P-38's (2) ...

[Mark Allen M]

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]

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


6th Recon Group Lockheed P-38F


6th Recon Group Lockheed P-38F


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]

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 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]

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]

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]

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

[gary1954]

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]

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]

Part 7 of 7

OK you tired yet?! 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]

[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

[The Inspector]

'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]

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

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]

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

[Pat Carry]

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

[PropsRule]

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.