The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was
designed as an interceptor that could operate and manoeuvre at a
ceiling of 12,192 metres. Despite its many roles, it was best
known as a fighter and reconnaissance aircraft.
The plane was first used in combat in northern Africa against
the German Luftwaffe, where it was the first American airplane
to shoot down an enemy aircraft in the Second World War. The
P-38 was armed with four .50 calibre machine guns. and a 20
millimetre cannon. It was able to out-fly any aircraft operated
by the Germans or the Japanese at the time, and became known by
the Germans as, "The Forked-Tail Devil."
The P-38 was equipped with droppable fuel tanks placed under
its wings, which transformed it into a long-range escort
fighter. As a result of its
versatility, the P-38 was used in every theatre of battle
during the Second World War.