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Fork-Tailed Devil: The P-38 (Military History
One of America's greatest military aviation historians relates the astonishing--and true--story of the only American warplane to fight in every operational theater in World War II from Pearl Harbor to Alaska and North Africa to Northern Europe.
448 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1971
199 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Martin Caidin
192 books81 followersMartin Caidin was a prolific and controversial writer. Most of his work centered around the adventures of pilots and astronauts. A number of his books were notable for their reasonable, realistic predictions of then-futuristic technology.
Caidin's body of work was prolific and varied, ranging from additional speculative/SF novels such as Marooned, which was made into an acclaimed film and considered a harbinger of the Apollo 13 accident, to a novel based upon the character Indiana Jones. He also wrote many non-fiction books about science, aviation and warfare.
Caidin began writing fiction in 1957. In his career he authored more than 50 fiction and nonfiction books as well as more than 1,000 magazine articles. His best-known novel is Cyborg, which was the basis for "The Six Million Dollar Man" franchise. He also wrote numerous works of military history, especially concerning aviation.
In addition to his writing Caidin was a pilot and active in the restoration and flying of older planes.
Caidin's body of work was prolific and varied, ranging from additional speculative/SF novels such as Marooned, which was made into an acclaimed film and considered a harbinger of the Apollo 13 accident, to a novel based upon the character Indiana Jones. He also wrote many non-fiction books about science, aviation and warfare.
Caidin began writing fiction in 1957. In his career he authored more than 50 fiction and nonfiction books as well as more than 1,000 magazine articles. His best-known novel is Cyborg, which was the basis for "The Six Million Dollar Man" franchise. He also wrote numerous works of military history, especially concerning aviation.
In addition to his writing Caidin was a pilot and active in the restoration and flying of older planes.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 12, 2019
When I was growing up in the 1970s and taking pleasure in assembling model airplanes, I developed what has come to be a deep affection for the P-38 Lightning. It would be another couple of decades before I chanced across this book in a bookstore on the P-38 by Martin Caidin. It's a fantastic book offering a comprehensive history of this remarkably versatile aircraft which served on a variety of fronts during the Second World War with the United States Army Air Force (USAAF). The book is also enriched by the eyewitness accounts of pilots who flew the P-38 in combat and several illustrations.
For its time, the P-38 Lightning was a breed apart from its contemporaries with its twin boom configuration, "steering wheel" joystick, tricycle undercarriage, armament, high altitude performance, and two counter-rotating propellers. In 2015, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of V-E Day, I was fortunate enough to see a P-38 streak across the sky over the National Mall in Washington DC. "FORK-TAILED DEVIL" is a book that I could read again and again.
For its time, the P-38 Lightning was a breed apart from its contemporaries with its twin boom configuration, "steering wheel" joystick, tricycle undercarriage, armament, high altitude performance, and two counter-rotating propellers. In 2015, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of V-E Day, I was fortunate enough to see a P-38 streak across the sky over the National Mall in Washington DC. "FORK-TAILED DEVIL" is a book that I could read again and again.
April 27, 2014
Very good look at the P-38 Lightning from the first prototype through the end of WWII. Book covers extensively the good and the bad of the aircraft itself through all its iterations, as well as it's performance and record during each theater of WWII. A few chapters in the book are not actually written by the author, but rather verbatim letters to the author from P-38 WWII pilots themselves recounting their experiences with the Lightning. This book is a much-needed account of one of the principal WWII American fighters.
December 28, 2020
This is the fourth time I have read this book. Three times as a teenager (my Dad was in the Air Force in WWII and as a kid I got to meet many people who had served including two P-39 pilots). Martin Caiden was an exceptional writer. This book includes the human element about those who designed, tested and flew the plane as well as technical commentary on it. I am an avid reader of WWII history. I have read every book I could find on the "der Gabelschwanz-Teufel" which is the name the German pilots gave the P-38 and where "Fork Tailed Devil" came from. The best part of this book is the human element. This was a dangerous plane to fly in its earlier generations until they were able to change controls to handle compressability. It's fascinating reading other books about the early development of jet fighters and how often they mentioned having much that was learned from the design and those who flew the P-38 that was applied in jet fighter design. If you are a WWII buff this is a must read. My of my most interesting experiences was that I got to fly in a P-38M (the one shown on the cover of the book) where I sat behind the pilot - this was in a visit to what was known then the CAF (Confederate Air Force) but now has a more poically correct name.
June 15, 2020
Better Than I Thought It Would Be
I am not a pilot, so found his detailed explanations of the physics of flying fast to be fascinating. The speed of the P38 and the altitude at which it could fly took it into uncharted territory (and physics). The conditions under which these awsomely brave pilots flew is stunning: freezing cold, mechanical failures, terrible weather, lack of spare parts, etc. yet they carried on and took control of the skies in Africa, Europe, and the Pacific. The P38 in its later versions was, as convincingly proved by the author, the best airplane the US had during WWII. As the son of a Lockheed employee who was there during WWII, I am very proud of what the company accomplished.
I am not a pilot, so found his detailed explanations of the physics of flying fast to be fascinating. The speed of the P38 and the altitude at which it could fly took it into uncharted territory (and physics). The conditions under which these awsomely brave pilots flew is stunning: freezing cold, mechanical failures, terrible weather, lack of spare parts, etc. yet they carried on and took control of the skies in Africa, Europe, and the Pacific. The P38 in its later versions was, as convincingly proved by the author, the best airplane the US had during WWII. As the son of a Lockheed employee who was there during WWII, I am very proud of what the company accomplished.
December 2, 2019
When it comes to the P 38 fighter I am very biased. It is my favorite World War II fighter and as such it has a special place in my heart. This book relates the history of this plane from the beginning to the end. I recommend it only to those that truly love aviation history. The plane had its teething problems which in Europe became deadly to many pilots. It was the Pacific theater in which the plane really got to show its outstanding attributes and became a fearsome weapon in the hands of the pilots of the United States Army Air Corps.
July 13, 2024
Disappointing
The P38 has always fascinated me. I thought this book would provide answers to question I had. The author meanders, going over much of the same info again and again. He also relies on pilot remembrances that would be great except for the fact that they are boring and often have little to do with the P38 in action.
I ended up skipping over a lot of the material because it just redundant or not interesting.
Then the author claims the P38 was the greatest American fighter of WWII. This book doesn’t prove that claim.
The P38 has always fascinated me. I thought this book would provide answers to question I had. The author meanders, going over much of the same info again and again. He also relies on pilot remembrances that would be great except for the fact that they are boring and often have little to do with the P38 in action.
I ended up skipping over a lot of the material because it just redundant or not interesting.
Then the author claims the P38 was the greatest American fighter of WWII. This book doesn’t prove that claim.
November 13, 2018
Repetitious and detailed.
Good stories about P 38 pilots and their experiences in different theaters of war. However, since the author let several pilots relate there experiences in the same theaters, it was someone repetitious. Overall, very good story about the introduction of the P 38 and its many modifications that ended up with the P 38L which was a fantastic machine. No wonder the Japanese and the Germans lost the air war.
Good stories about P 38 pilots and their experiences in different theaters of war. However, since the author let several pilots relate there experiences in the same theaters, it was someone repetitious. Overall, very good story about the introduction of the P 38 and its many modifications that ended up with the P 38L which was a fantastic machine. No wonder the Japanese and the Germans lost the air war.
September 24, 2022
3.5/5, rounded up from the nostalgia of my youth. This was one of those WW2 books that I loved in the 70s. I still found the first half to be pretty compelling, detailing the development of the various models of the plane in the European Theater. I found the back half, The Pacific, to be inferior in writing-style, often due to wholesale insertion of personal narratives…and the Pacific was where a ton of the plane’s legendary accomplishments took place.
July 17, 2025
Good in some regards, poor in others. Good review of the development timeline and issues along the way. Otherwise disjointed with very little information on how to effectively use the plane in combat or operationally. The biggest disappointment was the author’s lack of aerodynamic understanding and his attempt to BS his way through the compressibility issues and their solutions. Those sections are incorrect.
November 9, 2020
Fork-Tail Devil —-The P-38
One of the best World War II books that I have ever read. Interesting, factual and it brings the reader into the world of 1942 to 1945 and all the hardships that our air forces had to experience from somewhat experimental planes, to parts shortages and the lack of radar, etc.
Great reading period.
One of the best World War II books that I have ever read. Interesting, factual and it brings the reader into the world of 1942 to 1945 and all the hardships that our air forces had to experience from somewhat experimental planes, to parts shortages and the lack of radar, etc.
Great reading period.
September 10, 2022
It was a good explanation of the P-38 Lightnings story and service.
November 2, 2024
Read years ago. Better this time.
July 5, 2013
One of those books where I've had it sitting on the to be read shelf for quite a long time. Now that I've read it, I wonder why I took so long to get to it. A masterful study of an under remembered fighter that was crucial to victory in the African and Pacific campaigns as well in Europe.
The beginning first few chapters are the best. the first chapter is a beautiful piece of non fiction essay writing telling of a gathering in the 60's of the Confederate Air Force (no, they are not planning a 2nd succession), a group dedicated to flying and preserving old "Warbirds". It gives you such a great feeling of " You are there" that you can almost see the planes in your mind's eye. The book continues strongly in the early development of the p-38.
The book sags a bit in later chapters since some of them are almost entirely large quotes from actual pilots about their experiences. It is all well and good that their expreiences be told, but such long quotes and not in a necessarily cohesive form damages any narrative flow the book has. if these could have been better incorporated into a central narrative this would have been a marvelous book instead of a very good one.
Footnotes also could have been used. In 1971, when this book was orginally published, lots of popular military histories followed the no footnotes trend as some more general histories still do today. Fork-Tailed devil crys out for footnotes especially in portions where a story that defies logic was involved. the author merely states that his story is backed by many eyewitness accounts and numerous interviews. this is always hard to swallow without documentation.
The beginning first few chapters are the best. the first chapter is a beautiful piece of non fiction essay writing telling of a gathering in the 60's of the Confederate Air Force (no, they are not planning a 2nd succession), a group dedicated to flying and preserving old "Warbirds". It gives you such a great feeling of " You are there" that you can almost see the planes in your mind's eye. The book continues strongly in the early development of the p-38.
The book sags a bit in later chapters since some of them are almost entirely large quotes from actual pilots about their experiences. It is all well and good that their expreiences be told, but such long quotes and not in a necessarily cohesive form damages any narrative flow the book has. if these could have been better incorporated into a central narrative this would have been a marvelous book instead of a very good one.
Footnotes also could have been used. In 1971, when this book was orginally published, lots of popular military histories followed the no footnotes trend as some more general histories still do today. Fork-Tailed devil crys out for footnotes especially in portions where a story that defies logic was involved. the author merely states that his story is backed by many eyewitness accounts and numerous interviews. this is always hard to swallow without documentation.
December 10, 2013
A most excellent book once you've waded through the meandering opening chapters. The battle descriptions are riveting, especially when they're being told firsthand by the pilots who lived them. If you've been wanting to read a book about the P-38 (and, seriously, who hasn't?) and weren't sure which one of the many books on the subject to go with, I heartily recommend this one.
May 26, 2015
A biography of the P-38. It starts with it's inception an teething problems to it's changing role in Africa, Europe and the Pacific. An amazing plane once all it's problems got sorted out. Lots of factual information on the different variations of the P-38 as well as lots of the pilots stories and plaenty of dogfights!
January 21, 2011
The P-38 is one of my favorite aircraft, and it was even more so after reading this book. It's a pity that the air brakes destined for Europe went down with a freighter, or it might have been the dominant fighter plane in Europe, as well as in the Pacific.
November 18, 2021
Deep mechanical detail. An admirable defense of the P-38 airframe design from an author who has written extensively about the air war in both the Pacific and Western Europe. Hard to walk away without loving the P-38 (if you didn't already).
May 17, 2012
Very good book. Caidin was a pilot, author and historian. Few do it better when writing of these historical warbirds and their crews.
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November 12, 2013In-depth aviation nerd look at one of the most unique fighter aircraft ever built.
July 5, 2011
A bit disjointed and repetitive towards the end, but still a fantastic book, much enjoyed.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews