In the early autumn of 1938, Moscow received the documentation obtained by our intelligence on the new American high-altitude interceptor Lockheed-22. She was able to steal from the United States by employees of the Intelligence Directorate of the People's Commissariat of Defense. Thick packs of photocopies contained the technical description, drawings and drawings of the aircraft and its main parts, calculations of the flight characteristics and strength of the airframe, the results of blowing the models in a wind tunnel. The originals were printed on Lockheed stationery and bore Secret stamps. The drawings and drawings showed an extremely unusual in appearance two-boom twin-engine aircraft, with a short fuselage-nacelle, three-wheeled landing gear and turbochargers on the engines. Copies of the materials were sent to the Procurement Directorate and the Air Force Research Institute. Here is what the 1st rank military engineer Znamensky, who studied materials on the American aircraft, wrote in his review: “It must be admitted that, in terms of its flight qualities and the power of artillery and small arms, the Lockheed-22 fighter-interceptor represents a significant step forward in the development of combat aircraft. and in this respect deserves the closest scrutiny by the RKKA."
The stolen project was nothing more than the first studies on the well-known Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter (in English - "lightning"). It was on the Lightning that an American pilot shot down the first German aircraft during the war, and the Lightning was the first American fighter to fly over the capital of the Reich. It became the only serial multi-role double-boom fighter of the Second World War, several Dutch Fokkers C.1, who managed to fight for less than a week in May 1940, can be ignored. "Lightning" was the first among all production aircraft to receive a landing gear with a nose strut, which greatly facilitated takeoff and landing. The best aces of the USA fought on it … However, first things first.
The tactical and technical requirements of the US Air Force for a multipurpose twin-engine fighter were formulated in 1935, and the following year they were introduced to a number of aircraft manufacturers. The aircraft was conceived as a universal one: an interceptor, long-range reconnaissance aircraft and an escort fighter. In the air force, the project received the index X-608, and on "Lockheed" it was assigned the "brand" number "Model 22".
Chief designers Hal Hibbard and Clarence Johnson worked out six options for the layout of the twin-engine machine. The first was a classic monoplane with wing motors and a cockpit in the fuselage. In two projects, the engines stood in a thick fuselage and rotated the pulling or pushing propellers in the wings using shafts and gearboxes. The other three were two-girder designs. Moreover, in one case, the engines also remained in the short fuselage, and the propeller installations in the planes were set in motion through a system of shafts. In the fifth arrangement, the engines were already placed at the base of the beams, but the fuselage was absent, and the pilot's seat was in the left nacelle. However, for the construction they chose the sixth option with two beams and a short fuselage in the center of the wing.
Other American firms such as Douglas, Curtiss, Bell and Valti also took part in the competition. But after getting acquainted with all the projects, the military ordered the construction of the XP-38 prototype only from Lockheed in June 1937. It took three months to prepare the working drawings. Engineers of the "Allison" company also worked hard. Modifications of the V-1710 engine (12-cylinder, V-shaped, liquid-cooled), which had the opposite rotation and excluded the gyroscopic moment, were developed especially for the new fighter. This facilitated control, and the air flow from the propellers was symmetrical.
Exhaust-fired GE "Type F" turbochargers increased engine power to 1,150 hp. The compressors were installed in the nacelles at the level of the trailing edge of the wing. Closer to the tail unit, radiators with side air intakes were placed in the beams. The very design of the fuselage and beams was of an all-metal type of semi-monocoque, with duralumin sheathing. The single-spar wing had Fowler flaps and ailerons. The beams ended in keels and were connected by a stabilizer to the elevator. All steering surfaces - with duralumin sheathing had trim tabs, which is not surprising given the size of the car. The tricycle landing gear with a nose strut was retracted using hydraulic drives. The main pillars were hidden back in flight into the engine nacelles, and the front "leg" was hidden in the lower fuselage compartment.
The fuselage was rather short and ended at the trailing edge of the wing. The pilot was sitting in a spacious cockpit with a large convex canopy with a binding. It was planned to install a 23-mm Madsen or TI cannon of 22.8 mm caliber with 50 rounds of ammunition in the empty bow section. A quartet of large-caliber (12, 7 mm) Browning M-2 machine guns with a stock of 200 rounds per barrel was added to the cannon. According to the calculations of the designers, the plane turned out to be quite high-speed - at an altitude of 6100 m, they expected to get 670 km / h. Other characteristics inspired optimism. So, it was planned to reach a height of 9145 m in over 10 minutes, and the ceiling due to the operation of turbochargers was almost 12 km.
At the end of 1938, the first prototype of the XP-38 (unarmed) left the factory shop and moved along the highway to March Field airfield. Here Lieutenant Casey began jogging on it, preparing for the first flight. Due to problems with the brakes, which required revision, the take-off was scheduled for January 27. However, immediately after the separation of the XP-38 from the runway, flap vibrations arose, leading to a breakdown of their attachment assemblies. Casey managed to partially control the vibration by increasing the angle of attack. After a 30-minute flight, we had to land the plane with the same angle. Due to the raised nose of the concrete runway, the keels were first touched (having received damage), and only then the XP-38 stood on the main wheels. After repairs and modifications of the flaps, the flight program was continued, and by February 10, the total flight time was about 5 hours. There were no more serious problems.
To check for speed and range, it was planned to fly the XP-38 across the entire United States. Casey was to take off from the Pacific coast in California and reach Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. On February 11, early in the morning, XP-38 left March Field and, having refueled at Amarillo base in Texas, landed in Dayton. The plane behaved flawlessly, and they decided to continue the flight to the Mitchell Field airfield near New York. On the Atlantic coast, the fighter landed after being on the way for 7 hours 2 minutes. The average speed was 563 km / h. Unfortunately, this flight, which proved the good characteristics of the machine, ended unsuccessfully. Casey approached, still not trusting the efficient operation of the flaps. Therefore, the angle of attack was quite high, and the engines were running at higher revs. Due to the high landing speed, the plane “skidded” and rolled over several times, receiving significant damage. Casey himself got off with only bruises, but there was no point in restoring the first prototype.
This accident did not affect the further fate of the "thirty-eighth". In late April 1939, Lockheed signed a contract to build 13 pre-production YP-38s powered by V-1710-27 / 29 engines. The propellers also rotated in opposite directions, but in a different direction. Unlike the first prototype, when viewed from the cockpit, the propellers rotated away from the fuselage. The armament of the pre-production YR-38 was also different and consisted of a 37 mm M-9 cannon (15 rounds of ammunition), two 12.7 mm machine guns (200 rounds of ammunition per barrel) and a pair of 7, 62 mm (500 rounds per barrel) … The takeoff weight of the YР-38 reached 6514 kg, and the maximum speed at 6100 m was 652 km / h.
The innovative aircraft turned out to be quite complex and expensive to manufacture. Therefore, only on September 17, 1940, the first YR-38 took off. Even earlier, England and France became interested in a two-boom fighter. In May 1940, the procurement commissions of these countries visited New York, signing a preliminary contract with Lockheed for the supply of fighters. The French Air Force planned to purchase 417 aircraft, and the UK - 250. However, in June, Wehrmacht units were marching in Paris, and the French order had to be canceled.
The Lightnings were also ordered by the US Air Force. To the first batch of 80 P-38s, another 66 aircraft were soon added. The serial P-38s were identical to the YР-38, but with 12.7 mm machine guns. The 30 serial P-38s (without a letter addition after the number) were followed by 36 P-38Ds, which differed in protected tanks, pilot's armor plates and a modified oxygen system. The aircraft was immediately assigned the index "D" in order to unify the fighter by designation, with the existing P-39D and B-24D aircraft, on which similar modifications were made. Thus, the indices "C" and "B" were missed, and the letter "A" was given to the experimental XP-38A with a pressurized cabin.
While preparations were underway for the production of serial machines, the pilots of the Lockheed company and the US Air Force carefully flew around the pre-production YR-38. During flight tests, the Lightning encountered two unpleasant problems - vibration of the tail unit and poor controllability when diving at high speeds. The tail vibration was handled quite easily by installing balancing weights on the elevator and modifying the fairings at the junction of the wing with the fuselage (the flow swirl has now decreased). And they were busy with the second problem for a long time. Due to the compressibility of air at dive speeds at M = 0.7-0.75, the elevator became practically ineffective. I had to test various profiles and designs in a wind tunnel. Only by 1944 (!) The problem was finally solved, and on all P-38s the speed limits for diving were removed.
For the first batch of P-38 and P-38D, the US Air Force ordered an additional 40 aircraft. Production P-38s were ready in June 1941, and the P-38Ds rolled off the assembly line in October. In December, after the attack of Japanese aircraft carriers on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II and orders for the new aircraft increased dramatically. By that time, there were two regular modifications of the "thirty-eighth" - P-38E and "Model 322-B" on the stocks (export version for Great Britain). Now the plane, in addition to the index, was given its own name. At first, the name "Atlanta" was suggested, but the final choice was left to the more euphonious "Lightning". The British have always had a dissenting opinion and assigned their names to export aircraft. But the new Lockheed fighter was an exception, retaining its native American name.
By the end of 1941, the Royal Air Force of Great Britain planned to receive 667 Lightning MkI and MkII. MKI was the same equipment as the P-38D, but with V-1710 engines (1090 hp) without turbochargers. The first MkI in Royal Air Force camouflage and British insignia took off in August 1941. The first three cars went overseas, where they began evaluation flights at the Boscombe Down test center. The opinion of the British pilots about the plane was not very high. In the reports, pilots primarily pointed to the Lightning's poor maneuverability, although otherwise the data was comparable to other twin-engine fighters of the time. Among the defects, they also attributed the sun glare from the nacelles, which interfered with a safe landing. Nevertheless, the criticism had an effect and the delivery of 143 Lightning MKI was refused.
Work on the assembly of these machines was already underway and 140 of them were transferred to the US Air Force. The aircraft received their own index R-322 (from Model-322V) and flew only over the territory of the United States. 40 P-322, which were in service by December 7, 1941, with the beginning of hostilities were sent to guard the western coast of the country. The unclaimed "British" were based in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Most of the R-322, which later received more powerful engines of the "F" series, flew until 1945, mainly as training vehicles.
The 524 Lightning MkII with V-1710F5L engines (1150 hp) with turbochargers did not make it to England either. Only one aircraft was repainted in the Royal Air Force camouflage in October 1942, but the rest of the aircraft remained in their homeland under the indexes P-38F and P-38G. These modifications were replaced on the conveyor belt "Lightning" P-38E, produced from the fall of 1941.
The P-38E (a total of 310 vehicles were produced) was distinguished by the 20-mm M-1 cannon (instead of the unreliable M-9), modified hydro and electrical systems, and increased ammunition for machine guns. At the end of 1941, two aircraft of this version were converted into the F-4 photo reconnaissance aircraft. All weapons were replaced with four cameras. In 1942, another 97 P-38Es were subjected to similar modifications, and they were also baptized into the F-4.
The P-38F differed from the P-38E in the V-1710-49 / 57 engines (1225 hp). 547 Lightnings with the letter "F" left the stocks, of which 20 were in the version of the F-4A photo reconnaissance aircraft. "Lightning" with high-altitude engines V-1710-51 / 55 received the index P-38G, and the P-38N was equipped with a pair of V-1710-89 / 91 (1425 hp). And these options had unarmed photo versions. Of the 1,462 P-38Gs, 180 became F-5A scouts, and another 200 received the F-5B number (they differed in photographic equipment). Among 601 Р-38Нs, F-5С reconnaissance aircraft comprised 128 aircraft.
In the summer of 1943, an experimental XP-50 (based on the P-38C) was tested for high-altitude reconnaissance. In this car, in the enlarged fuselage, they found a place for an observer. He was responsible for the operation of the K-17 camera in the cockpit and the panoramic camera in the tail boom. And the pilot, if necessary, could fire from a pair of abandoned machine guns. True, the serial production of this version did not take place.
In addition to using various engines, Lockheed's designers introduced other changes to the Lightnings. In January 1942, units were installed for two outboard tanks of 568 liters or 1136 liters each. The wing was strengthened, and if necessary, bombs of 454 kg or 762 kg were hung on these nodes. With additional fuel tanks, the Lightning's range increased significantly, which was clearly demonstrated by the flight of the P-38F through the USA in August 1942. Filled with fuel "Lightning" without weapons and a pair of tanks of 1136 liters in 13 hours covered 4677 km, and the rest of gasoline allowed to fly another 160 km.
At the end of 1942, the P-38F was tested as a torpedo bomber. One torpedo weighing 875 kg and one tank of 1136 liters (or two torpedoes at the same time) were hung under the wing. The tests were quite successful, but the torpedo bomber did not appear on the front line. On the same plane, they tried to drop a 908-kg bomb, and a similar fighter-bomber managed to fight in Europe at the end of 1944. For patrols over the Pacific Ocean, Lockheed's designers proposed to create a float Lightning. The relevant documentation was prepared, but the floats were never installed.
The designers worked on new high-rise versions of the two-girder "Lightning". The first "Lightning" with a pressurized cabin, as already mentioned, was the experienced XP-38A. In November 1942, an improved version of the XP-49 with the Continental XI-1430-1 engines (12-cylinder, V-shaped inverted type, liquid-cooled) with a capacity of 1600 hp took off. It was planned to install a pair of 20-mm cannons and four 12.7-mm machine guns on this "skyscraper". But in flight, the only XP-49 left unarmed, since it was necessary to accommodate the second crew member - an observer engineer. Another profession for the R-38 was the towing of gliders. The locks were installed in the tail section, and in 1942 the Lightning successfully passed tests on towing the Wako CG-4A landing glider. In the same year, an air gas generator was tested in flight for setting up a smoke screen for the advancing infantry.
Lightning production increased every year. In 1941, 207 fighters were released, and in the next - 1478. Lightning, which was increasingly involved in combat missions, opened an account for the downed Japanese aircraft on August 4, 1942. On that day, a pair of R-38s of the 343rd fighter group, taking off from the Adak airfield in Alaska, discovered and shot down two Kavanishi N6K4 Mavis flying boats.
In July 1942, the Lightnings took part in Operation Bolero, the transfer of aircraft from the United States to bases in Great Britain. The first to relocate were 200 thirty-eighths of the 14th Fighter Group, flying with outboard tanks through Newfoundland, Greenland and Iceland. Each group of four fighters was led by a Boeing B-17 leader aircraft. The Lightnings of the 27th Fighter Squadron (1st Fighter Group) remained in Iceland to patrol over the North Atlantic. On August 15, 1942, the pilot of the P-38 of this squadron won the first victory of the American Air Force over a German aircraft. The Lightning, together with the P-40 fighter (Group 33), managed to shoot down the four-engine Fw-200 Condor.
In November 1942, part of the Lightning flew from England to bases in the Mediterranean to take part in Operation Torch, an Allied landing in North Africa. In the skies over Tunisia, two-boom "Lightning" often acted as escort fighters for their bombers. Air battles with German and Italian aircraft happened quite often and went with varying success, the lack of maneuverability of the heavy Lightnings affected. So, only the 48th fighter group from November 1942 to February 1943 lost 20 P-38s and 13 pilots, of which five cars - on January 23.
However, the Lightnings did not remain in debt, being considered a serious enemy in the air due to their good speed characteristics. On April 5, the crews of the 82nd US Air Force Group intercepted 17 Luftwaffe aircraft, shooting down 5. Their colleagues from the 1st Fighter Group were even more successful, destroying 16 on the same day, and four days later another 28 aircraft with a swastika on their tail. … True, in fairness, it is worth noting that almost all of these victories were over German bombers. In October, the pilots of the 14th group distinguished themselves over Crete. "Thirty-eighths" attacked a compound of slow-moving Ju-87s, in that battle (although it is difficult to call it a battle), the group commander announced seven personally shot down "Junkers". By that time, the Lightnings themselves were increasingly involved in attack aircraft with bombs suspended under the fuselage.
The "Lightnings" in the Pacific Ocean have proven themselves well. Back in August 1942, the 39th Fighter Squadron arrived in Port Moresby (New Guinea). True, due to technical problems with overheating of engines in the tropics, real combat missions began only at the end of the year, having finalized the cooling system. But already in the first battle on December 27, the Americans shot down several Japanese aircraft. Interesting information from the parties about the results of this battle. In total, the Lightning pilots reported 11 Japanese aircraft shot down (some articles even indicate 15 aircraft), including the future best American ace Richard E. Bong. At the same time, only one P-38 of Lieutenant Sparks received engine damage in this battle. The Japanese pilots on the 11th sentai announced, in turn, seven downed Lightnings. In reality, according to the available documents, the 582nd Kokutai lost one Zero in battle, the second A6M was damaged and crashed during a forced landing (the pilot survived), in addition, one Val was shot down and the other bomber returned to the base with damage. In the 11th Sentai we lost two Ki-43 Hayabusa and one pilot. At the same time, it is worth considering that, in addition to the P-38, the P-40 also participated in that battle, which the Lightnings were in a hurry to help.
The Lightning, with its long range, was ideal for patrolling the vast ocean expanses. That is why, on April 18, 1943, 18 Lightning Squadrons of the 339th Squadron set off to attack Japanese bombers with Admiral Yamamoto on board. From the intercepted radio message, the Americans learned about the arrival of the fleet commander of the Land of the Rising Sun on the island of Bougainville, and they were not going to miss such a chance. Having flown over the ocean for about 700 km, the Lightnings accurately reached the enemy at the estimated time. After a fleeting battle, the Japanese sailors had to choose a new commander. According to the Americans, they shot down three Mitsubishi G4M bombers and three A6M Zero fighters, losing one Lightning in battle.
Two months later, the names of the pilots of the 339th squadron were again on the lips of the Air Force personnel. The lightning group intercepted a large group of Aichi D3A dive bombers under cover of Zero fighters. Lieutenant Murray Shubin was pumped more than others after landing. In one sortie, the pilot chalked up six aerial victories, immediately becoming the best American ace in the Pacific.
Problems with cooling the Lightning's engines led to the creation of another modification - the P-38J. Now the air after the turbochargers, before entering the carburetor, was cooled in additional radiators under the propeller spinner. And the radiators in the beams received wider side air intakes. Thanks to the modifications, the power of the V-1710-89 / 91 engines increased at altitude, the P-38J at 9145 m developed a speed of up to 665 km / h, and the range with an outboard tank of 1136 liters was 3218 km.
A total of 2970 P-38Js were assembled, which, as they were released, were constantly improved. In particular, the capacity of the wing tanks was increased by 416 liters. On the R-38J-25 modification, underwing flaps appeared, which made it easier to control the aircraft when diving. Soon the production P-38Js were equipped with aileron boosters. Thus, the heavy "Lightning" was the first among all fighters to receive hydraulic boosters in control.
The P-38J was followed by the P-38L variant with V-1710-111 / 113 engines (1475 hp), produced in a number of 3923 vehicles. More than 700 "Lightning" P-38J and L were converted into reconnaissance aircraft F-5E, F and G (differed in photographic equipment). The experimental modification was the R-38K with V-710-75 / 77 engines and larger propellers. But the new motors demanded a serious change in the wing design (they would have to change the factory equipment), so the series did not take place.
The Lockheed firm did not stop working on improving the already released Lightnings. In Alaska, they flew the P-38G with retractable skis. The flights were successful, but there were no orders for combat units. Tests of various weapons were also carried out on the "Lightning". At the Wright Field training ground, the P-38L rose into the air with a powerful battery of three 15, 24 mm and eight 12, 7 mm machine guns, and under each plane there was also a pair of large-caliber machine guns. But for use at the front, the designers chose missile weapons. Guides for HVAR unguided rockets appeared under the wing. At first they were located seven in a row under each plane. And the final version was with five missiles on each side, hung on one node with a "herringbone".
The P-38G served as the base for a light bomber called "Drup Snut" (Protruded nose). A plexiglass lantern was installed in the elongated bow section and a navigator, who was responsible for the operation of the Norden bombsight, was added to the crew. At the plant near Belfast, 25 Lightnings, which became part of the 8th Air Force of the US Air Force, were thus modified. Another type of "Drup Snut" was the version with the AT / APS-15 radar sight in the nose, behind which the navigator-operator sat. The radar sight was installed on several dozen P-38Ls, which also fought in Europe.
The extended noses made their first combat sortie on April 10, 1944, attacking targets near Disir. Two squadrons of the 55th Fighter Group acted as bombers, and were covered from above by single "Lightnings". Each Drup Snut carried one 454-kg bomb and an outboard tank. Although the target was covered by clouds, the navigators accurately reached the drop point. In the future, "Lightning" -bombers performed sorties with one or even a pair of larger bombs of 908 kg each, but without tanks.
The main profession of "Lightning", of course, remained "destructive" work. Due to their long range, American bombers B-17 and B-24 very often accompanied the Lightnings to targets in Germany. There were also exceptions. In June 1944, single "thirty-eighths" of the 82nd fighter group attacked the oil refineries in Ploiesti from a dive. Romanian anti-aircraft gunners and pilots were well prepared for the "meeting", having managed to shoot down 22 "Lightning".
Subsequently, the Lightnings of the 82nd and 14th fighter groups took part in the so-called "shuttle" flights, accompanying the B-17 and B-24 bombers. The Americans took off from bases in Italy, dropped bombs over Romania and Germany, and landed at Soviet airfields. Here, after refueling and resting, the crews left for the return flight. But the Stalinist Falcons could get to know the Lightning pilots not only in the dining room of the Poltava airfield. In the fall of 1944, a real air battle took place between the allies in the skies of Yugoslavia.
These events took place after the liberation of Belgrade by the Red Army. In early November, the rifle corps of Lieutenant General G. P. Kotova. There was no air cover, since there was no enemy aviation in this area. A fighter regiment of the 17th Air Army, commanded by Major D. Syrtsov, was based not far from the city. The situation at the airfield was calm, and on that day the flight of Captain A. Koldunov (the future twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Air Marshal and Commander-in-Chief of the country's air defense) was on duty. The roar of planes was heard in the sky. Syrtsov looked anxiously at the sky, although he was sure that the Germans should not be here. But the planes turned out to be American P-38s, which, it seemed, on their own initiative, were going to cover our troops from the air, although there was no need for this. Soon, however, the Lightnings formed a circle and, one by one, began to attack the column. The whole road was immediately shrouded in smoke. Our soldiers waved red banners and white patches, signaling to the Americans that they were attacking the Allies. But the bombs continued to fall down. Syrtsov immediately rushed to his airfield. A six P-38 swept low over it and shot down our Yak-9 fighter that was taking off. Even before reaching the checkpoint, the regiment commander saw how Koldunov's plane took off, followed by two more Yaks. Syrtsov ordered to raise the entire regiment, took off himself. On the radio, he transmitted several times: "Do not open the fire! Give signals that we are our own." But the Americans knocked out another of our fighters, the pilot of which, fortunately, managed to jump out with a parachute.
Meanwhile, the Koldunov crashed into a large group of Lightnings and shot at close range, first one and then the other. He managed to repeat the attacking maneuver, and soon two more "allies" were on the ground. In total, our aces shot down seven planes. One American pilot parachuted down by the road and was picked up by the infantry. Since there was no one to interrogate on the spot, Syrtsov sent him to the headquarters of the 17th Army. During this raid, many of our soldiers died, including the corps commander, Combat General G. P. Kotov. All the dead were buried on the spot, and according to the recollections of Koldunov and Syrtsov, candles lit by local residents did not go out on the graves for several days. To dismantle the incident, the commander of the 17th Air Force, General V. Sudets, flew to the regiment. His point of view was that the Soviet pilots acted correctly and those who distinguished themselves should be noted. But do not write reports to the army headquarters, do not give information to correspondents. Nobody wanted to ruin relations with allies without a high command from above.
The latest modification was the R-38M two-seater night fighter. The release of the P-61 Black Widow night light ordered by Nor-Trope was delayed, and it was temporarily decided to create a similar machine based on Lightning. Experiments with the installation of a radar on an aircraft were first performed by engineers in combat units. In the 6th Fighter Squadron in New Guinea, two P-38Gs were converted into a night fighter on their own. The SCR-540 radar was placed in an outboard tank, and the operator's seat was equipped behind the pilot. True, the squadron was withdrawn to the United States before they had time to test the design in real combat.
At Lockheed, the revisions were done more professionally. The AN / APS-4 radar in a cigar-shaped container was hung under the bow, and the operator sat behind the pilot. After test flights with shooting, it turned out that the liners that flew out damage the radar fairing. I had to move the radar under the right plane. Several modified P-38Js were handed over for testing to the 481st training group. After the evaluation flights, the US Air Force ordered 75 aircraft, indexed P-38M. The first serial P-38Ms were ready at the beginning of 1945, and did not have time to take part in hostilities. After the surrender of Japan, the night Lightnings were based in the defeated country until early 1946, being part of the 418th and 421st squadrons.
During the Second World War, "Lightning" managed to fly and with the identification marks of France. After the landing of Anglo-American troops in Africa, France entered the anti-Hitler coalition and received aircraft from the allies. Reconnaissance group II / 33 was the first to receive six F-4A photo reconnaissance aircraft in November 1943, and then F-5A. The units were based at various times in Italy, Sardinia, Corsica and France. The most famous French pilot of the Lightning was undoubtedly the writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who died in his unarmed Lightning before returning from flight on July 31, 1944. According to the Luftwaffe archives, the Germans shot down only one Lockheed two-bar fighter that day. Therefore, it is known for sure that Exupery was the victim of the "Focke-Wulf" Fw 190D-9.
Three F-4 photo reconnaissance aircraft were transferred to the Australian Air Force, where they were used to observe the Japanese at the end of the war. 15 "Lightning" (mostly F-5 reconnaissance) in 1944-45, the Americans sent to China. With the outbreak of the civil war in the country, these planes ended up in both Chiang Kai-shek's and Mao's communists. Portugal became another country that received the two-beam "Lightning", but here the case intervened. In November 1942, a pair of P-38Fs flew from England to North Africa. By mistake, the pilots began to land in Lisbon. One of the pilots immediately figured out the situation and, without turning off the engine, immediately took to the air. But the second car did not have time to take off and went to the Portuguese as a trophy. The aircraft entered the country's Air Force squadron. In December, this squadron also included 18 Bell P-39 Airacobra fighters. They also landed in Portugal by mistake.
After the end of the war, the "thirty-eighth" was quickly removed from service by the US Air Force, although other piston fighters (P-51 and P-47) continued to carry out combat service. Several "Lightning" remained in service until 1949, as training machines. In 1947, several dozen "thirty-eighths" were sent to Honduras as military aid. Four aircraft returned to their homeland in 1961, when they were of interest already as museum exhibits. One Lightning from this group has taken its place on display at the US Air Force Museum. In 1949, after the formation of NATO, 50 Lightning ships were transferred to Italy. Their service was short-lived, and soon in combat units piston fighters of the Lockheed firm were replaced by jet "Vampires".
Thus, the two-boom "Lightning" were in service for a little over 10 years, and became the only American fighters, whose mass production began before Pearl Harbor, and continued until the surrender of Japan. By August 1945, a total of 9,923 aircraft of all modifications had been produced. Although a series of other piston fighters (P-39 Airacobra, P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang) outnumbered the Lockheed aircraft, this did not affect the attitude of the pilots to the aircraft. Pilots loved their Lightning for their long range and reliability - two motors are always better than one. Lagging behind single-engine vehicles in maneuverability, the Lightning was very good for long-distance patrols at altitude.
