[fso301]

P-38 should be mentioned. It proved to be an outstanding fighter in the Pacific and Mediterranean although experienced assorted reliability issues over Northern Europe that no one to my knowledge has ever fully explained.

P-51 deserves mention as the best allied fighter in the hands of the average allied pilot.

[Seruzawa]

Read “Fork-tailed Devil”.

[Calvin Locke]

[P-38]...although experienced assorted reliability issues over Northern Europe ...

The Brits and French wanted the P-38 asap, and the superchargers were not available when delivered to the Brits (France had fallen and its order went to England). The a/c performed poorly without it, earning the bad rep.

It was eventually used for photorecon, given the room after removing the weapon cluster.

But yes, overall, the combat deployments were fairly low in Europe. Throw in the 2x maintenance and fuel requirements, and availability of other a/c... it didn't bring anything better to the table in Europe.