What nickname did the Japanese give the P-38 Lightning?

The P-38 performed best in the Pacific, where the Japanese feared it and nicknamed it "two planes, one pilot." It also suited that theater's warm climate better: in European winters, its air intakes cooled the incoming air too much. In the Pacific, American fuel contributed to better engine performance and maintenance, and leaner mixtures increased its range.

There, the P-38 shot down more than 1,800 Japanese aircraft, and more than a hundred of its pilots became aces by downing five or more enemy planes. It was the aircraft of the two top American aces, Richard Bong, with 40 victories, and Thomas McGuire, with 38. The 475th Fighter Group alone, to which McGuire belonged, shot down more than 551 Japanese aircraft during the war, losing only 56 of its own. In April 1943, P-38Gs were used with great effectiveness in the operation that shot down Admiral Yamamoto.

Part of its effectiveness came from its armament, concentrated in the nose: four .50-caliber machine guns and a 20mm cannon. Since the bullets had no convergence point, the P-38 achieved excellent accuracy at ranges of nearly 1,000 meters, unlike the wing-mounted guns of most fighters of its time.

That armament consisted of four Browning M2 machine guns and a 20mm Hispano cannon, with a combined rate of fire of more than 4,000 rounds per minute. Charles Lindbergh, who flew with the 475th Group in 1944, helped extend its range even further by teaching pilots to reduce engine speed to 1,600 rpm and lean out the fuel mixture. The P-38 was the only American fighter in large-scale production throughout the entire war.