Military Hardware Thread [Split]

[Jun aka Pekto]

I remember reading somewhere that the P38 did very well in the Pacific cuz it was lots faster than the Japanese planes (though these were more maneouvrable).

In the European theater, it was pulled out cuz the German planes, especially the FW190s, were just as fast and more maneouvrable pa.

The early models were cursed by compressibility problems and the plane was complicated to fly, especially for newbies. But there were instances where P-38 pilots outmaneuvered (and shot down) even FW-190's. It wasn't really pulled out of the ETO. P-47's and P-38's were diverted more and more to ground attack while P-51's took up the long-range escort and air superiority duties.

Anyway some accounts and little known info about P-38's and quite good reading:
P38 Accounts

The P-38 is a favorite because my dad actually witnessed a dogfight between Zeros and P-38's over Manila Bay (while he was catching fish) where the P-38 ace Macdonald may have been present.

Also some of the most savage air battles between P-38's and Japanese aircraft took place in the Philippines starting with the Leyte landings.....