, they too were on a low-level penetration run when he caught flac that took out enough that it was time to walk. He said he rolled the P38 inverted, released the canopy, and dropped out, pulling the rip cord immediately. He said that after the chute opened, he swung left then right and hit the ground on the back side of a hill. His airplane went over the hilltop and ended up crashing into a farmer's barn. Until the day he left us he apparently still had a bit of shrapnel in him from that event. While this could have been an embellished war story, I would tend to believe it happened just that way. Partisans helped him escape back to Allied lines. Pop's hand-eye coordination, better than 20-20 vision, and 3-dimensional awareness were almost preternatural. When he was flying the F100, he showed us his bombing range score sheets where he typically would place an over-the-shoulder thrown dummy nuclear weapon onto a target. Those score sheets showed that he would normally be within the innermost target ring most of the time. During air-to-air gunnery practice, they would make him go last when making a gun pass at the towed dart targets. This was because, after his run, the remains of darts would be pretty much not there. I do miss him even though he's been gone for many many years now.

[@andrewtaylor940]

One misconception. The Lightning wasn’t really intended to be a dog fighter. In fact it was designed from the ground up to be an anti-dog fighter. It was designed to come in incredibly fast and kill on a pass or closing encounter. And to not get into a twisting turning fight. Strike, gain distance, climb come around and strike again. Don’t play the Messerschmidt or Zero’s tight turning game. It didn’t need to. It had superior speed, climb rate, weapons range and weapon power. It infuriated the Japanese and German pilots because it didn’t play their game. And they really had no good defense against it.

[@tariqsyed445]

Agreed !

[@contraposto2861]

It sure was a good and very neat looking fighter bomber - but in die ETO the P38 definitely hat its problems, notably as an escort fighter: “It was useless. We told Doolittle that all it was good for was photoreconnaissance and had to be withdrawn from escort duties” RAF-legend Eric “Winkle” Brown reported to U.S. Eighth Air Force-Commander Doolittle about the P38 after testflying the type. And in terms of the Germans having „no good defense against it“ - well, sometimes die Lightning had no good defense against them: 23 Luftwaffe-pilots shot down 5 or more P38s. Its suitability for the vast dimensions of the pacific was not the only reason why the Lightning was used primarily there. In Europe it was - despite its undoubted qualities and great looks - of limited use.

[@andrewtaylor940]

@@contraposto2861 That was more due to the early stupidity of the Bomber Mafia insisting that the escort fighters fly with the bomber formations, rather than either clearing the skies ahead or shadowing from above. Tying the fighters to the bombers that way made them easy pickings for alerted Luftwaffe pilots who had plenty of time to gain an altitude advantage and could drop on the formations at their leisure. Once Bomber Command allowed the fighters to do their job properly they became much more effective and a much harder kill. Doolittle almost certainly dismissed Brown’s complaints out of hand. The Lightning was Doolittle’s favorite plane to fly. He knew it’s capabilities better than most. It’s what he personally flew on D-Day. Most Lightnings lost were lost in the earlier campaigns over North Africa and the Mediterranean. They were used heavily as low level ground attack and anti shipping roles there. And yes they were vulnerable if another fighter caught them at low level. It was another example of using an extremely capable plane in its less than ideal role. Doing low level attack when you don’t have air superiority and the enemy is still operating freely in the air is one of the most punishing mission profiles in Military aviation to this day. Just ask the Russian Air Force.

[@contraposto2861]

@@andrewtaylor940 Yes, Doolittele called the P38 "the sweetest-flying plane in the sky" and according to ace Robin Olds all novice pilots were eager to fly the Lighting since it looked so sharp. But he also stated: "We were defeating ourselves with this airplane". The Lightnings Allison engines were notoriously unreliable (this is not even mentioned in Darks Skies video), according to many testimonies the P38 was too complicated to handle for most pilots when confronted with Me109s and Fw190s. So i'm under the impression that the P38 was not just hampered by some tactical misconception. It was not good enough for the ETO - except as a fighter bomber after other types had secured air superiority. US units in europe knew why they wanted to get rid of their Lightnings and see them replaced with P47s and P51s asap. In the Pacific the P38 fared better since the opposition was technically inferior. Nevertheless - if i was an pilot and had the privilege to fly one US WWII airframe, i guess i would opt for die P38 , cause it looks so sharp . In this regard i'm just like those novices in WWII.

[@andrewtaylor940]

@@contraposto2861 The P-38 was not a great plane for novice pilots. While it was quite agile, it could have some strange characteristics and was not the most forgiving ride out there. The early Allison Engines were crap. But they mostly had them well sorted by ‘43. Similarly most of the quirky handling characteristics were largely ironed out in the more refined later models. The planes that hit North Africa were largely the pre-war production models. The ones later in Europe proper and most of the Pacific were largely the more refined 1942 and beyond variants. It was one of the few planes that was produced and flew for the entire length of the war, and kept it’s position near the top of the heap without being outclassed or obsoleted. The only other planes that can really be said of are the Spitfire and the PBY Catalina.

[@billneal8995]

My mother was a machinist at Lockheed during the war making parts for the P38. Bless her soul.

[@peterharrison5833]

Bless your mom and thank her for her service. My mom (still alive today) was a parts inspector for Pratt and Whitney in in Hartford. There were a lot of folks who made sure that the aircraft could fly.

[@peterharrison5833]

Bless your mom and thank her for her service. My mom (still alive today) was a parts inspector for Pratt and Whitney in in Hartford. There were a lot of folks who made sure that the aircraft could fly.

[@playlist55]

I was blessed to know a couple "Rosie the Riveters". Very independent women both of them. Loved them to death. I don't know how we could have won the War without them. Bless all their souls.

[@peterharrison5833]

@@playlist55 Agreed.

[@davidgrant7018]

​@@peterharrison5833i8 I 88 ii I kiu7i88

[@kerosoldier]

I have granduncle who flew a P-38 in the pacific. He, along with his four brothers, all returned home from the war.

[@oifiismith]

My neighbor worked on building the P-38 in California during WW2. He is 97 and not in good health right now. Prayers for this man, that was part of the "Greatest Generation" and a good man, would be appreciated.

[@TheGoddamnBacon]

Prayers.

[@playlist55]

Definitely the greatest generation. Men and Women knew how to work and were not afraid to do it. SMH when thinking about the last couple Generations... Blessed to have had guidance from some of them.

[@sonofizzy]

I hope that he is still with us and doing well. My Dad was a WWII Veteran and would have been over 100 if he were alive today. He died almost exactly 23 years ago, but I still miss him. Here's to you, Dad!

[@oifiismith]

@@sonofizzy Mahalo, Sadly he died on May 22, 2022. He was a great man and will be missed. Sorry to hear about your father. May they all be up there sharing stories and a few drinks.🤙

[@sonofizzy]

@@oifiismith I join in your wish, and offer my sincere condolences for your loss. Thank you for your kind words regarding my Dad. Stop by anytime!.

[@asnrobert]

The P-38 was also pretty durable. In one book I used to have on the P-38, it had an account of these two P-38s in North Africa that were strafing a truck convoy when one of the pilots inadvertently flew into the ground. His wingman circled overhead to see if by some chance the pilot had survived. To his surprise, as the dust cleared, the airplane appeared airborne again, with tail booms askew and one engine out. He was able to fly to 8,000 feet to clear some mountains, and made a wheels-up landing at base. The pilot walked away without a scratch.

[@jacktattis]

I doubt that Source please

[@ponyboy481]

@@jacktattis he said was in a book he read maybe you should look it up

[@brianwilcox3478]

@@jacktattis I read that too. I still have that book. If I can just find it 😕 only 1 propeller hit the ground. the other was fine. p-38s often flew home with one "Fan"

[@jacktattis]

@@ponyboy481 No I asked him for the Source

[@3wbdriver]

@@jacktattis Fork Tailed Devil, The story of the P-38 Lightning, by Martin Caiden. I remember reading the book in the 1970's before keyboard warriors poo-pooed people from the safety of their basements.

[@zacheryzietlow2848]

My grandfather worked for the Skunk works his whole life and help build the engines for the SR-71. I miss him. The scramjet was a game changer.

[@shenmisheshou7002]

An interesting story is that in 1944 during WW2 Charles Lindbergh taught the P-38 pilots how to greatly increase their range by learning how to use the best fuel leaning, manifold pressure, and RPM. Lindbergh flew the P-38 in combat and is credited with one kill in that type. He flew other combat missions with Marine pilots also helping them with techniques to improve takeoff performance of the Corsair so that they could carry more ordinance.

[@fldon2306]

Deja vu… my apologies for repeating your comment!

[@ryanupchurch9683]

But do you know why he figured out those a/f settings? He ran out of fuel on the runway and was embarrassed by it because he blocked the runway from the rest of the flight to land. He overheard someone asking who was the “ sumnbitch “ that blocked the runway

[@franktreppiedi2208]

Too bad Lindbergh was a N@zi sympathizer. He definitely helped defeat the Japanese.

[@twill9278]

Lindberg was able to coax ungodly air time out of that plane,which made it possible to shoot Yamamoto out on the sky

[@shenmisheshou7002]

@@twill9278 It is not a well know history story, but yes, it is I think an important one. People know about the Atlantic crossing, but that was something he did for himself. The aid to the P-38 pilots was something he did for his country.

[@kenjackson6256]

In 1999 I was working at a Kinko's copy store and this short, older bald guy comes up to the counter and puts down a color photo of a P-38 in flight, saying "I want a business card with this as the background." Picking it up, I recognized the plane and said "A P-38. Wasn't it one of these that shot down Yamamoto's plane?" He looked at me, his eyes twinkled as he smiled, saying "Yep. I met that guy!" He proceeded to tell me about a fighter pilot's convention in San Diego where an old friend said "Hey Bill, c'mere, I want you to meet someone." And it was that guy. TWO degrees of separation and I would never have know if I didn't know enough history to ask him that question. Thanks Dark, for all the wonderful videos.

[@beachbum433]

I'm an Aussie, born in January 1944. I could never work out why my parents had 10 seconds of passion in April 1943. They already had 3 kids & it was wartime & they're on struggle street. I worked out they were celebrating the downing of Yamamoto. They disliked the Japanese intensely, the whole time they were alive... My parents were both in Darwin, Australia, 19 February 1942, when it was attacked by aircraft from the same carriers that hit Pearl Harbor 2 months prior, masterminded by Yamamoto...Interesting story, Ken. Thanks!!!

[@katierscott8771]

I think it's interesting that probably the two most flexible, adaptable, fastest and brilliant aircraft of WWII were both twin engined aircraft, ironically initially designed for differing roles, but both capable of the same roles. The other aircraft being, of course, the DH Mosquito, designed initially as a bomber but became an excellent intercepter, and both aircraft ended up excelling at a multitude of roles. Probably the first two, true, multi-role aircraft ever built.

[@yourgrandmasalzheimerpills1143]

I always thought the mosquito was just so good but then I learned about it’s bigger brother the De Hornet. Incredible aircraft that and the p-38k.

[@b.chuchlucious5471]

The Mosquito was awesome, another great contribution from our English cousins.

[@iamsick5204]

Also dual fuselage mustang

[@katierscott8771]

@@iamsick5204 an interesting aircraft but not multi-role, it was always an intercepter of some sort.

[@iamsick5204]

@@katierscott8771 it had many roles but wasn't in WWII. I just wonder what would have happened if the idea caught on sooner. Imagine dual fuselage biplanes.

[@ravenkahne8484]

As a GenXer growing up, you remember WW2 weapons simply by their image. And this is one of the most iconic. :)

[@w.reidripley1968]

Us boomers may have gotten it from plastic model kits. And the smell of toluene. Took us a bit before we had cyanoacrylate glue, like for the canopies.

[@shawn081082]

My father, a minister, had a gentleman in his church that was one of the test pilots involved with the P-38. I loved the P-38 as a young man, still do. I think it is one of, if not the most, beautiful aircraft ever built. He loved telling me about this plane, saying, "Nothing in the sky could touch it. It was nothing less than the great white shark of the sky."

[@Jim-fe2xz]

As a kid in the 50's there were a few reconnaissance versionP38s parked at the then Lockheed Air Terminal (now Burbank). I always thought they were cool - still do! My dad squeezed in behind Tony Levier for a test ride while they were in production. Great story!

[@gregwilson825]

Amazing! In the same era but in Minot ND my dad drove us to the airbase to see one. It was something that changed my little mind imagining what else an airplane could look like.

[@kdrapertrucker]

That would be the original F-5. Pre 1947 the F prefix was for photo recon aircraft, while fighters known then as Pursuits were given the P prefix. When the air Force was made it's own service pursuits were redesignated "Fighters" while recon sir craft were given the R prefix combined with the prefix of whichever type the air frame was originally designed as. Such as RP-80, RB-47, etc.

[@andrewrehnert4997]

@@kdrapertrucker that’s the word that I was looking for “pursuit”, I had forgotten what the “P” stood for…..thank you 👍🏻

[@georgesheffield1580]

The USAF also operated a few out of Panama and ce tral and South a.erica in a join mapping exercise of the OAS .

[@mikewebster8224]

The P-38 was told to be a terrifying aircraft to bail out from. The concept they taught in training was to crawl out of the cockpit, climb out onto the wing to clear the vertical stabilizers, and bail. In practice I've read pilots preferred to get the thing upside down and simply "fall" out of the cockpit.

[@D-B-Cooper]

My father in law was a p38 pilot and was shot down in Germany. He always said rolled it over to bail out. He started at 18 and went through all the jets until the 60s. Died a couple years ago at 94.

[@rfcdgaf]

Both methods were taught to the pilots lol watch the other p38 documentaries

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Turning upside down and dropping out was the preferred method with single-engine fighters, although it depended on still having some control of the plane. Hans-Joachim Marseille was killed attempting this - he struck the tailplane after rolling his plane on its back.

[@charlesdudek7713]

Bailing out right side up would be a bit scary. The idea of getting sliced in half by the horizontal stabilizer would not be a happy thought.

[@janetchennault4385]

My father said that the P-38 bail instructions gave him a good reason to stay with the plane and land it. He flew it in the Aleutians, where twin engines came in real handy.

[@ReDevil2_2A]

I love the P38 and think that It is the MOST UNDERRATED FIGHTER AND ATTACK AIRCRAFT OF WWII!!!

[@narabdela]

Yet another KZbin 'underrated' jockey. 🙄...and you really need to get that caps lock unstuck.

[@ReDevil2_2A]

@@narabdela a "KZbin underrated jockey...?" So lemme guess, your one of those people that knows it all and anyone that gives an opinion you have to make a comment.

[@cliffloy]

My dad got hired at Lockeed in the late 30's. He was a riveter on the tail boom section. He told me that back then they needed to have another person "buck" the rivets from the inside of the boom which ment crawling inside the boom to get the job done. Since there wasn't a lot of room in the boom they had to use midgets. The midget (little person) would have a rope tied around one ankle so they could get pulled back out in case they got stuck (which happened).

[@wmsollenberger8706]

My maternal grand parents both worked at Lockheed specifically on the P-38 throughout the war, always a source of pride!

[@itsapittie]

I've always loved this aircraft for it's unique and elegant look.

[@russhoffman6301]

It was the plane that the highest scoring US aces flew. Richard Bong had 40 victories and Thomas McGuire had 38 victories.

[@johnhadley7715]

Aaaannnd the very same bird that “got” Yamamoto….

[@LordHawHaw100]

And probably would have had a lot more but were ordered out of combat to train new pilots…..german pilots fought until they died or were shot down and captured. Hence were able to rack up dozens and dozens, even hundreds,9of kills in 6 years of war by fighting almost daily.

[@larryfromwisconsin9970]

Thanks for mentioning Major Bong. He crew up near my hometown of Superior, Wisconsin. We have museum dedicated to him with an air worthy P-38 on display.

[@AndrewBrown-fq6vp]

When I was a young lad I got into building scale models. This aircraft was the first one I built, so it holds a special place in my heart.

[@trollwholivesu7258]

Just got into scale modeling this year, and it’s been fun! No p38s yet though

[@tobiashaas1465]

Me too! It was the first 1:72 scale model I build back in the middle-seventies with my now deceased father! And when I got back to modelling again 15 years ago I managed to achieve a Matchbox-kit as we had back then! It was like time traveling, and my father sat by my side! Awesome!

[@scottmccloud9029]

Same here.

[@scottmccloud9029]

@@trollwholivesu7258 Be sure to put weights in the nose. My first one sat on its tail. Lol.

[@Joze1090]

I just finished the Tamiya p38 1/48 scale. It was a dream to put together:)

[@Troubleshooter125]

I always wondered why it was that the P-38 Lightning didn't have the presence in numbers that the P-47 or the P-51 had, especially in the European theater. This video, with its details about its manufacture, neatly answered that question. Many thanks!

[@smithy2389]

Not quite true. It was also due to cost. You could get 3 P-51s for the one p-38. It was a bit sluggish in a manoeuvring dogfight compared to german single engine fighters.

[@aquablue6301]

@@smithy2389 Yes, the 38 was an expensive bird.

[@BogeyTheBear]

The P-38 was built in only one city, Burbank, while the P-51 was built in two (Inglewood and Dallas) while the P-47 had three manufacturing sites (Long Island, Evansville, and Buffalo). Every effort to develop the next generation version of the Lightning (the P-49 and P-58) were thwarted in part by the Army's refusal to let Lockheed sacrifice any floor space on the P-38 assembly line to make its successors-- there was simply no more room to increase their numbers per month.

[@CBB-dg9jy]

Two planes One pilot. War is a numbers game. That said they were worth the money but couldn't be the primary.

[@daleslater6999]

Cost. It cost almost twice as much money as a single-engined fighter. The US government absolutely knew this and was hesitant to spend so much on a single fighter.

[@stewarts8597]

Loved the twin boon fighter planes and the P38 was my fav. The P61 Black Widow a close second

[@4FYTfa8EjYHNXjChe8xs7xmC5pNEtz]

Love them both. Such great planes. The P-61 was one of the first models I ever made.

[@ArnieD17]

From 1966 to 1968 worked with an ex-fighter pilot at Randolf airforce base. Once asked him what his favorite fighter was and why. He said the P-38 because it was very comforting to have two engines when flying long distances over water. His first confirmed kill is often shown. Because of the wet and humid conditions the cameras often failed to record usable footage. You needed camera footage or a visual conformation to get a credit. He said he was so frustrated for not getting credit for his kills that he followed the Zek to the deck and then flew through the water spray to finally got his first confirmed.

[@AGPullen]

This plane is my favorite of all the WWII warbirds! Such a sexy design and lethal platform.

[@Harley-D-Mcdonald]

The P-38 is an outstanding fighter bomber but only a mediocre can opener.

[@aerialcat1]

Mediocre yes, but beats the hell out of using your teeth.

[@alanmydland5210]

It could really open cans at a high rate

[@Harley-D-Mcdonald]

@@aerialcat1 they come in handy in a pinch I always try to keep a couple new ones in my bags. They're super cheap for a box of them.

[@kkarllwt]

The only can opener I have ever used . One on my key ring. ( makes a good screwdriver ) and one by my sink. Same one for 40 years. A perfect piece of engineering.

[@richardcranium5839]

it is a highly desirable pistol too

[@michaelharmon3351]

My father flew P-38's during the war in the Pacific, stationed on several different islands. During the last year of the war, he became a training squad leader in California for new pilots for the P-38. I don't think subsequent generations can really appreciate the sacrifices of our war time parents. A generation of peace time has certainly made me appreciate them all.

[@bobbys4327]

I suppose it depends on how you define peace in your lifetime.

[@WindCatcherRC]

The P-38 is one of my most favorite aircraft of all time. Such a beautiful plane!

[@projectinlinesix]

YES!!! Finally!!!! Thank you!!! My favorite plane of all time!

[@jacktattis]

Gee low standards have we?

[@projectinlinesix]

@@jacktattis Writes the troll in response to someone's comment from 9 months ago lol

[@jacktattis]

@@projectinlinesix Well you answered These old vids come up and I go and see what I missed I even go back 9 years to see what was posted then I have corrected Wilbur Finnigan numerous times

[@little_black_raincloud]

The P-38 is definitely in my top 5 favorite WWII planes. It looks amazing, and is extremely deadly to those who oppose it.

[@haidozo4732]

When I was a kid, and model building was my passion, The Lightning was my undisputed favorite, I built a flying model that was of the "built-up", rubber band-powered type (framework of sticks and pieces of balsa wood covered with water-shrunk tissue, or silkspan if you could afford it). It had a 38" wingspan and I painted it in a classic WWII camo scheme. I was so proud of that thing that I kept it for years and never flew it for fear of wrecking it. After I got out of the USAF, my folks asked me to "do something with it" because it was just taking up space at their house. So, because I had long passed my model building stage and I didn't have any room for it, I decided to give it a "Viking Funeral". I took it to the top of a hill, overlooking a creek, sprayed it with a little lighter fluid, set it aflame and launched it. It glided gracefully down toward the creek until enough of the paper covering had burned off and it lost sufficient lift and stability. It spiraled down, trailing flames, into the creek. Such was the end of my P-38; but, I'll never forget it, and the Lightning still rules as my favorite aircraft. Oh, the pilot survived...

[@davepaisley7675]

This! And the Mosquito!

[@jacktattis]

Not really in the ETO it was an easy target for the Germans and had the worst Tactical Mach of the 3 US fighters

[@LeonardBottleman]

The Erikson Aircraft Collection in Madras Oregon has a P38 that flies in the airshow each year. They also have a P40, P47, P51, and F4U in the collection in the same hangar as the P38, and it is striking how much larger the P38 is than these other pursuit aircraft from the same time.

[@bo0tsy1]

Well, it was between fighter, and bomber, multirole

[@quintessentialtravel1966]

I have been to the Erikson Aircraft Collection three times, over the years. The P38 is huge, but the P47 appears even more massive. Erikson used to have a Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa there, which is amazingly tiny. Until you see the planes in real life, sitting next to each other, you don't realize how different they are in size.

[@4FYTfa8EjYHNXjChe8xs7xmC5pNEtz]

The P-47 is huge, absolutely massive.

[@ACF6180T]

This is & will be my favorite fighter from WW2 period ! as a kid from the 50's I always marvel at these planes ! The majestic P-38 Lightning ! & my 2nd would be P-47 that stayed into service well into the Vietnam war .Thanks for the video.

[@tedball3138]

Please do not forget Charles Lindberg (Spirit of St Louis fame). He Flew the P-38 in the Pacific, and revised flight procedures to increase the P-38 cruising range by 20%. He also flew many missions and is credited with enemy kills.

[@mattperson7293]

Let's also not forget that Lindberg didn't want the US to enter the war, didn't want the US to even send aid to Britain and made anti-semetic remarks and was likely a fan of Adolf. He was also not the first person to cross the Atlantic in an airplane.

[@Triznac52]

Awesome! One of my favorite planes; happy you guys finally did a video about it! I am surprised you didn't go into the nose armament in more detail, as it was a very dark inclusion for the enemy on the receiving end. With 4 machine guns and a cannon (the caliber and setups were changed throughout the years), the 38 devastated enemy forces. Also, Charles Lindbergh, who was overseas helping pilots get more out of the 38, went out on a mission and was credited with a kill. He was soon sent back home, lol!

[@crankychris2]

The 'Lightning' could also accelerate to transonic speeds in a dive [550 mph] the first production aircraft With all that firepower, the Nazi's feared it.

[@twentypdrparrott694]

Lindberg got 2 Zeros His wingman were Thomas McQuire and Col. Charles MacDonald. My father fed him his meals while he was staying with the 475th FG.

[@twentypdrparrott694]

Lindberg taught the 475th how to get the P-38 into overdrive. This increased their mission flights by 4 hours. Mission times increased from 8 hours to 12 hours. Missions from New Guinea to Vietnam were made. It was a group secret for a long time.

[@twentypdrparrott694]

None of the intact P-38's survived the war. They were either scrapped and buried at Clarke Field or Kimpo Field. 2 have been salvaged from the jungles of New Guinea Scarlet Scourge undergoing restoration to flying status in England and White 44 restored to flight status at Colorado Springs. Both aircraft flew with the 475thFG.

[@jacktattis]

@@twentypdrparrott694 Mossie PR34 3500miles

[@user-uo8px3tf5h]

Красивый самолёт.В далеком 1986 году купил и собрал модель,,Lightning,, В СССР времён ,,холодной войны,, большую часть западных самолётов представляли модели ,,Tempest,, и ,,Tunderbolt,, с декалями.На Р-38 такого не было,раскрашивал вручную.

[@NaglfarCommando]

In Wyoming at the nursing home I worked at had a P38 pilot. His stories were awesome.

[@martinpennock9430]

Always loved the P38. Built lots of model kits of it as a kid. Still have a couple in my stash! Great videos as always! God bless you and yours and thanks again for all you do! 👍😊🇺🇸

[@joelmerrill]

I'm still a model builder. I have 70 of them hanging over my head as I write. I've built two 1/48 scale P-38s. I still have one.

[@joelmerrill]

@Shawn 🏴‍☠️ Stafford I don't remember which version my first one was. I built it 50 years ago. The last on I built was that Marge version and I used the Marge decals. It's getting hard to get models now and they are too expensive.

[@jacobsteele7138]

Bet the bitches are always trying to get ahold of your P-38 stash.

[@edgaraquino2324]

Thanks for the video! One of the few twin engine fighter - bombers(among its many configurations) that was flown with a yoke as opposed to a stick...see also the Mossie...beautiful aircraft!

[@wheeljork]

Agreed. P-38 is my favorite aircraft in terms of looks. Skeeter (yeah I know, just poking a little) looked pretty sexy too.

[@qwiklok]

Love the voice, no nonsense dialogue, businesslike. Well done!

[@kellyherald1390]

I've seen the P-38 in person - the 23 Skidoo. For having 2 engines that plane is surprisingly quiet. It is truly a remarkable and beautiful plane.

[@Zuloff]

The exhaust is ducted back to the turbos on top of the booms above the wing. The exhausts are not short open stacks like on most other WWII aircraft. Not that the long ducting is intended to be a muffler but it takes the sharp snarl out of the exhaust note.

[@waynep343]

In the early 80s my bosses friend was a former p30 flight commander . One story that brought him to tears was flying bomber escorts to the Romanian oil fields. He told of 21 p38s with belly tanks . As soon as they saw the enemy fighters the command to drop tanks was given.. they were beyond the fuel tank range and they all knew it. Only 7 out of 21 made it back..he was as proud as hell of his pilots but mad as hell at kelly for pilots bailing out were killed by the rear wing. I never got the chance to ask him why they did not pump fuel from the belly tanks to keep their main tanks full. Maybe they did. My boss was a PB5 flight engineer. My other life time friend was a B29 pilot. It would take me an hour to type out his stories from flight training to toggling a bomb and dropping it in the imperial palace in Tokyo. Ended up flying B29 photo ships including one that took pictures after the first bomb. I saw his photo collection from the personal cameras carried on that mission. .

[@nathanfisher1387]

When operating reserve tanks, fuel is ALWAYS taken from the reserve tank first. Only when it's critically low do they switch the source to the internal tanks and drop the belly tank. His problem there was likely that they were simply too far away to get home on just full internal tanks. (minus what they'd lost during any dogfighting after dropping)

[@Shrkn8r]

Still one of my favorite aircraft of all time.

[@kevinnobody3052]

I love the P-38 Fantastic plane. Thanks for the video. I just learned a couple things I didn't know before.

[@ericberger6966]

The approach with landig lights till touch down is fantastic.

[@mrfriz4091]

Thank you, Dark Skies! My favorite aircraft of all time. Beautiful, graceful and so deadly!

[@jakethomson2991]

Lockheed didn't buy Martin Aerospace until the early 1990's. Back when they designed and built the P-38 they were just Lockheed Aerospace.

[@richardcheatham9490]

Thank You!

[@mirandarights5566]

My Mom and my Aunt built the center wing section of this beautifully deadly aircraft

[@Ronin4614]

What a marvelous airframe and weapons platform the P-38 was. She was stunning not only in appearance but her performance as well. The German pilot described her rather well. Thank you for another great video.

[@sisquack]

The old war birds are the most beautiful. The P-38 is my favorite.

[@RustySax1949]

My parents met on a blind date at a USO show being held at Langford Lodge airfield outside Belfast, Northern Ireland, in early 1943. When I was old enough to start modeling, my dad brought home a Revell P-38 for me to build one day. That's when my mom told me about seeing the P-38s being towed up the Crumlin Rd where she lived on their way between the docks in Belfast Harbor and the USAAC air base at Langford Lodge, where my dad was stationed. They both shared that for shipping, the wings were removed outside the engine nacelles, turned on end and strapped to the inside of the tail booms for protection while on board the freighters. I'm sure it must have been an impressive sight, sadly they didn't think to take any photographs. . .

[@johnhadley7715]

I’m an old Merchie (US), Academy-trained 1969-73 - when they were still teaching yard-and-stay booms/ cargo handling. That shipping prep sounds awesome, but the length of those tail booms - ugh! Even worse on the lift, if there were flawed swivels on the rig and the plane began trying to swing in the wind…

[@rogeranderson6668]

One of my favorite fighters from world war II. The lightning what a phenomenal fighting platform for our pilots.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@juliusfucik4011]

I have always loved your videos, but this one takes the cake. It is even better than previous ones. The timing. The presentation. It is all extremely good!

[@tmike4160]

One of the most iconic planes of all time and you did it justice. Well done

[@MrAbsolutelyYes]

Great Grandfather flew recon in these in the European theater. I was only ever old enough to remember lil things about him being silly about getting brain freeze from eating ice cream too fast and such. Kinda discovered more of his legacy later on and it's been a huge fascination ever since. Funnily enough, I always imagined his plane to be pretty enormous given its versatility but I finally saw one at the airforce museum in Ohio last year and it's surprisingly smaller than I thought. Probably my child-mind just imagining things larger than life. I also loved seeing how incredibly slick the body work was compared to other fighters at the museum. Shouldn't come as a surprise considering it was designed by the same man that would work up the SR-71 later on. Thanks for covering this. Love your work~

[@jacktattis]

Yes I think the US used the P38PR right up to the end in Italy

[@mattcombs8778]

My father, a WW2 and Korean War Vet, loved the P-38. I remember him telling me how awesome that plane was. He bought me a toy P-38, and I loved playing with it. Good memories.

[@TomMcD71]

The P38 was always one of my airplane models growing even after I went to the aircraft museum in Germany back in the 80s

[@PanzerChicken69]

Hey, thanks for the doc. P-38 is my favourite warbird! Keep them video's coming, much appreciated!

[@snagfree]

I had a model of a P-38 when I was a kid. It was a simple plastic one with a mount that if you glued it right, it would look like it was banking. One of my faves.

[@richardgilman4602]

P-38, a lesson in multi-mission serendipity during the Army Airforce's exercise of the art of air warfare.

[@mustralineabsorbine5082]

Thanks for showing the P-38. My dad flew them in Italy and North Africa. Great to see what they were really like. :)

[@joegordon5117]

Loved this aircraft since I was a kid and seeing them in comic book stories - such a distinctive appearance, matched by its incredible performance, it can take its place with pride alongside the likes of the Mosquito for its engineering innovation, style, performance and service record.

[@AshGreen359]

One of my favorite planes, wish they were still around

[@stephenborg3714]

I love these stories. Keep up the good work. I have a large soft spot fir WW2 airlines. I grew up building models of them all. Thanks again.

[@stankygeorge]

When a mere boy, I saw an old wooden model of the P38 and thought it was the coolest and most interesting airplane that I had ever seen, from that day forward it has always been my favorite WWII plane.

[@tacticalrabbit308]

There is a flying P-38 here in Minnesota in a museum south of me at the Granite falls airport

[@w.reidripley1968]

I've seen five Lightnings in a flyover.

[@davidadcock8717]

My Dad was the engine/propeller specialist for the 339th fighter squadron on Guadalcanal. He always loved the P-38... The Yamamoto Mission was made to look like a routine fighter sweep to keep the IJN from realizing that their JN25b communications code had been broken. (P.S. So glad that you correctly named Rex Barber as the pilot who actually shot down the plane carrying Adm. Yamamoto.) After the mission, EVERYONE in the 339th was ordered to KEEP QUIET about the details of the mission, and not a single person in the 339th spilled the beans...

[@lonniesmith3348]

Your Doc's have become my appsolute favorite to watch. The vintage footage is a plus. keep it up.I look forward for so much more from you

[@cd5927]

I flew with a guy in Aces High that went by Lightning and exclusively flew the P-38. His dad worked in the factory installing landing gear on the P-38 and met his mother there cause she worked on a component in the wings. He could make that graceful lady dance through the skies.

[@tombillard5264]

one of my fave designs

[@daniellee5147]

Always loved how these look.

[@troyl5498]

Your narration has greatly improved, and for this listener it is appreciated.

[@Cuccos19]

Strange yet beautiful lines, my all time No.1. favorite aircraft!

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

“The pilot pushed the fighter into 420 mph.” Nice

[@rmcdudmk212]

The general said don't spare the horses and smoke that bad boy 🤣

[@docholliday7157]

I want a few. One of my favorite warbirds of the era. Fantastic video, super informative. Please keep up the educational work.

[@davidbarnsley8486]

And why was it so good Kelly Johnson 👍👍

[@pspboy7]

Just something about WW2 aircraft. Such great elegant designs!

[@1dirkmanchest]

Thank you for another excellent video on aviation history. Your content is impeccably researched, your production values are outstanding and the narrator ties things together smoothly to make this one of the best channels of history on KZbin.

[@Thomasnmi]

I would say "impeccably researched".

[@shawntailor5485]

I remember the thrill of seeing a p 38 in the sky near cwa where i grew up . One of Howards achievements.

[@agrandcanyonoffucksgiven2776]

When I was a little kid, I walked through the store and often looked at model planes and such, but always bought a battle ship to build. That is until I saw the p-38 Lightning. To this day, this plane has fascinated me, and drove my curiousity into other WW2 planes, and in general. Documentaries, movies, and other shows always focus on the mustang or the flying fortress (bad ass in its own right), but very little for my p-38L. Whenever I played a WW2 flight simulator all i cared about, did it have a p-38. Thank you for this doc.

[@justinpallies]

My great great grandmother built these! Love the P38

[@badian37]

Beautiful aircraft! I was always impressed that it had a yoke and not a stick! It had a control wheel like a transport or a light bomber!

[@galenyoung7917]

I remember years ago when at the Chino Arport in So Cal I stood looking up and under one of those things and thinking, this thing is huge!

[@WorldwideRealityVideos]

My favorite! Also RIP Robin Olds.

[@jessestrauss]

I've been waiting for you to make a video on this plane! easily my favorite WW2 plane!

[@conradmcdougall3629]

Beautiful plane.

[@timtitus2532]

Love this plane, thank you for this video.

[@ronaldbrouhard1247]

Early problems the P-38s had in the E. T. O., is the oil in the Intercooler doors would congealed @ 25,000 ft & the pilot had to fight keeping the engines running which is huge when black crosses show up. The J & L models finally had it together. Fabulous plane.

[@donwillhoit6866]

My father worked for Lockheed producing the P-38. As shown in the video the airplanes were moved outside into two lines for final basic fitting and tweaking. My father was in charge of one of the lines. When an airplane was "finished" an Army Air Corp representative would sign off for the military and my father would sign off for Lockheed. My father said from there they were flown off to war. I recently found that they were most likely flown to Dallas to have additional equipment installed. I think the WWII aircraft were the most beautiful aircraft ever created. Call me biased but I tend to think the P-38 was the best but not by much.

[@josepablolunasanchez1283]

Any design has advantages and disadvantages. Its large wing surface makes it very good to have lift at high altitude. It was not great for banking, so for turning battles it would be vulnerable. It was fast. So the best use was to fly high, descend, make a pass and go up again, very much like it happens with an F-4 Phantom.

[@robertleverette6298]

My great uncle flew the lightning out of North Africa , commanding the 37th fighter squadron, 14th fighter group. Was leading his squadron to provide fighter cover for a Royal Navy operation off the Dodecanese Islands in the Mediterranean and is credited for downing seven Stuka dive bombers during that mission (Oct 1943). The final tally for squadron that day was 16 Stukas and 1 JU-88. “Aces Against Germany” by Eric Hammel

[@joegatt2306]

According to available Luftwaffe records, however, no more than seven Ju-87D fell to fighter attack that day. Another Ju-87D of 6/StG.3 made an emergency landing at Rhodes. In addition, a Ju-87D fell to AA fire and a Ju-88A-4 was lost much further away to the south of Kos, due to engine trouble. At about the same time that the 37th attacked the dive bombers, three RAF Bristol Beaufighters of No. 252 Squadron also reached the convoy, only to be attacked from above by three P-38s. One Beaufighter was hit in both engines and crash-landed on returning to Cyprus. This must have been the 'Ju-88' claimed by the 37th.

[@jacktattis]

@@joegatt2306 The USAAF was infamous for that It was one of the reasons that the RAF/Friends stayed clear of the USAAF area of operations

[@andibonfim1284]

Excellent work, very much information. Thanks ❗👍🧐

[@orgonsolo6291]

Anytime I see the p38, I just enda up tvinning ut must have been a tremendously fun plane to fly, Even in wartime. IT simply looks amazing!

[@thedungeondelver]

It was the F15E of its day. It could intercept, it could dogfight, it could precision strike. God what an aircraft.

[@jacktattis]

p38 CLIMB RATE 2960ft/min just a little better than the Hurricane1 but they did improve never in the same field as the Spitfire

[@RealNotallGaming]

Cant dogfight 😂 Is a cow Bf and zero would eat It Just max speed plane

[@thedungeondelver]

Do you know what the loss rate of the BF109 and Zero was during WW2@@RealNotallGaming ? 100% The Allies won. The P38 shot down Japan's most important Admiral. The day the Japanese surrendered, P38s were still flying. No Zeros were. The day the Germans surrendered, P38s were still flying. No BF109s were.

[@RealNotallGaming]

@@thedungeondelver 1) loss rate is counted on LOST planes not grounded planes because the war finished 2) p38 killed admiral in a bomber ... 3) p38 cant have more losses respect axis LoL BF109 = 34000 built P38 = 10000 built so even if all planes was lost p38 couldnt be called worse :))) simple trick, build less so future fanboys can brag about less losses .... stupid 4) interceptor will have always advantage respect escort\fighter planes because more speed and more weapons + good positioning before attack war is not a game, just the fact you can fly freely and change position before charge against enemy , meanwhile escort need to stay in formation and low speed ... is almost free kill ... 5) if you want to see 1vs1 in arena match Bf is basically auto winner in every game ... because better plane IRL the roles are different so basically those 2 planes are not comparable + 2 facts (p38 had max speed problems in dive so alt advantage is useless against Bf, Bf had always fuel capacity problems so P38 can win just forcing Bf to stay in combat zone and finish his fuel LoL) war is chess and plane superiority is relative, is the pilot that count

[@apersondoingthings5689]

@@RealNotallGamingactually it can dogfight. One of the measures 109 pilots made were to flick roll because they could simply not out turn a P38. They had to use diving and rolling in order to get away. If caught in a traditional turn fight a 109 or Fw 190 simply gets beat up by a P38. Zeros in dogfights were mincemeat to really and mid war US fighter. The zeros simply lost every advantage they had after F4Us, F6Fs, and P38s arrived. All they had left was super slow turn rate and that’s it. It lost its high speed turn rate and medium speed turn rate advantages in a instant. The zero by 1943 was quite dog crap and obsolete

[@whtbobwntsbobget]

Probably my favorite plane of all time

[@cojaxart8986]

Great vid! Love the P-38!

[@marvinmartion1178]

A plane that was ahead of its Time! Always my favorite ww2 fighter! It's a work of art! The nose guns always impressed me!

[@harcovanhees394]

Check out the Fokker G1. It was ready in 1936

[@derektaylor6389]

the mosquito could out fly out gun it and out manovour it

[@JohnnyAFG81]

One of the most iconic looking WW2 fighters ever. Certainly grabbed my attention as a kid!

[@garyharstvedt9784]

From P-38 to go with the A-10, I believe some adjustment mods for both to get one is a good secret. Thunderbolts and Lightning yeah !

[@wtgardner6914]

Always loved this airplane. One of the best strike airplanes for it's time ever.

[@flatworm00]

The P-38 was a super fighter...

[@jacktattis]

No it was not it was beaten badly by the Germans