Author Topic: P38J - 14 rockets? (Read 1785 times)

Krusty · « **on:** October 05, 2005, 11:39:29 PM »

Just saw a pic of a P38J with 7 rockets under each wing. Not in the tree-holder, spread out one each under the wing for a total of 7 each side.

Just curious, why are we limited to 10 rkts?

Guppy35 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 05, 2005, 11:53:46 PM »

That was only a test. It would have required some serious changes in production which wasn't worth it. The rocket tree was the solution that worked best.

What you saw wasn't ever used operationally

Krusty · « **Reply #2 on:** October 06, 2005, 12:28:03 AM »

cool, thanks for the info!

Angus · « **Reply #3 on:** October 06, 2005, 06:09:53 AM »

I think some P47's and even Tiffies sported a double set of rockets - like 7 or 8 on each wing!
I've also heard about tiffies that had no cannons. Maybe the same?

straffo · « **Reply #4 on:** October 06, 2005, 08:19:29 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Angus
I think some P47's and even Tiffies sported a double set of rockets - like 7 or 8 on each wing!
I've also heard about tiffies that had no cannons. Maybe the same?

For the typhoon I've seen pict of typhon with 10 rockets or 4 rockets + DT.
Some tiffies had their inner gun removed to make FR.1B

Captain Virgil Hilts · « **Reply #5 on:** October 06, 2005, 08:25:43 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Angus
I think some P47's and even Tiffies sported a double set of rockets - like 7 or 8 on each wing!
I've also heard about tiffies that had no cannons. Maybe the same?

Don't know about the Tiffies, but those were experiments on the P-47's, and possibly some unapproved field modifications, same as the P-38. I've talked to guys who had seen planes in their units modified by some of the creative ground crews. Like 6 and 8 gun noses in the P-38's (all 50 cal), and a P-38 with 4 20MM cannons in the nose. Not that I wouldn't like to have a P-38J with 4 20MM cannons in the nose, but I can see where unapproved field modifications and experiments/prototypes just won't work here.

EdXCal · « **Reply #6 on:** October 06, 2005, 02:12:51 PM »

Mmm, I'd love to see a P-38 with that kind of firepower, it doesn't really need an upgrade, I beleave the 38 has some of the most effective hitting power in the game thus far, the 4x 20mm's do have harder hit but on the planes that there mounted, there normaly on the wings. But the 38s guns all tightly packed in the nose like that, I can't think of anything better then with 4x 20mm cannons... Ahh... :-D

Edward

Ack-Ack · « **Reply #7 on:** October 06, 2005, 05:43:16 PM »

Sometimes I wish they'd never taken out the 37mm Oldsmobile cannon the P-38 had before they replaced it with the 20mm Hispano.

ack-ack

Guppy35 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 06, 2005, 05:57:00 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Ack-Ack
Sometimes I wish they'd never taken out the 37mm Oldsmobile cannon the P-38 had before they replaced it with the 20mm Hispano.

ack-ack

Problem is they never really put it in

Karnak · « **Reply #9 on:** October 06, 2005, 07:00:29 PM »

ExCal,

It is brutal. To try it out fly the Mossie as a fighter for a bit. It doesn't perform as well as a P-38, but it'll give you an idea of what four 20mm Hispanos in the nose are like.

Ack-Ack · « **Reply #10 on:** October 06, 2005, 07:10:05 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Guppy35
Problem is they never really put it in

The 37mm Oldsmobile cannon was in the YP-38 and the P-38D, while the YP-38 was an experimental test bed, the D was an operational model. Although, only IIRC, 32 were produced and some of the Ds had the 37mm replaced with a 23mm cannon, which was later swapped out for the 20mm in the E model.

ack-ack

Guppy35 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 06, 2005, 08:35:20 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Ack-Ack
The 37mm Oldsmobile cannon was in the YP-38 and the P-38D, while the YP-38 was an experimental test bed, the D was an operational model. Although, only IIRC, 32 were produced and some of the Ds had the 37mm replaced with a 23mm cannon, which was later swapped out for the 20mm in the E model.

ack-ack

Gotta find me a D picture that actually shows an operational D with a cannon at all. Only D photos I've ever seen show the opening blanked off and only the 4 MGs.

Bodie's book on the 38 is clear that the 38D never carried the cannon. And I tend to believe Bodie since his book on the 38 is the best overal coverage on the Lightning out there in my opinion

Nothing else I've seen or read says that it ever got beyond the drawing board and was never on an operational D model 38.

I have seen photos of a 38 modified by the 80th FS with the 6 50 call set up that was used in combat.

Ack-Ack · « **Reply #12 on:** October 06, 2005, 08:58:40 PM »

I thought the D's never saw combat and that they were just used as trainers?

Honestly, never seen a picture of a D model with a 37mm cannon. Only thing I've seen that it said it carried the 37mm and in some cases a 23mm is in the gun package specs for the D model.

ack-ack

Ack-Ack · « **Reply #13 on:** October 06, 2005, 08:59:57 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Guppy35

I have seen photos of a 38 modified by the 80th FS with the 6 50 call set up that was used in combat.

Anything that shows that this gun package was more effective than the quad .50s and 20mm Hispano?

ack-ack

Ack-Ack · « **Reply #14 on:** October 06, 2005, 09:12:47 PM »

Is this a D or an E model?

ack-ack