Us Official Photographs

P-38 Lightning Takes Off

Radar equipped P-38 "Lightning" reconnaissance plane takes off, its "droop snoot" nose crammed with special electronic devices. Trips like these precede visits of giant bombers against enemy industrial targets. Intensive preliminary planning characterizes reconnaissance trips of this nature since the plane carries no armament and is under orders to avoid combat. The reconnaissance plane takes off on a mission which will be reflected later in accurate devastating bombing missions by the "heavies".