Customer Reviews

Fork-Tailed Devil: The P-38

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

A very exciting, well-researched overview of what was arguably the finest fighter of WWII. Caidin interviewed pilots and others close to the development of the P-38, and put together an exhaustive history, replete with technical specifications, "tall tales", painful shortcomings, and historical color. A must-read for anyone enamored with the P-38, and a good read for airplane buffs and war history fans.

There are plenty of nuts and bolts histories of the P-38 Lightning. This book is different in that it emphasizes the people behind the design, production and fighting of the P-38. There are plenty of facts, dates, statistics in the book, but the emotions are captured here as well. It reads like a novel, it's fast paced and puts you in the seat of the cockpit.

Author Martin Caidin is able to do this with interviews of test pilots and those who flew the P-38 in combat. He readily admits he is a fan of the plane, but does not overstate the case for the Lightning. It was cutting edge at the time, had flaws that needed to be worked out. Deployed early in North Africa and the Pacific, it gained popularity and was successful as a fighter, bomber, and recon plane. This is noteworthy since it was designed solely as a high speed interceptor. For various reasons, it did not do as well in the European theater as a fighter plane, but excelled as a fighter bomber.

Each chapter covers a phase of the Lockheed plane, examines the myths, debunks them and moves onto the next issue. The last chapter sums it all up and points out that it's not accurate to label a particular plane "the best". It depends on which version of the plane, in what mission/conditions/time and other factors are involved. Caidin shows that although you may not call the P-38 the best, you can certainly agree it is among the greatest. This is an accurate and fitting conclusion to a very readable, enjoyable book. Highly recommended to all aviation buffs, P-38 fans, anyone else who wants to learn the whole story behind this remarkable plane.

It is true that Mr. Caiden's writing style is perhaps pilot to co-pilot, but it is a minor point. He is passionate, well-researched, and interesting. There are plenty of greatly detailed war stories with the P-38 as the star.
For me, what really comes through loud and clear, the P-38 was really THE US fighter of WWII. The only fighter in production thorough the entire war. When it 1st flew in 1939, it was the fastest airplane on earth. The only fighter that could match the bomb load of a B-17. The only fighter that US Commanders world-wide screamed for more and more throughout the entire war. Seven of the US's top 10 aces of WWII flew P-38's.

[...]

I did not know any of this, and came away agreeing with Mr. Caiden, this was the best American fighter of WWII. BTW, the deservedly praised P-51 Mustang, in the the models that performed with dominance, did not enter the war in decent numbers until mid-1944. The P-38 was fighting in every theatre by mid 1942. The P-38 probably saved more lives than any other US plane due to the F-5 Photo Recon variant. The F-5 used sheer speed to become the best US Recon plane of the war. Great book!

I really enjoyed this book. My father flew in P-38's. I am always so impressed by the dedication and courage of these young pilots. The author covers a number of fields of battle. The principal is a good one for life "You don't always get perfection--it is doing the best with what you have."

If you enjoy reading about WWII aircraft and in particular about the P-38 then this is the book for you. Martin Caidin tells us the remarkable story of this aircraft and includes many remembrances from the pilots that actually flew the plane. Recommended reading for the WWII aircraft buff.