This book
provides a comprehensive history of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning's U.S. And
foreign service in Latin America. The book is profusely illustrated with
black and white and color photos. 23 good quality color profiles provide
representational artwork for examples of U.S. and Latin American
P-38s. Color artwork is also provided for unit
insignia and maps. Tables at the back of the book provide the serial
numbers, variants, acceptance dates, units, and the ultimate dispositions of
all P-38s assigned to the USAAF in Latin America.
The majority of the P-38/F-5s that saw service in Latin America were used by the USAAF during WWII. The aircraft were assigned to the fighter and photo reconnaissance units of the Sixth Air Force and the Antilles Air Command (AAC). The Sixth Air Force was tasked with defending the Panama Canal and the AAC had the job of providing aerial assets for the Caribbean Defense Command. The P-38's twin engine reliability made it the most suitable fighter in the inventory for the long flights over open ocean and uncharted jungles required in the Sixth Air Force and AAC's mission profiles. However, due to the PTO taking priority for delivery of the type, P-38s were not assigned to the Canal Zone until near the end of WWII. By late 1946 most of the USAAF P-38/F-5s in Latin America had been either scrapped or put in storage.
No P-38s were provided to any Latin American countries by the U.S. government. They were obtained almost entirely from U.S. civilians. Eventually P-38s would be operated in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, El Salvador Uruguay, and Venezuela. The Dominican Republic was the largest Latin American user of P-38s, but the Honduran Air Force was the most efficient and professional of the air arms that equipped their fighter elements with the type. The other Latin American Air Forces obtained very small numbers of P-38s and used them only sporadically to suppress internal uprisings or in border conflicts. In a few cases Latin American P-38s were owned and operated by civilians in mapping and photogrammetric tasks. By 1959 P-38s had disappeared from Latin American skies.
This book does a very thorough job of documenting the history of the P-38 in Latin America. The types operational employment with the USAAF and the various Latin American users is told in fascinating detail. Equally interesting are the stories about the determined efforts made by the Latin American users to obtain P-38s. My only criticism of the book is that it has a lot of typos. Highly recommended to fans of the P-38 and Latin American aviation enthusiasts.
January 2025