HI all,
I am going to abstain from voting because I am giving a presentation on the P-38 Lightning tomorrow at the WWII aviation museum where I volunteer. I will state for the record that I feel both planes had strong multi-role capabilities.
There are certainly reports of P-38s turning inside of smaller enemy fighters, but I can guarantee that they were the J version or later. It wasn't until the J version that they had that kind of manueverability because of the addition of dive flaps and eletrical aileron controls. Even then, it took a skilled pilot to pull off that kind of manuevering. While that gave them a better chance in the low to medium altitude fights, the preferred style was still to attack from above and then climb up again.
There were many versions of both aircraft that made them versatile and powerful. What might be an interesting comparison would be to compare the two prototypes "out of the box" with no modifications.
If any of you are in the Southern California area and would like to see the presentation, drop me an e-mail and I can give you directions.
PICTURE REQUEST: If any of you have pictures of General Stratemeyers P-38 VIP transport that was modified at the Hindustan aircraft factory, PLEASE let me know.