I probably should not be complaining, as Aces High II is the only simulator in history to get the P-38's stall anywhere near correct. It closely matches all of the descriptions. For this, I am extremely thankful. However, the official U.S.A.A.F. training video offers the statement by a test pilot, claiming that both in a slow stall and in an accelerated stall there is no tendency for either wing to dip.
Now, the P-38 in Aces High II is very close to correct in this because it can be stalled under any conditions without dropping a wing, as stated by countless sources. However, there is a tendency for the wing to drop at in a high speed stall, even with wings level. It can be countered with rudder (as well as reversed aileron, supposedly because of adverse yaw in the stall), but that is not the point. No mention of such a tendency is found in any known source, and it goes against the training film and the pilots manuals.
So is it a design feature based on a documented source, or is it a mistake? If the former, what is the source? Dozens of sources - including three U.S.A.A.F. sources - all say the same thing; the P-38 has no tendency to spin in either a slow stall or an accelerated stall. The only exception is when gear is down, and then the tendency is called "slight." Another source, a P-38 combat pilot, said that it was impossible to spin without cross-controlling, and that he only knew one fellow who'd done it.
There are still people who believe that the P-38 could not stall without getting into a flat spin. These people usually also believe that all aircraft spin or drop a wing when they stall. This falsehood comes from a history of flight simulators which portray stalls as such. Indeed, Aces High II is the only World War Two simulator that correctly portrays a straight forward stall. I'm still unable to understand why no other can accurately model this most basic aspect of flight.
