The Lockheed P-38 Lightning represented a major change in fighter aircraft design. With it's twin engines, twin booms and twin tails, the Lightning was unique. Armament consisted of four .50 caliber machine guns and one 20mm cannon mounted in the nose. With such concentrated fire, enemy planes had small chance of surviving if caught in the sights of a P-38. The Lightning was known to Luftwaffe pilots as Der Gabelschwanz Teufel or "Fork-Tailed Devil." The P-38 excelled in the role of bomber escort at high altitudes. It had a maximum speed of over 400 mph at 25,000 feet, and the two engines gave peace of mind to pilots. If one engine was disabled, the aircraft could still make it back to base. This trait was especially appreciated in the large expanses of the Pacific Theater. The caption between the photographs reads:
The Fork-Tailed Devil
Powered by two turbo-supercharged Allison V-12's, Lockheed's groundbreaking P-38 Lightning was a major departure from typical fighter design. America's top ace of the War, Major Richard Bong, shot down 40 enemy planes while flying the P-38.
The P-38L at left belongs to the 318th Fighter Group of the 7th Fighter Command, also known as "The Pineapple Airforce." Originally based in Hawaii, the 318th was stationed on Saipan when they received their P-38's in 1944.
At right is a P-38J, the first of the longer-range variants for escort fighter duty.
Both Wartime photographs are in color. The finished piece measures 12 3/4" x 25 1/2". It is matted in blue-gray. The frame is Gunmetal (other colors are available. Contact us for info). Please see the "Frame Info" tab for complete information on how we frame our artwork. Item price includes ground shipping to the continental U.S.
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