Few warbirds command attention quite like the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. With its unmistakable twin-boom design and powerful engines growling through the clouds. To the Allies, it was a marvel of engineering and versatility. To the Axis, it was a nightmare in the sky. Nicknamed the "Fork-Tailed Devil" by the Germans it was a flying symbol of American airpower and innovation. #ww2 #aviation #military | World War II Aircraft

Discover the revolutionary design that made the P-38 Lightning one of the fastest--and deadliest--planes of World War II. Tune in to the new episode of Air Warriors this Sunday at 8PM. http://bit.ly/2J65cBu | Smithsonian Channel

P-38 Lightning in Service The versatile Lightning performed many different missions during World War II, including dive bombing, level bombing, bombing through clouds, strafing, photo reconnaissance and long range escort. It first went into large-scale service during the North African campaign in November 1942, where the German pilots named it Der Gabelschwanz Teufel ("The Forked-Tail Devil"). When the Lightning began combat operations from England in September 1943, it was the only fighter with