Hello, P-38 Fans:

Greetings from the land of earthquakes and 100° heat...lovely Southern California.

Although this will be a light newsletter month, we do have some good news for you. We realized that, although you guys enjoy the monthly P-38 newsletter, sometimes things happen that we need to let you know about sooner than a full month. So, we've found a solution. You can read all about it below.

• Our New Blog
• Cool wallpaper
• Baby Boomers Buying P‑38s
• Captured P-38
• P-38 Major Leaguer
• Two P-38s at AirVenture
• New P-38s on the Web
• New Flight Sim Magazine
• P-38 on Skis
• Tillamook P-38 Flying
• Rear View Mirror
• P-38 Hardstand
• New Members
• Hot Product
• Archives

New P-38 Blog

By popular demand the P-38 Association has finally got it's own blog. Now, when things happen "between" newsletter editions, we can just update the blog instead of sending out "time sensitive" emails.

This will be a much easier way for you to find out about P-38 events that may have a time crunch associated with them -- such as a TV special or an appearance at an air show or the American Fighter Aces Symposium that took place last weekend (and which featured Col. Perry Dahl, 475th P-38 Ace, whose plane "23 Skidoo" is memorialized with the Planes of Fame's P‑38).

The original

Planes of Fame today

When we can't wait for a whole month to notify you, we'll put a post on the new blog. So, here's our blog address: P-38 Blog

Feel free to stop by anytime.

Cool Wallpaper

Now we all now about computer "wallpapers" for our monitors, but I couldn't help but notice the real wallpaper in this man's office. Don't know the story behind it, and it looks like quite an old photo, but it made me chuckle. Now, that's a fan!

Flight Sim Download

If you're into flight simulation software, there is a new edition of Cyber Skies online magazine that features the 38. I think they charge about a buck for the download, but if you enjoy this hobby, it might be worth supporting them.

CORRECTION

Last month we identified the P-38 pilot of Ruff Stuff from Max Haynes blog as Rob Itor. It should have been Rob Ator. Our apologies to Rob.

BABY BOOMERS GRAB UP
PARENT'S WARPLANES

Collecting World War II aircraft has boomed in recent years as wealthy, nostalgic baby boomers seek to own a piece of their parents’ wartime experience, including the famous Glacier Girl P-38.

Here's the whole story.

Captured P-38

Now that has to hurt. A photo found on the internet of a German-captured P-38.

P-38 Major Leaguer

Here's a nice write-up about Bert Shepard, the P-38 pilot who lost a leg in combat and went on to play baseball in the major leagues.

TWO P-38s at Oshkosh

Don't forget to get over to the AirVenture show at Oshkosh if you can between now and August 3 because they have two P-38s there, Ruff Stuff and Glacier Girl.

NEW P-38s ON THE WEB

Although we're not sure who to credit with this gorgeous shot, please have a look. It's a Thunderbolt and the P-38 Ruff Stuff. If anyone knows who the photographer is, please let us know.

Iiiiinteresting.

Now THAT'S a tattoo!

Interesting article on the "How Stuff Works" website about the 38.

Lots of great shots here from Chino Air Show from a link sent in to us by P-38 Association member, Art Green.

Great article about the Duluth Air and Aviation Expol , including some video of the P-38 piloted by Keith Eldridge. In his brief inteview he mentions that WWIIs two top aces both flew P-38s (Dick Bong and Tommy McGuire, of course!). You might want to stop the video after the air footage because we all know that the "local news" is never all good news...

And, saving the best for last, our favorite aviation photographer Tom Bunce sent us this very cool, extremely hi res picture of the two P-38s at the Planes of Fame show.
RivetingPhotos.com

P-38 on Skis!

This unusual photo of the "skis" version of the P-38 was sent in to us by Bob Carr, a friend of of P‑38 pilot Randy Acord, who recently passed way.

Here's a nice write‑up about Randy.

Tillamook P-38 Flying Again

Association Member Bob Osborne tells us that "the P38L model at Tillamook is back flying after hydraulic repairs." Good news indeed!

P-38 Newsletter reader, Edward Bollmann, sent us these beautiful pictures of Putt Putt Maru, which we know has recently retaken the skies. And there are more photos donated by our members in the "Donated Images" page of this month's newsletter, including one of Elmer Becky who runs the "Fork-Tailed Devils" group out of Sacramento.

Rear View Mirror

Check out the archives if you've missed past topics.

One of the finest characteristics of the '38 is the accelerated stall. Such stalls, accompanied by normal buffeting, occur on any ship when the angle of attack is increased to the point that the airflow over the wing becomes turbulent.

The P-38 power stall occurs at about 70 MPH with about a 50-foot loss of altitude. The counter rotating props eliminate torque and there is no tendency for either wing to dip or fall away. The P-38 is just as steady in a power off stall with gear and flaps retracted or extended.

This can happen in sharp turns, pull-outs or other severe maneuvers. The '38 is designed to take the buffeting of the stall and has no tendency to fall off on either wing at any altitude.

If necessary, you can hold in an accelerated stall as long as you can take the buffeting -- the '38 will take it much longer than you can. To get out of an accelerated stall immediately, ease up on the stick, permitting the airflow to reestablish normal lift.

P-38 Hardstand

P-38 Golden Moment in the ETO

All through the winter of 1943-44 the P-38s had endured hardships from operational conditions as well as the unyielding Luftwaffe. By April of 1944 the 55th Fighter Group had gained only about 50 aerial victories while losing about 80 of their own number against hostile skies as well as an implacable enemy. However, the greatest day for the group so far, as well as a good day for its comrade in arms, the 20th Fighter Group, came during the summer in the skies over the oil target at Halle, Germany.

July 7, 1944 was bright and dry except for the occasional patches of haze on the way to the targets at Halle and Bernberg. The P-38s of the 20th Fighter Group were covering B-24s in withdrawal from the Halle area when hordes of Messerschmitts – both 109s and twin-engine 410s, with a generous helping of Fw 190s in the mix - attacked the bombers and downed twenty-three of them before the escorting fighters could subdue them. The 20th entered the fray and claimed three 109s, two 190s and two Me 410s shot down. One of the 410s was claimed by Captain James Morris for his final tally of 7.33 air and 2.33 ground kills, the largest bag for an 8th Air Force P-38 pilot. Unfortunately, Morris was hit by return fire from his last victory, and bailed out to become a prisoner of war.

The 55th Fighter Group had even better luck with the additional good fortune of sustaining no losses while claiming eight Fw 190s, seven Me 410s and three 109s. Two flights of 38th Squadron P-38s dived down into a general melee of single-engine fighters and claimed the eleven German single-engine fighters. What had been a force of more than seventy German interceptors was dispersed with heavy losses.

Major John D. Landers already had a Fw 190 to his credit the month before to add to the six Japanese aircraft he had claimed around New Guinea in a P-40 when he led the 38th Fighter Squadron into a gaggle of Me 410s. Even though he had to evade some capricious P-51s that tried to interfere with his attack, he claimed three 410s while others in the P-38 squadron got four more. More than thirty bombers were lost during an unusually determined interception for this point of the war, but the 20th and 55th groups claimed a total of twenty-five German fighters for one of the P-38’s best days with the 8th Air Force.