wmaxt
Staff Sergeant
Tony, Eric,
I to, belive the Pilots accounts are important and would in no way dissmiss them. I do want to say though that when a pilot came from the Pacific to the ETO they all (at least those I've seen) were dissapointed in the lack of 300gal drop tanks that would have pushed the P-38s range to and beyond the P-51s. The lack of tactics to use the P-38 to its full potential, horrified them. One last thing that must be be added to the mix is the model of P-38 the pilots used prior to transition to the P-51. If it was from a P-38H model under the operating conditions in the ETO, Bad cruise technics, bad fuel, no training, cold cockpits - you've heard it all before, under those conditions the aircraft weren't a match for the P-51 once things were ironed out in the P-51. It easily could have worked the other way. Even Doolittle admitted that neither the P-47 or P-51 would have done any better starting first and from scratch that winter of '43/'44 (Warren Bodie P-38, in an interview with Doolittle). Many pilots like Heiden who flew P-38Ls and P-51s thought the 38 was better for combat.
They were all great aircraft, I think the P-38 was best but in the end it worked out, they all did a great job. After the war economics took over. In peace time cheeper is always the final word!
wmaxt
I to, belive the Pilots accounts are important and would in no way dissmiss them. I do want to say though that when a pilot came from the Pacific to the ETO they all (at least those I've seen) were dissapointed in the lack of 300gal drop tanks that would have pushed the P-38s range to and beyond the P-51s. The lack of tactics to use the P-38 to its full potential, horrified them. One last thing that must be be added to the mix is the model of P-38 the pilots used prior to transition to the P-51. If it was from a P-38H model under the operating conditions in the ETO, Bad cruise technics, bad fuel, no training, cold cockpits - you've heard it all before, under those conditions the aircraft weren't a match for the P-51 once things were ironed out in the P-51. It easily could have worked the other way. Even Doolittle admitted that neither the P-47 or P-51 would have done any better starting first and from scratch that winter of '43/'44 (Warren Bodie P-38, in an interview with Doolittle). Many pilots like Heiden who flew P-38Ls and P-51s thought the 38 was better for combat.
They were all great aircraft, I think the P-38 was best but in the end it worked out, they all did a great job. After the war economics took over. In peace time cheeper is always the final word!
wmaxt