The famed Lockheed P 38 Lightning saw its initial development take place in the late 1930s as a direct response to the U.S. Army Aircorp's requirement for a new high altitude, high speed long range escort.  Since single engine fighters of the era lacked sufficient power to meet these requirements, Lockheed took the unusual step of designing a twin engine and eventually twin tailed fighter.  The P-38 went on to fight in the Aleutians, North Africa, Europe and the Pacific theaters of war with mixed results in World War II.  While it was a capable fighter at low and medium altitudes, was a great fighter bomber and an outstanding long range photo reconnaissance aircraft, it was totally ineffective as a high altitude fighter escort due to persistent cabin heat problems.  In the end, the P-38 Lightning became a major tool in the Allied victories in North Africa, the Italian, and the Pacific campaigns, and pilots will remember this superb fighting machine with fond memories.  The book P-38 Lightning includes many black and white photos, detail line drawings, and full-color paintings along with relevant technical data.  This book is 52 pages and is in very good condition.  The author is Jeffrey Ethell with Rikyu Watanabe (Illustrations).  First edition published in 1983.