How to Dogfight Aggressively in the P-38 Lightning
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 เม.ย. 2020
- How to Dogfight Aggressively in the P-51 Mustang: • How to Dogfight Aggres...
The P-38 is one of my favorite aircraft to fly in War Thunder, and I see a lot of people not utilizing it to its full potential. The dogfights in this video present examples of the Lightning used aggressively in various dogfights and coming out on top.
The P-38 is not just a passive BnZ aircraft; it has excellent flaps, speed, stall-performance, energy retention, and (with the L Model,) roll-rate. Frankly, it can do almost everything exceptionally well if used properly.
Specifically, the P-38 excels in stall-fights, vertical maneuvers, rope-a-dopes, and long-range head-ons. Combat flaps are deployable up to 500 kph, so use them liberally. In addition, roll-rate of the non-L models can be boosted by using both ailerons and flaps (Q+A, E+D.)
Music Sources
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Score: • NFS: Hot Pursuit 2010 ...
Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes: • The Doobie Brothers: W... - เกม
I've recently been playing the P-38s a lot and absolutely LOVING them. Even if this is 2 and a half years old this is one of the best guides to the hard part of P-38ing, thank you for the 11/10 guide!
Same bro, P-38L carried me through rank IV, this is an absolute beast and i feel it's a bit undertiered even, now that i found this guide i'm gonna start crushing even more
Yeahhh BOIIIIIII. most of my understanding of fighters and fighting comes from you. no BS, you go straight to the point
So your P-38 how to video isn't as good as this one?
I was literally watching a playlist of your videos I created, and had this video randomly stuffed in the middle for some reason. Funny the only video not made by you in the playlist, has you as the top commentor. Thanks for the work put in to making instructional WT content, I get tons of value from it.
Always a pleasure to see a P38 in worthy hands.
Next time people say that you should never turn in a P-38 and that you should only BnZ, I am sending them this video.
*Plane attempts to stall p38*
P38: So you have chosen death...
I swear I just get gunned down in the climb
@@jakethesnake9621 In that case either you are going too slow (climb less steeply) or the enemy plane still has enough energy to pull lead. Either way, it means you need to start the rope-a-dope (stall fight) with more speed or altitude advantage over the enemy plane. Good luck!
@@jakethesnake9621 same the zeros can always pull the lead
I attempted to out stall a spitfire, it didn't go well for me
@@br-sb6vu A spitfire is one of the only planes i can think of that has better stall characteristics than the p 38. The p 38 stalls with flaps around 87 or 88mph the spitfire stalls around 77. To my knowledge even zeros don't have better stall characteristics than a p 38. But then again finding hard source material on early a6m's is hard. Then again warthunder has the p 39 out rating a p 38 so i don't know.
This is exactly how I have always played the P-38. Most people I fight against in a 1v1 come into it thinking the P-38 is an easy kill, then they fight me and become scared of the P-38, LOL!
Can confirm. I used to go towards P-38s, but now I just try to stay as far away as possible.
Spiral stall climbs then hammerhead
Ez kills
Another tactic against turn fighters with good stall speed and climb rates is to gain speed and use that to out turn them or run away, or dive to lure them down to lower altitudes for your teammates and then use the speed to get away
Thats what happens in my fw190 hehe
They're easy kills by how slow they are at turnfights
It honestly strikes me that everyone who dogfights against P-38s always presumes they're fighting someone who doesn't know how to fly them.
Oh yes. Very clearly explained with good examples and those visualizations in the corner, a joy to watch!
P-38L is amazing now with airspawn
Man you are an artist with this thing. I enjoy the P-38 but I can’t make it dance like that. Seems like proper flap use is key here.
War thunder gameplay, clips from history channel's Dogfights series, and NFS: hot pursuit's soundtrack. A weird combination of things I like.
I'm his squadmate (PPCmgb) in multiple clips. I fly often with him. Been a follower of him since 2015 but only recently got good specs to play this game a lot last year. He's my biggest role model for dogfighting in the game.
more stuff like this is always welcome, educational and useful ingame, i hope you keep this up :P
That Need for Speed music sounds a lot more badass in this context than in Hot Pursuit
loved the 3d graphics animations of each manouver
It is unique to find someone who has this level of understanding of the Lightning Series
Once i flew the P-38G back in.....oh god, how long ago was it? Update 1.29 i think, so April 2013, it was love on first flight. At this point i really only fly the 38s and the F2A-1 'Thach'. I may want to fly with you at some point.
ALso, it is nice to see someone else with the 38K, i dont see them often.
Recent returnee to WT, videos like these are a Godsend. Used to have a more intuitive grasp of the planes I flew back in 2014, but after I left the game in... 2016 (?) - I think top tier US was still the Panther and Sabres at that time (??) - returning back to it in 2023 is a rough time. So videos like these, regardless of their age, are quite valuable in relearning birds like the P-38G-1. Hope I can also get grips with the F4U-1D and F6F-5.
I came for the pilot interviews but now this channel is just something I watch regardless haha
6:07 that was absolutely brutal
I've been trying to love the p38, but it always fights me, it feels so sluggish. This is some useful stuff indeed
Lmfao same i fucking hate this plane when i started playing i ragequit after that create a new acc and choose russian tree hahahahah
@@maurish8043 Skill issue
I mean it is heavy cus it's 2 damn engines. But with energy it's very strong. You just need to have energy and altitude
@@TheLazyKat yeah way back then i dont know about energy and the play style xD
Reminds me of Strikers 1945 with that P38. They don't call it the Fork Tailed Devil for nothing.
AAA hits plane
"no serious damage."
*fuel and oil leak*
I..... Would beg to differ 😬 lol
Excellent flying, thoroughly enjoyed watching.
lmao the salt from Chechen Wulf tho
Text explanations without interrupting the flow of the video, p.i.p of clips from the show "dogfights", and combat elegant enough to make me want a smoke after it's done.
Well done, m8. Well done.
This is some great flying! Thanks for sharing it. Ta-154 guy did great too.
Flew the XP/P-38G in over 1500 games and like it, the J/L i flew sometimes in approx. 200 Games. Last Days i flew the J/L again but i fly them less aggressive, yesterday i had 4 kills in the J, never had an ACE with these late P-38 but 4 from time to time, best game yesterday and last fighter in Team (and one Bomber left) vs 6 enemy Fighters made 1st Kill when i was alone with the Bomber , 3 more followed the remaining 2 enemy Fighters fled and camped their field.
J/L are good planes when flown the right way, fantastic flying mate, love your usage of flaps i use them extrem seldom because it cost Speed
P-38's are a solid plane, I came back to use it after not using it for a long time and now that I know how to play it I realized how I was taking P-38's for granted. Love this plane, I hope my next plane (F-82E) have a similar performance with the P-38's.
Thank you for the guide! It really helps!
What's great about the F-82 is it's super-fast and the guns (especially with tracers) melt everything. However the plane bleeds a lot of speed in zoom climbs and turns which ironically makes it poor at vertical Boom and Zoom; you almost have to use it like a horizontal jouster! Definitely harder to carry in it.
@@-juno-takaleon3830 definetly, this this is scary in head on. Though for some reason my aim is atrocious. Gotta train to aim
Always watch these and feel pretty confident, then I do a few battles and remember I'm stupid.
I got 3 kills today in the P-38E and I was in a 2v1 with a Mig-3 and Beaufighter (yes I know they're not the best planes but still) at almost same altitude. I managed to stall out the mig-3 and blast him outta the air and eventually got the Beaufighter. For some reason it felt very satisfying to stall people out in this thing.
For someone who knows nothing about dogfighting and flying the p38 this video means a world! Thank you
Thank you for taking the time to make these videos. I've been playing this game for 6 years now, and I still find this very useful, thanks again.
Straight and to the point, lovely. And the gameplay is amazing too.
P-38 user here. Most of my kills are on bombers, planes flying in a straight line or when I have the height advantage. Head on charges are another story as the kills go either way. With the MG Pods, this plane became a dangerous foe against enemy bombers, though I snag enemy fighters if given the opportunity.
I have been playing War Thunder for like 3 days, the P38 Lightning is my all time favorite plane. This vidoe is great dude, im definately gonna practice hard after watching this . Ty sir :)
Outstanding airmanship - a joy to watch!
It looks so easy when you do it. My dogfights allways end in catastrophe.
Great video, learned a ton from this and I’ve been playing for years. 🙌👌
Man I love the p38s. Especially the J model. The L’s br makes it a little more difficult to fly in my opinion, but the air brakes are a vital tool sometimes(not to mention the roll rate helps in defensive. Damn shame I’ve never managed to pick up the P38K though. Can’t wait to try that one if it ever goes on sale again. Awesome video!
Absolutely beautiful and informative. 10/10
Where did you get those mini-dogfight simulations in the bottom right corner? Rope-a-dope one reminded me of something I saw from a Dogfights episode on the F6F Hellcat
You're right; it's from Dogfights! I basically take the clip, trim it and add it to the corner for visual effect :)
Excellent tutorial on P-38s, thanks for this. Great video.
This really helped me make the best use of my yp-38, thanks!
This video is like the grail! Now to figure out if I can apply this to my actual real human children the SM.91 and SM.92...
Came for the pilot interviews. Ended up downloading war thunder
Great vid. p38 has become my favorite fighter because of this vid. especially with the gun pods on the L5 LO
Thanks for making this really helped a lot
Thx on the tips for dog fighting I usually do head on until I kill the enemy or we both crash or I die
wild how different the game looks almost every year
Nice flying
Rope a dope 🤣 I love that name ima start using that for now on 😭
Brilliant video, instantly subscribed
Nice to revisit. Trying this, I guess I underestimate energy states. Also have trouble setting up the fights. Very entertaining to watch here, thanks for the edutainment.
Nice tutorial!
you're really good man!
Nice video, liked the fanmail ;) Would love to see a private message compilation haha.
Wow.. thanks a mill.. Joy to watch..
dude how are you this good i cant even understand why you do some maneuvres
Bro this is good
Perfect guide doesn't exi..
I would be way to scared to do this lol. Nice work
Christ almighty, you're a monster in that thing.
Great tutorial though, 11/10
good video
I never have ant issues getting behind the enemy in this plane but for some reason, I just can never get the guns on target. I don't have this issue in any other aircraft.
The rudder on the P-38 is kinda unresponsive and has poor lateral control. Gaijin simply programmed it to be very hard to aim compared to say, the Bf109 or J2M, which will snap right to where you have the mouse pointed effortlessly.
It's one thing I wish they fix in the flight model :(
I really really want a p38 in dcs
Is it just me or is the music in the background the need for speed hot pursuit soundtrack
Correct!
I fucking love this video.
Nice video, good footage
Does the same apply to the XP-38? What’s your opinion on it (if you have it)?
XP-38 is a great plane and frankly a sealclubber! It's 0.3BR lower than the P-38G despite having near identical performance. \
Pretty much all the info here applies to it as well, except your opponents will be more maneuverable so its better to take a more speed-oriented BnZ approach.
EARNED A SUB AND LIKE UR AMAZING FP
oh hopefully im not there as kentkenny_2
God I love the p38
thx
Great video but one observation. Is it just me or does it seem like the War Thunder P-38s don't really see their one real advantage - NO CONVERGENCE zones. These should be better at head on and longer range fire, but for some reason, I'm getting hit more often in head on encounters even when I'm firing the cannon at longer range and accounting for round drop. Am I screwing something up?
Hi Michael!
Ironically enough, having all the guns concentrated in the nose makes it *harder* to hit the enemy in a head on. This is because if you're even *slightly* off your target, all the bullets will miss. Planes with wing-mounted guns like the P-47 don't have this problem because the guns will spray in a wide area, increasing your chances of hitting the enemy.
It'll also depend on your settings. Do you have gun convergence on? If so, at how many meters?
For example, if you have gun convergence set at 500m, remember that the guns will be pointed *slightly upwards* so that all the bullets from all guns converge on the crosshair at 500m.
That means you'll actually have to aim the crosshair slightly *lower* than the enemy aircraft sometimes for the bullets to hit.
(Another example is when you're in a high speed dive. The extra lift will make your plane float upwards and your bullets will actually fly higher than your crosshair, so again you have to aim lower than the enemy target to hit.)
Also remember that the P-38 is a *huge* target! I would never continue a head-on past 700~800m in closure because it's too dangerous. I would start dodging.
Big tip for dodging: the only way to compensate for being a huge target in a large fighter is to fly as fast as possible so that you can dodge enemy bullets more effectively.
I recommend *never* engaging an enemy aircraft where you're slower than 400kph (Indicated Air Speed) at any altitude in the P-38. Or any heavy fighter for that matter. Dive slightly if you have to to get that airspeed up!
Also make sure to dodge in a corkscrew (twisting/barrel-roll) motion. This is the most difficult maneuver for the enemy to compensate for because where they have to aim to hit you is constantly changing. Dodging in a normal flat-turn is highly predictable.
TL;DR: Stay fast, account for bullets going high, disengage the head-on early, and twist your turns.
Hope this helps!
@@-juno-takaleon3830 Thank you, I will take all of that to heart. Some things I hadn't thought about. This actually contradicts everything I read about the P-38 (I have a large library of books on the subject) but I guess the game mechanics are a bit different. Will start using your advice now that I have 5 of them. lol. I'm curious if other center mounted weapons (gun pods) will act the same way. (It will be a long time before I get to the F4 that uses those.)
Thanks for good video. What type
of p38s do you recommend for ?
J, L, or K ?
個人的にはL型が一番いいと思います。
エルロンが油圧式になっているので射撃や回避に肝心なロール性能がJ型やK型に比べて大変よくなっています。
あとP-38の一番の問題点は、高速での急降下時にエレベーターが固まってスピードを出しすぎて墜落してしまうところなのですが、P-38の中で唯一急降下フラップ（ダイブブレーキ）がL型についているのでそれを使えば難なく引き起こしができますね。
最後にP-38は旋回性能が乏しいイメージなんですが、Takeoff FlapとLanding Flapを使えばBf-109G型相手に、上級者なら紫電や疾風相手にドッグファイトで勝てますよ！
I personally think the P-38L is the best.
Because the ailerons are hydraulically boosted, the roll rate (which is essential for aiming and dodging) is significantly improved compared to the J and K.
Also, one of the P-38's major flaws is the fact that the elevator can lock up and cause over-speeding in a high-speed dive. The P-38L is the only model equipped with dive-flaps (dive-brakes,) which makes pull-outs much easier if you use them.
Finally, the P-38 has an image of being a poor turner, but if you use Takeoff and Landing Flaps, you can win dogfights against Bf-109Gs and if you're a skilled pilot N1K1s and Ki-84s!
Bro, I know I’m late, but can you make more vids like this??
I was working 2 jobs the past 14 months, but I finally quit one recently so hopefully I'll have more time!
Do what’s best for you brotha
I only used raised and combat flaps during dogfights. I saw that you used landing and takeoff flaps, so could you make a video elaborating on that or do you already have one by chance?
I don't have a video on it but I'll explain it briefly here!
Takeoff/Landing flaps can provide significantly more lift (tighter turn) than combat flaps at the cost of increased drag. When used properly they can allow heavier aircraft (such as the P-51, P-47, P-38) to turn with or completely out-turn 109s and other more lighter enemies. The key is knowing when to use them:
1. At lower speeds when you need maximum turn radius and drag matters less
2. When at the peak of loops and stall-turns to turn tighter and quicker
3. When in scissoring maneuvers to make the enemy overshoot
I can go into the different types of flaps and how some provide better turning performance than others, but to put it simply the P-38 has Fowler Flaps, which are some of the best flaps for increasing turning (good) while minimizing drag (bad). This means the P-38 can turn *insanely* better with takeoff/landing flaps, and you're missing out big time if you don't use them!
As for controls, I set the R key for flaps up and F key for flaps down.
@@-juno-takaleon3830
Ok, so I’ve been using the landing flaps in dire situations for the past couple of days. Not just for the p-38 but other American fighters as well. So far, when I’ve used it correctly, I’ve been able to out-turn, evade, and reset most of the fights where I would normally lose. Thanks for replying it has really helped a lot!
@@asashin4983 No problem bro!
@@asashin4983 One little bit he missed was the fact that the Fowler flaps in the Lightning are *insanely* rugged compared to other planes in the game. Try turning your flaps to takeoff mode at 480 km/hr in any other plane and see what happens. Another little bit of extra turn rate you can access in the P-38L is the dive flaps but they really rob you of speed. I am curious why he doesn't seem to incorporate them at all though, as they can be used at any speed while the landing flaps will snap off if you go over 250 km/hr.
@@TheSolongsidekick The dive flaps cause too much drag for only a marginal increase in lift to be worth using at low speed, in my opinion. They are excellent for high-speed turning above 500 kph though, since they eliminate the elevator lock-up that usually kicks in at those speeds!
What did u set gun convergence to? Thanks for helpful vid!
300m with vertical targeting. However since all the guns are nose-mounted convergence is not that impactful and vertical targeting is also personal preference. So try whatever settings you like!
My question is P38 or spitfire I have a soft spot for spit fires though
P-38 cus it's more challenging. The Spitfire's reputation is so renowned that everyone runs away from you when you fly a Spitfire so it's kinda boring lol
TEACH ME SEMPAI!
Great guides. I am currently at low tier in the US TT. Which P-38 Premium (or tech tree talisman) do you recommend?
For low-tier I recommend either the XP-38G or just Talisman the regular P-38G. For higher tier the P-38L is my personal favorite!
@@-juno-takaleon3830 Thank you man
aiming p38s are just a pain in the brain, i just cant keep the aiming due to slow bullets.
I can't get a kill everytime i try to kill one guy another plane comes behind me
What are your post fx settings? Your tracers are so easy to see. I can barely see mine
First try increasing TPS sharpness to max in post fx settings, that should have the biggest impact!
Thanks for reply. What ammo belts to use for p38g?
@@rhettdepol4629 Universal for 12.7mm and Air Targets for 20mm
What MEC settings do you use in the P-38?
Cold/winter maps: 25~30% Radiator, Auto Prop Pitch, 63% mixture.
Hot/tropical maps: 35%~45% Radiator, 95~97% Prop Pitch, 63% mixture.
Making the prop pitch slightly lower than 100% helps cooling but reduces thrust/acceleration at low speed. Not very noticeable though. 63% mixture is allegedly the best for the P-38.
@@-juno-takaleon3830 Cool, thanks man.
I have no idea how you pull off these maneuvers. No matter how hard I try I just end up not being able to do the same stuff you do.
He's being pretty vague at just how advanced a pilot he really is. He's using manual engine control, which if you know how to do it right can give you a *serious* advantage. The fact that automatic engine control slams every cowling/cooling flap shut the second you push into WEP causing any engine to quickly overheat and being able to avoid that is just one example of why using MEC is worth learning if you're really into the game. He also has extremely good control over his rudder, I'd guess he's using a pedal set. Pretty damn near impossible to do some of those maneuvers with just one hand. He might have a gaming mouse and has the rudders bound to a couple buttons on the mouse but I think a proper rudder controller is more likely.
@@TheSolongsidekick Nah I don't have rudder pedals (I wish I did!) I just use Q and E key for rudder, X and 2 key for elevator up/down, and A and D for ailerons. (W and S are for throttle.) It's a funky setup but I've been using it for 8 years now and it works for me lol.
how do I get the p38k I really want it
It's on sale for limited periods during special events as a bundle. Not sure if it's on sale right now but you'll have to wait for the next big War Thunder sales event.
@@-juno-takaleon3830 thanks
You certainly
They p38k doesn't exist? what are you talking about man.
It's a seasonal exclusive that only goes on sale once a year!
Which ammo tho
12.7 - Universal
20mm - Air targets
Or, if you're good with your aim and you want to be stealthy:
12.7mm - Stealth
20mm - Stealth
10:37 massive cope, just take the L and move on.
in short, pull up
Jesus Loves You
I see a very distorted game that is not very realistic in it's portrayal of aircraft mechanics, or the realities of combat. It does not count if the planes are identified with "Tag" lines and relevant info. A floating aiming mark and point of view that is outside the plane??? Right. This is so much BS that it stinks!
There are only aim indicators in arcade lol... sounds like someone tried to leave a review without actually playing the game. Come fly sim sometime.
Go play DCS or Il-2 if you want a simulator.
Bet you cant even play old man
ugh, it designed like that for a reason... war thunder is the only game that does what it does, air RB is designed to have realistic flight physics and have an arcade vibe at the same time, if it wasn't like this then people would just go to a better alternative. you can of course play sim however, I recommend DCS world or il-2 for that, the game was not intended as strictly a combat sim, the game has flaws but it does pretty well if you want an air combat game without all of the sim mode aspects and retains somewhat of a realistic depiction of air combat
the only thing that is BS is your view of the game considering the intention of the game is very clear and straight forward... it makes no sense for you to call it BS