Hi, P‑38 Fans:

As we get closer and closer to the big event in Sacramento, things are really beginning to heat up.  If you haven't made plans to see this once-in-a-lifetime event, better get on the stick.  When will you ever be able to see SIX P‑38s in the air at the same time again?

Blue skies,

PS - Many links will open in a separate window, and if there is a larger version of the photo, just clicking it will bring up the enlargement ‑‑ the "back" button will return you here.

If you still use Internet Explorer for your browser, you may receive a warning about "Active X" controls. This is because of videos we've included in the newsletter.  Just click on the "Allow Blocked Content" and you'll be able to view the videos.

Table of Contents

	More P‑38s Being Restored
	Another Restoration
	Tangerine Will Be There!
	P‑38 Crash Site Artifacts
	Another Warbird Boneyard (Grrr.)
	I Know One When I See One
	R/C P‑38s on the Rise
	A P‑38 Transformer? (and more...)
	Pudgy R/C
	Update on Last Issue Question

More P‑38s being restored

If you haven't had a chance to get over to the Westpac website, you're missing out.  They have extensive content on the two P‑38 restoration projects they have in production.

One is Owned by Flying Heritage Collection (aka Paul Allen's company) and the other (known as "White 33") by Feenix Partners

Seriously.  Check it out.

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Crash site wreckage

Newsletter subscriber, Manuel Carrara, sent us these photos from what he said are pieces of the P‑38 of Lt. Joseph Stone of the 474th Fighter Group, who was KIA on this mission.  I found this article about the event.  I hope I got that right, as his message was in French (thank goodness for Google Language tool!). As always, you can enlarge the image by clicking on it.

I Know One When I See One

And P‑38 Association member Ed Rotherman definitely is one.  A P‑38 fan, that is.  Check out his license plates (click to enlarge).  He's got P‑38s coming and going!

...and his tattoo.

...and his Valle photo!

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New Videos on the Web

Some terrific shots of the Planes of Fame's P‑38, 23 Skidoo, with start-up and several very close shots of the flybys. Enjoy!

Nice video and commentary of the P‑38 from this year's Chino Air Show.

A dive crew takes another look at the P‑38 wreckage under water off the coast of San Diego. This one includes (loud) music and text commentary.

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New PHOTOS of the 38

23 Skidoo -- Nice, recent airborn shot of 23 Skidoo.

We received a response to our request in the last issue for more details on the artist of this drawing (Boris Artzybasheff). P‑38 Newsletter subscriber Dean A. Johnson (who works at Shaw AFB in SC) was good enough to send us these links.  Definitely have a look at this extraordinary talent:

Animation Archives
Wikipedia Article about Boris

Charles Welch sent us this photo of Glacier Girl, which we think is a beaut, mostly because of the low fly-by drama. (You can enlarge by selecting the photo.)

Steve Smith sent us this great period shot from his Dad's personal collection.  We intend to add all of the photos he sent to the website, which is currently being redesigned from scratch, but in the meantime this will give you a taste of the Capt. Howard E. Smith photo collection (15th PRS, MTO).

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Ruff Stuff at Salute to Veterans Corporation Air Show.

This was just one of several photos available on The Aero Experience website. Check them all out here.  (Does this remind any of you of another famous P‑38 photo?

Here's a nice shot of the Red Bull P‑38.

Thanks to Pat Carry, who continues to send us great info and photos on the P‑38 (the latest of which is for our Surviving P‑38s page).

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P‑38 restoration back story

If any of you missed the story of the recovery and restoration from Papua New Guinea of Lt. Edward G. Dickey's P‑38 (#42‑66841) you can find it on the Classic Jets Fighter Museum site, along with progress and completion photos. They call their P‑38 "the most outstanding feature" of their Museum. It's worth the visit.

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Tangerine At Capital Air Show

It's official.  The Tillamook Air Museum has announced on their Facebook page that their P‑38, Tangerine, will be participating in the California Capital Air Show on Sep 11-12 in Sacramento, CA.  That brings the total number of P‑38s committed to attend this event to six!  The six will then fly over to Reno to close out this spectacular once-in-a-lifetime gathering of P‑38 Lightnings.  The P‑38s who have committed to the show are:

23 Skidoo
Allied Fighters
Glacier Gir
Ruff Stuff
Thoughts of Midnight
Tangerine

Another 5-Hanky Photo

P‑38 Association member, Col. Ken Nielsen, sent us this photo of yet another warbird boneyard.

He said: "The picture appeared in Horizon magazine in January 1960. Caption reads: “Meanwhile civilization has left such marks on the islands as these junked war planes on New Guinea." I see A‑20s, C‑47s, B‑25s, at least one P‑47 and two P‑61s, perhaps a Zero or more.  Look at all the P‑38s!  I want to cry!

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R/C P‑38S ON THE RISE

If anyone has any doubt that P‑38s are becoming more and more popular with the radio‑controlled aircraft devotees, check out all the videos that are now available for viewing on YouTube of these beautiful flying models.  (480 videos at last count!)

Unique P‑38 stuff

P‑38 TRANSFORMER? If you or any of your family or friends are fans of the "Transformer" franchise of movies and toys, you're gonna love this P‑38 inspired transformer.  We couldn't find any photos of it "transformed" into something else, so if any of you know, let us know too!

GLACIER GIRL? (Kidding!) Hayman Tam sent us this photo of a P‑38 in a (plastic) block of ice - which he said his wife picked up at a gift shop on one of her business trips. Very cool. ;-)

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UNIQUE P‑38 POV Hayman also sent us this really unique shot of 23 Skidoo, which he took himself and which now adorns a wall in his office.  I happen to love this picture, and anyone who's a fan of the P‑38 will recognize it instantly!

MY HEART BELONGS TO... We keep receiving photos from our readers of the various pieces of P‑38 jewelry that crop up in relatives belongings.  This one was sent to us by Judy Moore, who tells us it belonged to her Mother, who worked at Lockheed during the war years.  Beautiful! Judy gave us her contact info if any of you would like to get in touch with her.  Email us here.

Pudgy r/c

We received this note from subscriber Jim Burnett:
Years ago I became so enthralled with Thomas McGuire and his bravery and selflessness that I felt I had to do something as a "tribute" to him. So I spent years and several thousand dollars and built a 1/38^th scale flying model of Pudgy IV. When completed and on its maiden flight it was clocked at 212 mph at Riverside Raceway at 8 feet off the ground. I never flew it again. I entered it in the MAC show in Pasadena,Ca. and it won first place for three years in a row."

Jim finds himself in a position where he needs to sell his beloved "Pudgy IV" (which is currently on display at a hotel near where he lives). If any of our readers are interested, you can contact Jim directly at:
805‑474‑1105.

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Hardstand
By John Stanaway

New Osprey P‑38 Offering

The Kawasaki ki‑61 Tony was perhaps the most effective opponent faced by the P‑38 on the New Guinea front in 1943‑44. It was faster in level flight and the dive than other Japanese types, and chagrined P‑38 pilots by staying closer on their tails in pursuit than either the Zero or the Oscar. P‑38 pilots were delighted to meet the Tony in combat because it was a shade less nimble than other Japanese types, allowing the Americans to safely pursue into close range.

Now Osprey has added a title (P‑38 Lightning vs. ki‑61 Tony; New Guinea 1943‑44) to its Duel series (number 26) by veteran WWII aviation writer, Donald Nijboer, which goes to the issue of these two worthy opponents in the skies of the Southwest Pacific. The only real disappointment ‑- from my perspective at least ‑- is that the scope of the book eliminates discussion of the P‑38 and Tony over the Philippines, which fact virtually cuts in half the story of these two fighters over that area of the Pacific.

Be that as it may, Nijboer does the subject sufficient justice in a limited space to get an accurate feel for the struggle in New Guinea. The Tony was plagued by technical faults that reduced its effectiveness and numbers (shades of the P‑38 story in Northwestern Europe!).

Perhaps the one limitation that becomes infuriating at last is the scope which is necessarily brief in a book of about 20,000 words and 80 pages. Nijboer is obviously a skilled historian, and he does well in conjuring up the spirit of steaming green jungles and savage air battles in azure skies amid billowing white clouds. However, the average interested reader, I am sure, would require greater depth of exposition to understand exactly how these two types of fighters fared against each other.

The Tony is my unabashed favorite Japanese WWII Army Air Force fighter, just as the P‑38 is a favorite WWII USAAF fighter. In spite of many early technical faults, the Tony was improved throughout the war until it was manifested in the ki‑100 radial-engined fighter that was rated as one of the best types Japan could field to counter the encroaching air assault in 1944‑1945. Added to the fact that the camouflage schemes for the Tony were some of the most colorful the Japanese used during the war, this fighter type remains one of high technical as well as aesthetic interest.

At the core of it all, if you want to get at the heart of the Southwest Pacific air war, you must consider the contest of P‑38 vs. Tony. The JAAF was committed to the New Guinea front just as the Imperial Navy was committed to the Solomon Islands. With the ki-43 Oscar and a lesser number of k‑45 twin-engine Nick fighters, the Tony bore much of the brunt of the fighting, and Nijboer's book is a slim but necessary study of the conflict.

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John Stanaway literally wrote the book on the P‑38.  He is the only author I can recall who has consistently kept alive the memory of the P‑38 in print by his continual publication of his series of P‑38 books. 

and his latest...
 

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Donations

If you'd like to support the P‑38 Association (any donation at all will help), just click the button below.  Thanks! We appreciate it.

The generous donations from our Association and P‑38 Newsletter members as well as the "legacy" donations made to us by the families and friends of those who have folded their wings, have enabled us to continue our mission of keeping alive the memory of the P‑38 and all those involved with her throughout the war years and beyond. And we thank you.

(A new, secure window will open where you can enter any donation amount. Thanks!)

This Month's Donors

Thanks to all of you for helping to keep us thriving. The supporters with a star ☆ by their names are our special donors, who have made exceptionally generous donations.

IN MEMORY OF...

John & Wanda Hartung  (Roy Lee King)
Sharon Janecek ☆ (Agnes Mulkey, Lockheed Worker)
Mike Merryman ☆ (His Dad, Delmar Merryman)
Lois M. Nish ☆(her husband, P‑38 pilot Ray Nish)
Wesley & Loretta Turner ☆ (Roy Lee King)

IN SUPPORT OF OUR 3RD ANNUAL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING IN VALLE AZ.

Burton & Elaina Stokes
Sharon Taylor
Virgal Sansing ☆
Burton & Elaina Stokes

GENERAL DONATIONS

NOTE:  Although we don't typically mention the amount of the donations we receive, there were two this month that were so extraordinary, I felt compelled to give them an special attaboy for the support.  They were both given in support of the cost of building our updated website. Thanks to Ed Rothermund & Vernon Williamson.  We appreciate your help more than you can possibly know.

John Coppage ☆
Daniel W Davis
Joseph Bohan ☆
Andrea Schroder Flynn
Leonard Gold ☆
Dennis Henry
Dick Lewis
Rita Levine
Ray McAllister
Kenneth Nielsen ☆
Ed Rothermund ☆ ($500)
Thomas Williams
Vernon c. Williamson ☆ ($1,000)
 

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P‑38 Association Exclusive

We've been receiving a lot of request for a ball cap in a lighter color than our usual dark blue, so here it is, our custom P‑38 National Association cap with the sandwich brim, available for a limited time for $15, rather than the $17 it is available for in our gift shop.

$15
PLUS SHIPPING

(Regularly $17)