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Hello P-38 Fans!
On the 65th anniversary of the Yamamoto
mission, we're focusing our attention on that decisive and controversial battle.
We've also received a copy of a very unique "mailing" from February 10, 1945. So
dive in and enjoy!
Blue skies,
Kelly
If you're not receiving a copy of this in your email box, you can begin by signing up here.
Please note that
clicking on any of the article links will take you away from this site. To
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IN THIS EDITION
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We'll Be There!
The P-38 Association will be attending the May 17-18 Planes of Fame air show in
Chico, CA, so if you're in the area be sure to stop by our exhibit and say "hi."
We'll have some of our P‑38 pilot and crew members there signing autographs on
photos of a P‑38! The Planes of Fame also houses a couple of airworthy
P‑38s, so (although they haven't announced which warbirds will be flying
during the show) we're hoping to see one of their P‑38s in the show. So
don't miss it!
Air Show Performers will be
announced here, if you want to check in now and then to see which ones will
be flying.
You should also stop by to see us (the P‑38 National Association) at our booth
at the airshow. We'll be there, and we're rounding up as many P‑38
veterans as we can to man our autograph table. So make sure you take advantage
of this rare opportunity to speak with one of them and get an autographed P‑38
picture.
You can read about the Chino show
here.
And if you'd like to see a flight demo video of the P‑38 named 23‑Skidoo,
housed at Chino,
check this out.
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Neat Artifact
We just received a very cool color copy from P‑38 Newsletter member John "Jack"
Novicki that I think you'll find interesting.
Although I usually stay focused on the P‑38 aircraft itself, this has to do with
America's Ace of Aces, Dick Bong.
We can't figure out if it is an invitation or announcement of Dick Bong's
wedding to Marge Vattendahl, but the neat thing is the photo on the outside of the envelope.
It's a picture of Bong on his P‑38, Marge. Didn't know you could do that
sort of thing back in 1945. (I also noticed that his wedding day is the
same as my folks - February 10, 1945, and it only cost 3¢ to mail a letter back
then!) You can see better detail of the photo
here. We're not sure who changed his "kill" number.
Thomas McGuire Mission
And, while we're talking about P‑38 Aces, here's an
amazing story and short video about Bong's chief rival, Tommy McGuire.
It includes a fascinating video of artifacts from his crash site in the
Philippines. Thanks to the artist (and P‑38 Newsletter member), Andrea Davide,
for sharing this story with us.
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The Rearview Mirror
Check out the
archives if you've missed past topics.
We don't
recommend staying with a burning plane until your chute starts blazing, but many
fellows are too anxious sto get out at the first sign of smoke. Many so-called
fires are not fires at all. The color of the smoke is the tip-off. If it's
white, you probably aren't on fire but have a line break. By feathering
immediately and |
ENLARGE
opening the coolant flaps you can reduce the fire hazard to a minimum.
"Don't bail out at the first sign of smoke.
Try to put the fire out...if it continues out of control, hit the silk."
- W.L. "Bill" Daugan
Lockheed Production Test Pilot
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Eerie P‑38 Photo
ENLARGE
A little history on this P‑38...
This photo of the P‑38G, #43‑2545 was taken close to Marseille, France. It belonged at the S/Lt Harry Greenup (14th FG, 15AF), who was shot
down on January 27, 1944. Lt. Greenup did an perfect ditching, and was captured
by the Kriegsmarine (German Navy). He escaped from the Germans during his
transport to Germany, but was captured again, and finally liberated by the US
Army in April of 1945.
If you'd like to read more about this crash, including some detailed photos,
here's some info from Diver
Magazine.
Thanks to Philippe Castellano, President of
Aéro-Re.L.I.C., France, for this great photo and background info.
Here's an interesting
underwater
exploration video (fish and all) of the P‑38 which ditched off the California coast in 1943.
The video gives complete detail, including how the plane wound up on the San
Diego ocean bottom.
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Red Bull P-38 Update
For those of you who may not have heard yet, the
tornado damage to the "P‑38 formerly known as White Lightnin" was apparently
not too bad.
This update from newsletter reader, John Baldwin:
"I went up there yesterday and the only damage to the Red Bull P‑38 was
scratches on the right boom and the canopy."
Good news indeed! Thanks, John.
If you missed the story last month and would like to find out more, here are some links:
Blog about the event.
Video of the damage.
New Online P-38 Videos
TJ Dozier has posted the original P‑38
Training film here on YouTube.
(If you'd like to actually own a real copy, we've got them
here.)
There's another YouTube video that is
great to watch. It's a film of the period
giving an overview of the plane
and includes some very neat B&W footage of the time, including assembly of the
planes at the Lockheed plant.
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Website Focus
Visit us on the web. Here's a sample of one of our current website sections:
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We've mentioned our Museum before, so we thought some of you might be interested
in how it all got started. So have a look at the "construction" phase of
the Museum and watch it go up right before your eyes...well, a few years ago
anyway! P-38 Museum
Construction Project. RETURN TO TOP |
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P‑38 Hardstand
By
John Stanaway
The recent death of Kenji Yanigaya, the last surviving Zero pilot of the escort
on the Yamamoto mission of 18 April 1943, has prompted some thoughts about that
day and the controversy that continues. Conclusions have been drawn on either
side of the issue, but the arguments go on.
What we know for sure is that word was received in Washington D. C. on April 14,
1943 that Admiral Yamamoto [ed note: Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the mastermind
behind the attacks on Pearl Harbor] would be visiting the Kahili area on April 18, and
with amazing speed the interception was planned by U. S. Army and Navy personnel
to send eighteen P‑38s from the 70th and 339th Fighter Squadrons to
get the Admiral. With equal facility, formation leader John Mitchell navigated
the circuitous route at the head of sixteen P‑38s to precisely intercept the two
G4M “Betty” bombers with their six A6M Zero escorts. Mitchell covered the four
P‑38s of the attacking flight (Tom Lanphier, Rex Barber, Besby Holmes and Ray
Hine) while they claimed three Betties and three Zeros.
As Yanigiya testified after the war, only two Betties were descending to land,
and they were both shot down. None of the escort was lost, even though three of
the attacking P‑38 flight claimed one Zero each. Tom Lanphier surreptitiously
made an after-action report that gave himself full credit for the Yamamoto
bomber shoot-down, and was generally credited with Yamamoto’s demise for decades
afterward.
An Air Force credits board sorted out the available evidence and finally gave
divided credit to the attacking force. Some of my fellow-researchers made all
sorts of time and feasibility studies, and came to the conclusion that Rex
Barber should have full credit. From what I have concluded, the Air Force board
did the fairest thing possible by dividing the credit. Rex Barber probably put a
killing burst into Yamamoto’s Betty, but Lanphier also reported firing at the
bomber, and it is unlikely that he held his fire when he had even a fleeting
moment before it crashed into the jungle.
Perhaps the most equitable choice of all would be to grant credit to the entire
P‑38 force which unhesitatingly undertook a dangerous and difficult mission with
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Paul Bechtel Jr.
Son of the late Paul Bechtel, P-38 ace and Association member
Thomas Blouch
Cory Campbell
Carolinas Aviation Museum
Now has a full collection of Lightning Strikes in its library
John Coppage
Bill Hart
P-38 pilot with the 154th WRS in Italy (Gift
from Greg Morton)
John Herlosky
Boyce Inman
Marshall Jenkins
Marv Kuebler
(gift from Joe Onesty)
Mike Laxton
Whose membership was a prize for having the best P‑38 model at the IPMS convention last year
Rudy Moll
Don Nichols
(gift from Joe Onesty)
Kenneth Nielsen
John Orris
Zach Reeder
Dorothy Skidmore
Verne Sulier
a WWII Stateside P-38 pilot
Thomas Williams
(gift from John Williams)
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JOIN
TODAY |
These prices are good from now until the
May newsletter is emailed.
NEW DVD
"Attack on Yamamoto"
In keeping with John
Stanaway's article (above) and the anniversary of this historical
aerial battle, this month's special tells the story behind FDR's
famous proclamation "Get Yamamoto!"
$23
(Regularly $25.00)
THIS
MONTHLY SPECIAL
IS OVER |
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Thanks very much for reading our newsletter. We hope you enjoyed it.
If someone referred you to this newsletter, but you do not receive it directly
and would like to, you can join by sending a blank email
here.
For questions regarding
anything in this newsletter, please send an email to the Editor, Kelly B.
Kalcheim at:
newsletter@p38assn.org
If you'd like to donate
an article or have an interesting tidbit to contribute, you can send them to us
here. We will credit you with the information.
1987-2007© P‑38
National Association All rights reserved.
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