Osprey Production Line to Frontline 3 : Lockheed P-38 Lightning

The 'Cadillac' of USAAF fighters in World War 2, the Lightning was a highly innovative design produced by Lockheed of Burbank, California, in response to a challenging requirement for a long range, high speed and high altitude fighter to escort the AAF's rapidly expanding B-17 bomber fleet. To meet the criterion laid down in the requirement the company adopted a revolutionary twin boom layout and supercharged Allison engines. The latter initially proved troublesome, but the gremlins were eventually sorted out and the type went into action both in Europe and the Pacific. This book uses the best archival material available sourced directly from Lockheed themselves, and illustrates all the major prototype, pre-production and frontline variants under construction at the famous Burbank, California, plant during World War 2. An eight-page section provides a unique slice of period colour through the reproduction of company advertisements that have not been seen in print since the war. - Adverts for the P-38 were amongst the best released in what became an art form in itself. Detailed captions and a concise body text detailing the manufacturing procedures used complement the illustrations. The appendices includes comprehensive production batch lists of aircraft constructed during the war years, scale drawings illustrating all major types and a cutaway run over a double page spread. Text by Michael O'Leary with illustrations by Mike Badrocke.

Contents

• Introduction
• The Prototype
• Britain's Unwanted Bundle
• Into Production
• XP-49 Chain Lightning
• 'Piggy-Back'
• 'Fork-Tailed Devil'
• Milo and Yippee
• Photo Fighters
• Ace of Aces
• Riders of the Storm
• Frontline