The P-38 is best known by most of its exploits in the Pacific. It is here that its long range and the comfort of having a second engine when travelling over all that water were most appreciated. However, it was also used in Europe where it was hoped it would be a useful long range escort fighter for bomber units. This did not prove to be entirely as hoped. The P-38 was a useful aircraft, but its Allison engine was prone to misfires and failures when operating in the high and humid air over Europe. This wasn't a problem in the Pacific as missions were flown at a much lower altitude where these problems did not occur.

Nonetheless, the 479th was able to prove its usefulness in ground attack, a mission for which the aircraft was not designed. Thanks to its battery of four .50 cal and one 20mm cannon in the nose, the Lightning was able to wreak havoc on ground targets and hold its own against the Luftwaffe in the air. In fact, it is a 479th pilot who has the first confirmed 'jet' kill of the war when he shot down an Me-163. In the air to air regime, it had a singular problem with compressibility and so was not able to dive as quickly as some aircraft. While this was cured in late model P-38s, the 479th never received any of those versions, instead, converting to the P-51D in September of 1944.With the Mustang on hand, it returned to flying mostly escort missions, where it was quite successful.

Author John Stanaway is a real fan of the P-38, having written several other Osprey titles on the aircraft, so it was a natural to have him do this edition as well. He tells the story of the unit from its formation until the end of the war. There are the usual pilot stories that make these books so interesting to read as well as side looks into the on-going debate as to which was the better aircraft, the Mustang or the Lightning. The results are interesting to say the least. As in other Osprey Aviation Elite Units books, there is a large center section of color profiles and the usual excellent period photographs of the men and their aircraft.

It makes for a superb addition to your aviation library and one that I know you will fully enjoy reading.

August 2009

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