Aircraft of WWII Pacific and European Theatres.?

Question

I have been interested in anything that flies since i first made a paper aeroplane.

One question that has been bugging me for the last 30 years is this:

Why were aircraft like the Lockheed P-38 Lightning not used in the European Theatre? It had a combat range of about 1000 miles and was seriously fast so could  have been used for example to escort bombers before the Mustang came on line and could have been more effective than other fighters at V1 interception due to its higher speed compared to for example a spitfire.

There is also the Vought Corsair, this aircraft was technically brilliant and had the optimal 45 degree gull wing for a prop driven aircraft.

What am I  missing? There has got to be some kind of flaw in my logic somewhere.

Cabal · Accepted Answer

The P38 was used in Europe,  in the 8th USAAF and 9th USAAF, and southern Europe in the 15th USAAF.
Until the arrival of the Mustang it was the only fighter able to escort the bomber flights over Germany and Austria, others fighters had too short legs to do that. However, despite its nickname it was not a plane that earned much respect from the Luftwaffe as it had the same problem as the ME 110. Too heavy and too slow in a dogfight, it couldn't face faster and more agile fighters especially at low altitude. Even the Brits said so. 
It was used after D-Day as a fighter-bomber.

ammianus · Answer

The P-38 was no match for German Me109 and FW190 fighters in dogfights - it was thus unsuitable as a long range escort fighter.

The Corsair was designed for use on aircraft carriers,and as these weren't needed in the European theatre,it was used in the Pacific.The P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt were the main US fighters in Europe from 1944 onwards.Too many different makes require different munitions,different spares,groundcrew that need to be trained in maintaining/repairing multiple types,and thus a lot more organizational effort and paperwork.

John de Witt · Answer

The P-38 was very much used in Europe. One of its advantage was that the Allies wouldn't shoot at it, since it had its distinctive shape. The Germans called it the fork-tailed devil.
Even the Navy didn't much care for the F-4U. The Marines loved it, especially when land-based. But that big prop, the reason for the gull wings, also meant forward vision was quite restricted on landing and take-off. Carrier landings are probably the most stressful event for pilots, even more than combat, and not being able to see what you were doing made it unpopular.

Keith · Answer

The Lightning was indeed used in the European theatre. Wiki has a good history on it. Hope this helps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_P-38_Lightning

Anonymous · Answer

The P38 was brilliant against Japanese planes but much less so against german planes. They did try but they were eventually used in more of an auxiliiary role.

Aircraft of WWII Pacific and European Theatres.?

5 Answers