Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: akak on February 11, 2002, 11:04:07 PM
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Here's a little story of Lowell and what he could do in a P-38L. Enjoy.
Source: Fighter Aces of the USA by Toliver & Constable 1979 ISBN 0-8168-5792-X
Despite the performance disparity between the P-38 and the P-51, the Lightning
had its devoted advocates. There can be no doubt that the faith and ability of
a P-38 pilot, wherever he plied his trade, could wring from the Lightning
superior and often surprising performance. For the run-of-the-mill fighter
pilot, such attainments were impossible. For the exceptional pilot, who loved,
studied and flew the P-38 with everything that was in him, the enemy held no
terrors.
Such a P-38 devotee was, and is, Colonel John H. Lowell of Denver, Colorado.
Lowell served in the ETO, and on one occasion, with his whole group watching
and a beer bust riding on the outcome, he took on an RAF Spitfire Mark XI in
mock combat.
The encounter took place over Lowell's home base of Honington, in East Anglia,
and Lowell administered a sound thrashing to the fabled British fighter. Lowell
believed that the P-38L was able to fight anything that flew, and in this
instance, with him at the controls, the P-38L proved superior even to Britain's
great thoroughbred.
Lowell is credited with 7.5 aerial kills in Europe, but few other pilots in the
USAAF could make the P-38 perform as he did. For the most part, the journeymen
pilots who forsook the Lightning for the Mustang as the newer machine flowed
out to the squadrons were rarely sorry to say goodbye to the P-38. Lowell lives
near Golden, Colorado.
Colonel John H. Lowell, whose faith in the P-38 was dealt with earlier in this
book, became an ace while flying with the 67th Wing's 364th Fighter Group.
Colonel Lowell flew his first mission against the Germans on 6 March 1944, on
the first fighter escort mission to Germany. He flew two combat tours and is
officially credited with 7.5 victories. Now a roofing contractor in Golden,
Colorado, Colonel Lowell best remembers a tussle with the redoubtable FW-190's:
"Over Berlin we spotted a large gaggle of 190's about to attack. We dropped
external tanks and turned into them. I was the first to fire, as I was in the
Lead, and the lead 190, my target, blew up. All hell broke loose then and every
man in my group fired at the enemy that day. I lost two men but we got
thirty-three confirmed. My third victory was a tong-nosed 190 who took me down
to the deck, although I was long ago ready to go home. I ran out of ammo. He
was still going strong, and then in a very low pass at me he ran into a tree
and blew up. This occurred 5 December 1944."
Below is the caption to the attached image.
P-38 LIGHTNING LOVER
Lt. Colonel John H. Lowell, seen here during WWII service with the 364th
Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force, was an ace who could really fly the P-38.
Credited with 7.5 victories in Europe, Lowell believed the P-38 was the equal
of any fighter in the air if it were properly flown. He once whipped an RAF
Spitfire in mock aerial combat on a bet.
(http://www.hispanicvista.com/assets/images/lowel.jpg)
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neat story, akak.
thx,
akcurly
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Haha, the dorka hit a tree! :D :D :D
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Why is he posing on a P51?
dago
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Originally posted by Dago
Why is he posing on a P51?
dago
Because the 364th FG, like every other Fighter Group in the 8th Air Force (with the lone exception of the 56th) eventually switched to the P-51, with their P-38s being reassigned to the 9th
Tactical Air Force.
My regards,
Widewing
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hum, I was wondering the samething, why is he posing on a P-51.
thanks for the story.
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Look at him he ain't happy :D
BUG322
=Twin Engined Devils=
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What? He's a poser? :)
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He got 7.5 kills, but there's like 40 marked on that plane :) He is a poseur :D
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Wow, great story about the P38.
I've always loved that plane, sadly, I've never actually flown a real one, nor have I had the chance to see one fly. :(
One of these days I hope.
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Haha, the dorka hit a tree!
*SLAP*