P-38's (2) ...

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7819

Start this thread off with the LIFE archives. Most have seen these photos from a great LIFE series on USAAF activity in the Aleutian Islands in 1943. I believe I have all the P-38 images here. Good stuff.

Part 1 of 7

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7819

Part 2 of 7

These images were in real bad shape so I put in some time to clean them up. Much clearer now. Source SDASM archives

6th Recon Group Lockheed P-38F-5-8

LT R L Bob Peters P-38 "Lady Madie' of the 80th Fighter Squadron Head hunters 8th FG

8th Fighter Group 35th Fighter Squadron Lockheed P-38

6th Recon Group Lockheed P-38L

6th Recon Group Lockheed P-38F

8th Fighter Group 35th Fighter Squadron Lockheed P-38

50th Fighter Group Lockheed P-38 Lighting

6th Recon Group Lockheed P-38F

Lockheed F-4 photo recon version of the P-38 serial 41-2134 assigned to the 8th photo Recon Squadron 5th AF

6th Recon Group Lockheed P-38F

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7819

Part 3 of 7

I don't know about you guys but even though many of these old photos have been seen many times before, it never gets old to see them again.

P-38L

A P-38 Lightning from the 2nd Service Group being warmed up on the airfield at Camp Tripoli Iceland on March 16 1943

Captain Robert Faro on the 20th January 1943

Lockheed P-38 Burbank 1944

Lockheed F-4

Lockheed F-5B Lightning reconnaissance version

Lockheed P-38 Lightning of Richard Bong named "Marge"

Lockheed P-38

Maj Don McAuley CO 55th FS 20th FG KIA 1943

Milo Burcham stands on left wing of YIPPEE 5000th P-38 built

P-38 Feb 1945 Belgium

P-38 Lightning of the 392nd FS 367th FG on the airfield at St Laurent-sur-Mer Normandy with Omaha Beach in the background

P-38F Lightning "Japanese Sandman II"

P-38F Lightning named "Bat Out Of H*ll" from fighter 94th squadron in Tunisia 1943

P-38 at Walnut Ridge TN 1946

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7819

Part 4 of 7

This first photo is my favorite scheme on a P-38

P-38's in flight F-5B cameraship front and P-38J fighter rear in flight

Lockheed P-38 Lightning flying along the coast of Queensland 1943

Over Detroit MI The YP-38's were stationed at Selfridge Field just north of Detroit

Lockheed P-38 and a Supermarine Spitfire

P-38 Lightnings of 475th FG "Satans Angels" New Guinea 1943

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7819

Part 5 of 7

P-38 Lightning from the 384th Fighter Squadron 364th Fighter Group 8th Air Force being recovered after making an emergency landing at Honnington England on May 30 1944

94th Fighter Squadron 1st Fighter Group

A 9th Air Force P-38 Lightning belly-lands at an airfield in France

Lockheed P-38 crashed on landing at Lingayen Airstrip Luzon Island Philippines Feb 1945

Lockheed P-38G-10-LO on April 9th 1943

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:37 am

Isn't this one of the P-38's recovered from New Guinea and now under restoration at WetPac in Colorado?

gary1954 · **Posted:** Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:39 am

Rob Mears wrote:

Isn't this one of the P-38's recovered from New Guinea and now under restoration at WetPac in Colorado?

any photos of the restoration??

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7819

Part 6 of 7

2nd P-38 built first of 13 YP-38s

Derelict P-38's at remote Airstrip about 8 miles inland from Dulag airstrip 1946 Leyte Philippines

Karachi India

Line of P-38's of 433rd FS 475th FG "Satans Angels"

P-38 Lightnings in Iceland on way to UK July 1942

P-38 Lightnings being towed along Queens Drive in Liverpool on the way to Liverpool Airport Speke England on January 9 1943

P-38J's of the 338th FS at RAF Nuthampstead 1944

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7819

Part 7 of 7

OK you tired yet?! :wink:

Last one ...

Tony LeVier's Lockheed P-38 racer

P-38 N25Y flown by WW2 Ace James P Hagerstrom 1949

1947 Fastest P-38 ever hit 440 MPH on the straights low level during practice for qualifying for the Thompson Trophy Race

1948 Bendix Air Races

P-38F owned by J D Reed flown by James Rubel 1947 Bendix R Trophy Van Nuys-California to Cleveland-Ohio

J D Reed's P-38 in early 1947

Photographed at the Spitfire 60th Anniversary Airshow Duxford 1996, miss the plane very much

gary1954 · **Posted:** Fri Feb 01, 2013 12:42 pm

[quote="Mark Allen M"]Part 7 of 7

J D Reed's P-38 in early 1947

Check out the Beechcraft advertisement on the boom and nose of this Lockheed....the paint scheme is Awesome :supz:

The Inspector · **Posted:** Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:15 pm

'YIPPIE', 4423296, P-38J-20-LO, went to the 5th A.F., 475th F.G. 431st F.S. and was lost in an 'aerial accident' on 1/29/45 and oddly enough not shown on Baughers listings

cooper9411 · **Posted:** Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:44 pm

Mark I think you have to much time on your, er..... never mind I do too :lol:

There have been stories of abandoned P-38's still scattered throughout the Aleutian Island chain, along with other types.
Thanks for the post.

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7819

Yep! I tend to spend a bit of time in the mornings waking up at you guy's expense :wink:

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Fri Feb 01, 2013 2:30 pm

You gota luv the Forked Tailed Devil! Thanks Mark for all those.

PropsRule · **Posted:** Fri Feb 01, 2013 9:40 pm

Good to see #74 got his #2 engine running again!

The photo of the P-38 with the P-47 in Tennessee in 1946 is interesting (they both have guns removed, I noticed. Maybe they were being retired from active service?)

I have to ask, when was the P-38 officially retired from U.S. service? I've looked from time to time, but have never found a definitive answer.

The early post-war racers are very cool, too.

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P-38's (2) ...

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