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A review by komet2020
P-38 Lightning Vs Bf 109: North Africa, Sicily and Italy 1942–43 by Edward M. Young
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
For all of its conciseness, P-38 LIGHTNING vs Bf 109: North Africa, Sicily and Italy 1942-43 provides a thorough overview of the merits and deficiencies of the P-38 Lightning twin-engined fighter vis-a-vis the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter when pitted against each other in aerial combat over North Africa and in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) between November 1942 and September 1943.
In the wake of Operation Torch (the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa in November 1942), the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) quickly dispatched several bomber and fighter units to assist the Allies in pushing the Italo-German forces out of North Africa. Among the latter units were the 1st, 14th, and 82nd Fighter Groups -- each of them equipped with the P-38 Lightning.
Besides fulfilling their traditional role of engaging enemy air forces in aerial combat, the P-38s, given their long range, speed, and firepower, were tasked with providing fighter escort for the bombers. To counter this infusion of Allied air power, the Germans sent over several of their veteran fighter units, manned by pilots with considerable combat experience. Over the next 10 months, the USAAF fighter units would be hard pressed to establish aerial supremacy against several of the Luftwaffe's best fighter aces, because of their lack of previous combat experience.
This book goes into considerable detail in assessing which of the 2 fighters came out ahead in terms of fighter-to-fighter combat. The findings were both interesting and surprising to me. There are also lots of photos and illustrations to give the reader a tangible sense of what the hazards and perils were that both the USAAF and Luftwaffe fighter pilots faced over North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, as well as first-hand accounts from the pilots themselves.
What became clear to me from reading P-38 LIGHTNING vs Bf 109: North Africa, Sicily and Italy 1942-43 was that "[a]lthough the Lightning groups may not have shot down as many Bf 109s as they claimed, and they had to absorb heavy losses at times, they succeeded admirably in defending the bombers. There are many variables that need to be taken into consideration when comparing the loss rates endured by bomb groups in the European and Mediterranean Theaters of Operations - the quality and quantity of German fighters, their tactics, the capabilities of Allied bombers under attack and the availability of fighter escort. It is noteworthy, ..., that during the time the P-38 groups spent as part of the Twelfth Air Force, the loss rates for the heavy bomber units they escorted all the way to the target and back were considerably lower that the loss rates for heavy bomber units in the European Theater of Operations. [ETO]"
The USAAF in North Africa and Mediterranean learned at an earlier stage than was the case in the ETO the critical need for escort fighters. Thus, the role played by the P-38 Lightning in ensuring the success of the Allied air forces "in interdicting Axis supplies to Tunisia and devastating Axis air strength in Sicily and Italy" was invaluable and gave its pilots much needed combat experience which they later imparted to future fighter pilots who would serve in the MTO and help ensure final victory over Germany in May 1945.
In the wake of Operation Torch (the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa in November 1942), the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) quickly dispatched several bomber and fighter units to assist the Allies in pushing the Italo-German forces out of North Africa. Among the latter units were the 1st, 14th, and 82nd Fighter Groups -- each of them equipped with the P-38 Lightning.
Besides fulfilling their traditional role of engaging enemy air forces in aerial combat, the P-38s, given their long range, speed, and firepower, were tasked with providing fighter escort for the bombers. To counter this infusion of Allied air power, the Germans sent over several of their veteran fighter units, manned by pilots with considerable combat experience. Over the next 10 months, the USAAF fighter units would be hard pressed to establish aerial supremacy against several of the Luftwaffe's best fighter aces, because of their lack of previous combat experience.
This book goes into considerable detail in assessing which of the 2 fighters came out ahead in terms of fighter-to-fighter combat. The findings were both interesting and surprising to me. There are also lots of photos and illustrations to give the reader a tangible sense of what the hazards and perils were that both the USAAF and Luftwaffe fighter pilots faced over North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, as well as first-hand accounts from the pilots themselves.
What became clear to me from reading P-38 LIGHTNING vs Bf 109: North Africa, Sicily and Italy 1942-43 was that "[a]lthough the Lightning groups may not have shot down as many Bf 109s as they claimed, and they had to absorb heavy losses at times, they succeeded admirably in defending the bombers. There are many variables that need to be taken into consideration when comparing the loss rates endured by bomb groups in the European and Mediterranean Theaters of Operations - the quality and quantity of German fighters, their tactics, the capabilities of Allied bombers under attack and the availability of fighter escort. It is noteworthy, ..., that during the time the P-38 groups spent as part of the Twelfth Air Force, the loss rates for the heavy bomber units they escorted all the way to the target and back were considerably lower that the loss rates for heavy bomber units in the European Theater of Operations. [ETO]"
The USAAF in North Africa and Mediterranean learned at an earlier stage than was the case in the ETO the critical need for escort fighters. Thus, the role played by the P-38 Lightning in ensuring the success of the Allied air forces "in interdicting Axis supplies to Tunisia and devastating Axis air strength in Sicily and Italy" was invaluable and gave its pilots much needed combat experience which they later imparted to future fighter pilots who would serve in the MTO and help ensure final victory over Germany in May 1945.