Item Details - Battle Stations Technology Of Warfare: P-38: Lightning strikes! & Corsair: Pacific Warrior.

P-38: Lightning Strikes!

Designed by the visionary aeronautical engineer Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson, Lockhead's twin engined P-38 was the most advanced fighter of its day. When first introduced it was 100 miles per hour faster than any other military aircraft in the allied fleet and the Lightning was as deadly as it was beautiful. Armed with four machine guns and a 20mm canon and capable of carrying a bomb load greater than that of the early B-17, it proved more than a match for the Japanese Zero.

Corsair: Pacific Warrior

With its strange, bent wings and long nose, the Corsair was one of the most distinctive fighter aircraft of World War Two. First flown in May 1940, the Corsair quickly became the fastest single-engine fighter in the world, with a diving speed of more than 500mph. it was designed for use on aircraft carriers, but proved too 'hot' to handle during the dangerous process of deck landing. The US Navy banished the potent Corsair from its ships, but the Marines eagerly adopted it on land. In 1943, Marine Corsair pilots fought a series of bitter air battles over the Solomon Islands, in the South Pacific. Here, they decimated the cream of the Japanese Air Force. The Corsair was equally effective as a dive-bomber, the Japanese on the ground calling it 'Whistling Death'