wmaxt
Staff Sergeant
Monkeysee1 said:The P38 suffered too many mechanical problems.
The 8th AF lost 451 P-38s total in the ETO. On further examination the 451 presents Every P-38 lost to the 8th, it does not include the losses of the 9th AF in the ETO. The problems were
1, Lack of proper support (the first P-51s suffered too but politics focused on the P-38).
2, Improper operating procedures.
3, Bad fuel.
4, Green pilots
The real problems with the early P-38s themselves.
1, Cold cockpits (helped by improper flying technics)
2, Slow roll rates
3, Compressibility (if over 20,000ft)
were accepted by the pilots and were by March '44 eradicated.
Except for faster cruise the J-25 and L P-38s were better in every other way than the P-51 performance wise.
wmaxt