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[SAS~Tom2]

..because you almost cannot miss with it.

No dogfighter, but great for a zoom and boom tactic.























Back in sports I learned that a performance athlete does not have to be at maximum shape in all qualities to be in the top, what is required is optimum in accordance to the demands.

This also counts for nowadays modded IL-2 Lightnings-they are not perfect but well good enough to do the job.

[CorsairKira]

Can't remember where I read it, but I remember USMC ace Joe Foss saying that while his F4Fs struggled in most aspects, the P-38s were all over the sky.  Probably F models in early-mid '42.

Damn it Tom, now I've got to load up my favorite plane with (I think) vern's Richard Ira Bong offline campaign.  Gee.  Thanks.    

It certainly was a wonderful aircraft. If only it had a tailhook and radial engines, it would've been perfect!

[Metatron]

It's a good plane, no doubt about it. It's main drawback is it's size. Against a single engine plane with similar performance, it is at a disadvantage usually. But against most agile but slow Japanese planes, it can dictate the rules of the game.

[SAS~Tom2]

Can't remember where I read it, but I remember USMC ace Joe Foss saying that while his F4Fs struggled in most aspects, the P-38s were all over the sky.  Probably F models in early-mid '42.

Damn it Tom, now I've got to load up my favorite plane with (I think) vern's Richard Ira Bong offline campaign.  Gee.  Thanks.    

It certainly was a wonderful aircraft. If only it had a tailhook and radial engines, it would've been perfect!

Hi!
Could you eventually lead me to this campaign?
Also for P-38s there are cockpit remeshes available in the Cockpits section. https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,42511.0.html

Plus I released a Richard Bong pilot skin here:
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,42367.0.html


Will add a better screen today.

[Ta183Huckebein]

Hi.

There are a few Richard Bong campaigns on M4T. This had some of the better reviews: http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads&file=details&id=3868

On a side note, I hope there is a special place in hell laid out for the a**hole that made/named the well known drug inhalation device that reduces this great man's legacy to something that will incite the immature teenager in almost everyone to snicker.

Thank the lord some people remember, though....

Ta183Huckebein

[LuseKofte]

The US p-38 had superchargers and the small numbers delivered to RAF did not. I am not sure how good dogfighter she really was, Bong liked frontal attacks. But many pilots said it out turned 109 G6, that might just be the initial turnrate and not sustained turn

[SAS~Tom2]

Hi.

There are a few Richard Bong campaigns on M4T. This had some of the better reviews: http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads&file=details&id=3868

On a side note, I hope there is a special place in hell laid out for the a**hole that made/named the well known drug inhalation device that reduces this great man's legacy to something that will incite the immature teenager in almost everyone to snicker.

Thank the lord some people remember, though....

Ta183Huckebein

Thank you very much, I also found it after a little search:
http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads&file=details&id=3868


This would be a treat for a talented campaign builder like Poltava, to make this campaign 4.12 compatible and include Rabaul by Bee and Northern Borneo by SAS~farang65 and so on..MiSp Pacific, agracier's latest Pacific maps...

---

Otto:

If you allow, I will expand on this a little from what I read and I admit, it lacks the so needed hard data:

The P-38s where much better than its reputation, but indeed the European variants delivered to GB suffered from missing super chargers.

Also the European rather cold climate proved to be  not optimal for those Allison engines.

These two facts made a lot to the WWII Lightning warfare.

Also later variants, especially the late "L" models had boosted controls and again stronger upgraded engines.

Still the roll rate was its biggest issue, the turn rate is good, also sustained AFAIK, the problem that occours may be a sudden stall and that at low altitude can be very lethal and killed Thomas McGuire:

http://acepilots.com/usaaf_mcguire.html


In the Pacific, the Lightnings proved to be very effective.
First, the Allison engines had far better performance in this climate. They had working superchargers.

And another key was tactic: The Pacific squadrons used the pros of the P-38 to the optimum, and were instructed never to get in a situation of a turn and burn but rather zoom and boom fight.

There was another Lightning planned, a version with Merlin engines and IIRC boosted controls and that, hyothetically, might have become the best Allied fighter of WWII, but Lockheed was denied to shut down the production line for the few weeks needed  to make the accomodations, so important was the production, and what might have benn the mega Lightning never took off. Except as modified prototype.

The Lightning surely was inferior as a turn and burn fighter compared to FW-190s or P-51s (the latter also no turn and burn craft designed plane) or other planes like Zekes or later japanese fighters like Ki-84s.

But with its firepower, speed and climb it was a fiercy adversary.

Not easy to fly but those who mastered it loved it.

[Cycle]

Saved my virtual life many times!
Hit and run, hit and run, hit . . . just get out of here . . . fast!