Built by Lockheed to meet a USAAC requirement for a long-range, high-performance escort for the B-17 bomber, the P-38 Lightning made its combat debut in Europe in 1942. Its service in several combat theatres earned it the nickname "der gabelschwanzer teufal", or "the fork-tailed devil". Some 17 pilots scored seven or more kills in the P-38, with the top scorers, William J. Sloan and Michael Brezas, scoring 12 kills each. This volume presents archival photographs of Lightnings, scale drawings and interviews with several leading Lightning aces.

Illustrated by: Tom Tullis