Thanks to Lyric1 for finding me the info for this skin, a scheme I originally did on the old P-38G shape a couple of years ago.
One of only two P-38 squadrons to serve in the CBI theatre, the 459th Fighter Squadron were based in Burma. The other was the 449th based in China. The 459th received their ex-African campaign P-38Hs in late 1943. Their enormous range meant not only could they escort bombers deep into enemy territory but allowed them to hit Japanese air bases as far as 700 miles away, something no other Allied fighter could do. They soon racked up a 12 to 1 kill ratio over the IJAAF, who were still mostly equipped with the obsolescent Ki-43. This suppression of the enemy's air force made the British Army's air-supplied behind the lines Chindit operations more viable.
Visually what makes the 459th's Lightnings remarkable is the pair of snakes painted down the length of the booms in RAF dark green. This particular aircraft "Frances Rebel" flown by Lt. F. A. Thompson is the only known P-38H photographed in this scheme although there are a few shots of snake-adorned P-38Js.
