Flight of the XP-38

83 years ago First Lt Benjamin Kelsey of the United States Army Air Corps took off in an experimental army plane from March Field in Riverside California on what would be a very exciting trip that marked the debut of one of the iconic aircraft of the Second World War. There was only ever one Lockheed XP-38, but it would alter the face of aircraft design, and the course of the Second World War.
Support The History Guy on Patreon: / thehistoryguy
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
You can purchase the bow tie worn in this episode at The Tie Bar:
www.thetiebar.com/?...
All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
Support The History Guy on Patreon: / thehistoryguy
Facebook: / thehistoryguyyt
Please send suggestions for future episodes: [e-mail]
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered is the place to find short snippets of forgotten history from five to fifteen minutes long. If you like history too, this is the channel for you.
Subscribe for more forgotten history: / @thehistoryguychannel .
Awesome The History Guy merchandise is available at:
thehistoryguy-shop.fourthwall...
Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #WWII

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Viewers have mentioned two claims: That the P-38 was the only American fighter aircraft in large scale production during the entirety of the American involvement in the war, and that the P-38 shot down more Japanese combat aircraft than any other American fighter. While these claims are in several sources, when looking more closely they likely refer to only USAAF aircraft, and not Navy designs. As some have mentioned, the Grumman F4F was in production throughout the war, and the Grumman F6F shot down more Japanese aircraft. I apologize for any confusion I caused.

[@highpointsights]

Where does the P51 D model (my choice for the most beautiful aircraft to follow a prop) fit in the above comments? I actually eventually worked for a man John Marusiak who flew with Chuck Yeager and trued out at 510 mph in a P51 that never made it into production

[@airplayn]

@@highpointsights That chunky monkey was an outstanding plane but it looked pregnant with any hope of having a sleek svelte figure dashed by that immense radiator. Not only did it need maternity pants but when the radiator was set for max cooling that unsightly wedge looked like the droopy drawers of a union suit. LOL The best fighter plane didn't have to be the prettiest. There are so many ways to envision beauty in a plane, the sweeping curves of a hand built Spitfire, the condensed fury of the angular Me-109, the utilitarian strength of an FW-190, Hell, even the P-47 had beautiful curves compared to a P-51 it wore a girdle to smooth it's belly. It was also superior to the P-51 as both a high altitude interceptor and an those eight fifties made it an impregnably rugged ground attack. With the same drop tanks as the P-51 it too had an impressive range. Oh, I forgot to mention a stock P-47 clocked an easy 553mph at altitude! :-0 My creed's 'each to his own' but it's enlightening to see things from a different angle through other eyes. I must add that even knowing the thrill of piloting Air Force jets I do wish I'd been born a few decades earlier. I'd probably be happier behind that snarling roar while hanging on a prop instead of strapping my ass to an afterburner. But then I'm a throwback who likes Duke Ellington and Nat king Cole much more than the Stones or, god forbid, rap! ;-) But then, using the stones still makes me sound paleolithic, doesn't it? LOL But then, I think flying on the wing like a bird by the seat of your pants in a lightweight antique might beat them all for the shear pleasure of flight! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6i1fIagia5qetE

[@SoloPilot6]

@@highpointsights The P-51 series was an offshoot of the lackluster NAA Mustang, designed and built for the RAF before American involvement. Allison-powered, the plane was barely suitable for use against the Luftwaffe and even the Regina Aeronautica. The P-51,. born after the US entered the war, is far more than a re-engined Mustang, largely sharing the aerodynamics but having major differences under the skin. While some P-51s were used in the Pacific Theater, most single-engine planes were USN, and the P-38 was the primary USAAF fighter, thus racked up the most AF kills, and only the P-51 had a better record over Europe.

[@musoangelo]

Well it was just a 15 minute segment so there's a lot left out. One interesting thing I learned about the Lightning was in Charles Lindbergh's biography (Scott Berg's)was that Lindbergh realized that by adjusting the mixture and boost in cruise mode that you could extend the range by 400 miles. That directly contradicted the flight manual, but he proved that it would work and it was adopted later in the war.

[@SoloPilot6]

@@mbryson2899 Operation Vengeance was a long time before Lindbergh was giving advice to P-38 pilots.

[@wolfsmith2865]

Back in the 80s in my home town of South Pasadena California, I was doing some gardening in the yard with my mom. Suddenly there was a drone of a high performance prop job from the sky. Before even looking up my mother said "that's a P38! I'd know that sound anywhere!" Joltin' Josie from the Chino Planes of Fame museum streaked overhead, sending chills down my spine. Mom had spent her teenage years, the war years, near Orange County California. Every day she saw P38s fly out from the Lockheed production facility airstrip, and off to war.

[@ajg617]

My all time favorite aircraft. My first flight instructor was a WASP and she spent a lot of time in P-47s and all manner of Grummans but when I asked her what her favorite was, hands down P-38 - it just loved to climb.

[@HM2SGT]

Was that at in California by any chance? Sounds awfully familiar, it's tickling a memory from way back when. I think I recall reading about her flying corsairs for Black Sheep Squadron... 🤔 🤷‍♂️ 😺

[@ajg617]

@@HM2SGT Nope - Williamsport, PA.

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

Wow, I bet she had great stories and an amazing scrapbook. Sounds like she flew more types of fighters than most of the men.

[@JTA1961]

@@AndyFromBeaverton so I reckon she had a broad spectrum to choose from

[@ajg617]

@@AndyFromBeaverton She did. Single and multi engine ferry and a stint as the personal pilot for the CO at a P-47 training base in AL or MS - can't recall. She had never checked out in a P-47 and one day some Congressperson came down to visit and the CO ordered her to put on a show. With a lot of help from the ground crew, she took it airborne - no small feat according to the P-47 pilots there who went to ETO and posted the story on a P-47 website years ago which is now gone. When I had my first lesson, she had over 20,000 hours. Side note - it was her discharge paperwork that Sen Goldwater used to force Congress and the USAF to recognize WASP as having served in the military.

[@ME-qr2kq]

As an aircraft enthusiast this bird is absolutely amazing. Nothing less expected from a project Kelly Johnson was involved with. On the other hand or "toe" my brother and I each got 1 small die cast metal plane each in our Christmas stockings one year when I was 10 years old. My brother got the P 38 while I got a B 29. As kids do they get bored with something and my brother decided to tie a string around one of the booms and twirl the plane around like it was flying. I was standing nearby in bare feet when he decided to due a "Dive Bomber" move with his rather heavy and sharp leading edge of the wing , it hit my pinky toe with enough force to cut off the tip of my toe at the nail bed. Blood, confusion and disfigurement were the words of the day as I went screaming and running around. My mom rushed me to the Doctor who said "well that's one less toe nail you'll have to worry about trimming". 50 years later if my Brother sees me wearing my sandals he will say "Wow what did you do to your toe?""" LMAO 🤣

[@donaldstanfield8862]

Sounds like the pilot of the original fared better than you! It's amazing we survive childhood! Thanks for sharing! 👊🏼

[@scottmccloud9029]

Lol. That's what brothers do.

[@RalphReagan]

Lol

[@airplayn]

So a you're saying that fighter did more surface damage than a B-29? Did you fail to retaliate by dropping a Little Boy on that little boy? LOL

[@42lookc]

That's a great story! Thanks for sharing!

[@jdinhuntsvilleal4514]

My dad flew P-38's "during the war." (He never saw combat.) After the war, his squadron was due to be discharged, but the authorities kept delaying things. Finally, after a very long wait the squadron was officially discharged. My dad says some time later he learned that the delay had been caused by authorities thinking about keeping the squadron active -- to become the first JET squadron in the service. So close to making history worth remembering.

[@billchessell8213]

He flew P-38s! He MADE history worth remembering!

[@DEP717]

@@billchessell8213 Bill, you beat me to it, Sir. He did indeed.

[@desertdawg3409]

Always loved the '38'... When I was a kid in the 50's there were two 38's parked at Tulakes Airport in OK. Dad was a friend of the planes owners and when dad took his Experimental he designed out to fly or work on someone else's plane us kids got to play in and on the 38's and a couple other war birds that dads friend had bought to scrap and sell used parts. To think they ferried these planes in and dismantled them. What they'd be worth today! They were parked facing the runway down on the end and I had hours of 'formation flying' with my brother and we 'shot down' a few others when they were landing. If they came in right you could get planes in the gun sights! I had to go inverted to 'bail out' once ... (the only time I was ever 'shot down'.. lol) We had these cheap walkie-talkies that wouldn't transmit more than a couple hundred feet and ate batteries like crazy and leather flying caps. More fun than a 10 year old deserved! Thanks for the memories.

[@andyharman3022]

You had a rich childhood!

[@harrymarso7512]

😊

[@petehealy9819]

That's amazing because I had nearly the same exact experience with two P-38s that were kept at the edge of the Santa Barbara CA airport when I was a kid in the early/mid 1960s! Geez, I loved those planes! And what a crazy coincidence! 🙂👍

[@desertdawg3409]

@@petehealy9819 Only if we could go back in time.

[@JoseKuroKen]

In 1979 I went to visit my father's family in Northern Spain, one of my uncles had a lovely wood carved model of the P-38, not sure where he got it but being a 9 year old at the time I was facinated. My uncle noticing this and aware that I would not be able to take a big toy back with me, got me a pocket sized white metal die-cast one. It has been lost for over 40 years and I do not recall the manufacturer only that it was painted in what I assume to be Desert Livery for the North African / Mediterranean campain. But the feelings of speed and adventure that this childhood toy evoqued, are still fond memories to this day. Thank you for reminding me!

[@Paladin1873]

My late friend, Brig Gen Bob Clements, flew P-38s in the Pacific. After the war he flew P-51s. He preferred the P-38 because he had several Mustang engines seize up in flight, which isn’t a big problem with the P-38. He loved the Lightning so much that his moniker became P-38 Bob.

[@donlove3741]

Oh yeah the P51 was known to "seize" up. What ?

[@Paladin1873]

@@donlove3741 The P-51 is a single engine fighter. If the engine seizes, you are now flying a very heavy glider. I have added the word "engine" to my comment to clarify my meaning.

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

@@Paladin1873 A P-38 with one engine is better than a P-51 with no engine every day of the week.

[@Paladin1873]

@@AndyFromBeaverton There was an old joke in the AAF that the Mustang could beat the P-38 at every task except returning home with one engine out.

[@blackhawk7r221]

There is a documentary about a modern-day British engineer who specializes in rebuilding Merlin V-12’s. Probably the foremost authority alive with true hands-on knowledge. He lamented that finding an original war years Merlin with over 200 hours on it was near impossible. Whether they were in a Mustang, Lancaster, or Spitfire, the engines simply never lasted long enough to get a true large-scale idea of their long-term reliability. The losses were from either being shot down, or mechanical failure, even simple failure just enough to cause the engine to stall, that caused the plane to crash land. Floored me when I heard that. He stated that only post-war Merlins in the hands of collectors ever reach high hours, and that’s with meticulous care and lots of money.

[@brianmoore1164]

Please consider an episode covering Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. This one engineer took flight design from 400mph to over 3.5 times the speed of sound. He was either in charge of or intimately involved in the P-38, P-80, F-104, U-2, and SR-71. The argument could be made that he saved the nation multiple times.

[@MrGaryGG48]

The part of Kelly Johnson's contribution that makes me smile is that all that work that he and his designers did was with a slide rule! I still have two very good Picket slide rules in my desk but I don't think Boeing is going to be calling me to work any time soon!! 🤣

[@brianmoore1164]

@@MrGaryGG48 Not to mention that skilled craftsmen built the aircraft on manual machines, long before CNC was a thing.

[@O-sa-car]

I love his quote about cutting edge aircraft technology and his Skunk Works - "If you want to know what we're up to, take the most advanced stuff you can think of - then fast forward that 50 years."

[@O-sa-car]

my dad knew a guy who was in Alaska in the 50's who saw an SR-71 land at a Coast Guard base and immediately disappear into a hangar

[@brianmoore1164]

@@O-sa-car I had a hunting buddy that saw one through the fence when he was out. The base security stopped him and checked him out. Quickly apparent that he was not a bad guy so they let him go.

[@mcm95403]

A little over 30 years ago Lefty Gardners P-38 was parked at the airport in Santa Maria, Ca along with a P-51 (my all time favorite). There was a security guard there, who I spoke to and after a bit and him realizing I knew what I was talking about, he allowed my wife and I to come in and me to get into the open cockpit of the Lightning. What an amazing experience, but the things that really stood out was how big the cockpit was compared to other fighters of the day and the WINGSPAN! A full 20 FEET more than the Mustang and other similar types. It seemed like the wing tips were in different zip codes. 20 years later I was visiting the air museum near BYU where Old Yeller was living at the time. Again, I got to finally sit in my dream airplane, and even close the canopy. Talk about exhilaration! Just to have sat in the same seat that Bob Hoover had spent so much time in and hold the same controls he'd held - I'll never forget it.

[@goatflieg]

I met Lefty at the Madera Gathering of Warbirds airshows in the '80s (where I got numerous warbird rides including 3 P-51s). Followed the history of that aircraft closely for decades, through the airshow and racing days, to the engine fire and successful belly landing by Lefty's son Ladd, to the eventual restoration by Ezell Aviation. It's a bit sad that we'd have to go to Germany to see it again, but I have a lot of respect for Red Bull for taking on the restoration and making it a beautiful airworthy aircraft again. In my heart it will always be Lefty's Lightning.

[@johngeorges7708]

The P-38 was the first project my dad worked on at Lockheed, where he started in 1938. He met my mom at Lockheed during the war, when she was a Quality Control technician on the P-38. He went on to work for Lockheed until 1982, when he retired, though he continued as a consultant until the mid 90s. He worked on several iconic projects for Lockheed, including the P-38, Constellation, L-188 Electra, the C-130, F-104, U2, Agena (Corona) , Polaris, P-3, S-3, L-1011, Project Jennifer (Azorian), F-117.

[@agloy63]

My grandfather was hired by Allison in 1938 due to the anticipated large scale orders of the V1710. He was a master machinist and mechanical engineer there until his retirement in 1975.

[@KorbinX]

Thank you for sharing

[@KorbinX]

@@agloy63 thank you, as well, for sharing

[@worldlytraveler6195]

I have worked for Lockheed for over 30 years and those are among the iconic programs that demonstrate how the original Lockheed led the world in innovation and engineering acheivement. I congratulate your father.

[@andyharman3022]

I have heard of all of those except Project Jennifer. What was that?

[@OGKenG]

I have a personal connection to the P-38. In the early 1980s, I was stationed at McGuire AFB, named after P-38 pilot Tommy B. McGuire, who flew his P-38, nicknamed "Pudgy" during WWII. He was killed in action in 1945 over the Philippines. A replica of "Pudgy" stands in a traffic circle at McGuire AFB in Wrightstown, New Jersey.

[@newmoon54]

And to think, they almost lost the P-38 if it wasn't for Colonel Charles ~Lucky~ Lindbergh~!~ He saved the P-38 by teaching the pilots just how to fly it right,, and conserve a good amount of fuel~!~ Otherwise the P-38 was to be no more~!~!!~!~

[@williamh.1519]

My dad grew up on a farm that bordered March Air Force Base during World War II. I grew up listening to dozens upon dozens of stories, including the P-38 as a kid. It's quite possible he witnessed the test flight of the yp-38.

[@v.e.7236]

I recall the first time I saw a P-38 in flight at an airshow in Michigan, back in the 60s. Tremendous sound coming from those twin V-12 engines that had this young aviation nut enthralled. I went out and found plans for a balsa wood model of the P-38 Lightening (I was already building the P-51 Mustang version) and started building it immediately. It took another couple months before I could afford the two engines (a pair of Cox Golden Bee 8cc models), while my father helped me create/build fuel bladders in the wings for more prolonged flight times. Controls weren't much different than today, but the servos weren't as responsive so it took a couple of hard landings (crashes) and repairs before I got the control issues ironed out. While it never quite sounded as sweet as those V12s, I built expansion chambers for the exhaust that helped both the sound quality and top-end power, just like my two-stroke motorcycle engine. Everyone laughed at the bulbous flared pipes running along each boom - until they saw it in action and just watched, slack-jawed, as I made some high-speed runs past the RC control area of the RC park I was at. I was the fastest RC airplane around for many months. That park was the place where all manner of RC models were brought to run and/or test, as it had a huge pond for boats and a giant field nextdoor split into two sections: one for RC cars/trucks, etc. and and the majority for RC aircraft. Great fun and competition!

[@WallaceTheRed]

My grandfather was a P38 mechanic in England during the war. It's a pretty majestic machine

[@seikibrian8641]

My mother was a P-38 "mechanic's helper" during the war. She did safety wiring on the aircraft at Paine Field, later the home of Boeing's 747 factory.

[@yeahitskimmel]

One of the first bits of history I ever looked into myself as a kid was the P38, I can still remember the book in my elementary school library. Cool subject and another hit from THG

[@masterskrain2630]

The P-38's design was also indirectly responsible for some Automotive designs during the late 40s and into the 50s. The first fins on a Cadillac, Circa 1948, were based on the tails of the P-38.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

It also inspired the iconic nose of the '50 and '51 Studebakers.

[@RhettyforHistory]

Excellent story on this aircraft. My grandfather flew the P-38 in Europe and always said it was the greatest aircraft he ever flew. He also talked about having two engines gave him an advantage over other fighters.

[@KorbinX]

Thank you for sharing.

[@watsisbuttndo829]

83 year old design. What an absolute work of art. Seeing this crash into the golf course in front of you must have been like seeing the apperance of George Jetson.

[@billdurham8477]

Or Indiana Jones last year.........

[@_JimS]

The P38 was always a favorite of mine as a child. I was in mu late 30's before I ever got to see one live and my jaw was on the floor. It was at a War birds show in Cleveland, Ohio and this beast is nothing but engine and guns. It, to me, was tiny and I immediately thought of the sensation a pilot would have with twin V-12 monsters on both sides just roaring. MAN that had to be something and those pilots had formidable testicular fortitude to fly them......what a rush it had to be.

[@brtherb8677]

Wish my Father and my Father's friend were still around. Dad's friend was a mechanic on these birds in Italy during WWII I remember him talking about how they'd come in all shot up and they got really good at making patches for the holes. I wish that we could of got more history from him about his time there, but he was pretty tight about it. He would talk mechanical and fixing things but never any of the personal things. The horror finally got to be too much for him and he took his own life. We think that he had terminal cancer and didn't want to go through it. History is amazing and we need to keep it alive. Thank you History Guy for doing just that. Amazing how a history of a fighter plane can bring back such deep memories. Miss and love you Dad.

[@seththomas9105]

Not a plane junky like most of you here, but I am a machine junky and lover of old stuff... So this is right in my wheel house. The P-38 was one of the first serious models I ever put together back in the 1970's. It hung in my room for a while until my friends and I had a "war" with fireworks and many of our old warbirds died in a blaze of glory. As usual the History Guy does a great job and now sparks my interest to study this fine airplane in depth. Thanks and RIP to those of the Greatest Generation who fought and died for our freedoms.

[@matthewclark7885]

I've always been fond of the lightning, it was a unique design that not only worked, but worked amazingly well, I find it amazing that a design could exceed expectations in such a spectacular way

[@soaringvulture]

I would find it amazing except that it was Kelly Johnson that designed it. So one would expect it to exceed all reasonable expectations.

[@finscreenname]

From open cockpit biplanes the P38 was lightyears ahead and yet in a short 15 years the B-52 takes it first flight April 1952. What a time for flight.

[@airplayn]

That does seem amazing, but that happens in aviation all the time, props to jets, then supersonic, and finally Whitcolm winglets on all the airliners!

[@berthaduniverse]

This episode could be 4x longer and I'd still want more... Suggestion: Short Histories of Aviation in SoCal.

[@bruceclark6652]

I had the honor of knowing General Kelsey during the last 15 years of his life. A remarkable gentleman. Intelligent, insightful, humble and one who had a sense of joy in living until the end. Thank you for the early photographs of Ben. It is remarkable how much his son, grandson and great grandson look like him. When Ben died he left the fuselage and wings of a Pitts Special hanging in his barn. A project he was not given the time to complete. It may still be hanging there at his farm, Sherwood, if not, it always will be in my memory.

[@shawnr771]

The P38 was one of my favorite models to build when I was younger. I did not know that some of them were produced in an old distillery. Gives a whole knew meaning to the word Lightning

[@MNSalty]

My grandfather was a test pilot during ww2 and the P-38 was his favorite aircraft he ever flew! Truely a beautiful and powerful machine

[@montieluckett7036]

Keep your SR-71, This is my Johnson bird. It was also the worlds first successful twin piston-engined single seat fighter. But, I digress. The video could have been seven minutes on how Johnson sharpened his pencils on Monday mornings, I'd have been engrossed from 0:00 to 7:00. Kelly Johnson, the John Moses Browning of aeronautical design.

[@antr7493]

Kelly Johnson and Howard Hughes are so under appreciated in aviation now a days. Hughes in a lot of other fields. THG Please do videos on them. I'm going to buy a t-shirt now. 😁

[@richardjohnson4238]

One of the first books I wore out reading over and over from my school library was "Great American Fighter Pilots of WWII." That book started a lifelong fastination with fighter pilots and planes. The P-38 was my favorite plane from that era. Many thanks for this story.

[@andrewwaterman9240]

I remember that book, and read and re-read it for years. Mine had that famous photo of the "Bottisham Four" Mustangs on the dust jacket.

[@richardjohnson4238]

@@andrewwaterman9240 That's the one I remember also.

[@colin3387]

Best thing to go with breakfast. New history guy episodes.

[@HM2SGT]

The Prototype of the plane that shot down the architect of Pearl Harbor, and Charles Lindbergh was instrumental in that, having gone to the Pacific Theater and passed on his skill and knowledge and experience in long-range flying. He also made an air-to-air kill.

[@RandyTerrell7174]

Agreed,

[@MitzvosGolem1]

To bad he was a nazi supporter..

[@chrisvandecar4676]

Yamamoto shot down in April 1943, Lindy didn’t arrive in the South Pacific theater until April 1944 (from his bio)

[@cornbreadfedkirkpatrick9647]

I'm shocked that Lindbergh didn't tell Hitler about it after all he admired him and even had a secret family in Germany and refused to give by the medals he gave him and even had an open invitation to his place in Bavaria anytime he wanted, then President Roosevelt asked him to give back the medals Lindberg say oh h@@@ no and left because his mom said no on yeah he was a hardcore mama's boy You can find this out for yourself and this is why his wife divorced him after their son died

[@messmeister92]

Unfortunately this is misinformation that has been debunked several times over. I’m not sure where people keeping getting the story from, but it’s patently false. Lindbergh had nothing to do with the mission to kill Yamamoto. He didn’t even get to the Pacific until a year after Yamamoto’s death, and he flew with a completely different fighter group. (The 347th shot down Yamamoto in 1943; Lindbergh flew with the 475th in 1944.)

[@caturdaynite7217]

Produced in an old whiskey factory, well, that's pretty dang American if you ask me. That made me smile.

[@rmyerscmi]

The legend thats Kelly Johnson. Is worthy of an episode. Probably one of the greatest minds in American aviation history.

[@stevedietrich8936]

Very interesting story. It was fun to hear of the origins of the P38. Had I not left the USAF after my tour in Germany I would have been sent to March AFB (previously March Field).

[@skyden24195]

fyi: it's now March ARB, used to train air force reservist.

[@mightaswellbe]

Well done THG, my father flew the P-38 as an instructor. More exactly he flew the P-322-2 an updated version of what we sold to Britain without the counter rotating props and no turbochargers. Britain rejected them and The USAAF took them and used them for training pilots to fly the P-38. The P-322-2 had counter rotating props and no turbochargers. The student would sit on the main spar hunched over (see 13.04 for how that worked) and look over the instructor's shoulders. Dad told me that the P-38 was the most fun airplane to flew in his thirty-year career.

[@hiramnoone]

The only pilot complaint I know of was that the Lightning never had a proper heater to keep its pilots comfortable at altitude. Otherwise the advantage of its speed, unique two engines with counter rotating props and its armament in the nose made it a smooth riding excellent gun platform.

[@edschaefer6597]

Probably the major problem with the P-38 was high speed compressibility. During a high-speed dive, the controls would lockup. When this happened, the pilot either would bail out or hope he could pull out at a low altitude where the air was denser. The problem was not solved until late in the war. In fact, Kelly Johnson said the P-38 compressibility problem gave him an ulcer. The engines in the aircraft were too far away to provide heat to the pilot. Early in the war, the heater problem in the P-38 was solved by installing an electric heater

[@johnosbourn4312]

You're right, because, according to P-38 Lightning In Detail and Scale Part-1, the Turbo supercharged V-1710's didn't run really well on British Avgas, and that led the problem with the cockpit heater.

[@airplayn]

That's another reason it was so popular in the Pacific, in that heat the pilots didn't land with frostbite and have to be helped out of the cockpit like they did in Europe!

[@Caseytify]

They had all sorts of problems with the Allison engines in the European theater at high altitudes. Superchargers would run wild, and entire engines would just blow up. They didn't have most of these issues in north Africa. Apparently most combat was at or below 15,000 feet they also loved the range. Range was especially a factor in the Pacific. The 8th Air Force didn't really like the plane for northern Europe, but the guys in the South Pacific were screaming for as many Lightnings as they could get.

[@terrallputnam7979]

The P-38 was one of my favorite planes of WWII. I loved the twin tail design so much I now have a 1961 Ercoupe with twin tails.

[@noneed4me2n7]

I grew up out around March AFB (didn’t know it was a “field” before). Saw so many great planes and even saw a fully loaded F15 Eagle do a takeoff at the a$$ end of the runway in an unincorporated industrial area I delivered parts to for a time. During my service when I was in the area I’d visit and go to the PX there. Thanks for reminding me of those happy memories.

[@JoshuaTootell]

I grew up there too. But I only visited the commissary once 🤣

[@wayneflorek7507]

I was a WWll war baby born and raised in Cleveland and an airplane nut since age 4. Mom was a Rosie the Riveter (B-29 flaps) and Dad was involved in the Manhattan Project. In the late 1970's a colleague gave me a photo of a parked P-38 (my favorite plane of all time). While viewing this video, I realized I had a photo of the XP-38 parked at March Field in exactly the same position as in the video. I think I may change my mind about donating it to the National WWll Air Museum in Colorado Springs.

[@HM2SGT]

Pilots were fond of the plane for its safety the redundancy of the second engine provided; it's always stuck with me from a book I got from the Gilford New Hampshire Public Library when I was a kid in 1978. The author said that it was a mighty wet ocean, and a long swim back to base if an engine failed.

[@throne1797]

i had a neighbor who flew the P-38 in the Pacific. He said that losing one engine led to a challenge that most pilots feared. The lopsideness of the aerodynamics and the uneven torque required the pilot to throttle back to just above stall speeds.

[@soaringvulture]

@@throne1797 Well, the P-38 was especially nasty because both engines were critical. So whichever side went out, you had a problem.

[@billchessell8213]

@@soaringvulture Never heard that before. There was the problem of the generator in early models only being on one engine, the right I think, so if you lost that engine you were limited to battery power, but that problem was fixed with a second generator in later models. What flight characteristics suffered when a P-51 lost 1 engine? The thing that killed the 38 was that it cost almost twice as much as a Mustang, but when it was first in the air it was the most forward thinking design available. (IMHO)

[@cavscout6b]

Pilots used to claim, the P-38 was the only fighter you could fly, with one engine feathered.

[@BogeyTheBear]

@@throne1797 That was only a problem at take-off. Safe recovery from an engine failure during takeoff was to throttle back the good engine to keep the imbalance under control. And that asymmetric thrust was a result of p-factor (a phenomenom of a high angle of attack) rather than raw power. Once you get the plane above 120 knots you had full authority of the plane in a 'clean' configuration (gear & flaps up, pylons empty). You could climb, cruise at 200 knots, manuever and land the plane on one engine.

[@anthonymiller8989]

Susan & Tony here, Wow what a great video you did us justice. I served.

[@user-er2ys7jh7e]

ONCE AGAIN, MR. LANCE, AN EXCELLENT VIDEO!! One of three of my favorite fighters from WW II: The P-38, The F6F Hellcat, and the Supermarine Spitfire.😊😊😊😊 I love the name the Luftwaffe gave it:THE FORK-TAILED DEVIL.😊😊😊😊

[@clancyquinn4178]

My dad was a bombardier/navigator on a B24 Liberator in the South Pacific stationed in New Guinea. 90th bomb group. He loves the P38 because that fabulous airplane kept him alive. I wouldn't be writing this comment without the P38. Miss ya Dad

[@samuelcolt502]

The P38 has been my favorite aircraft since I was a kid. My uncle had a brass model with a 12" wingspan which peaked my interest. Research showed it was tssted with 5,2oo lbs of bombs or 2 torpedos with a ceiling of 44000'. My father was stations at Wright-Patt designing modifications to fighters, so I saw the 38 there several times. Flying into LAX, I was thrilled to spot one parked off the end of the runway.

[@davejackson925]

A number of years ago, while attending the annual Antique Airplane Association fly -in at Blakesburg, Iowa I had the pleasure of attending a talk given by General Benjamin Kelsey on his experiences flying the U S Mail in 1934 when the U S Air Corps was assigned the task of flying the air mail after President Roosevelt cancelled the contracts with airlines. He was an engaging and interesting speaker. It was an honor to have met him. He was an unsung hero that helped develop many of the aircraft used in WW II.

[@RatPfink66]

flying the mail was the toughest test the peacetime AAC ever faced. equipment, training, and forecasting were all hopelessly unequal to the task and too many pilots died, but the lessons were learned and the bravery of those airmen is to be saluted.

[@jimyoung648]

At a presentation on the P-38 at the March Field Museum, a former Lockheed employee said he had driven the truck and flatbed taking the XP-38 (covered by tarps since it was a well kept secret up to then), to March Field the night of Dec 31, 1938. His wife didn't believe he had to work that night but finally believed him when she saw him driving the rig down Colorado Blvd , where she had camped out to get a good viewing spot for the Rose Bowl Parade the morning of Jan 1, 1939. So much for sneaking the secret aircraft past the public since that section of Colorado Blvd was likely to have the greatest number of people at the wee hours of the morning than almost any other street.

[@frankmoorman3445]

What a beautiful plane! Outstanding.

[@theoldgrowler3489]

Well done.

[@stevedittrich4411]

I attended undergrad school at Hofstra University on Long Island, part of which was located on the old Mitchel Field site. The crash site for the XP-38 was about a mile east of Hofstra at what is now Nassau County's Eisenhower Park.

[@ladamyre1]

I read a book on the P38 when I was a kid 50 years ago. I checked it out of the library because I had built a model of one and had it on my dresser. All this was known to me and more: That Richard Bond said it was his favorite fighter and that one of the kinks in the design was called "compressibility", that when in a high-speed dive it made it impossible to pull out of the dive and that's what killed a few pilots until they put a flap under the wing that would act as an air brake so the pilot could pull out of the dive. Good to see you've gotten your millionth subscriber. I've been one for three years and it's always a pleasure to see your next surprise, always about a very important ingredient of an advanced culture... ...its history.

[@donwillhoit6866]

My father worked for Lockheed during the war on the P-38. The planes would be 98% assembled inside the building and then towed outside into one of two lines under camouflage for final assembly, systems tests and tweaking. My father was in charge of one of the lines. When a plane was "finished" he would sign off for Lockheed and an Army Air Corp rep would sign off for the Army. The plane was then flown off to war. I think most all of the WWII fighters on all sides were the most beautiful planes ever built but I feel the P-38 was at the top (not that I'm bias). When i see pictures or video of the plane, I enjoy thinking there was a chance my father had been involved with it. Who does your intros? They are great and different every time.

[@johngeorges7708]

I bet my parents knew your dad. My dad was a manufacturing engineer, designing tooling to build the P-38, and my mom was a QC tech on the P-38. They met at the Burbank plant. My uncle too. I have a picture that my dad took of my mom with her tools, sitting on the wing of a P-38 on the tarmac at Burbank after final checkouts.

[@donwillhoit6866]

@@johngeorges7708 I bet you are probably right. That's cool. Thank you.

[@BogeyTheBear]

Actually, it was all the more likely that a P-38 delivered from Burbank was flown over the the modification center in Dallas before going off to war. Production rate was so high that plant line would crank out P-38s in their original factory standards, then they would be brought up to mod standards at Dallas or the Army depots. Stuff like setting up the radios/IFF gear, adding a second generator to the airplane (all P-38s came with a generator in the left engine, but not all got one in the right), tweaking out the gremlins and (later on in the war) installing the dive flaps.

[@donwillhoit6866]

@@BogeyTheBear That makes sense. Dad just said they flew off to war. Thank you.

[@jeffsiegel4879]

Way ahead of its time! One of the few American pursuit plane to be produced from a time before the war and until the war ended. The Lightning was never produced in great numbers compared with the others. It was ineffective in Europe for most of the war due to issues with the engine management and pilot heating at the typical 20,000 foot altitude missions. It was perfect for the Pacific theater where the typical dogfight occurred much lower in warmer conditions. The Lightning and the British DeHavilland Mosquito were the two fastest planes of the war (non-jet).

[@johnosbourn4312]

No, the top speed of the P-38L is only 414 MPH, so, it is not one the fastest non jet powered aircraft of WW-2, instead, the fastest of all of the piston engined aircraft in military service, at that time was the P-47M/N, the F4U-4, the Spitfire F24, the DO-335, the TA-154, and the Supermarine Spiteful, along with the DeHavilland Hornet. Those fighters are faster than the P-38, and even the P-51B/C/D, and K are faster.

[@jeffsiegel4879]

@@johnosbourn4312 I can assure you that the XP-38 was one of the fastest planes in existence when it flew in 1939. The Spit was a new plane and its only real allied competitor at the time. Given the number of different types of planes during the war including bombers, cargo, personnel, that the P-38 and others that you mentioned are the fastest planes of the war. The fact is, the Lightning was designed before the war started (for US) and was still considered cutting edge when the war ended in the summer of 1945. I'm just thrilled that THE HISTORY GUY has a soft spot for military history!

[@airplayn]

@@johnosbourn4312 The P-47 was the fastest at 554mph CALIBRATED airspeed, well, yes, there's the Ta-152 (not 154) but I don't think any saw combat. At 25-30,000 feet nothing else could touch it. OK, Me-262 but that's cheating! ;-)

[@sparky6086]

The mid engine P-39 was radical too. Just not as outwardly radical as the P-38.

[@HM2SGT]

And used the door of an American Automobile for access to the cockpit iirc. That always tickles me.😺

[@peterstickney7608]

@@mylakay100 While the P-63 was, as you note, a rather good performing aircraft, it, like the P-39, didn't fit into the strategic model that the U.S. forces had. The U.S. strategy was to take the war to the enemy, striking as far into their territory as possible. The Cobras were too small, and thus too limited in their fuel capacity, to fit into this model.

[@SoloPilot6]

@@mylakay100 The Airacobra didn't have the aerodynamics to go up against the Axis' best, even with more power. The primary use by the Soviets was as a can opener, nailing German tanks and vehicles. That was the advent of the "pop-up" attack, a couple of Airacobras would scout around for a German column, then stay down on the deck until a couple of miles out, before going up a couple of thousand feet, rolling onto the back and pulling down on the Germans in the bottom half of a Cuban 8. Just like the Lightning, their great advantage was the guns in the nose -- point the plane, point the bullets.

[@soaringvulture]

One of my neighbors was a test pilot for Bell Aircraft in the 30's and 40's. He loved the Airacobra and thought it was the best plane he had ever flown. If it had had the supercharged Allisons that the P-38 used, it would have been an excellent fighter. As it was configured, it ran out of power at high altitude.

[@TheAngelobarker]

*stares in piaggio* " does he not see us? I see you do you see me? Yes I see you do you see me?

[@bobbreit5244]

My favorite twin fighter. Thanks!

[@mda1501]

I grew up making models of WW2 aircraft in the 60s. One of them was a P38. I always dreamt of becoming a military pilot. My dream came true in 1987 when I graduated from US Army flight training. I went on to fly AH64s, UH-60s, Hueys, and Cobras. 3 combat tours as an operational pilot, too.Thank you to the folks who came before me!

[@ButchNackley]

I just completed an around the world flight in the P-38 with MSFS 2020. 27 legs. Very enjoyable.

[@goatflieg]

I enjoyed your mentioning Michael O'Leary's article in Air Classics describing the state of pursuit aircraft in the thirties. It caught my attention immediately because I've appeared in some of Michael's coverage of the Madera Gathering of Warbirds airshows in the '80s and'90s riding in several different aircraft during photo sorties. My aviation claim to fame is being on two covers of Air Classics in the back of Bill Destefani's P-40, flown by Fred Sebby. The first was the January 1987 cover, hiding behind the prop of the Skyraider subject aircraft. The second was the cover of the 25th Anniversary Special Edition in 1989; a nose-on view of the P-40. I have photos of Michael taking the photos that would end up on the covers. Good times!

[@squint04]

My Grandpa built P 38's, he was always proud of that! I passed March Air Reserve base last week, they have a great museum there!!

[@soaringvulture]

Hell, you should be proud of that too!

[@squint04]

@@soaringvulture We as a family are proud of that and then some!! When those old war birds fly today! I like to think that those that had a hand in building them, are still around as well.

[@duanephillips2343]

I have been obsessed with P-38s since I received a Monogram model to build as a child in the 60s. In the 90s I spent hours in the Air and Space museum library on their third floor in DC where they have flight manuals and photos you can download off laser disc. This just to get data for a new Monogram model - which LOL I am finally finishing after all these years. The Air and Space Museum had the original contract documents at it's Silver Hill restoration facility near DC and I got to see those too. Air shows featuring restored P-38s are one of my favorite things...

[@stevensipes1823]

If you go to March Field in California. You will find a air museum. They made a full size model of the P-38 and have documented all of the groups that flew the P-38s. Steven Sipes

[@alancranford3398]

Thank you for an enjoyable episode. Kelsey was promoted after crashing the XP-38. An earlier crash of the Boeing Model 299 resulted in an air depot in Utah being named for the pilot, Major Hill. Flying used to be very dangerous and pilots who crashed were often given a Darwin Award if they didn't survive or promoted if they did survive. Things are different now--safety violations result in being kicked out of the Air Force. Back in the pre-WW2 era, Danger was an Army Air Corps pilot's middle name.

[@alanmoffat4454]

YES IT EVEN DID SINK SHIPS A GOD SEND TOO PACIFIC AREA AND THEN TOO THE EUROPEAN FIGHT OUTSTANDING DESIGN THANKS 😊 👍.

[@dtj9923]

The P-38 was a phenomenal development in aviation and engineering. There's a big list of firsts associated with this ship. As you accurately point out the aircraft was rushed into production before it was fully sorted and at the same time was loaded with a staggering inventory of cutting edge, unproven technologies. It also crossed performance thresholds never before encountered or managed in the air. So yeah, it had a difficult childhood and some people and love to dwell on that. I could say the same for every other aircraft in our inventory leading up to their 1943/44 configurations. Sadly we never got the fully modernized K model with updated propellers, and uprated Allison engines. Instead we had to settle for the dumbed down, detuned L, however the L did fix the vast majority of known P-38 issues. Such is life. The war dept. was more worried about disrupting production than increasing the plane's already impressive performance and capability. Which is to say the P-38 was pretty critical to the war effort. The important thing to remember about the P-38 is that it was there when we needed it and it took a long time for any of our other aircraft to catch up. You can thank the P-38 for winning mastery of the Mediterranean and contrary to popular belief it was running escorts deep into Germany well ahead of other escort fighters. It was also a devastating, highly accurate, long range gun platform, and showed unmatched adaptability to almost any role imaginable. If the P-38 had a down side it was this, in the right WELL TRAINED hands it absolutely owned the sky, in the wrong UNTRAINED hands it was a bad choice and might kill the pilot. Definitely not a beginner's aircraft, it was really complex to operate. They were also expensive to operate and produce. Mustangs were far cheaper and easier to maintain as well as being very easy to train on and fly. Think of the P-38 like the F-35 of WW2. Not everybody deserved to fly one, Bong and McGuire clearly did! Thanks for posting this. The P-38 definitely deserves to be remembered.

[@lloydryan7716]

Great episode. The P-38 was my favorite plane as a young boy during World War II. I lived in San Diego. CA . We would run outside when we heard airplane engines and I was always the most thrilled when it or they were P-38s. We saw many Navy Aircraft even saw a TBF crash in a canyon behind our house. I was a horrible time for the World but exciting for five and seven year old boys.

[@kanedaadenak7088]

As a kid, i belive around age 10 or 11, My parents had taken us to the California State Fair. After the Steam engines, and a Huge HO Train Layout, we went into a building displaying different dioramas, and scratch built modles. At the time I was Facinated with WWII, seeing every documentery I could watch (they were only a quarter at the video store) and read every book i could get my hands on. So i was rattlimg off about the differentarmor and aircraft, we came across a Beutiful large scale Scatch built P38-J. "you could tell because ot the larger engine scoops. But the wiring on the Antenna is wrong." The man who built the thing happend to be standing next to it, and got snippy at some random lill kid that had the Gall to say it was built wrong. Somone els Also heard. An older gentalman said "you know the Kids Right".. . Both the Models creater and my parents both looked at him saying "What?" in Unisin. The Gentalman said, "I flew P38s in the War, The Kids Right." Thats made this plane a favorite ever since.

[@bongobob6200]

Thank you for your work 👍🇺🇸👍

[@thomassmythe8258]

1876 2020 nothing new under the sun. Thank you for your work! We can all learn from history!

[@jonathanperry8331]

The first time I went to the new Air and space museum at Dulles airport you walk in on a catwalk and the first thing you see is the SR-71 and the space shuttle behind it with a big American flag. But my favorite moment was when I found the p38 I didn't even know they had one

[@finddeniro]

Great Museum..All the Aircraft are Gems...

[@jeffstorm]

In my estimation of greatest Aircraft, the P38 ranks right up there. Having spent many years in Lockheed's Skunkworks, the the name of Kelly Johnson is still spoken with reverence to his genius. Many people wish they could work in the famous Skunkworks, but due to changing times, I fear that these days are numbered.

[@1Lansing1]

My dad who was born in Burbank, helped work on the P-38 photographic plane, He then went in the Navy as an ensign in WWII,

[@AzrockOmegaMan]

Your words have done this plane all glory and justice she deserves. Especially for the Hunter Killer that took down Yamamoto! Salute! 😎

[@mhub3576]

I recall first learning about this plane and its most prolific pilot, Ace of Aces Richard Bong, from reading a Boys Life article in the late 70s. I've never forgotten it and Bong, who died shortly after the war while working as a test pilot. The Bong Bridge between Duluth, MN and Superior, WI is named after him, a favorite son of Wisconsin. These days it's a favorite location for taking bong rips, or so I'm told. 😄

[@charlesclager6808]

This video is the icing on the cake regarding the P-38 for me. I've watched a lot of videos regarding this plane including its' use in downing Adm, Yamamoto's plane. It was one hell of a plane. Thanks.

[@SiameseScientist]

I think the P38 is the my favorite aircraft of all time.

[@billybobkingston5604]

Puts a new meaning on a deal done on the golf course

[@sterfry8502]

Another homerun! Great and interesting video! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👍👍

[@radioguy1620]

someone might have mentioned this but Charles Lindberg showed them how to nearly double the range .a great contribution.

[@sergioleone3583]

One of my favorite aircraft. And the plane out top aces flew. And, it had an influence on automobile styling, as Harley Earl of GM was impressed with it and started putting small fins on the Cadillacs in the late 40s.

[@robertmusgrave7932]

My dad saw one of these in 1942 in the Fall while shredding corn at the barn back the lane. He would have been just out of High School at the Farm in NW Ohio. He recounts it was going straight up and making quite a racket. As fate would have it, he was drafted into the Army Air Forces in early 1943 and discharged in 1946. He served state-side. He always thought it was a "Neat" plane.

[@2_dog_Restoration]

Growing up on a farm in the panhandle of Nebraska. Our Neibour Harold Burdick had flow a P-38 in the war. in the early 70s I remember a P-38 flying over head that had been converted into a crop spray plane. Harold stopped working and watched it flying. I am sure he was relieving what it felt like to fly a P-38. I worked for him several summers when i was 10 & 11 years old raking hay and driving a hay sweep. He gave me his low temp flying suit since I was the same size he was when he was in the service. the flying suit was canvas on the out side rabbit fur on the inside and had hearing elements the would heat the suit when you pulled a cord out of the pocket and plugged into the plane. I wish I still had that piece of history today.

[@dirtcop11]

The Germans called it the "Fork Tailed Devil." It had some quirks and needed to be understood by pilots before it excelled in combat. It still thrills those fortunate enough to see it fly.

[@glenmartin2437]

Thank you. My father, Uncle Earl and Uncle Clarence fought in WW2 on the Allied side. Italian cousins and a German aunt with the Axis Powers. I wished the war had not started, but it is now history. Thanks again for your work.

[@spokanetomcat1]

I was stationed at March AFB from 1982 to 90. My grandmother worked for Lockheed during the war on the Hudson, Ventura, and the P-38.

[@dalejones9919]

This is why I love the History Guy~!

[@stevoschannel4127]

You sir, are a national treasure in these crazy time...

[@roncrotzer9861]

A little-known fact, Charles Lindbergh helped with doubling the range of the P-38 with a refined fuel and trim configuration.

[@NVRAMboi]

Boom and Zoom, baby. Thanks History Guy. The AAC, USA and allies were fortunate that production of the Lightning was actually approved when it was. As you've pointed out, there were many reasons for the AAC to decide against that risk.

[@ChiefMac59]

This was my favorite World War 2 aircraft. Not much new about it, but I loved this episode

[@frankgulla2335]

What a great episode on the P-38. Thanks, history Guy.

[@caesarillion]

I saw one idling on the ramp at Chino Airport, California once. I was standing back by the tail and all was so smooth you would have thought the motors were electric. I was beyond amazed. God Bless America....

[@aldenconsolver3428]

I greatly enjoyed your P38 story, I see below lots and lots of arguments about details of the lightning versus everything else that ever flew. But that is not your job, you are not a technical historian you are a historian. The greatest compliment for the P38 is not a numerical analysis of aircraft shot down or miles flow or fuel milage or any of those numbers. It is the aircraft's place in history and in your 12 minutes, you defined that beautifully. Good on you sir. The lightning gave American pilots something they could fight in and survive in the early dark days of the war and the same airplane was still part of the US AAF's fighting team on the last day of the war. It is truly history that should be remembered.

[@gregkail4348]

A Beautiful design also !!!

[@orcstr8d]

Great piece! Nice to see LtC Benjamin Kelsey get some recognition.

[@mattmichael6792]

Somewhere deep in the heart of Texas there is a perfectly scaled 2/3 sized P-38 engineered, designed, and hand built by a now 93-year-old aeronautical engineer and his wife. It has the same airfoils as the full sized 38 and uses 0470 contra-rotating engines driving 3 bladed props. Having examined it closely and spoken at length with the builder I would have to say it is not a replica but in fact an actual P-38 albeit slightly smaller. I would also say that it is by far the most incredible amateur built aircraft I’ve ever seen. That it is almost completely unknown and seldom seen or photographed is due to the builder caring not one jot for any kind of attention or recognition. The story of the builders and their monumental achievement is history that deserves to be recognized and remembered

[@DonDueed]

Now if they could only find a 2/3 scaled pilot to fly it...

[@mattmichael6792]

@@DonDueed the builder/pilot is fairly tall and has designed the cockpit to fit him AND his rather diminutive wife in a tiny jump seat behind.

[@jhill4874]

Thank you for the clear, fair history of the P-38.

[@annalorree]

I once met Lieutenant Lawrence Graebner, near the end of his life. He flew a P-38 during Operation Vengeance, and was shot down twice during the war (once over Iwo Jima), yet survived due to how rugged the P-38 was.

[@Whereswalter1]

Thank you for this episode. This plane has a special place in my heart. And though I really did not learn anything new. I do believe many others have. You truly are a history teacher. I always like your channel. And will be back many more time where I know. I will learn something new. 😀

[@r.a.monigold9789]

Of all the WWII made airplanes having twin booms, a center nacelle that housed a single seat controlling four 50 cals and a 20mm cannon, and could fly photo recons, well, the P-38 was my favorite! Nice report, thank you.