Was trying to work out service dates of P-38 models in Pacific and found Pacific Wrecks They have cross matched the crashed planes serial numbers with squadron records to find the date the plane was lost. Given the attrition rate in Pacific its fairly close as to when plane types arrived. The Pacific Wrecks site show first appearances for -
P-38-E 6/42 (Aleutian Islands)
P-38-F 11/42
P-38-G 2/43
P-38-H 7/43
P-38-J 12/43
P-38-L 11/44.
Why this interests me is that there was a P-38 shortage in Pacific in late 1943 (as European theatre had priority for the long range P-38 at that time) causing some squadrons to convert to P-47's and until early 1944 the P-47 was actually the main USAAF fighter in the Pacific! The best information I can find says from 10/43-12/43 only 45 P-38-J arrived, then ~50 from 12/43-2/44. In 3/44 37 P-38-J with the new leading edge fuel tanks arrived, and the remaining 93 early -J were field fitted at Nazdab and Townsville with the leading edge tanks! These tanks could only be fitted to -J models as the leading edge had previously been used as a turbo intercooler in all earlier P-38's.
These P-38-J with the leading edge fuel cells were the only USAAF fighters that could fly all the way to the main Japanese airbase at Hollandia on the north coast of New Guinea.
P-38-E 6/42 (Aleutian Islands)
P-38-F 11/42
P-38-G 2/43
P-38-H 7/43
P-38-J 12/43
P-38-L 11/44.
Why this interests me is that there was a P-38 shortage in Pacific in late 1943 (as European theatre had priority for the long range P-38 at that time) causing some squadrons to convert to P-47's and until early 1944 the P-47 was actually the main USAAF fighter in the Pacific! The best information I can find says from 10/43-12/43 only 45 P-38-J arrived, then ~50 from 12/43-2/44. In 3/44 37 P-38-J with the new leading edge fuel tanks arrived, and the remaining 93 early -J were field fitted at Nazdab and Townsville with the leading edge tanks! These tanks could only be fitted to -J models as the leading edge had previously been used as a turbo intercooler in all earlier P-38's.
These P-38-J with the leading edge fuel cells were the only USAAF fighters that could fly all the way to the main Japanese airbase at Hollandia on the north coast of New Guinea.
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