Built with flaws that nearly doomed it, the P-38 Lightning found its true purpose in the Pacific, excelling in long-range combat, relentless interception, and one of the war’s most daring missions.

On this day in aviation history, January 27, 1939, the Lockheed XP-38 made its first flight. Developed under great secrecy, the aircraft would become famous during WWII as the legendary Lockheed P-38 ...

In the time between World War I and World War II, fighter planes underwent rapid changes. During the first World War, the Sopwith F.1 Camel was known as one of the best combat planes around. It had a ...

IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. From 1942 to 1945, the thunder of ...

The first P-38s became operational with the 1st Fighter Group in April 1941, and the initial combat deployments were made in Alaska, the Southwest Pacific and North Africa during the latter part of ...

Pacific Wrecks and Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center teamed up to recover a missing plane. Pacific Wrecks and Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center teamed up to recover the remains of ...

The Bong Veterans Historical Center and Pacific Wrecks have announced that the Richard Bong’s P-38 fighter plane, “Marge,” has been discovered in Papua New Guinea. The discovery was the result of a ...

The Niš incident, a fierce aerial combat between Americans and Soviets in WWII An analysis of the engineering of the ...

On Nov. 7, 1944, the convergence of both forces in Central Europe led to the only documented direct combat between American and Soviet forces in history. American P-38 Lightning fighters attacked what ...