"Twin tailed devil" P-38 nickname

[Romani]

Hi, in a thread about the Corsair in Off Topic some months ago various WWII aircraft nicknames and their origins were discussed.

One that was thought to have been invented by US propaganda was "Gabelschwanzteufel" (Pitch-forked devil) for the P-38 Lightning, wich makes it more impressive than it actually was, at least in Europe. Galland in his memories said it was not a serious contender, and that the only plane the Germans hated was the P51 Mustang because it could do everything, only better.

But I digress, that nickname was never used by German pilots, but talking with a German friend about this, he told me that his grandpa, a Fallschirmjäger in WWII who served in the Mediterranean, knew that term, it was coined by the Frontschweine (or Poor Bloody Infantry) after coming under the attention of the P-38 Jabos and was presumably picked up by Allied propaganda after the interrogation of German prisoners.

And now, I better book an appointment with an exorcist because I am speaking in strange tongues

[mike_baram]

Back when I was in college we had a raunchy drinking song, "Roll your leg over", which contained the lines;
"I wish that all girls were like P-38s,
I'd have double tail on all of my dates,
oh roll your leg over,
oh roll your leg over,
oh roll your leg over the man in the moon".

I no longer drink, I'm no longer raunchy, and I'm married.

Oh, how I miss the educational experience.

[timjnf]

Originally Posted by Romani

wich makes it more impressive than it actually was, at least in Europe. Galland in his memories said it was not a serious contender, and that the only plane the Germans hated was the P51 Mustang because it could do everything, only better.

I guy I know flew, first P-47s which he said weren't worth a damn in the Pacific, and then the P-38 which he loved and said was very effective. He was speaking purely from his own experience in the Pacific.

[scooterjmuggs]

You should read the book P-38 Fork Tailed Devil. I think by Martin Caidin.
Anyway, you couldn't be more wrong about the 38. It was an outstanding aircraft. Both Richard Bong and Tommy McGuire fly it in the Pacific. They were and still are the two highest scoring US pilots ever. The supercharger made it less effective in the colder air of Europe, where it lost some of it's performance (not a problem in the warmer climes of the Pacific). It was very fast and after they realized the compressibility problem with it in a dive the later "J" and "L" versions were outstanding. In a dive it damn near broke the sound barrier (thus causing the compressibility problem). Also, having twin engines made it a great fit for the Pacific campaign when flying for many hours over open ocean. If a 51 had engine problems over water you would end up in the drink but in the Lightning you could limp home on one engine. I like those odds.

scooterjmuggs out...

[leo]

A beautiful and powerful war bird. From what I can gather, it did not particularly impress German pilots, but as a fighter bomber it was frightful.

[Bruno Stachel]

There is a story about a target in the Pacific that was deemed out of reach for the P-38. None other than Charles Lindbergh, as a sort of technical advisor, taught the pilots how to increase the range of their Lightings with manifold settings and throttle management I believe.

[Maxim08]

Bruno,
That is correct and well documented.
I believe that he flew the mission.
Regards,
John
PS, How's Kati?

[Bruno Stachel]

Absolutely marvelous! As a matter of fact, she's folding the towels right now.

[Yank44]

My Grandpa was in the Army Air Corp, and he told me they added sirens to the P-38's to instill terror. He also said the German ground troops hated it. This out of the mouth of a vet.