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Late in 1942, it went into large-scale operations during the North African campaign where the German Luftwaffe named it "Der Gabelschwanz Teufel"--"The Forked-Tail Devil."
syscom3 said:Did the Germans ever call it that?
Jank said:"Der Gabelschwanz Teufel" aka "Fork Tailed Devil"
I thought that was a post war myth.
P38 Pilot said:Yes, but originally Rommel's troops gave it the nickname when P-38s targeted convoys and wreaked havoc of fuel depots and artillery postions
lesofprimus said:This is a fact, its just an old myth that some PR guys decided to put into play...
syscom3 said:I pretty sure the Luftwaffe didnt call it that, but what about the ground pounders?
P38 Pilot said:Probably the Forked-Tailed Devil.
And who's Martin Cadin?
Caidin wrote a lot of aviation stuff in the 50s/60s I believe he co authored Saburo Sakai's book . his books were always readable some of his work on the early years of flight in the 20's and 30's are good readsP38 Pilot said:Probably the Forked-Tailed Devil.
And who's Martin Cadin?
P38 Pilot said:Well, from what I know, the P-38 became known to the Germans as "The Forked Tailed Devil" and put a hurt on the German Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe.
Luftwaffe did not call the P-38 a fork-tailed devil. They called it a preferred target, thanks to it's size and lack of maneuverability. P-38 was a much feared ground attack plane, and it's possible German ground forces called it that, but not Luftwaffe. The term first appears in a Stars And Stripes article about P-38Gs in North Africa, so it's possible the term has been coined for propaganda purposes by a journalist working for the magazine, or it has been heard from a German POW.
Talk-38 Lightning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
His books were entertaining but filled with a lot of exaggerations and inaccuracies. He does tell an interesting story claiming that the 5th AF had 150 P-38Ls in Korea, 1949. The 5th received orders to transfer to P-51Ds. There was talk about transferring the P-38s to the South Koreans but the US State Dept. nixed the idea, so they were chopped up with axes and buried. Cadin claims he witnessed this along with several hundred other men. If true things at the opening months of the Korean War might of been a little different, especially when only communist recip aircraft were on scene.pbfoot said:Caidin wrote a lot of aviation stuff in the 50s/60s I believe he co authored Saburo Sakai's book . his books were always readable some of his work on the early years of flight in the 20's and 30's are good reads