Airfix Model World – September 2019

IN FOCUS

KING’S CLIFFE P-38

86 Airfi x Model World http://www.airfi xmodelworld.com 87

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B

y the time the 20th

Fighter Group arrived in

the UK in late August 1943

the United States Army

Air Force’s (USAAF) dream of the

self-protecting bomber formation

was already dead. The 60

bombers lost on missions against

Regensburg and Schweinfurt on

August 17, 1943 had shown any

deep penetration missions to

targets in Germany would lead

to prohibitive casualties. Further

attempts to raid German targets

without long-range escorts in

October 1943 again resulted

in heavy losses. It was clear to

those at the top of the Eighth Air

Force that the only way to save

their daylight bombing campaign

was to provide a fighter escort

that covered the whole mission.

European debut

With the arrival of the Lockheed

P-38 Lightning, the USAAF

hoped it had an aircraft capable

of satisfying this requirement.

However, time would show twin-

engined fighters weren’t fully

up to the task and only with the

advent of the Merlin-powered

P-51 Mustang (which started to

arrive in the UK a few months

later) were bombers finally

protected for the duration of

their sorties.

The 20th Fighter Group

(FG) wasn’t pitched straight

into combat on its arrival at

RAF King’s Cliffe. There was

a shortage of P-38s in the

UK at that time, so the more

experienced 55th FG (also

equipped with the type) was

committed to combat first. The

20th FG (motto ‘Victory by

Valor’) was finally brought up to

sufficient strength, allowing it to

send a few aircraft at a time on

missions, with the 55th FG acting

as a fourth squadron.

In December 1943 there was

a sudden increase in the

number of Lightnings

available at King’s Cliffe,

and on the December 28,

1943 the group undertook

its maiden combat mission,

a fighter sweep over the

Dutch coast. For the next

Mike Murray describes the exploits of the USAAF

20th Fighter Group, which operated the Lockheed P-38

Lightning from August 1943 to July 1944

One of the 20th FG’s P-38s, resplendent

in its invasion markings, is refuelled

ready for another patrol on D-Day. Each

of the three squadrons in the 20th FG

flew three missions on June 6, 1944.