Fork-Tailed Devil: The P-38 [Mass Market Paperback]

Martin Caidin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 12, 1983

One of America's greatest military aviation historians relates the astonishing--and true--story of the only American warplane to fight in every operational theater in World War II from Pearl Harbor to Alaska and North Africa to Northern Europe.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 369 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 12, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345312929
• ISBN-13: 978-0345312921
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #952,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating Chronicle of a Warbird, November 1, 2002

By 

Maurice J. Martin (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fork-Tailed Devil: The P-38 (Paperback)

Having read a number of Mr. Caidin's other works (Samurai!, Zero!, B-17 Flying Forts), I picked this book up expecting similar quality and detail, and was not disappointed in the least. Whereas Thunderbolt and Samurai focus on the exploits of individual pilots, with the aircraft information as a backdrop, much like the B-17 in Flying Forts, the P-38 is the main protagnoist in this story. The pilots and their missions enable the telling of this tale, but the P-38 itself truly comes to life.

I have read the book three times in the past six months, and will likely begin reading #4 very shortly.

Thank you Mr. Caidin.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Definative Work on the P-38, May 10, 2000

By 

Steve Johnson (Prescott, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fork-Tailed Devil: The P-38 (Mass Market Paperback)

This book very well written with documentation and a large number of pilot testimonials. It goes into great detail about the enception, development, and attributes about the most under-rated fighter of the Second World War. Mr. Caiden, despite his obvious feelings for the airplane, illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of this amazing fighter in both an optomistic, and objective light. This book is a must read for anyone who would like to claim to know anything about the Air war in WWII.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Technical and Enjoyable, May 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Fork-Tailed Devil: The P-38 (Paperback)

This book has it all and if you can work through some slow spots you will see it has both a enjoyable histroy view point for the novice reader, a great war story aspect for the WWII junkie, and a techincal stand point for the aviation lover. A good read but maybe a lack of writing experience from the author shows through. Overall very enjoyable and different from your usual Stephen Ambrose-type work.