THE LOCKHEED P-38 LIGHTNING - THE Definitive Story of Lockheed’s P-38 Fighter
Prix régulier 45,00 € TTC 6%
Characteristics
Book cover finish | Perfect paperback |
Condition | Used good |
Number of pages | 276 |
Published date | 2001 |
Language | English |
Size | 21.59 x 27.3 x 1.91 cm |
Author | WARREN M. BODIE |
Editor | Widewing Publications |
Description
Even with some of the greatest pressures in the world weighing heavily on him, Maj. Gen. H.H. "Hap" Arnold should never have doubted the lieutenant for an instant. The slightly balding young officer never let him down. However, Arnold had learned of the failures that plagued others who had dared to try and tame the newest type of fighter, the twin-engine aircraft that had been on the scene for fewer than five years. Fortunately for him and for all Americans, 1st Lt. Ben Kelsey was one of a rare breed of pragmatic geniuses. It is fair to say that despite the tremendous talent exhibited by C.L. "Kelly" Johnson in designing the Lockheed XP-38 during a particularly depressing era in U.S. history, Lockheed's Lightning probably would not have gone on to achieve great success without the guidance and drive of Kelsey. The Bell P-39 never rose to the challenge, although it was a direct contemporary of the P-38. North American's Mustang design came along later but was incapable of meeting and defeating Germany's Fw 190 and Bf 109 in combat until a near miracle occurred when it was mated with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Without the benefit of well-trained pilots, the Curtiss P-40s were certainly not of championship quality.
Whenever the chips were down due to poor command decisions, Lockheed Lightnings were thrown into the breach and saved the day. It was where it was needed when none of the others were going to "win the day." More often than not, it was misused. Even when it demonstrated that it could carry greater loads over longer distances and fight against the best the enemy could field, it was not treated like a favorite son. Political infighting, selfish motives, and industrial jealousies, combined with judgment errors, kept the P-38 type constrained from achieving its full stature. If the Air Corps decision-makers erred in the pre-war procurement of the Douglas B-18 over Boeing's Flying Fortress, their decisions regarding the production of the P-38 bordered on the criminal.
Should anyone believe that the Lightnings merely overwhelmed the enemy by sheer force of numbers, that person is not aware of the facts. More often than not, U.S. forces were greatly outnumbered. In the end, it was the capabilities of the pilots and crew, improved decision-making, and the overall assets of the airplane type that did the job.
The avowed purpose of this book is to present a factual picture of the conditions prevailing and the ultimate results emanating from the diligent efforts of a relatively small percentage of people on this planet. No Lockheed P-38 was all things to all people, but it was one superlative fighting machine.
Source: Publisher's summary printed on cover