Lockheed P-38 Lightning: The Definitive Story of Lockheed's P-38 Fighter - Hardcover

Bodie, Warren M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0962935905 ISBN 13: 9780962935909

Publisher: Widewing Publications,U.S., 1991

Synopsis

Warren Bodie's book is a marvel of completeness, including photos of all series and one-offs, and favorably presents what was arguably the best all-around fighter of World War Two. All the subjective criticisms of the famous Lockheed twin-boom plane are clearly discussed in their proper historical context, with ample support from the main historical actors. The book also demonstrates that the P-38, as a good child of Clarence "Kelly" Johnson's genius, was several years ahead of its time both in its technology and in the capacity of air strategists and pilots to fully exploit the advances it had over current aviation designs, as well as to foresee its potential. For example, the P-51 Mustang was a pig (and used the same Allison engine of the P-38) before being refitted with the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin engine which made it the masterpiece we know; just imagine a P-38 with two Merlins, something that never happened but that could have dramatically changed the air war before 1944 in all

Edition details

• Publisher: Widewing Publications,U.S.
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0962935905
• ISBN 13: 9780962935909
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 258