In the Beginning

In his first months at Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC), a newly hired aeronautical engineer named Clarence "Kelly" L. Johnson from a Michigan University, was given a problem to solve on the latest Lockheed airliner.. the Electra 10. Taking a model of the plane back to his school's wind tunnel he solved the problem within two weeks and preliminary test changes were made to one Electra and test flown with success. Johnson was then assigned to assist a couple other projects.

At this time the US Army Air Corps announced the design specifications for a new high altitute bomber interceptor, and invited Lockheed to submit a design. "Kelly" was given the task of creating a couple designs that might fit the role of the new interceptor. After studying the new specifications, a few preliminary sketches were created. "Kelly" and some other engineers were having lunch one day, and talking shop. While "doodling", Johnson created another sketch on a paper napkin. Later "Kelly" came up with the final couple sketches and submitted all six for approval. During a meeting, Lockheed management listened to the various strong and weak points of the six designs and then selected one. Clarence L. Johnson was assigned to create Lockheed's first fighter aircraft for its first attempt at a military contract. The design selected for the prototype was the one from the "napkin doodling". Thus, two legends are born, Clarence "Kelly" L. Johnson and the P-38 Lightning.

About the Fork Tailed Devils

Almost any basic pilot can take a small, light, nimble, single engine fighter and with extra training and practice become a fairly good fighter pilot. But only an exceptional pilot can take a large, heavy, twin engine fighter and still come out the winner! The top two U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) fighter aces from WWII flew the heavy, twin engine, P-38 Lightning, as did other top USAAF aces!

In 1939, at the start of WWII, most countries still had biplane fighters, similar to those flown in WWI some twenty-five years earlier. And most senior staff of these armed forces still doggedly clung to many of the WWI strategies and tactics. Typically, these aircraft had less than 300 miles of range with a maximum flight time of barely two hours. However, many of the twin engine aircraft of the time had ranges up to and exceeding 1,000 miles. Flight time ranged from three to five hours.

It must be stressed, the only advanced combat tested mono-wing fighters belonged to the Germans (Me-109) and the Japanese (Zero). However, there were a few far sighted Allied civilian and military leaders.

In Britain, Vice Air Marshal Dowding's (later Air Marshal) dogged efforts saved Britain during the Battle of Britain with Hurricane and Spitfire fighters. In the USA, Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson and Lt. Benjamin S. Kelsey helped save the rest of the world. By ingenuity, they circumvented many restrictive congressional regulations and military rules, thus preparing the P-38 Lightning and its advanced features. Many of these features exceeded aircraft designs three and four years later. Research and testing into some of its innovative features also helped to solve problems encountered by the first jet fighters. Because of its unusual design, and "Kelly's" attitude towards solving problems before building the aircraft, it was one of the most thoroughly researched and tested fighters to enter WWII. In fact, it was one of the very few fighters ever wind tunnel tested before the war started, and testing continued throughout the war. Still, the P-38 was a "leading edge of technology" fighter of its day, yet it had some major problems which were corrected during its four year production. Over 900 lbs. of improvements and modifications were added, yet P-38 performance improved!

For two years after Pearl Harbour, P-38s were the only Allied fighter capable of flights deep into enemy territory (in all theatres). It engaged in combat with every type of enemy fighter, regularly defeated them, then flew the long distances home again; something no other Allied fighter could do at that time!

The first enemy aircraft to be shot down by a P-38 Lightning took place over the Aleutian Islands in the Alaskan Theatre. On August 4, 1942 Lt. Stanley Long of the 54th Fighter Squadron shot down a Japanese Kawanishi H6K4 Mavis, a four engine flying boat. And just ten days later, on August 14, 1942, the first enemy aircraft to be shot down in the European Theatre by a P-38 Lightning, took place off the coast of Iceland. Lt. Elza Shahan of the 27th Fighter Squadron, based in Iceland, shot down a German Dornier 217 Condor, a four engine recon-bomber.

The combination of a cold damp climate in Europe, and the 60 octane British fuel caused the P-38s major problems with the engines and superchargers. However, the P-38 Lightnings were helped by the shorter ranged P-47 Thunderbolts. These two fighters, were the first fighters capable of projecting offensive combat. Together, they were able to take the fight to the Luftwaffe, first over the German occupied countries of Europe, and then into the heart of Germany. The P-38 was the first Allied fighter able to provide fighter escort to the bombers from England, all the way to Berlin, and back! The P-38 was the first Allied fighter to fly over Berlin.

The Germans named the P-38 Lightning “der gableschwanz teufels”, ...the fork tailed devils... because the P-38 could take on the nimble, single engine Lufftwaffe fighters and win. The P-38 was the only Allied fighter given such a name by the Germans. By the time the P-51-Cs and Ds arrived in Europe to be of assistance, a large number of the Lufftwaffe's top aces and veteran pilots were already shot down. Thus the P-51, regularly touted as the aircraft that won WWII, did not take the full force of the Lufftewaffe in the early years of air combat over Europe. Only the Spitfire and Hurricane (defensive), and the P-38 and P-47 (offensive) did that, turning the tide in air combat.

In the Mediterranean/North African Theatre, it was the only fighter capable of escorting bombers from North Africa into Italy and later, deep into Germany and back again!

In the South Pacific, it was the only fighter able to fly the long distances between the islands while escorting bombers and attacking ground targets! Lightnings destroyed more Japanese aircraft than any other fighter! By the time the P-51-Cs and Ds arrived in the Pacific, in any numbers to be really useful, over half the Japanese aircraft ever manufactured for World War II were already destroyed! Despite the appearance of large numbers of P-51 Mustangs in the closing months of World War II, the Lightning continued its island hopping destruction of Japanese aircraft. Fittingly, it was a P-38 that shot down the last Japanese aircraft before Japan surrendered. P-38s also escorted the Japanese surrender delegation and was the first Allied fighter to land in Japan.

And in the Alaskan theatre, the P-38 was the only fighter capable of the long distance escort and attack missions from the mainland, out into the Alleutian islands, and back. Here, the weather, not the enemey, was the greatest danger. More aircraft were lost to weather than to combat.

In every campaign theatre throughout the war, the P-38 Lightning was as deadly to ground targets as it was to enemy aircraft. Of course enemy aircraft on the ground were very easily destroyed. In Europe, locomotives, tanks and other vehicles were prime targets. In the Pacific, the targets of choice were the many Japanese barges, freighters and destroyers. These ships were sunk by the concentrated firepower in the nose of the Lightning, as well as the 2,000 pounds of bombs carried by the P-38! In the Mediterranean/North African theatre, all these various types of targets were hunted and destroyed.

How many more enemy aircraft could the P-38 have shot down, and true air superiority gained, if over 900 of the almost 10,000 P-38s produced weren't converted to urgently needed high speed, unarmed, F-5 photo-reconnaissance aircraft? It was this photo-recon version of the P-38 that gave the Allied generals a true "picture" of what was happening deep in enemy territory, then the Lightning's helped destroy the appropriate targets by escorting the long range heavy and medium bombers and by its own ground attack missions.

One vital thing must be remembered. This outstanding mutli-role performance was not part if its design concept. The P-38 was not designed for combat with other fighters, nor long range escort, nor for ground attack missions. Instead it was designed to be a fast climbing, high altitude, bomber interceptor to protect America's coastlines. However, its advanced design, capabilities, and many successes, were soon redefining many long held, and sometimes misunderstood combat doctrines. Lightnings proved how vitally important twin engine fighters were, in range, firepower, multitude of roles, survivability, and air superiority. The main reason for not accepting the P-38 and its outstanding abilities was its revolutionary design with its odd looks and huge twin engine size.

Unfortunately, many leaders, both political and military, were from the World War I era, where the aeroplane was nothing more than a small side-show to the major ground battles. Although the numerous victories of WWI fighter aces were outstanding, they did not define the aeroplane as a powerful major military machine. Almost two decades after WWI, and 15 years after General Billy Mitchell sank two battleships in 1921, the first on July 21, and the second on September 23 (just to prove the first sinking wasn't luck), most leaders had difficulty understanding and accepting aircraft as a true and powerful military force. They didn't know how to use an aircraft's full potential, ...even with the stunning victories exhibited by the Germans and the Japanese. However, the sinking of these two battleships were "the turning point events" that set the stage for aviation combat in World War II, and true airpower in the future, although very few knew it at the time.

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