SCREWY LOOIE

Confessions of a Lightning driver

- BY LOUIS SCHRIBER II, CAPTAIN USAAC (RET.), AS TOLD TO AND WRITTEN BY JAMES P. BUSHA

IN THE MIDDLE OF 1942, after successfully completing basic training in Pecos, Texas, at the controls of a BT-13, I had a decision to make: become a fighter pilot or jump into multi-engine airplanes and fly bombers. I thought I would be a little lonesome in the cockpit of a fighter and figured I'd have better luck with a crew of men and more engines at my disposal, so I chose the bomber route of training. I soon learned, though, while flying in the Army that you have to be careful what you wish for and never, ever to volunteer for anything. I got the multi-engine just like I had requested, but the plane I would fly in combat, one that saved my butt countless times, was no damn bomber! In fact, the first time I flew one in training, I was a little concerned when the instructors told us that these airplanes were to have gone to the RAF but were rejected because the Brits thought them incapable of squaring off against the Luftwaffe in combat.

The airplane I was instructed to conquer before earning my wings at Williams Field, Arizona, was an early variant of the Lockheed P-38, called the P-322. The British didn't want them because they had no turbochargers or counter-rotating propellers installed on them, so the P-322s that had already been built were turned over to the training command. I found myself strapped in one with my knees knocking, as my instructor gave me my last rights and some advice on how to bring both of us back in one piece. I started both engines and taxied halfway to Tucson for takeoff as I closed my eyes for a long second and let the Lightning roll. When I opened my eyes and finally caught up to the airplane, we were already passing through 2,500 feet as I retracted the tricycle landing gear. After that first flight, everything I learned about being a fighter pilot was most enjoyable, and I quickly educated myself on how to fly, fight and stay alive in the P-38. Of course, I had a lot of help from some great teachers.