Easily the most recognizable aircraft silhouette in the United States arsenal during WWII. The unorthodox design of the P-38 owed its development to the foresight of a small group of Army Air Corps officers who, concluded that unacceptable limitations were being placed on fighter design by “peacetime” thinking. With fuel loads dictated by the size of the American mainland and overall weights limited by available engine powers, the amount of armament would be effectively limited to about 500 lbs, which approximated to one .30 cal and one .50 cal machine guns plus a few hundred rounds. To carry double this armament, a twin engine fighter seemed to be essential. To overcome prejudice towards development of a twin engine design, the Army Air Corps officers called it an interceptor rather than a pursuit.
In 1936, a general specification for two high altitude interceptors was issued. It called for an aircraft with a high rate of climb, a speed of 360 mph at 20,000 feet and an endurance of one hour at full throttle. Both were expected to carry a heavy armament (by mid ‘thirties standards), to have engine turbo superchargers and tricycle undercarriages.
Although Lockheed had never built a fighter, they made the decision to enter the competition. The responsibility for the new design was handed off to the two man team of Hal Hibbard as chief engineer and Kelly Johnson. The P-38 was designated Lockheed Model 22. For the time, it was a complex design and not an easy aircraft to produce. The development was a long process with a number of problems to solve. In fact, the Lightning was not considered combat ready until the August of 1940 with the appearance of the P-38E. While it was placed into service with ever increasing numbers, the true performance of the Lightning would not be realized until November 1944 when the late P-38J’s were delivered with hydraulic combat maneuvering flaps to control the problem of compressibility.
Modification Center Conversions and Special USAAF Modifications
P-38J
F-5C-1-LO
123
P-38J-15
F-5E-2-LO
100
P-38J-25
F-5E-3-LO
105
P-38L
F-5E-4-LO
500
F-5B-1
F-5F
1
42-68220
P-38L-5
F-5F-3-LO
(Unk.)
P-38L-5
F-5G-6-LO
63
Total
(>892)
Modified (XXX) does not include mods accomplished at depots, Langford Lodge or Fresno. There is evidence that some CBI fighters had complete photographic noses installed, or fighter noses were reworked at second or third echelon facilities.
Lockheed P-38 Photo Recon Variants
F- 4
The F-4’s were the only variant designed from the outset for photo reconnaissance. Based on the P-38E airframe, they were given the Lockheed model number 222-62-13 and were the only photo recon variant built by Lockheed in Burbank. The F-4 was the first P-38 that could carry two external fuel tanks. Initially designed for only two vertically mounted K-17 cameras, most were seen with the same two additional oblique K-17 mounts found on the F-4A’s. There were also a few F-4’s that retained the two uppermost 0.50 cal machine guns.
F- 4A
The F-4A’s were modifications of a P-38F. There were only 20 modified (41-2362 --- 41-2381). Outwardly indistinguishable from an F-4 with oblique mounted cameras. It is important to check aircraft serial numbers because the F-4 and F-4a are often incorrectly identified in photograps. Frequently, the numbers seen on the nose are the last two digits of the aircraft serial number, so it would more than likely be 62 – 81.
F- 5, F- 5A, F- 5B, F-5C
There was only one F-5 produced based on the P-38E. The F-5A’s were modifications of late production P-38G’s. The F-5B used the same modification on the P-38J airframe. The F-5C used the same camera arrangement with a improved installation. The F-5 camera arrangement could be configured differently with a mixture of K-17 and K-18 cameras in various focal lengths.
F- 5E
The F-5E was a modification of the P-38J and P-38L airframes. They differed from the F-5B by having prominently bulged oblique ports. The F-5E usually carried a mixture of K-17 and K-22 cameras.
F- 5F
The single F-5F was a modification of an F-5B-1. The F-5F-3 used the P-38L-5 airframe. It had extended lower camera bays and repositioned oblique camera ports. The modifications were done at Dallas. It is unknown how many conversions were done.
F- 5G
The F-5G was a conversion of the P-38L-5. The nose was completely reshaped and housed four standard cameras plus a forward oblique camera in the nose cap.
Photo Reconnaisance Cameras of WWII
The K-17 was a 9" x 9" format (negative size) mapping and reconnaissance camera. It had three major components: a body, containing most of the mechanics and controls; a detachable magazine for 9 1/2" wide roll film; and a lens cone, with 6", 12", or 24" focal length options. The K-17, like the K-18 was developed and built by the Fairchild Camera and Instrument Company.
The K-18 reconnaissance camera differed markedly from the K-17 in construction. The K-18 body and lens cone were built as a single unit housing a 24" focal length lens. Film format was 9" x 18".
Both of these cameras were normally operated from a 24 VDC electrical source, but could be manually operated by a hand crank and shutter lever. Both were fitted with a connector for an intervalometer that fired the camera at an interval set by the aerial photographer. All used a vacuum applied to the film magazine to flatten the film surface before each exposure.
While these cameras were normally clamped into mounts, a pair of handles and a viewfinder could be fitted to K-17's and K-18's for hand-held operation. What "hand-held" meant is subject to interpretation, as these cameras were not lightweights. With a 200 foot roll of film, the A-5 film magazine used with the K-17 weighed 30 pounds. A complete K-17 with 12" lens cone and a full magazine weighed about 55 pounds. With a 24" lens instead of the 12", the weight climbed to near 75 pounds.
Both of these cameras used 9 1/2" wide Eastman Aerial Safety film. Film emulsions were Class L and Class N. Class L was the "normal" high-speed panchromatic film. The common lengths of film rolls were 200 feet and 75 feet. (Two hundred feet was the maximum film load for an A-5 or A-5A magazine. The A-7 magazines used with K-18 cameras held a maximum of 75 feet).
Recon Pilot
References
Stanaway, John and Rocker, Bob. The Eightballers: Eyes of the Fifth Air Force. Atglen: Schiffer Military, 1999
Scutts, Jerry. Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Wilshire: The Crowood Press, 2006
Bodie, Warren M. The Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Hiawassee: Widewing Publications, 1991
Davis, Larry. P-38 Lighghtning in Action. Carrollton: Squadron Signal, 1990
Doyle, David. P-38 Lighghtning in Action. Carrollton: Squadron Signal, 2017
O'Leary, Michael. USAAF Fighters of World War Two in Action. Poolen, New York, Sydney: Blandford Press, 1986
