For it's success in not one, but multiple secondary roles, it's hard to beat the P-38. While designed as an "interceptor" it performed a wide variety of roles.
Long range escort fighter
Ground support/fighter bomber role
Dive bomber
Skip bomber
4000 lb bomb load capability
Tested as a torpedo bomber, carrying (2) 2000 lb torpedos
Photo-recon aircraft-one of the most successful of the war
High altitude level bomber with "droop snoot" variants equipped with Norden bombsites
Radar equipped Pathfinder
Night fighter
Going back to this post, the P-38 was a rather confusing airplane due to the changes made to it and the time it served.
However few of it's additional "roles" were any more successful if as successful as it's original role/s.
While designed as an "interceptor" it performed a wide variety of roles.
it was desinged as a high endurance "intercepter" with twice the endurance of the other specification that was put out at teh same time. that one lead to the P-39. which leads to.
Long range escort fighter
It wasn't modified into a long range escort fighter. It was already a long range fighter compared to most other fighters in the world. A P-38 could go about 700 miles on 250 gal of internal fuel at a bit over 200mph, Slow it down to US Navy cruise speeds and it would go about 840 miles. Figure around 50 gals for warm up and take off. Adding the drop tanks just kicked the range out.
Ground support/fighter bomber role
It did it but it wasn't often until replaced as a primary air superiority fighter. And it is debatable as to if was better as a fighter/bomber than as an air superiority fighter.
Dive bomber
Depends on defintion of dive bomber, P-38 had no dive brakes (dive brakes later fitted were for recovery from high speed dives from altitude, not speed restricters for accurate bomb placement).
Skip bomber
A different method of bomb delivery but not a different "role".
4000 lb bomb load capability
A capability that was rarely used. A quick look at the numbers would show why. Basic weight of a P-38J/L was 14,100lbs. Basic weight is also empty equipped, that is guns, armor, and other equipment. Pilot, oil and full internal fuel pushes the weight to 16,985lbs. and that is with
no ammo for the guns. hanging a pair of 2000lbs on the plane would put you within 55lbs of the gross weight of a ferry mission (pair of 300-310 gallon drop tanks). Since flying bombing missions without at least some ammo for the guns wasn't going to be done that means not filling all the internal tanks.
Tested as a torpedo bomber, carrying (2) 2000 lb torpedos
Test yes, actually used....no. Why???
Photo-recon aircraft-one of the most successful of the war
That it was and bit more.
High altitude level bomber with "droop snoot" variants equipped with Norden bombsites
Less successful than hoped, not terrible or a failure but no real advatage over regular medium bombers. In fact results were usually a bit lower than the medium bombers. BTW most droop snoot missions were flown at altitudes between 10,000 and 20,000ft. Not low altitude but calling them High Altitude is stretching things.
Radar equipped Pathfinder
There weren't many of them and they were actually used for a rather different function. They were often used for weather recconisance and on at least one set of missions (Ploesti July 9-15 1944) a P-38 weather plane arrived over the target and stayed for about an hour directing incoming waves of bombers to one of 5 different targets depending on visiablity just before the bomber wave reached intial points.
Night fighter
Another "what if". Yes about 100 were built but apparently only four(?) actually saw service in a combat zone.
I like the P-38 and for almost a year it was the best US fighter available what ever it's faults may have been. But it didn't really fail at it's primary job. Better aircraft came along later (the P-51) but being replaced by a newer fighter doesn't mean the P-38 was a failure.
And it was rarely dedicated to any secondary roles (except photo recon) until large numbers of P-51s were in theater.
At one point a 15th Air Force report on droop snoots stated. "The Primary function of all fighter aircraft assigned to the 15th AIr Force is to provide escort for heavy bombers. Droop Snoot bombing is considered to be a valuable, though relatively minor, adjunct to the strategic employment of the Air Force. Droopsnoot bombing will be employed .......at every opportunity in the future when P-38 aircraft are not required for use in their primary role as escort and are available for bombing."
This report covered droop snoot operations between Aug 29th 1944 and 21st Jan 1945.
The P-38 wasn't shuffled off to ground support or droop snoot missions because it failed to perform it's primary role like the Typhoon. However it also didn't perform in many of the above listed "roles" in great enough numbers to establish a reputation one way or another.
