P-38 poems and songs

[Double T]

AN ODE TO THE AXIS FROM LOCKHEED WORKERS
(Author unknown. Wichita Beacon, circa 1940s)

When you hear a whistle in the sky
And see those twin tails streaking by,
You know that you have one less chance
Of ever making an advance.

When you started this war in thirty-nine,
There was no P-38 assembly line.
When you bombed Pearl Harbor in forty-one
That assembly had just begun.

When that line really began to move
You knew that we were in the groove.
When they first hit Africa in forty-two,
You began to think that you were through.

Now we are turning them out faster and faster
The sooner to bring you disaster.
Every one that leaves the assembly line
Helps to shorten your allotted time.

We use them for the camera ship
Because their speed gives you the slip,
And when the photographs they take,
Our bombers follow in their wake.

They escort bombers far and wide,
And on every mission tan your hide.
From the rooftops to the stratosphere,
Of all your planes they are the peer.

The Zero, it was sure well named,
For when the Lightnings' guns are aimed,
The pilot gives them one quick burst,
There's nothing there, the Zeros cursed.

Over in Europe it's just the same,
Focke-Wulfs and Messerschmitts are fair game.
Our pilots chase them from the sky
And make of Goebbels' boasts a lie.

For every time their five guns roar,
The Axis rats die by the score.
Fork'tailed terrors of the air,
They make our enemies despair.

[Double T]

WE ALSO LOVED THE LADY
by Fred L. Montgomery, S/Sgt-Crew Chief

Those of us who filled her ever-thirsty tanks with ""Fightin' Blue,"
Who cleaned and oiled her arsenal and hung her deadly bombs,
Who kept her ""ears" and ""voice" always loud and clear,
Who patched the combat wounds in her sleek skin.

Who checked and tuned her after every flight,
Who guarded her through torrid desert days and bitter, frigid nights,
Who pulled her preflight before each dawn to make sure that she was fit
To take you into combat and bring you safely home again.

Who strapped you into cockpit nest and squeezed your shoulder for good luck,
And who waited through the endless hours for the thrill of seeing
You and our Lightning lady do the Victory Roll one more time!

Sure, there were times when you took her-and us-for granted,
But we understood.
In fact, we were proud to think that you trusted us both with your life.

Believe me, we were with you every second, monitoring her heartbeat,
The steady scream of her superchargers, the instant response of her controls.

And when you brought her back to us, weary and sometimes wounded,
We gladly worked into the night to heal and make her fit to thunder
Once again into tomorrow's dawn with you.

These things we did because we, too, loved and were proud to share with you
Our incomparable Lady Lightning!

[Double T]

These poems are from:
-- 38assn.org

Tim

[Trexx]

Aw, geeze. Those are marvelous. Thanks for sharing those!

[Romantic Technofreak]

Timm, as we love him... recitating...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/a404d59f.jpg

:D, and sorry for gag recycling!

Best regards, RT

[Lightning]

Hi Double T,

Very nice indeed. I thank you for posting two great P-38 poems that I had never heard/read before. I also think they are great not only because they glorify the Lightning but because they also pay tribute to the wonderful American workers who built it and the often-unsung heroes who maintained it and kept it flying--the ground crews.

There are other P-38 poems. The one that comes quickly to mind is "An Escort of P-38s" which was written by a gunner in an American bomber. He was later lost on a mission. I have already posted it a while back, so I won't repeat it here.

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that many folks have a sentimental attachment to the Lightning that doesn't appear to to be the case with the other fighters of WWII. They all, to be sure, have their fans and enthusiasts--some even to a fanatical extent--but there just seems to be something more endearing about the Lightning. Do you think I may be a bit biased--just a little bit?

Regards,
Lightning

Added by edit:
See the thread World War 2 Songs and Poems that goes back quite a while to the old "The Great Planes" format.

[Double T]

'Can't forget this one...

IN MEMORIAM TO CLARENCE L. "KELLY" JOHNSON
by Tom McGuire

"Kelly," it's over half a century now since your brilliant brain
Gave birth to the great Lockheed Lightning P-38 fighter plane.

Typical of genius, you broke from the single-engine routine,
Creating the famous twin-engine, twin-boom, single-seat queen
Of fighters. Her speed, climb, range, guns, and unmatched versatility
Lured pilots to a new unknown, deadly danger-compressibility

No other plane could duplicate the Lightning's diving speed,
As Ralph Virden-compressibility's first fatality-forced the frantic need
To block this mysterious force, which could tear a plane to pieces
When powerdives exceeded shock-stall speeds, but no one had a proven thesis
Of what occurred, 'till you, Milo Burcham, and Tony LeVier succeeded
In devising and proving the dive brakes the Lightning so badly needed

Your reliable P-38L became the workhorse in Europe and the Pacific,
She holds the two top fighter ace scores, final proof she was terrific

You next created our best jet fighter, the amazing P-80 Shooting Star,
Alas, too late for World War II, but the best jet trainer by far.

Another world champion, the Starfighter 104, shot up into the blue,
The first jet fighter to reach speeds in excess of incredible Mach 2

And now we come to the crowning point of your fertile creative gift,
Your masterpiece, the SR-71 Blackbird, the unique titanium, swift
Incomparable flying machine, supreme for these 30 cold-war years,
She still stands alone, as Atlanta, the Queen of speed, no peers.

So "Kelly," you belong in the highest place in Aviation's Hall of Fame
You shortened World War II,
We sorely needed you
And, thank God, you came.

We are diminished."

--from38assn.org

Tim

[Lightning]

Hi DoubleT,

Well you've done it again! How do you find these Gems?

In addition to Kelly Johnson, there is another name that will forever be linked to the P-38--Lefty Gardner who made "White Lightnin'" the most recognized warbird of all time.

Lefty passed away recently, and White Lightnin' is no more. N25Y has been restored as the "Red Bull P-38." It's a beauty in its highly polished bare-metal finish. It has been flown and will soon be delivered to its new owner (by ship) in Austria. Now that it will be on this side of the Atlantic, maybe I'll get to see it.

The Jan/Feb issue of "Warbirds Digest" has a lengthy and very well written feature article on this historic airplane.

Regards,
Lightning

[Trexx]

Hi DoubleT,

Well you've done it again! How do you find these Gems?

In addition to Kelly Johnson, there is another name that will forever be linked to the P-38--Lefty Gardner who made "White Lightnin'" the most recognized warbird of all time.

Lefty passed away recently, and White Lightnin' is no more. N25Y has been restored as the "Red Bull P-38." It's a beauty in its highly polished bare-metal finish. It has been flown and will soon be delivered to its new owner (by ship) in Austria. Now that it will be on this side of the Atlantic, maybe I'll get to see it.

The Jan/Feb issue of "Warbirds Digest" has a lengthy and very well written feature article on this historic airplane.

Regards,
Lightning

Lefty Gardner died?! I didn't know that. I've enjoyed his aerobatics for years and years.

One very remarkable performance featured White Lightning with Lefty at the controls doing aerobatics choreographed to music... and no voice commentary. I will never forget that, never ever. (Reno National Championship Air Races)... I think it was in 1998...

The P-38 has quiet engine noise... (lots of piping before exhaust is expelled) You can really hear much whistling and zoomie sounds of the airframe as it careens through the sky. I get goosebumps just remembering it!

[Lightning]

Hi Trexx,

How I envy you. I never got the chance to see Lefty in N25Y. I did, however, see his P-38 fly just once before it was "White Lightnin'." It was based at Harbor Field in Baltimore and was owned by Hugh Wells's company, "Aviation Exchange."

I was sitting in the control tower talking to the operator, who was a personal friend of mine, when 25Y came taxiing out for takeoff. It was being piloted by a well-known local pilot by the name of Joe Ridosi. He took off and formed up with a flight of MD ANG F-51Hs from the 104th FS. I was listening to it all over the tower's radio. It was a great experience. I never saw it fly again...Maybe in Europe--I hope so.

Regards,
Lightning