Best tank killer aircraft of WW2 Part I

[Lightning Guy]

Actually, a number of P-38s were modified to carry a person in the rather cramped confines of the radio compartment. And with those 6 hardpoints a P-38 could carry 6 500lb bombs, equal to the Mossie.

[evangilder]

I was talking to a vet that flew the P-38 last night and he said his "training" for the P-38 was crouched down in the radio compartment, behind the pilot with the radios and armor plating removed while the IP flew the plane and showed him a few things. After that, he was given his own plane!

[cheddar cheese]

There was a training version of the P-38 called the Swordfish I think...

[the lancaster kicks ass]

for real??

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Originally Posted by Lightning Guy

Actually, a number of P-38s were modified to carry a person in the rather cramped confines of the radio compartment. And with those 6 hardpoints a P-38 could carry 6 500lb bombs, equal to the Mossie.

The only reason I could think that it would be used in that reason is to extract a downed pilot and rescue him. Unless you are talking about the snoopdroop version which was designed as a bomber.
As for the 2 seat trainer it was the TP-38. There were several versions made. I believe they were all modifications to existing aircraft though.

Lockheed TP-38J Lightning This aircraft was unofficially designated TP-38J to identify a certain modification. These aircaft had a small seat for a second pilot behind the original seat, and was used for conversion training, or for training for the P-38M night-fighter crews
Number converted: unknown

Lockheed TP-38L Lightning Two aircraft were converted to conversion trainers with a second seat
Number converted: 2
http://www.xs4all.nl/~fbonne/warbird...s/lockp38.html

[the lancaster kicks ass]

dual controll??

Late mode P-38J's and all P-38L's could carry 2 x 2000 lbs bombs on their main racks. This matches the Mossie's 1 x 4000 lbs bomb.

In some special instances, the P-38L could be setup to carry even more bombs, I think 5000 lbs were carried.

The P-38M was a two seater night fighter variant with radar. Some saw action before the end of WWII.

Some P-38's had level bombing bombsights installed. One would act as leader and lead a flight of P-38's on a bombing mission, all dropping when he dropped. To me this is an intriguing concept. Large formations of P-38's carrying, lets say, 3000 lbs of bombs and drop tanks to bomb German cities and would have been difficult for the German's to intercept. This would be especially true for early morning raids where the cover of night provided protection through most of the inbound journey. The P-38's would climb to 30,000 feet and just as dawn broke would begin a slow dive down to about 23-25,000 feet as they made their approach to the specified target, making them quite fast.

=S=

Lunatic

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Excuse me I stand corrected I meant to say night fighter and not bomber.
There were several night fighter versions built as single seaters also. And yes the dual seat trainer TP-38's had two sets of controls.

[Erich]

so as an effective Tank killer the P-38 was ? in the ETO ?? granted a great ground attck plane agasint soft skinned vehicles, MT and locos/trains

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I am not sure how effective it was a tank killer. I know if the experimental version that was talked about in other posts with the 75mm cannon or the ChainLightning could have been effective but I am not sure how effective it was.

[evangilder]

There were not alot of TP-38s. At least that is what I have heard. Most pilots got the training that I mentioned from my conversation with Bob Grainger. That was training in the states, mind you. Before he got that "training", he had never flown a multi-engined aircraft!

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

From what I can tell there were only 2 confirmed TP-38's built and the rest are all and unknown amount. I do know there were not many.

[cheddar cheese]

This is what I mean:




While the P-38 design was starting to prove itself in testing and combat, one underlying problem still existed. Compressibility was still a major obstacle in the performance of the P-38, and it led to many rumors and myth about the flight characteristics. One prototype P-38 was modified for dive testing. An older P-38 E was the aircraft used for this experimentation. The forward gondola section was moved forward by thirty inches, and the cockpit was move forward by thirty-six inches. The cockpit flight controls were the same, but there was room behind the pilot for a co-pilot/observer/test engineer. This modified P-38 E "Swordfish" first too flight on June 2, 1943 and was immediately put into extensive dive tests. The tests would have limited results, but this design led into another use for this type of P-38.



AAF training before Pearl Harbor was only designed to train between 12,000 - 13,000 pilots each year. After the attack, plans were changed and the numbers were increased significantly. However, the problem was that the government was unprepared for any armed conflicts, and pilots were being forced into the P-38 without adequate training. There were no twin-engine trainers available, but when the British balked at purchasing the Model 322 Lightning I fighters, they were employed as trainers. They were basically stripped down models of the P-38, but they were still rather advanced for the average trained pilot taking the controls for the first time. Johnson envisioned the P-38 Swordfish to be used to take pilot trainees along for demonstration flights with an experienced pilot at the controls. This would dispel many rumors and raise confidence in inexperienced pilots. Lockheed test pilot Jimmy Mattern was sent on tour with a Swordfish version of the P-38. He performed maneuvers that were normally feared by the recruits, such as rolling into a "dead" engine and many low-level aerobatics. After five months of training sessions, P-38 accident rates dropped from 6.5% to 1.5%. Mattern would receive the Civil Medal of Merit for his actions, which saved the lives of many recruits. Once again, the P-38 demonstrated its versatility and value to the Allied cause.

www.p-38online.com

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Wow interesting I have never heard about it till now, thanks.

[cheddar cheese]

Welcome