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Description: The P38G was an American all-metal heavy fighter from the Second World War. But today we are here to talk about the P38G that was used by the Regia Aeronautica during the Second World War after being captured. On June 12, 1943, an American P38G, after being defeated in an air battle over Malta, landed for navigation mistakes at the Italian airport of Capoterra in Sardinia. The aircraft was immediately seized and captured by the Italian ground crew, and it was later painted with Italian markings. An Italian officier, Angelo Tondi, proposed the idea of using it against its previous owner thanks to the shape of the aircraft, which would make him “friendly” until the aircraft would open fire against allied bombers. The idea was accepted, and the aircraft was assigned to him. Tondi’s first sortie was on August 11, 1943, when he took off with a pair of MC202. They meet a formation of B17 returning from a railroad bombardment. All the three aircraft attacked the enemy formation, and Tondi was able to destroy a B17 named “Bonnie Sue”. There is also a report that says that another B17 was shot down by a P38 near Viterbo, and it was definitely Tondi (since there were no other axis-operated P38s in that sector), but for some reason the only victory given to Tondi was the first one against the “Bonnie Sue”. Another interesting aspect of these shootdowns is that the American bomber crew were shocked by the possibility of being destroyed by a friendly aircraft, which resulted in a shootdown of an American P38 by a B17. But after some missions, the Italian fuel corroded the American engines and it was not usable anymore. It was later destroyed by an American bomber raid on the airport were It was adandoned.
Why it should be in the game: This aircraft was one of the few if not the only axis captured aircraft to scored kills against allied aircraft, it could be very good for an event or a premium.
Specifications
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Length: 11.53 m
Wingspan: 15.85 m
Height: 3.00 m
Wing area: 30.43 m2
Empty weight: 5 800 kg
Max take-off weight: 7 940 kg
Engine: 2 Allison V-1710-89/91
V-shaped: 12-cylinder turbochargers
Power: 1,425 HP each
Maximum speed: 667 km/h at 7,620 m
Autonomy: 3,640 km (maximum)
Tangency: 13,400 m
Armaments
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4x ANM2 Browning machine guns, 1x Hispano M2 cannon
Sources
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http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/gzUsafSearch.pl?target=43-2278&content=
43-2278 | Captured Wings Wiki | Fandom
Nonsei SGM: La leyenda del italiano celoso
Láska, zrada a půlpalcové kulomety: Dvouocasý ďábel ve službách fašistů
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_P-38_Lightning+
Captured Lockheed P-38 Lightning Fighters - Destination's Journey
Pictures
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