A WWII Icon: How Effective Was The P-38 Lightning?

While earlier fighters like the Spitfire, Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Zero, and US Navy planes (like the Douglas divebomber) tend to be remembered, one of the most effective fighters of WWII was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. The National Museum of World War II Aviation states, “The P-38 Lightning was the only successful twin-engine air superiority fighter of the war.” Some go as far as to say the P-38 revolutionized aerial combat during WWII.