P-38 Lightnings in Action: Angel in Overalls - Restored 1945

[@ZenosWarbirds]

Like what you see? Your DVD purchases at our store make this channel possible. www.zenosflightshop.com We need your support! Zeno

[@jhunrobillo2479]

Eddie perigrenà

[@johnshields6852]

I'm an old guy that loves the lightning, the P38 just looks so cool and in some of the hunter/killers the ammunition these things can put on target is frightening 🙏🇺🇲

[@greglong4779]

Although our Dad is no longer with us, this brought back so many memories of him explaining how dependable the "twin Allison's" were and "dropping the belly tanks so they could straf " the bastards' rail supply lines".. always made me want to see one grace the sky for real and imagine the thrill he got every time he fired up the counter rotating props for take off. Still have his WW II flight log. Thanks for the video.

[@DavidTurner1]

My grandfather built P-38's during the war. I bet that he saw a screening of this film. Thank you for contributing to the war effort, Sherman Ellery Turner!

[@spiff8862]

Yep. You're probably right. Definitely geared towards the employees at Lockheed.

[@garymcaleer6112]

Amazing images! Thank you, ZW. My parents lived through this time. I was raised with "good vs. evil." It seems nothing has changed.

[@Jaze2022]

That is the best way to conceptualize the world. Anyone who's truly lived, realizes that evil does exist

[@AZAce1064]

At 5:05 rips top off tree and I lean over at my desk trying to dodge it.

[@willfriar8054]

they told me i couldnt go to vietnam. i was making plane and bomb parts at my summer time job. the boss said this is a good machinist he cant be lost to our company. a fbi agent had a little " meeting with me". your working on secret stuff. we need you building not getting killed in some jungle. i made lunar lander parts harpoon development several systems for gruman and fairchild a 10 and f 15 f 16 too. yes building the guns and bombs is part or being a patriot too.

[@johnnygnoneeded]

Good for you Will! Respect for you and those who served...respect for those who went to jail or prison for their beliefs, or went as conscientious objectors as medics or chaplains assistants. No respect for those who bought their way out, rich boy cowards. No respect to those that ran to Canada or went underground to avoid their service obligation...cowards. Someone else served and bleed, was disabled or even died in their place.

[@markrenton1093]

In my town we used to have an air show , I saw one take off and they are LOUD.

[@DAREDEVILBKLYN]

The 20 mm cannons were deadly add in the turbo super chargers and long range flying ability with external tanks and ability to fly at 35,000 feet. A gem of a aircraft, lets not forget the twin 50 cal's.. With out question one of the greatest planes ever designed for it's time, a pure aircraft classic. The fork tailed devil as called by Germans did a lot of damage in WW2, GO FLY BOYS !.

[@DAREDEVILBKLYN]

Crap wins WW2, nuff said, freedom is great as one is gifted with the freedom of opinion, peace.

[@PS-wn7cw]

+Jim Bklyn Just to clarify, it had four .50 BMG and one 20mm cannon.

[@DAREDEVILBKLYN]

Even better, Thanks, peace.

[@1tnrebel]

it could fly up 43,000 feet. almost two miles higher than the P-51 could

[@jeffrobdine]

@@1tnrebel Hey Norton, the P-51 had a service ceiling of 41,900 ft, two thousand feet not miles !

[@1977Yakko]

I know there's a lot of love for the Mustang and Spitfire but damn, that is one cool looking plane!

[@danielburgess7785]

Give me a Thunderbolt or a Hurricane any day.

[@bezoar1023]

My favorite fighter of all time

[@MultiCappie]

Yeah, P-38 or Mosquito.

[@johnprice7303]

Likewise! As an Irishman, I would love to build a large scale model of Richard Bongs 'Marge' but my shakey old hands make it difficult to even boil an egg. I do however have a wonderful picture of a P38 as my desktop saver.

[@anthonyagnone5440]

My dad was at the invasion of Salerno in the first wave. 141 IR, 36th Texas division. Two FW 109 staffing the beach. Suddenly two 'lightening appeared and shot them out of the sky. If you ever get the chance to see the 1945 film " a Walk in the Sun' you will see actual film used in the movie of the take down. They saved my dad's butt. That's why I'm here to tell you. I volunteered at Zamperini field, know as Torrance, Ca airport. There is where some 30000 pilots were trained. That squadron was trained there in California. God bless those heros along with every 'boot' from the greatest generation.

[@markhorton8578]

He was lucky. In Europe it was an excellent ground attack aircraft, but it usually did very badly against German fighters.

[@30AndHatingIt]

@@markhorton8578 The Lightning was a fine aircraft and, while better suited for the Pacific where it really cleaned house against Japan, it did ok in Europe. Higher end pilots were able to essentially do an air-brake move with it, taking advantage of it's relatively large wing and flat shape, getting German pilots to overshoot and then suffer the business end of it's multiple 50's and cannon which were all extremely accurate thanks to location of mount.

[@markhorton8578]

@@30AndHatingIt Well that does not show in the figures or German accounts I have seen. However it did do exceptionally well as ground attack aircraft in Europe. Just stay away from those German fighters.

[@30AndHatingIt]

@@markhorton8578 Where are these figures and who are they coming from?

[@markhorton8578]

@@30AndHatingIt I must apologise for not recording the source. But remember seeing a list of early contacts between lightning and German planes such a FW109's, I cannot be sure, but am pretty sure the figures were from the USAF. They did very badly in every encounter. I don't know how they did later in the war, it was suggested in a couple of articles that I read, (At least two and I seem to remember three) that they were deployed in ways to try an avoid such contacts. Ground attack being one of them.

[@PS-wn7cw]

The narrator mentions a USAAF P-38 that brought down the first German plane of the war over Reykavik Bay, Iceland. My brother's friend''s uncle, Elza Shahan, loaned us the nose art from that actual plane that he flew, think it was called "Mountaineer" (think he was from WV)with a hillbilly with a single swastika hanging off this rifle. Story told to us was that German FW200s often went on antishipping missions around Iceland. Shahan scrambled with a couple other planes, and recalled firing at the FW while the top turret gunner was shooting his cannon at him. Then suddenly, the FW200 broke apart and came down in the bay just off the coast. Cool it was mentioned here...

[@russg1801]

The FW200 was the Condor, right? Only four-engined bomber the Germans built in any numbers.

[@spiff8862]

@@russg1801 Yep. You're right!

[@glennroberts7183]

Step dad was a 4x ACE in a P-38. His fellow squad members told some great stories but OH, how he held the Germans in disdain! Got to see his gun camera footage decades later. Dad was a scary SOB to have on your tail I think. Not to mention a victim of their straffing runs. All these men were brave SOB'S not to mention the mighty industries that built this stuff!

[@toddrrath619]

Danny Roberts perhaps?

[@shawnmccrary5526]

Glenn Roberts God Bless him and I’m thankful for his service. Great story. Thanks for sharing.

[@brettlloyd4446]

The plane that killed admiral yamamoto

[@barfuss2007]

and many women and children...

[@noidea1962]

@@barfuss2007 Yes, it's unfortunate...but it's called War. How many women and children did admiral yamamoto kill?

[@barfuss2007]

@@@noidea1962 I am against ALL war crimes. You can"t extenuate own war crimes with others. Yes Japan had begun the war, but BEFORE the USA played the oil card...

[@dietpepsivanilla3095]

@@barfuss2007 No, they killed and destroyed other enemy aircraft. There were no children in combat.

[@Johnnycdrums]

@@barfuss2007 ; Shut up, man. I respect the enemy, but not you.

[@ecombiz8]

In 1944 I was only 4 years old (a little young to be a pilot) As I grew up and learned about the airplanes in World War ll I always wanted to fly a P38. The best looking aircraft and so damn deadly.

[@larrygoerke9081]

Never heard Major Bong's voice before. Very cool. Thanks! By the way, I believe this was Kelly Johnson's first masterpiece, before his amazing SR-71.

[@garyrunnalls7714]

That was not Dick Bong's voice.

[@larrygoerke9081]

@@garyrunnalls7714 If you say so. Thanks.

[@rollingstopp]

I guess those fighters were comfy and Deadly.. lots of roles, escorts,ground straffe,bombings,reconnaissance ect... but very comfortable

[@jackleo8726]

When the "Glacier Gal" came through at an airshow I had a chance to talk to the pilot. He told the rumors were true that when when Charles Lindbergh was touring the Pacific Theater during World War II and taught a squadron of P38 Pilots how to properly lean and synchronize their engines they actually got 400 more miles range. This pissed off the pilots pretty badly cuz they were already unhappy about sitting in that noisy cockpit between those two engines and props and sitting on that parachute pack that turned into a brick after about an hour. I never heard any World War II fighter pilot say there aircraft was comfortable.

[@mkshffr4936]

Some of the most beautiful aircraft ever created were those of WWII.

[@allgood6760]

Thanks for this... salute and respect 👍✈️

[@KPearce57]

P-38 the big brother of the A-10 Warthog

[@bermudaguy1]

If I'd had a choice in those days, I'd like to have flown the P-38 or P 51 Mustang, the D version I think or possibly the Grumman Hellcat F-6F.....what a tank that plane was! Who am I kidding, I'd've flown anything, lol!

[@mmcss1155]

Of the three you mention every one is one of my favorites. The P-51 taking the #1 spot.

[@mikecooper8462]

F4U Corsair was an awesome aircraft as well. Many aces flew them.

[@RandomDudeOne]

5:03 Whoa, cut the tops off a few pine trees there.

[@30AndHatingIt]

HOLY SHITTTTT, dude do you have any idea how long I've been looking for that footage??? I've seen it before in other video and was talking about it with someone, but have never been able to find it again and struggled looking through so many old films for it to no avail. Solid heads up man!

[@waynetemplar8026]

A great fighter/ground-attack aircraft, which never found favour with the British because they insisted that the two engines rotate in the same direction for simplicity of maintenance despite the fact that it was design to have two opposite rotating engines, d'oh!

[@1tnrebel]

I have heard pilots say the P-38 flew very smooth because of the different rotating engine.

[@nethanelmasters5170]

Wayne Templar and no superchargers.

[@bryanst.martin7134]

The Brits refused the the turbo charger. Didn't like the props rotating the same direction. Used it in a non intended role too. The US on the other hand swept the Pacific with it.

[@dukecraig2402]

@@nethanelmasters5170 Learn what you're talking about, all Allison engines had a single stage supercharger on them.

[@jamesrae5351]

The British didn't need the P38 because they already had the DH Mosquito.

[@Red-Magic]

8:20 "Rate of dive? Faster than the speed of sound." Best joke out of this whole skit

[@NearlyNativeNursery]

Very cool plane. WWII war birds, pilots even crew while all are extremely important get most of the praise, but my hat is tipped to camera men for we the younger generations would never know these planes, see them in action with their skilled brave pilots if it were not for those dedicated camera men. Without the camera men we would only hear stories.

[@OutbackAl]

6:44 = "I just get my P-38 on their tails & blow them out of the sky" BOOM!

[@jeffrobdine]

Richard Ira Bong (September 24, 1920 - August 6, 1945) was a United States Army Air Forces major and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II. He was one of the most decorated American fighter pilots and the country's top flying ace in the war, credited with shooting down 40 Japanese aircraft, all with the Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter. He died in California while testing a Lockheed P-80 jet fighter shortly before the war ended.

[@scottstewart5784]

@@jeffrobdine As a funny aside, I had no trouble remembering Major Richard I. Bong, when I was a cadet who had to memorize details on all the Major Aces.

[@secularsunshine9036]

*A Rebirth in an Ancient Tomb.* The Grand Passage Tomb is located in Ireland and was constructed over fifty-two-hundred years ago, it defines the winter solstice and celebrates a Rebirth of the Sun. "Let the Sunshine In." Have a Wonderful Winter Solstice and a Happy Holiday Season. E pluribus Unum.

[@TXTundra-ex8bw]

Yamamoto would agree that this is one deadly plane

[@michaelmixon2479]

Beautiful and effective plane!

[@stephengarfield4691]

Our nation used to invent and produce amazing things like this without computers. Could it be that computers are making us dumber, not smarter?

[@JRobbySh]

We had mechanical computers and slide rules. The P-38 was put together by engineers with such tools. Plus there is such as a things as “feeling” . Amazing what you learn by literal “Hands on’. Back in the 30’s Dad improved on a Hughes drill bit just put welding on a nut. He patented the thing and sold the patent to them for $300 dollars.

[@mikek4610]

Stephen Garfield yes

[@track1219]

Yep, and when they started using computers to make music, the music got worse

[@57strub]

Thats really got to be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. Look at the aircraft of today built with, wait for it, COMPUTERS. There are thousands of things invented or made better with computers. Just because you can't operate one, don't act like nobody else can either. What do you think you made that stupid post with? Thats right. COMPUTER.

[@frankbutaric3565]

No, computers make things easier and better. CnC, cad these two make manufacturing better. Better manufacturing make parts that are more precise than ever possible. Cars last longer and are more reliable. If the basic maintenance is performed on a modern car the engine will go beyond 300k miles.

[@TheMorganMonroeShow]

Great post.

[@ogmiossoimgo696]

as magnificent as the P38 was it could not exceed the speed of sound not even in a dive

[@david9783]

I was wondering about that,too...

[@ZenosWarbirds]

From P-38Js onward, Lockheed added “anti compress ability flaps” that allowed P-38s to dive pretty much as fast as any pilot would want or need in real world combat conditions.

[@david9783]

@@ZenosWarbirds Zeno, Given that the speed of sound is about 1250 fps(or about 850 mph) was it possible that the P 38 could achieve that speed in a dive? (Maybe?)Just asking...Thanks!

[@SkyLightsUFOs]

@@david9783 720 mph....

[@david9783]

@@SkyLightsUFOs You are so right!

[@6pup]

Wow, wow, WOW! What a magnificent aircraft, great, GREAT footage! Thank you for this and God bless...

[@fredceely]

Another nickname that I've heard: Swallow-Tailed Death (from the Japanese).

[@brandonstrife9738]

The japanese called it one pilot two planes.

[@userbosco]

Read or listen to Race of Aces....fascinating stories from WWII pacific theater

[@axesspeaklouderthanwords8077]

Tamiya's new 1/48 P-38F/G brought me here :-}

[@allee6096]

who was the narrator.. Patches O'Houlihan??..

[@Careah]

Powerfull message at the end with the dying pilot so workers back home making the machines for their countrymen know why they have to work and that is the way they can take revenge

[@davidjeter6042]

My favorite plane

[@royraiden]

Thanks for uploading!

[@MrMatti-lx8et]

The P38 Lightning looks like an upgraded version of the Dutch Fokker G1.

[@jcsandygobotobkkbo2192]

Let's back in the 90's

[@windwhipped5]

Major Dick Bong and his P-38 " Marge" had the highest number of recorded kills in USAAF History with 40. He died Aug. 6, 1945, the day we dropped the " Fat Man" on Hiroshima. He was testing a P-80 Jet..RIP Major Dick Bong..

[@adamaasen4214]

Wait ithoguth we dropped little boy on Hiroshima

[@TH-sn7mw]

And GOD bless him.

[@jabo190d]

did he really say faster than the speed of sound ?

[@ericbrammer2245]

Yup, the announcer did, and is likely mistaken. P-38's (and a few other 'over 400 mph planes') ran into trans-sonic compressibility and almost the speed-of-sound. A wedge shaped flap on the wing's underside was the cure for control reversed effects of being near or at the sound barrier. Probably quite a few individual planes of U.S., German, and British design impinged on breaking the sound barrier during the war, if not actually exceeded it, but none were 'document and clocked' as such. That's taking nothing away from Bell Aircraft nor Gen. Yeager, just he's the one who planned to go that fast, level, and under his own power, first.The Brits were not far behind, except their version (a Miles aircraft, don't recall the model #) got bushwhacked by a Sterling-starved Parliment at the last minute. Speaking of the Brits, they had a great opportunity in 1940, when the U.S. sent over a few 'castrated' Lightnings that had No Superchargers, and the props rotated the same direction (loosing lift on one wing on take-off, while generating 'roll' torque in flight) .An Allison minus a turbo-supercharger was not a great motor (ask a P-39 pilot!), but the English had RR Merlins in good quantity. I always wonder what the Lightning would've been if it had Turbo-Supercharged Rolls-Royce motors put on it! Too bad the later conversion of P-40F's and P-51B's hadn't occurred on those de-nutted Lightnings back in '41. Could've been an amazing airplane for it's time... Not that the Lightning wasn't pretty damn good, once it's limitations were understood. Oh, and a side note, concerning fighter range; Once the 5th airforce had Lindberg co-op with them, he had the pilots run quite lean on 'cruise', and that increased the range to where they could exceed the 1000-mile range of the Zeke. That in turn led them to where they could 'reach out' and nab Yamato's Betty mid-flight. No other land-based U.S. fighter could do that at that time.

[@jacktalbert259]

ERIC BRAMMER

[@yosemite-e2v]

ERIC BRAMMER If you look at the Wikipedia page for the Allison V-1710, you'll see that the USAAC strongly preferred the use of turbo superchargers - and it was this preference that kept Allison from developing their own two stage, two speed supercharger (until so late in the war that it made little difference). Every Allison equipped fighter other than the P-38 ended up with the single stage, single speed supercharger that hampered high altitude performance. The British had no such restriction. It also says that "A similar attempt to cure the problems of the P-38 by replacing its Allisons with Merlins was quashed by the USAAF, after protests from Allison."

[@dirkdiggler2507]

+oscrthgrch7 they could dive near speed of sound.

[@BigSkyCurmudgeon]

DIVE being the key word here

[@dietpepsivanilla3095]

Ask a Wisconsin Boy. That Wisconsin Boy shot down 40 confirmed planes and had 16 probables and possible 30 more kills that could not be confirmed. That's possibly 86. Formidable.

[@bokewilhelm1452]

diese maschine hat mich ein paarmal vom fahrrad in den graben gebracht- haben über uns oft gekämpft weserland

[@bokewilhelm1452]

haben über uns eine me 109 abgeschossen. auf alles geschossen was sich bewegte weserbergland hameln

[@BandiGetOffTheRoof]

8:59 talk about flying through flak!

[@williamhoskins7818]

Everyone has forgotten that the ' mosquito ' , was doing the same thing way before the ' was born. Jus saying..

[@ZenosWarbirds]

XP-38 prototype first flew on 27 January 1939. 65 P-38 Lightning fighters were finished & delivered by September 1941 to the USArmy Air Corps. Prototype Mosquito 1st flight 25 November 1940, 1st operational flight was 19 September 1941, a photo recon mission flown by one of the 1st PR version Mosquitos produced . First bomber version was delivered to RAF on 15 November 1941.

[@johnlamkin7268]

Woochinatchika Kokillibolinov !

[@WildBillCox13]

Powerful stuff.

[@dietpepsivanilla3095]

Top two American Aces of World War II flew the P-38. That's 78 confirmed destroyed enemy planes folks.

[@mikeblitzen]

ya know, i read that book, but i also wondered, by the end of the war when they got most of their confirmed kills, most of the enemies best pilots were dead. anyways food for thought

[@Makeitliquidfast]

Kelly Johnson's masterpiece

[@windwhipped5]

The first footage was most likely taken over Romania during our daylight raids of the oilfields in late 43 and early 44.

[@FRFM00]

I forget the name of that plane! It has great battles with the P-38s. They were the only true opposition.

[@FRFM00]

It was the IAR 80 and 81! supposedly they had some pretty big fights. with IARs putting up a good fight

[@brandonstrife9738]

@@FRFM00 the fw 190 and no it wasn't. The 190 could out dive any p 38 ever made but it was slower at altitude much slower and that was the fastest plane the germans had at the time the 190a3. The 190 however was slightly faster at lower alts.

[@ВладимирЛом-ь3ч]

Красивый самолёт. Конструктор умница!

[@garystone3476]

Good video.

[@andrewbesso4257]

I have heard that the Japanese called the P-28 "two planes, one pilot".

[@jeffrobdine]

P-38 ??

[@andrewbesso4257]

@@jeffrobdine Clumsy fingers. Oops.

[@mwbright]

My father was on 49 missions over the Pacific in one of those B-24´s. He said if you had to ditch, rescue was possible but highly unlikely. You´d die of hunger and thirst, a slow and miserable death. That´s the fate American flyers feared the most, except for getting captured. Captured airmen were almost always killed. George H.W. Bush had to ditch his plane very near an island, where the commanding Japanese officer liked to open up the bellies of captured airmen and take bites out of their liver while they were still alive. Ugh.

[@JackGordone]

The story of the liver-eating commander sounds like something cooked up (no pun intended) by the propaganda department at the Pentagon. Believe half these kinds of stories and, even then, suspect a good deal of "embellishment. '

[@rogerhoward7104]

If I was blowing up freight cars I would be afraid of "Shooting myself down by the debre flying upwards."

[@david9783]

Me,too.

[@Red-Magic]

5:05 Well that wing is gone

[@dovidell]

8:26 rate of dive faster than the speed of sound !!!!!!!!!!!!!! - at best it was a trans-sonic plane , not a supersonic plane

[@frankbutaric3565]

It did break the speed of sound in a dive and killed pilots due to that. It was modified so that in a dive it could slow down to regain control

[@Greggee100]

11:22

[@rigolonzinbrin]

There are some things I don't seem to understand: why doesn't the pilot of such a damaged or burning plane jump in a parachute instead of risking a more than dangerous landing? Ditto for the landing on an aircraft carrier. How sad to see a young man die who has just completed his household. God Bless You, brave pilots and soldiers who gave us FREEDOM!

[@michaelremington8575]

Who was Kelly Johnson?

[@cdbfullbore]

Designer of the P-38 and the SR-71. Among others.

[@LCMNUNES1962]

P38 PARECIDO COM Ô AVIÃO MOSQUITO, Ô TERROR NA GUERRA, BRASIL OK.

[@markjones7185]

RICHARD BONG!

[@sushiromifune7096]

I don't hear much about Zero pilots saying P38 or F4U was tough. It was F6F they thought was really tough.

[@biketech60]

Those that faced 38's didn't live to talk about it .

[@brandonstrife9738]

Check out this japanese ace's interview. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJrXfaVreZx_ias

[@longrider42]

Nice too see a video about a plane that was in some ways better then even the P-51. Too bad thare are not many left flying, if any.

[@biketech60]

There is a P-38 Lightning Association and I believe there are 5 here in America and one in Europe . Glacier Girl is privately owned in a hanger in San Antonio , Texas but I haven't seen it . USAF veteran myself

[@brandonstrife9738]

@@biketech60 The Australian airforce is currently restoring 3 more p 38L's.

[@prayerpatroller]

Lack of proper firefighting equipment, (fire trucks) is one half the reason the pilot died. He was living right up until after he landed. All the ground crew had were buckets.

[@sharinneedles319]

I'm sold. I'll take two of em!

[@beforethemast3678]

“Rate of dive: faster than the speed of sound. (Of course, the plane crashed after that, but still)”

[@brandonstrife9738]

This was the only thing that truly hampered the later p 38's. There is alot of planes that could dive much further than it. People think it wasn't manuverable but this just isn't true. In fact it could outmanuver most single engine fighters of the time.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

Mach 0.69 is a long way below the speed of sound. Other fighters had a higher dive speed and some didn't crash at mach 0.86.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@brandonstrife9738 Most people do not think. The P 38 had poor maneuverability and was no match for single engine fighters.

[@scottdunn2178]

The Germans called it the "Fork Tailed Devil"

[@ddingus2254]

4:16. finally

[@shawnmccrary5526]

The first action the P-38 ever saw was fighting the Japanese in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.

[@davidparry8514]

at 10 seconds he's flying north over the pacific coast highway & Malibu...

[@rollingstopp]

The hells angels fork /P- three eight

[@batmandeltaforce]

Should have had 2 Merlins:)

[@packr72]

+batmandeltaforce The Allison was fine, it just lacked a two stage supercharger early on. The turbo charged Allison still gave great performance, plus the engine was smaller than the merlin, easier to maintain, and could take more damage.

[@hardcase144]

right

[@batmandeltaforce]

packr72 ok... but it would have sounded better:)

[@1tnrebel]

the merlins were far better than the engines the lighting had

[@dukecraig2402]

Why? It would have been slower, you need to look up the power ratings of the turbo Allisons, more power than any Merlin ever made.

[@garyrunnalls7714]

Cool vid but didn't care for the dubed radial engine sounds. P-38's sound much different.

[@garypeatling7927]

Shame wasn't that easy think most downed pilots never even saw the plane that got them must have been great one of fastest machines in world with guns and cannons only trouble baddies were shooting back brave people

[@Mrbfgray]

I enjoy these old propaganda clips, gives a real flavor of the day. Why didn't the pilot at the end bail out instead of crash landing on fire already?

[@pizzafrenzyman]

the pilot may have been too wounded/burned to safely exit the plane.

[@davidrowley8251]

The recommended procedure for bailout on a P-38 was to crawl out on a wing a little before letting go, to avoid getting whacked by the horizontal stabilizer immediately behind the pilot's cabin. If you are entangled or injured or the fire didn't start until the last minute, you flew her to the strip.

[@wrightflyer7855]

The P-38 was an outstanding fighter in almost every respect except for its inability to flick roll with nimble lightweight Japanese fighters. However, if a 38 pilot throttled back on the critical engine in a turn it was a fair match for any adversary. Wright Flyer, USAF (1968-1972).

[@brandonstrife9738]

The later p 38's roll rate was vastly improved and could actually out roll 190's at certain speeds.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@brandonstrife9738 Into the ground. The P 38 was never a good fighter.

[@woodychadick5905]

Kelly johnson sure knew how to build them.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

He knew how to build poor aircraft, like the P 38, P 80 and F 104.

[@stevelewis7263]

My late father flew dive bombers in WW2, he switched from twin engined medium bombers for the accuracy of the dive bomber he really loved his STUKA

[@geoben1810]

That's a pretty effective, and formidable multi - role weapon for it's time. The A-10 would be it's latest successor, the Douglas SkyRaider would have been the next closest in it's purpose design. And then the A10. But as effective and formidable as A-10's are, they're not designed as fighters. They can fight, or rather, defend themselves, but that's not what they're designed for. I'm sure the P - 38 would've been a welcome sight in any situation. Like the A-10 would be today on the battlefield. 👍🏻😉

[@ulrichjackisch7637]

I can describe the scene Bomber down fast dis assembly

[@tacticalmattfoley]

Seems like this was the answer to long-range bomber escort in Europe.

[@maxpayne2574]

Once they were fitted with dive breaks to stop them from diving straight into the ground as good a plan as any the AAF had

[@barrierodliffe4155]

Not so good, the USAAF used other aircraft in Europe since they were much better.

[@野良犬撮影隊二大隊四]

very nice!

[@sailmaker11]

Nice, but a lot of misinformation there. P-38's were not the first to Berlin, that was a P-51 group.

[@1tnrebel]

nope. the P-38 was. The P-51 did not come into action until 1943. The P-38 were serving in Europe well before that. Also in the Med, north africa

[@sailmaker11]

Yes they were in action that early, but they did not have the range to go to Berlin and back. The first group to go there was from the 4th. www.jcs-group.com/military/war1941fighters/over.html

[@1tnrebel]

yes they did have the range. the article did not say they were first. it talked about the first p-51

[@deafsmith1006]

Yes the P-38s were in Berlin TWICE, before any other fighter. First fighters over Berlin were P-38s of the 55th FG on March 3rd, 1944. First time all the bombers were called back due to clouds over Berlin. Next day P-38s and a few combat boxes of B-17s made it to Berlin. Only the third try did the whole 8th show up.

[@mikek4610]

sailmaker11 pretty sure the narrator was reffering to this one bomb run....not the entire war

[@aiziyouaiziyou6408]

P--38精彩。

[@garymingy8671]

They took these planes out of circulation because they are fast and fly high , they are still a threat to Jets , now do you want 100s or 1000s of them in private hands ?

[@casualobserver3145]

P-38’s!!! Kickin’ that azz!

[@joesimon8610]

this world is known as the "theater of death" all throughout the universe

[@JK-ki8oq]

The whole universe is a "theater of death".

[@BobbyBruffett]

😂😂😂😂 thanks Grandpa Vade Beasley and Grandpa Bruffett 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🧬🇺🇸🧬🇺🇸💕💕 from Bobby Joe Bruffett Junior, love you 2024!!!!!

[@francisfabin6092]

le P-38 est l'avion de St-Exupéry.

[@harveydecker6381]

P38, a sweet flying machine

[@gixxerlouis]

The forked tailed devil!

[@johnrohlfs9607]

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸thanks from John Robert Bruffett Junior of United States of America!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@kkteutsch6416]

A record exhists about US planes - All types - total losses in WWII ?

[@Confused_surprise]

No doubt this plane was a wonderful fighter. But I don't think it was so easy to land (trust me, I've tried it on a simulator... and I crashed). the thing is you can't see the ground... I've seen a short documentary about a p-38 going straight to the ground at supersonic speed, the pilot says he couldn't control it because it was too fast and the plane was too flat, the air flow was going so fast it didn't even touch the ailerons! Oh and about the footage itself, I have one thing to say : Good old propaganda

[@JRandallS]

The problem was compressibility, a poorly understood aerodynamic limitation at the time. Basically a wave of air locked up the tail surfaces. They actually designed another wing for the airplane that solved the problem, but it was never implemented. They did however install some air brakes that kicked in when the lock up speed was being reached. That saved a lot of lives.

[@fbagli22]

That’s correct John S... compressibility shock wave that moved along the aircraft as it went faster and when it arrived at the tail surfaces it was game over... no elevator control. X1 demonstrated solving it with a “flying tail” .. a stabilator... entire horizontal surface moves. We have one in our 177... really helpful... at 145 mph.. Hah!!

[@garypeatling7927]

A metal mossie