Roaring Glory Warbirds, Vol. 6: Lockheed Lightning P-38 (1998)

lightning p-38, Roaring glory warbirds vol 6

Very short on real information of war bird employment in the war. Some pretty good but not outstanding modern inflight. October 20, 2008

P-38 Lightning - The fork-tailed devil!

I've always been interested in this great aircraft, originally concieved as a high-altitude interceptor. This plane was very far ahead of its time, thanks to Lockheed's Clarence L. "Kelly" who also designed and built the F-80 Shooting Star, F-94 Starfire, F-104 Starfighter, the U-2 and SR-71 Reconnaissance Aircraft. I've always liked the P-38 because it came from that great Art Deco era of the late 1930's, with a beautifully sleek and unique design that was typical of the period.

The P-38's tough, twin engine design and its nose-mounted multiple gun platform was deadly and highly accurate, and in my opinion made it a more effective weapon than the more glamourous P-51, with a much longer range. Before the P-51's and P-47's reached Europe in quantity, the P-38 was tasked with escorting the heavy bombers on their missions, and it was there the Luftwaffe began calling it "The fork-tailed devil". Tom Lamphier shot down Yamamoto with his P-38, and Richard Bong became the USAAF's top scoring ace in a P-38. The Lighting served in all theatres of the war. I was very happy to learn that one had been recovered from Greenland and restored.

The Roaring Glory Warbirds video gives a marvelous review of the P-38, giving us a peek inside the cockpit, to see how complex this plane was.
With great aerial photography, and some re-creations of actual incidents, I am very happy to have this video in my collection. I'd also like recommend the Roaring Glory Warbirds F6F Hellcat video. Just wish they would do a similar video for the great P-40 Warhawk.
August 3, 2007

"Video & Audio Nirvana for the P-38 Aficionado"

True fans of the P-38 "Lightning" will find this DVD a truly moving experience, with stunning aerial footage of the late Jeff Ethell flying an immaculate P-38L over the Pacific coastline. This is more than worth the purchase price for these latter-day scenes alone, though other portions are interesting as well. Not really mentioned was that the P-38 was designed as an interceptor, and never intended to 'dogfight' smaller, lighter opposition. That it succeeded in doing so was greatly to the credit of it's pilots, and it's versatility. D. Judkins March 28, 2007

Keep History Alive - Get This Series

This series represents an important archive of information about a crucial part of World history. This collection should be part of every Middle or High schools' media center. If you have the means, buy even one episode on DVD and donate it to a local school. Specific to my review, now, this episode about the P-38 Lightning was my first exposure to the Roaring Glory experience. It completely entertained and informed me, giving me an entire new respect and admiration for the men who designed and fought in these machines. The DVD is astounding in it's image quality and sound. There are many extra features, making this little nugget of history a steal at the prices found on Amazon! Want to keep history alive? Want to feel renewed pride as an American? Start your own adventure with Vol. 9 of Roaring Glory - let the "Lightning" strike you today! August 31, 2002

Best P-38 Info Out There!

This is amazing! The photography is beautiful - crisp, in focus, well lit, beautiful. Jeff Ethells's commentary is excellent as he puts the 38 through its paces from preflight through shutdown and flight off the beautiful coast of Oregon at Tillamook. This segment is also haunting as I think the plane he is flying is the same one he died in not too long after the footage was taken for this segment. Also the one featured on the cover of Flight Magazine in Jeff's "Flying the..." series. But it is the best footage of a living, breathing, P-38 you will find. It also has the training film that you'll find separately at museums and such on VHS - but on DVD so you can play it as much as you want. I haven't had time to go through the whole DVD yet but everything I've seen so far is too good to be true - but it is. If you like P-38s, this is an absolute must-have. May 18, 2001

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