Spitfire Mk V? and P-38L .ord options...

[Gator]

> There are 3 pylons under each wing. All the pylons were mounted between the engine nacelles and the cockpit. The space in that area is restricted and I am not sure what size bomb was used.

  Mino, came across yet another photo of the 3 pylon configuration, this time in P-38 Lightning in action.  This one, from the 82nd Fighter Group in Italy, has in the caption that this configuration was four 500 pound bombs and two 165 gallon drop tanks.

[Citabria]

there is a model made by academy minicraft of the p38 droops snoot
which might or might not have an accurate interior i dunno (havent built it)

also books:

Bert Kinseys detail and scale for the P38 might have some.

or maybe squadrons Walk Around series might have some of the droop snoot interior

I'm sure you already got those though,

havent come across any that have interior pics of the bombardiers station

however the bomb load on some was up to 4 bombs on a pair of pylons under each wing

[SC-GManMP]

Yer right snpr, the P-38 had 2:

Allison V-1710-111, 12 cylinder V, liquid cooled, super-charged @ 1,475 hp each.

Originally produced in 1943, had a max speed of 414 mph @ 25,000
ceiling of 44,000 ft.
range of 450 miles
max payload of 3,200 lbs

Just dug up that there was also a night fighter variant, the P-38M, had a back seat and radar equipment stashed onboard.

[Gator]

> or maybe squadrons Walk Around series might have some of the droop snoot interior

  Is there a "Walk Around" for the P-38?  I've looked but not seen one.

> night fighter variant, the P-38M, had a back seat and radar equipment stashed onboard.

While they converted 75 P-38L's to P-38M Night Lightnings, and the first operational flight was Jan. 5, 1945, the initial crews did not finish training until early Summer.  So, they were not actually deployed into combat, and never fired a shot in anger.  The four P-38M's that saw active service were assigned to the Occupation Force in Japan.

However, Martin Caidin states that "an undisclosed number were rushed into the far Pacific in the closing months of the war" and that "An undisclosed number of P-38M fighters saw combat against Japanese night intruders - no further details have been made available."


[This message has been edited by Gator (edited 03-13-2000).]